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Maine Children's Health News

  • USM closing child-care centersPortland Press Herald, 2/5/09. The University of Southern Maine will eliminate child-care centers on its Portland and Gorham campuses in six months to save $400,000 a year, college officials announced Wednesday.
  • Bill targets 'energy drink' sales to minorsBangor Daily News, 2/4/09. The sale of high-caffeine “energy drinks” to minors could be outlawed if a proposal under consideration this week by Maine lawmakers is approved. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Peggy Pendleton, D-Scarborough, says consuming the sodalike drinks can cause health problems in young people, but a spokesman for the Maine Beverage Association argued that an age limit is unnecessary and unenforceable.
  • State cool to expanded public health in schoolsKennebec Journal, 2/4/09. Three bills up for legislative hearings this week would expand the scope of schools' public health responsibilities as schools face shrunken budgets.
  • Lawmakers to address public health in schoolsPortland Press Herald, 2/3/09. Three bills up for legislative hearings this week would expand the scope of schools' public health responsibilities during a year when schools face shrunken budgets.
  • Study says more Maine teens admit to suicidal thoughtsKennebec Journal, 2/3/09. More Maine teens are admitting to suicidal thoughts.
  • Suicidal thoughts on rise in teenagersSun Journal, 2/3/09. More Maine teens, including those in Lewiston-Auburn, are admitting to suicidal thoughts.
  • Screenings Find Increase in Teen Suicide TendenciesMPBN, 2/2/09. A screening program created at Columbia University has determined that an increasing number of students at six Maine high schools are admitting to suicidal thoughts and attempts. But opinions vary among mental health workers and educators as to what's causing the increase.
  • A warming welcome for cold newcomersPortland Press Herald, 2/1/09. Alaa Jasem and Oday Saood never had an opportunity to build snowmen with their son in central Iraq.
  • Federal cash could expand insurance program for poor childrenPortland Press Herald, 1/25/09. A bill working its way through Congress could stabilize and possibly allow expansion of a program that provides health insurance for poor children in Maine.
  • Testing costs for kids' products seen as problemBangor Daily News, 1/24/09. Some small business owners in Maine say a new federal law designed to protect the health of children is forcing them to scale back their operations because the compliance costs are too high.
  • Maine hospital to release Iraqi girlPortland Press Herald, 1/23/09. Noora Afif Abdulhameed is expected to be discharged from Maine Medical Center today after undergoing another operation to repair her damaged skull.
  • School board rejects plan to shift sex-ed dutiesPortland Press Herald, 1/22/09. The Portland School Committee on Wednesday rejected a controversial proposal to scale back the city's sex-education program.
  • Training begins for at-risk kids programBangor Daily News, 1/22/09. A group of about 40 child care workers and community members from Hancock and Washington counties received initial training Wednesday for a new program designed to decrease the number of Maine children placed in residential care programs.
  • Kids' health coverage within reachElinor Goldberg, Sun Journal, 1/18/09. Congress is working this week to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (better known as SCHIP). This will be the first significant legislation submitted to President-elect Barack Obama when he takes office, and could not have come at a better time for Maine children and their parents.
  • 'Get the children moving'Morning Sentinel, 1/17/09. Forty percent of people living in Somerset County are overweight and 18 percent are obese, area health officials said Friday during the 2009 launch of New Balance Foundation's "Move More Kids" project.
  • Residents oppose plan to cut sex-ed positionPortland Press Herald, 1/15/09. Diana Gauvin said she remembers her first round of sex education classes: There was plenty of trepidation, curiosity and embarrassing questions.
  • Suicide prevention programs for teens get boostMorning Sentinel, 1/13/09. Three area high schools are among 11 in the state to receive federal grant money for youth suicide prevention.
  • Clarifying issues on midwifery and home birthingShelby L. Wilbourn, Bangor Daily News, 1/12/09. As a practicing board certified obstetrician/gynecologist of 22 years, I feel that it is necessary to clarify a few issues brought forth in the recent support of midwifery home deliveries, “Support home birthing” (BDN letters, Jan. 1).
  • Lead rule weighs on kids' clothiersBangor Daily News, 1/12/09. Adrienne Chandler was worried. The owner of The Growing Place, a Hammond Street store which sells used clothing, toys and other children’s items, Chandler was facing possible closure of her business because of a law limiting the sale of children’s items with high lead levels that goes into effect Feb. 10.
