Join the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer, Hope, and Healing and the Environmental Health Strategy Center for an evening discussion about the impact of toxic chemicals on human health.

Cancer, learning disabilities, and reproductive problems are affecting too many families, and scientific data is increasingly showing that many common health problems are caused or aggravated by chemicals in the products we use every day. And yet, most commonly used chemicals have NEVER been tested for safety before they are sold! Each of our expert panelists, including a parent, a nurse, and a policy advocate, will offer insights on this public health challenge. Whether you are looking to get some shopping tips to keep your family healthier, or would like to learn about environmental health policies, we hope you can join us!

To pre-register, contact the Dempsey Center at (207) 795-8250 or visit www.dempseycenter.org
To learn more about chemicals and our health, visit the Environmental Health Strategy Center at www.preventharm.org

Click here for more information

Greater LA Triple Crown - 5k Bridge Run
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Start: Rollodrome, Auburn

Course Monitors needed! (No experience necessary:)
7:30 am (at the Rollodrome)
To sign up: http://triplecrown5k.com/volunteer

As the final part of the Get Fit & Win Program, please return your log to Healthy Androscoggin. Then, celebrate your fitness accomplishments with us at the Get Fit & Win Final Celebration on Tuesday August 16th at 5:30 at the Bates College Florence Keigwin Amphitheater. This is between the Olin Arts Center and the pond. If the weather is bad, we will celebrate at the Lewiston Middle School Auditorium. For more information and directions, please visit the Get Fit & Win page.

You may have heard recently that a Lewiston High School Student was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB). The Maine Center for Disease Control (Maine CDC) has provided us with this contact information to provide to the public. If you have any questions or concerns related to this case, or about Tuberculosis in general, you can get more information by contacting those listed below:

• The Maine CDC Tuberculosis information line at 287-5194

• Gus Leblanc, Lewiston High School Principal at 795-4190

The Maine CDC’s Dr. Steve Sears will hold an informational meeting at Lewiston High School on July 14 at 6pm. You can also find general information about Tuberculosis at the US Centers for Disease Control’s website:

http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/tb.htm

Would you like to have a special time where you could learn a little more about your teen and they could learn a little more about you?

Are you looking for some ideas and strategies that could help make raising a teen a little easier and less stressful?

We have the perfect FREE workshop for you and your teen.  Come join our summer session of the Families in Action program.  Families in Action is a fun and interactive workshop where you and your teen, together, can learn some skills and strategies to help you both as you navigate the teen years.  The workshop features educational presentations, interactive discussions, informative video presentations, and fun activities.  And the bonus is that you and your teen will be learning together while also meeting other teens and parents who have some of the same questions you have.

• Parents learn helpful skills and strategies to guide their children through the challenging teen years.

• Pre-teens and teens learn communication techniques they can use at home, at school, and throughout their lives.

• Parents AND teens learn more about each other in a safe, fun, and confidential setting.

Families who have participated in our workshops have had many positive things to say about the program:

“I have tools to use to parent better.”

“We got to express our feelings and I learned that we all have a part in the family.”

“This was a great growth experience for both my teen and myself.  We both learned a lot about why we act/react the way we do with each other — and we have new resources to investigate now.”

“There is a lot to learn.  You can share challenges with other parents — you are not alone!”

The Summer Families in Action workshop will begin on July 5th at 5:00 p.m.  The workshop is being held at Community Concepts, Inc located at 240 Bates Street in Lewiston Maine.

This workshop is FREE and a free meal will be provided for participants starting at 4:30 p.m.

Families in Action is open to families in Lewiston or Auburn who have a child in 6th through 9th grade.

For more information on the program, and to register online, click here.  You can also download a copy of the summer workshop flyer here.

To register, call 795-2120.

Families in Action is a program of the Lewiston-Auburn Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative.

