Prostate cancer support group, support for young adults with IBD: Seacoast health news
York Hospital to remain in Cigna Healthcare Network
YORK, Maine — York Hospital announced that, after negotiations, it has reached a contract renewal agreement with Cigna Healthcare, effective Oct. 1. The new agreement ensures Cigna members will remain within the York Hospital network of care without any gap in coverage.
“This is great news for our patients,” said Dr. Patrick Taylor, York Hospital President and CEO. “We appreciate Cigna’s good faith efforts to reach a resolution that enables its members to continue receiving the outstanding care and services they have come to expect from York Hospital. We are pleased to continue providing convenient, high-quality care for our neighbors.”
The previous contract was set to expire at midnight on Sept. 30.
York Hospital, located in York, Maine, is an independent, non-profit hospital that has been a staple in the community since 1906. Over 275 physicians on the medical staff serve the main hospital campus in York, along with seven community sites throughout Southern Maine. York Hospital is known for providing compassionate clinical excellence within its comfortable facilities. For more information about services, practices, and providers, visit www.yorkhospital.com or contact Community Relations at 207-351-2385 or info@yorkhospital.com.
Prostate Cancer Support Group of New Hampshire reminder
STATEWIDE — The Prostate Cancer Support Group of New Hampshire announce its formation in August, and reminds you of its first meeting Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. via Zoom. The program will feature a Prostate Cancer Foundation webinar with two medical doctors specializing in prostate cancer who will speak on current trends in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The group is comprised of men and women in New Hampshire living with challenges of prostate cancer in their lives and the lives of their partners.
Meetings will be monthly on the second Wednesday of each month. Each meeting will feature an hour of educational content followed by an hour of confidential peer to peer support and discussion among participants. Group discussion and support will follow.
Find the Zoom link on the Prostate Cancer Support Group of New Hampshire’s Facebook page or by emailing dbraiterman@outlook.com.
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center launches new program to support young adults with inflammatory bowel disease
LEBANON — Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is a common chronic gastrointestinal disease among teens and young adults. Many young people entering college or moving out of their parents’ homes need to manage IBD during their young adult years. Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center now offers Teaching Health Resilience in IBD Through Virtual Engagement (THRIVE) as a telehealth clinic to help young adults, between 18 and 26 years old, living with IBD adjust during this time of transition.
“Our new THRIVE clinic is tailored to the needs of young adults with inflammatory bowel disease with busy schedules and who are navigating transitioning from pediatric to adult care. The clinic aims to not only keep bowel inflammation under control, but also to address the mental health, school and social stressors that can co-exist while living with IBD in early adulthood,” said Michael Winter, MD, gastroenterologist at DHMC. “THRIVE provides a multi-disciplinary intake TeleVisit with a gastroenterologist, psychologist and social worker, with pharmacists and nutritionists also available.”
The THRIVE clinic was established with funds received from the Susan & Richard Levy Health Care Delivery Incubator which supports the development of innovative healthcare delivery solutions. Winter’s presented his teams idea during an annual pitch event explaining that suboptimal IBD care in adolescents and young adults can have life-altering impacts, increasing risk for hospitalization, surgery, opioid use disorder and colorectal cancer.
The goal is to provide patients with a comprehensive treatment plan addressing stress, body image concerns, insurance, infusions and injections, review medication concerns and coordinate other services as needed. THRIVE can serve as a sole IBD care provider, or work in collaboration in co-management with a previous gastroenterology care team.
For more information visit go.d-h.org/ibd-thrive or email thrive@hitchcock.org
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Prostate cancer support group, support for young adults with IBD: Seacoast health news
