Health briefs for Feb. 25

| Tuesday, February 26, 2008

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Hospice offers volunteer training

Rapid City Regional Hospital’s Hospice of the Hills department will offer hospice volunteer training classes from

9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 4, 11, 18 and 25. The classes will meet in the lower level of the Hospice House at 224 Elk St. Volunteers are needed in homes, nursing homes and at the Hospice House. The classes will include caring for the terminally ill patient, psychosocial aspects of dying, communication, spiritual care, hospice concepts, comfort care, pain control, advance directives and funeral planning.

At the end of the class session, participants will have the preparation for volunteering with Hospice of the Hills, but volunteering is not required. Pre-registration is required for the classes. A fee of $20 will cover the cost of the training book and materials. The fee is waived for hospital employees and those who cannot afford the cost of the book. For information about the training or hospice volunteers, call Barbara Vargo, Hospice of the Hills Volunteer coordinator, at 719-7729 or 1-800-209-5719.

Women organize support group

Black Hills Nursing Moms will host its first meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Rapid City Public Library, 610 Quincy St. The meeting is open to anyone interested in breastfeeding. This is a nursing moms support group facilitated by other moms. If you are pregnant, this group will offer support to kick start the nursing relationship between you and your new baby. The group will continue to meet on the third Thursday of every month at the library. For more information, call Treese Morford DeBoer, clinical social worker, at 430-7111.

Screening set for strokes, other illnesses

For two days, Stroke Detection Plus will return to Rapid City to host four different health screenings. The Des Moines, Iowa, company will screen from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, March 4-5, at the Holiday Inn, 505 N. Fifth St. The screenings include stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease and osteoporosis. Cost is $35 for each screening, $95 for three screenings and $115 for the full wellness profile. Appointments are necessary. For an appointment or more information, call 1-877-732-8258.

VA hosts women’s retreat April 25-27

The specialized Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Outpatient Treatment Program of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Black Hills Health Care System will host a women’s retreat open to female veterans and female family members and significant others of combat veterans. The semi-annual weekend retreat will be April 25-27 at the Fort Meade VA Medical Center at Sturgis and is free for eligible members.

The retreat’s objectives are to help women develop a better understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder of combat veterans, develop a support system and improve relationships. The program begins at noon Friday, April 25. Participants must be screened and must pre-register by calling the support program from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at 720-7449 or 1-800-743-1070, ext. 7449.

Recognition of heart attack symptoms low

Only about one in four Americans knows the warning signs of a heart attack, U.S. health officials in Atlanta say. Most are also unaware that the first thing to do is call 911. Doctors with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the level of public awareness is alarmingly low.

The warning signs include shortness of breath; pain in the chest, arms or shoulder; a feeling of weakness; and discomfort in the jaw, neck or back. Each year, more than 900,000 Americans suffer a heart attack.

All health-related announcements must be received no later than noon Thursday to appear in the next Monday’s edition. Send announcements to Health Briefs, the Rapid City Journal, P.O. Box 450, Rapid City, SD  57709, fax them to 394-8463 or e-mail to features@rapidcityjournal.com. Items will appear once and as space permits. For information, call 394-8418.