Health briefs

Nationwde asthma screening available

Cape Girardeau allergists will hold a free screening May 21 for people who are experiencing problems breathing. The screening is part of a nationwide Asthma Screening Program.

People interested in getting the screening should visit Westfield West Park between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Allergists will be available to talk with people about asthma and their breathing symptoms. Screenings are also available for children under age 15. For information, call 651-3313.

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Nursing seminars planned in region

The Missouri League for Nursing Inc. will hold several seminars and classes in Southeast Missouri during the coming weeks. For registration information, call (573) 635-5355. Most of the classes are approved for continuing education credits. Classes include:

• "Dementia care: Acheiving excellence" offered May 17 at Saint Francis Medical Center. The workshop is designed to teach interpersonal skills necessary to provide comfort, reassurance and care for dementia patients.
• "LPN Challenges" offered June 2 at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. The class is designed to promote leadership abilities through team building, communication and conflict resolution.
• "Nurse governance: Documentation and other liability issues" will be presented June 10 at Saint Francis Medical Center. This workshop is designed to inform nurses about legal aspects regarding charting and documents.
• "Crisis alleviation lessons and methods" will be offered June 16 at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff. The workshp is a tool for responding to crisis situations and teaching behavior management.

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Grant allows Sikeston hospital to train physicians

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Missouri Delta Medical Center will become a training center for medical students thanks to a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The grant will expand training programs for physicians who want to work in rural areas of Missouri and will be coordinated through the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine.

The $995,000 award is one of the largest grants to a training program ever given by the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The grant will be used to expand the MU School of Medicine's rural track program through which medical students are recruited, trained and placed in rural communities in Missouri.

Part of the program includes an expansion of the teaching center in Sikeston to serve more counties in Southeast Missouri as well as developing new rural teaching sites to serve the southwest quadrant of the state.

The Missouri Foundation for Health, the state's largest not-for-profit health foundation, was formed with money obtained in a lawsuit by the state of Missouri against Blue Cross Blue Shield when it went from a public to private entity.

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Doctor speaks at neurological program

Dr. Scott Gibbs of Cape Girardeau recently returned from Munich, Germany, where he was the keynote speaker at BrainLAB's Residency Program for Advanced Education for Neurosurgeons. Gibbs spoke to more than 40 neurosurgical residents from the United States. The weeklong program focused on the latest in neurosurgical technology, technique and clinical studies.

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New president of nurses association

Kim Reagan, perioperative education coordinator for the department of surgery at Southeast Missouri Hospital, has been elected president the local chapter of the Association of Operating Room Nurses. She served the chapter as vice president last year. In addition to her duties at Southeast Hospital, Reagan has served as a nursing instructor at Shawnee Community College.

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Podiatrist attends global conference

Dr. Zenon Duda of Cape Foot Clinic in Cape Girardeau recently attended the Global Conference on the Diabetic Foot in Los Angeles. The conference attraced international experts on diabetes and physicians interested in treating and preventing diabetic foot complications. Dr. Duda is member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and the American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics. He has an office in Cape Girardeau and a satellite office at Perry County Hospital in Perryville.

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Commission approves hospital land purchase plans

STE. GENEVIEVE -- The Ste. Genevieve County Commission has approved plans by Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital to purchase 3.8 acres of property adjacent to the hospital.

Hospital administrator Michael Laird and finance director Sue Eckenfels met with the commission in mid-April. The additional property would be used for future expansion of the hospital.

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Cape care center given Best Practice Award

Heartland Care & Rehab Center in Cape Girardeau was recently presented the Best Practice Award by Missouri attorney general Jay Nixon at the annual Show Me Summit on Aging and Health. Administrator Glenda Cato accepted the award. The care center earned first place in the food category for its Hawaii-themed oasis hydration system, which gives residents independence and easy accessibility to refreshments.

-- From staff reports