  • Sex ed too costly? Let puppets (or parents) teach itJustin Ellis, Portland Press Herald, 1/12/09. Again with the sex ed problems, Portland? Really?
  • Inland Hospital helps newborn's college fundMorning Sentinel, 1/10/09. Shannan Santerre did not have a chance to go to college, but vows her own daughter will get that opportunity.
  • Snowmobile deaths illustrate danger to kidsMorning Sentinel Staff, Morning Sentinel, 1/9/09. Snowmobiling consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous winter sports, judged by accident and death rates. Five snowmobilers died in Maine last March within 72 hours of each other.
  • Hermon knitters give children warmthBangor Daily News, 1/7/09. Gladys Knowles and the other women of the American Legion Auxiliary in Hermon are busy plying their knitting needles for a good cause.
  • The coolest hot lunchBangor Daily News, 1/7/09. Shortly before 7 a.m., the winter sun is barely a glimmer on the watery eastern horizon, but already the kitchen at Mount Desert Elementary School is humming with activity.
  • Portland's sex-ed cut plan a reasonable responsePortland Press Herald Staff, Portland Press Herald, 1/5/09. Almost every year of its existence, Portland's Family Living program has come under attack. If it looks like this year is no different, look again.
  • New Year's babies qualify for first Alfond grantsBangor Daily News, 1/2/09. Ora Kinsley Bates was able to start saving for college the moment she arrived in the world.
  • Proposed cut renews sex education debatePortland Press Herald, 1/2/09. The question seems to pop up whenever the city’s school district faces budget trouble: Should Portland Public Schools scale back its ambitious sex education program?
  • Death of boy, 2, leads to consumer safety probeMorning Sentinel, 1/1/09. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency that investigates deaths and serious injuries in an effort to identify product dangers, has launched an investigation into the portable crib and bedding used by a 2-year-old boy who died last weekend on Vinalhaven.
  • Maine Children's Home overwhelmed this yearKennebec Journal, 12/21/08. The Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers has been overwhelmed with requests for help this month and has answered those calls, but it can do no more.
  • Collins seeks youth mental health careBangor Daily News, 12/18/08. As the new U.S. Congress convenes next month, child advocates are putting their hopes in a bill Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she will reintroduce to address a national issue: the barriers families face in accessing mental health care for emotionally or mentally disturbed children.
  • A College Savings StartBangor Daily News Staff, Bangor Daily News, 12/17/08. Thousands of Maine kids will get a start on college savings next year — just by being born. The Harold Alfond College Challenge goes statewide on Jan. 1 after a successful start this year at MaineGeneral Health facilities in Waterville and Augusta.
  • Maine, 3 states form education coalitionBangor Daily News, 12/16/08. Maine and three other New England states have formed a groundbreaking regional partnership aimed at transforming high school for the 21st century.
  • State disputes air quality reportBangor Daily News, 12/15/08. State environmental officials are reassuring the public about air quality around some schools after a national news report suggested that students in some Maine towns could be at risk from industrial pollutants.
  • Groups aim to boost childhood educationBangor Daily News, 12/11/08. Most people at some time have played peek-a-boo with an infant or I Spy with a toddler.
  • Times change; so do school emergenciesPortland Press Herald, 12/8/08. From hostage situations to chemical spills, schools need 'all-hazard' plans.
  • Random alcohol testing at dances teaches students wrong lessonPortland Press Herald Staff, Portland Press Herald, 12/7/08. You can go too far, even if all you are trying to do is protect kids, as School Administrative District 67’s new alcohol policy shows.
  • Fuel the Care goes the extra mile for Maine childrenBangor Daily News, 12/5/08. Owen Delisle was just 3 days old, seemingly healthy, and settling into a happy home in Fort Kent with his mother and father and two older brothers.
  • Kids can see Santa, get flu vaccinePortland Press Herald, 12/4/08. Children who haven't had their flu vaccinations yet can get a dose of a flu vaccine nasal spray at a special clinic Saturday, then visit with Santa Claus.
  • SAD 67 policy clears way for Breathalyzer testing on studentsBangor Daily News, 12/4/08. SAD 67 students who show signs of intoxication at school will be subject to Breathalyzer testing under a new school policy, school officials said Wednesday.
  • Costs for special-needs students examined as cuts in education loomMorning Sentinel, 11/30/08. The Margaret Murphy Center for Children serves 70 students who require some of the most intensive educational and emotional support available in Maine.