Pottle Hill Road Race Flyer - click for PDF version

]]> http://www.lewistonauburnpublichealth.org/2011/04/get-your-running-shoes-on-its-5k-season/feed/ http://www.lewistonauburnpublichealth.org/2011/04/families-in-action-register-today-for-spring-workshop/ http://www.lewistonauburnpublichealth.org/2011/04/families-in-action-register-today-for-spring-workshop/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:18:58 +0000 healthy http://healthyandroscoggin.org/?p=3483 Registration is now open for the April Families in Action workshop.

The next Families in Action workshop will begin April 27th in the library of the Lewiston Middle School.  The sessions begin at 6:00 p.m. with free food and registration beginning at 5:30 p.m.  As always the workshops are free. This workshop for parents and teens is open to all families in Lewiston and Auburn who have a student in 6th through 9th grade.

Parents and teens learn together.

Families in Action is an interactive, fun, and safe workshop where parents and teens learn together.  The workshop helps parents and teens get along by teaching them communication and negotiation skills that lead to improved relationships. Families in Action features engaging group discussions, video presentations, fun games, and interactive role plays.

The workshop covers many topics, including:

• Courage and Self Esteem
• Responsibility and Discipline
• Cooperation and Communication
• Teen Behavior
• Problem Solving
• Prevention Strategies

Learn with other parents and teens.

The workshops also provide a great opportunity to meet and learn with other parents and teens from your community.  The workshops are facilitated by two experienced family education counselors from Community Concepts.

What do families say about Families in Action?

Families who have completed the Families in Action workshop share the impact the program has had on their family:

“I have tools to use to parent better.”

“We got to express our feelings and I learned that we all have a part in the family.”

“This was a great growth experience for both my teen and myself.  We both learned a lot about why we act/react the way we do with each other — and we have new resources to investigate now.”

“There is a lot to learn.  You can share challenges with other parents — you are not alone!”

Register today:

To register for the April workshop call Scott Gagnon at 795-2120 or send an e-mail to gagnonsc@cmhc.org

Families in Action is a program of the Lewiston-Auburn Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative and coordinated in partnership with Healthy Androscoggin and Community Concepts.

Do you have expired or unwanted medications?

On April 30th, you will have an opportunity to safely dispose of any expired or unwanted medications that have been collecting in your medicine cabinet.  Healthy Androscoggin, Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, the Lewiston-Auburn Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative and other community partners are collaborating to once again bring this program to Lewiston and Auburn.  This spring there are two collections sites:

Farwell Elementary School, 110 Farwell Street, Lewiston

Central Fire Station, 550 Minot Avenue, Auburn

At both locations, this is a drive-thru operation where residents can simply drive up and safely hand off their medications.  Police officers from Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments will be on site to supervise the collection.  This medication collection event is a part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take Back Initiative.

What to bring:

• Expired or unwanted prescription medications
• Vitamins
• Veterinary medications
• Homeopathic treatments
• Over the counter medicines

**If possible, please bring medicines in their original container!**

What not to bring:

We cannot dispose of mercury thermometers, needles or syringes, or electronic equipment.

Substance Abuse Prevention

This initiative addresses important issues of public safety and public health.  Accumulating medicines in the home are dangerous and have been found to be a leading cause of accidental poisonings in the United States.  These medicines are also highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.  Rates of prescription drug abuse are high in Maine.  According to a recent report from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Maine has the highest percentage of residents who seek treatment for addiction to prescription narcotics.

Studies show that a majority of abuse prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.  By bringing your unwanted and expired medications to events like these, you are playing a powerful role in the prevention of prescription drug abuse.

To learn more prescription drug abuse prevention tips click here.

Thank you to our sponsors!

The Medicine Disposal Day is sponsored by the Lewiston-Auburn Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hannaford Pharmacy, The Medicine Shoppe, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Central Maine Medical Center, and United Ambulance Services.

If you need more information or have any questions about this event, please call Safe Schools/Healthy Students Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator, Scott Gagnon, at 795-2120.

Click here to download a flyer for this event.

To learn more about a local resource, visit The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing (dempseycenter.org)

Healthy Androscoggin staffers participated in Dress in Blue Day to show support for colon cancer awareness