Free seminar helps navigate health care maze

Health Minders & You, a company that focuses on helping people with complicated medical issues navigate the health care system, will host two free seminars. "Keeping You Safe, What Your Doctor Wished You Knew" will begin at 9 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, in the Lincoln Room of the Best Western Ramkota Hotel, 2111 N. La Crosse St.

The sessions will help people with complicated medical issues navigate the health care system as well as improve their safety and care from multiple health providers, multiple medications and complex terminology, according to a news release. For information, call 721-2456.

Prostate cancer screenings at stock show

The John T. Vucurevich Cancer Care Institute will conduct prostate specific antigen (PSA) screenings at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center during the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo. The screenings will take place at the Regional Health booth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, upstairs in Room F. Screening may detect prostate cancer early by testing the amount of PSA in the blood.

The American Cancer Society recommends all men older than 50 have an annual PSA blood test and a digital rectal examination. Men in high-risk categories, such as African American men or men with a strong family history of prostate cancer before age 65, should begin testing at age 45. Walk-ins for the screening are welcome. Results will be sent by mail. For more information about the PSA screening, call 719-2314.

Program offers free power wheelchairs

The Senior Wheels USA Program will provide power wheelchairs to qualified people for home use at no cost. According to Leon Johnson, program director, these power wheelchairs will be available to those who can no longer walk safely or propel themselves with a manual wheelchair and who meet additional guidelines of the program. For more information, call 1-800-246-6010.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Week kicks off race

Rapid City Regional Hospital's Cardiac Rehabilitation department will kick off National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week, Feb. 10-16, with a 5K fun run/walk at noon on Sunday, Feb. 3.

Participants can register from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, in Rapid City Regional Hospital's West Auditorium. Pre-registration is Friday, Feb. 1. Pre-registration fee is $13 or $16 day of race, which includes a long-sleeve T-shirt. To pre-register, call Cardiac Rehabilitation at 719-8208. Forms are available at Cardiac Rehabilitation gym at Rapid City Regional Hospital; the Runner's Shop, 41 E. Omaha St.; or Fitness Plus in Baken Park next to Boyd's Drug Mart.

Suicide prevention training sessions scheduled

South Dakota Suicide Awareness Partnership project will host free suicide alertness trainings to the public in Rapid City. The three-hour training sessions, called SafeTALK, will demonstrate how to help people with thoughts of suicide. It teaches the "TALK" steps of tell, ask, listen and keep safe, and how to link someone contemplating suicide to intervention resources.

People may choose any one of three SafeTALK Saturday morning sessions. Training is from 9 a.m. to noon, Feb. 23, April 5 and May 17 at the United Way building, 621 Sixth St. The training complements Applied Suicide Interventions Skills Training (ASIST) for caregivers. The free trainings are limited to 30 people. Pre-registration is required. To register, call Nancy Fleming, suicide prevention specialist, at 484-0738 or e-mail: nancy@helplinecenter.org.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.

Holistic group welcomes guest speaker

Dr. Corey Carter of Alt Med will present "Misconceptions Associated with 'All Natural' and 'Organic'" at the Black Hills Holistic Moms Network meeting. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, at the Alt Med office, 8035 Black Hawk Road in Black Hawk. For more information, call 430-7111 or go to www.holisticmoms.org

All Women Count! program offers screenings

Routine screenings for high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, symptoms of heart disease, can be literally lifesaving, according to Patty Lihs, All Women Count! program coordinator for the Department of Health.

The program screens age- and income-eligible women for breast and cervical cancer, heart disease (including cholesterol and blood pressure) and diabetes. The program provides free counseling about physical activity and healthier eating, which may reduce the risk of heart disease. Under the program, women ages 30 to 64 who meet income guidelines are eligible for a clinical breast exam, Pap test, cholesterol screen, blood pressure check and diabetes screening. Women ages 40 to 64 who meet income guidelines are eligible for the same screenings as well as a screening mammogram, which detects breast cancer.

Lihs said All Women Count! services are available at more than 200 screening sites and 850 health care providers across the state.

To find out about eligibility, women can call the local community health services office, health care provider or the Department of Health at 1-800-738-2301 or go to http://doh.sd.gov/AllWomenCount/.

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.