Free smoke alarm installations, eating healthy on a budget: Seacoast health news
Free smoke alarm installations available for Rochester area residents in need
ROCHESTER — The American Red Cross of Northern New England and the Rochester Fire Department are offering free smoke alarm installations for area residents in need during a Sound the Alarm home fire safety event on Saturday, April 15.
“A working smoke alarm can be the difference between survival and tragedy when a home fire strikes,” said Stephanie Couturier, Regional Chief Executive Officer, Northern New England Region. “That’s why the Red Cross is teaming up with our local fire department to help ensure Greater Rochester residents, especially those most vulnerable, have these lifesaving devices.”
Residents who need assistance can register at redcross.org/EndHomeFiresNNE for a 30-minute home fire safety and alarm installation visit. Volunteers and firefighters will also share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
LocalSound the Alarm events like this one in Rochester are a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 1,583 lives since launching in October 2014. Locally, the Red Cross of Northern New England and community partners have installed 9,021 free smoke alarms and made 3,277 households safer across New Hampshire since 2014. New Hampshire residents who live outside of the Rochester can visit redcross.org/EndHomesFiresNNE to schedule an install.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations and regional partners. You can also help by donating to the Red Cross at redcross.org/EndHomeFiresNNE to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires.
York Hospital Earns 2023 Healthgrades award for Outstanding Patient Experience
YORK, Maine — For the fourth consecutive year, Healthgrades has recognized York Hospital to be among the top 15% of hospitals in the U.S. for Outstanding Patient Experience. The 2023 award was conferred following Healthgrades’ evaluation of 3,138 hospitals.
“There is no doubt that these are trying times for patients. The health care landscape has changed dramatically during the past several years. Patients are looking to their providers for direction now more than ever before, and this year’s Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience award is more relevant than it has ever been,” said York Hospital President & CEO Dr. Patrick Taylor. “It serves as validation of our caregivers’ compassion and dedicated service to the patients in their care. Providing the highest quality, leading care in our communities is the focus of York Hospital’s mission. Being recognized as a trusted health care partner for our patients and their families is an honor. I am proud of our caregivers for this exceptional achievement.”
York Hospital was among 419 hospitals that outperformed their peers to achieve this distinction. The recognition is based on certain patient experience measures data collected from Healthgrades’ own survey. The questions focus on the patients’ perspectives of the care they received while in the hospital and ranged from their overall experience to more specific concerns; provider and nurse communication; cleanliness and noise levels; responsiveness of all staff to patient needs; and post-discharge information, medication information and care transition. The measures also include whether the patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family.
To learn more about York Hospital, its services, resources and providers, visit yorkhospital.com or contact the Community Relations Office at 207-351-2385 or info@yorkhospital.com.
As grocery prices rise, Dartmouth Health dietitian offers tips for eating healthy on a budget
LEBANON – Everyone is feeling the pinch of higher costs of essential items like groceries, thanks to inflation. Higher costs for healthy, less processed foods already make them inaccessible for people with lower incomes, and with the current surge in prices, it’s getting even harder for many families to put nutritious meals on the table.
“There are so many barriers to eating well, and cost is a huge one,” said Heather M. Ashcraft, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian at Dartmouth Health’s Cheshire Medical Center. “People also have the expectation that eating right is going to take a ton more time, and that they are going to have to eat things that they don't like. And that it’s expensive.”
With a bit of planning and research, it is possible to buy and prepare health-conscious food while staying on a budget. Ashcraft offers the following tips for balanced meals that won’t break the bank.
The less processed, the better: Ashcraft recommends purchasing foods that are as unprocessed as possible. “Take a step back and get as close as you can to things that come right from the ground,” she said. “I like the idea of frozen fruits and veggies because it's the best of both worlds: you get something that's a healthier choice, but you also get something that requires less effort on your part.”
Incorporate more legumes: “For the same price as a bag of cheese puffs, you could get two pounds of beans and have enough protein for the whole family for days,” Ashcraft said. She recommends substituting dried beans or lentils instead of meat for a great source of protein a few times a week. “If you miss meat, it can be used more as a seasoning with the protein focus being on the legumes,” she said.
Think locally: In many communities, the extension offices of local universities, which offer classes to residents interested in learning new skills or information, often have classes that teach techniques for preserving and stretching foods. The University of New Hampshire Extension even has online resources for making simple, healthy and delicious meals with items that many people already have in their kitchen or can easily get at a local food pantry.
There’s an app for that: Smartphone apps like the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate offer resources for planning, shopping, and cooking healthy meals on a budget.
Connor’s Climb Foundation receives generous donation from The Fabulous Find
KITTERY, Maine — Connor’s Climb Foundation, a N.H. Seacoast-based youth suicide prevention nonprofit, recently received a generous donation from The Fabulous Find in Kittery, Maine.
The Fabulous Find, a nonprofit organization, listed under “A Caring Community,” is a beautifully merchandized boutique-style resale shop at 139 State Rd (Route One) in Kittery, Maine, which partners with different worthy, local nonprofit organizations each month. Connor’s Climb Foundation was selected as one of three recipients for the month of January, along with HAVEN Violence Prevention and Support Services and Kids Free to Grow.
Connor’s Climb Foundation’s Marketing and Events Manager, Amanda Fontaine, reflects on this support and its impact on the local community: “As a small nonprofit organization, we are wholly reliant on the generosity of local communities and their members to help us continue our lifesaving work, and this donation goes a long way towards funding our prevention programming and our mental health awareness events. It’s such a beautiful cycle; support comes from the community, through organizations like The Fabulous Find, and is given back to the community through the work of ours and other local nonprofits.”
Northeast Delta Dental’s Northern New England Dental Loan Repayment program makes first awards
CONCORD — The first round of applicants in a new dental loan repayment program has been selected, with $300,000 in awards supporting three dental practices located in Southern Maine; Berlin, N.H.; and Brattleboro, Vt. These multi-year awards will assist both general dentists and oral surgeons with their loan repayment obligations.
In 2022, Northeast Delta Dental funded the development of a novel dental student loan repayment program to attract and retain more dentists in Northern New England. The program is administered by the Recruitment Center at Bi-State Primary Care Association and is governed by a Steering Committee with representatives from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
“These first three awards will ensure that the oral health needs are met for additional patients across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont,” said Stephanie Pagliuca, Senior Director, Workforce Development and Recruitment, Bi-State Primary Care Association. “The funds established by Northeast Delta Dental are very flexible and can fill gaps left by other programs. We are fortunate to have such a forward-thinking partner focused on improving dental care in our region. There will be additional rounds of funding available later this year through 2025.”
Workforce vacancies across all health care specialties have been rising in recent years, and there is an acute shortage in Northern New England for dentists across all specialties. The increased demand for additional dentists is due to a combination of factors including retirements, state Medicaid program benefit expansions, and rural and/or underserved areas across the region who have had difficulty with recruitment.
For more information, please visit: Northern New England Dental Loan Repayment Program or call 603-228-2830 x 218 to speak with a Recruitment Specialist.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Free smoke alarms, eating healthy on a budget: Seacoast health news
