WOMANCARE ATTRACTS HUNDREDS FOR TALKS TONIGHT, SATURDAY

Hundreds of women will gather tonight and Saturday for the sixth annual Womancare Conference.

The conference is coordinated by the Womancare Department at St. Francis Medical Center and will be held at the Holiday Inn Holidome and Convention Center.

Barbara Crowell, patient care manger of Womancare, said the conference was founded by women looking for a weekend retreat.

"They wanted an opportunity for women to get together and share ideas, thoughts and problems" Crowell said. "They felt a weekend retreat would enrich and empower their lifestyle."

Saturday's conference will draw between 400 and 500 participants. Tonight's Pamper Yourself event will have about 200. Crowell said a variety of women from all walks of life attend.

Tonight a "Pamper Yourself" event is planned in the Holidome with therapeutic massages, manicures, facials and fashions.

Saturday's activities kick off with a continental breakfast followed by keynote speaker, Meg Haycraft, senior consultant with The Cramer Institute in St. Louis. Her presentation is titled "Staying on Top When Your World Turns Upside Down."

A variety of concurrent sessions follow. They include: "When Headaches Strike" by Donald W. Hinnant, director of pain management at St. Francis Medical Center; "Talking With Teens About Those Delicate Issues" by Mitzie Jennewein, health instructor at R.O. Hawkins Junior High School in Jackson; "Potpourri of Practicalities II" by Edythe M. Davis, St. Francis Foundation executive director; and "Dealing With Difficult People" by Haycraft.

The morning session is followed by a luncheon and fashion show. Highlighting the luncheon program is presentation of the 1992 Womancare Award. The award is given annually to a woman from the Cape Girardeau area who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in her profession.

Past recipients have included NASA astronaut Linda Godwin, opera singer Judith Farris and businesswoman Judy Wilferth.

"The award is given to outstanding women who have achieved beyond the normal," Crowell said. "The past recipients have been such dynamic women. When you realize the type of achievement that those women have achieved you realize it's a very special award for a very special person."

Programs in the afternoon include "Women Who Love Too Much" by Sally Hemmes, coordinator of family treatment at the St. Francis Center for Recovery; "Feeling Great the Balancing Act" by Kathleen Passanisi, owner of New Perspectives in St. Louis; "Retirement Years Making Them Great" by Shelba Branscum, associate professor of human environmental studies at Southeast Missouri State University; and "What Every Woman Should Know About Investing" by Donna Domian, investment representative with Edward D. Jones & Co. in Cape Girardeau.

Passanisi will cap off the event with a presentation titled "Humor: For the Health of It!" Her program will show how humor can improve your health and your overall quality of life.

New Perspectives, the company she founded in 1987, addresses health-related issues like wellness stress management and the link between humor and health. She is an adjunct faculty member at the Washington University School of Medicine and is president of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor.

"Several people have seen Kathleen Passanisi and say she is extremely funny and offers therapeutic laughter," Crowell said.

"Meg Haycraft is a motivational speaker. She helps us learn more about dealing with the pressures and problems of today's lifestyle for women."

In addition to the presentations and luncheon, several health screenings will be offered. Also, companies will feature exhibits and displays, and door prizes will be presented.

Reservations may be made by calling 339-6209 or by going to the Womancare department at St. Francis. Participants may register at the door also. Registration is scheduled Saturday from 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Corporate sponsors are the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Marion, Ill. and Cape Girardeau and ophthalmologist Dr. Charles H. Cozean Jr. The conference's gold sponsor is Drury Southwest and Drury Industries. Boatmen's Bank of Cape Girardeau is the silver sponsor.