FALL 2002 |
WOMAN TO WOMAN
Pick Up Your Newsletter In Person Due to the ever increasing costs of postage, we would like to ask for your assistance. If you would like to pick up your next newsletter up at the office instead of having it mailed, just give me a call and we will have your copy reserved. Thank you!!!
Our office would like to take a group picture of all of the children that were delivered through our service since it began in 1991. This special photo will be taken on Thursday, October 10 at 6PM. This photo is of the children only, with the exception of one parent to hold children which are under the age of one. This should be great fun and a way to meet other Moms. so take the time to dress them up and have their picture taken. Please RSVP either by calling our office at 724-527-9159 or log onto our website at www.JDMH-midwives.com. We are also in need of photographers who would like to be of assistance in taking additional shots.
Womens Expo
2002
The group sponsoring the Expo is the Moms Network of Western Pennsylvania which was formed a year ago in New Alexandria with the leader being Pamela Sabedra. The group focuses on helping women with home businesses or those who want to start one. Moms Network, the parent foundation, was founded in 1997 and is based out of Minnesota. There are mini groups throughout the United States. The group is non-profit and meets once a month at the New Alexandria Library. Additional information on this group or expo is available on www.newalexandriapa.com/mnewpa/intex or by phone at 668-8800 Our practice will be participating in this Expo. Please support local women in this area by attending this first Women's Expo and pass the word!!!
The B Magazine
New Billing Policies Due to recent changes within our practice, our billing is now being done by Jeannette Medical Providers. Their staff is currently taking care of all of our billing and can be reached at 724-527-9526 or 724-527-9577. Please contact any one of their staff members if you have any questions regarding statements that you receive in the mail or if you have any insurance problems and they will be happy to work with you. It is always best to contact them as soon as there are problems or questions, than to wait until several statements have been sent to you. (It also helps save the trees!!). Please bring your insurance cards with you each time you come in for your visit, especially if your insurance has changed. Have you moved or have gotten a new phone number? Please let us know when you come in and we will have you complete a new patient registration form. Changes can also be made using the Internet by using our website at www.JDMH-midwives.com, under the Applications Page. That way you can change your demographic information between visits. In order to save on unnecessary billing and postage, please remember to bring in your co-pays with you the time of your visit. We realize that at times, you do forget. So if this happens, please ask Sue at the front desk for a billing envelope and mail it back to us within a few days. We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Prenatal Massage
Class These classes are held every other month on Thursdays from 6-8PM. This course is for family members. and those who provide infant and childcare. You will learn infant and child CPR skills and foreign body airway maneuvers. A participation card is awarded upon successful completion. No testing required or certification provided. Class is 15.00. To register, call 724-527-8023. Classes are held at the Norwin Hills Healthcare Center in North Huntingdon.
Lead Poisoning-Is
your child at Risk? During a routine appointment, Jane learned that she had been exposed to lead at dangerous levels. Worse, the lead passed through the placenta and had poisoned her unborn child. While this couple may not be real, the threat of lead poisoning is. If you live in a house built before 1978, it may contain hazardous lead paint. Exposure to lead from peeling lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust, especially through home improvement projects, can poison your child. Though the lead enters the child's bloodstream right away, it will take time for the symptoms to show up. There is not telling where it might strike first. Lead often attacks a child's brain, making it harder for the child to concentrate or do well in school. Lead poisoning can also cause behavioral problems, hearing impairment, or even reduced growth. By the time a parent notices that there is something wrong, the effects may be permanent. "According to the Center for Disease Control, almost one million preschool age children in the United States have enough lead in their blood to harm them", says Moira Singer, Director of the Lead Safe Program Pittsburgh. In Allegheny County, one in four children between the ages of six months and six years are believed to be at risk for lead poisoning. Children in Western Pennsylvania are at risk for lead poisoning because more than 90 percent of the homes in this region were built before 1978 when lead-based paint was still in used. Many parents and physicians do not realize this risk exists and do not request screenings for their preschool age children and patients. So what can be done to protect children from lead poisoning? First, pregnant women and children, especially those between the ages of 12 and 24 months, should be screened for lead poisoning. This involves a single finger stick blood test, is covered by all major insurance companies, and can be done at the doctor's office or a recommended laboratory. Second, if the child's residence or childcare facility was built before 1978, then a Lead Inspector or Risk Assessor should evaluate the home for the presence of lead. These professionals will confirm the presence of lead in your home, identify hazards, and work with you to develop a plan to make your home safe from lead. If renovation will be going on, children should be screened repeatedly to ensure that they do not become poisoned. Renovation work should be done in a lead safe manner. The area undergoing renovation should be sealed off (contained) to control exposure to hazardous lead dust and debris. Clothing worn during renovation should be removed before entering the uncontaminated portion of your home or having contact with the children. At all times, children and pregnant women should be kept away from the renovation area. There are several other steps that can be taken to minimize a child's risk to lead poisoning. They include eating foods low in fat and high in calcium, vitamin C and iron. Surfaces should be cleaned using wet mops or clothes and a good household cleaner. Bare soil should be covered with grass or ground cover. Toys should be regularly cleaned to remove dust. Working together, no parent or caregiver, in our region, will have to say "I did not know" about childhood lead poisoning-until it is too late. For more information about Lead Safe Pittsburgh or lead poisoning, please contact Moira Singer at 412-431-4449 Ext. 205 or visit our website at www.leadsafepittsburgh.com. Lead Safe Pittsburgh also distributes brochures Lead Poisoning-What every Parent Should Know and Lead Poisoning-What every Homeowner Should Know. These brochures provide information about lead poisoning as well as relevant phone numbers and websites. They are available by calling the Lead Safe Pittsburgh hotline at 412-431-4449 Ext 205 |