  • MMC opens Ronald McDonald roomPortland Press Herald, 11/19/08. Maine Medical Center held a grand opening ceremony today for its Ronald McDonald Family Room.
  • Child care centers feel pinchPortland Press Herald, 11/17/08. Child care centers that have kept waiting lists for years are now advertising to fill openings. Some centers are struggling to make ends meet, as costs rise and enrollments decline. A few have shut their doors.
  • Eco-friendly features put Education Center at head of classKennebec Journal, 11/16/08. Walls covered in sunflower seed shells? Stools made of seat belts? It looks a lot better -- and serves more long-term purposes -- than you may think.
  • GARDINER School to participate in wellness projectKennebec Journal, 11/16/08. Teachers and staff at Gardiner schools can sign up for a wellness project, which starts in December.
  • Officials tout anti-drug effortKennebec Journal, 11/15/08. School administrators said the tough drugs policy they adopted at the beginning of the school year is working.
  • Premature Birth A Harrowing Experience for ParentsMPBN, 11/13/08. Every bit the adoring new parents, Kathleen Meyers and Jeff Tash spend their days staring at their newborn. If only they could bring Benjamin home to Kittery. Born prematurely at 25 weeks of age - four months ahead of schedule - Benjamin has lived in an incubator for the last couple weeks, attached to breathing and feeding tubes. At six days old, surgeons worked to repaired his perforated colon. Josie Huang has this report.
  • Blue Cross launches pilot project in schoolsBangor Daily News, 11/12/08. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its foundation hope to transfer experience gleaned from business health plans to school districts.
  • Five-year federal grant aims to help at-risk Washington County infantsBangor Daily News, 11/12/08. A $5.5 million federal intervention grant could improve the health, well-being and future of at-risk infants in Washington County.
  • Maine a 'C' when it comes to preterm birthsPortland Press Herald, 11/12/08. Maine is doing better than most states when it comes to preterm births but gets only a "C" in a new report.
  • School districts join innovative health projectPortland Press Herald, 11/12/08. School teachers and staff in four Maine districts will participate in a two-year effort to lower their health risks and improve their overall health.
  • SAD 22 chosen for pilot wellness programBangor Daily News, 11/11/08. SAD 22 has been selected as one of only four school districts in the state to participate in a two-year pilot program designed to lower risks and improve the overall health of employees.
  • A better, smarter way to deliver children's servicesDean Crocker, Bangor Daily News, 11/8/08. After the struggles last spring to balance the state budget, we are now faced with predictions of an even bigger gap this coming year. The governor is asking department heads to cut 10 percent from their funding requests for next year. With Wall Street in turmoil and a national economic slowdown in progress, it seems a safe bet that there will be no letup in the pressures that have strained Maine’s ability to provide basic public services in recent years.
  • DARE explores truth about behaviorPortland Press Herald, 11/8/08. Scarborough Police Officer Joe Giacomantonio asks a group of Wentworth Intermediate School fifth-graders whether someone can demonstrate three attitudes a person can bring to a tense encounter.
  • Settlement helps special-needs kidsBangor Daily News, 11/8/08. Families of young children with special needs will have more opportunities to obtain the services they need after a court settlement announced this week.
  • Cold and Flu Medicine for Children a Complex IssueEllsworth American, 11/6/08. If your children haven’t begun coughing and sneezing yet this season, chances are they will soon.
  • Schools cultivate organic foods as fresh approach to learningPortland Press Herald, 11/4/08. The students at Bonny Eagle Middle School are about to get in touch with their roots – and their veggies.
  • Our next president needs to fight for America's childrenWilliam Shuttleworth, Times Record, 11/3/08. Every election is heralded as the most important. Perhaps, this one is. We are facing the worst financial crisis in our lifetime: too many countries at war with each other, pathetic corporate and political ethics and a generation about to lose its retirement.
  • Couple's gift starts child endowment fundSun Journal, 10/31/08. Clem and Rolande Begin of Carrabassett Valley launched an endowment fund for the new Evergreen Child Development Center Thursday with their gift of $50,000.
  • Farmington Gift Aids Autism EffortMorning Sentinel, 10/31/08. A Carrabassett Valley couple long known for their philanthropy and community service have donated $50,000 to establish an endowment fund to help children and adolescents with developmental and behavioral issues such as autism.
  • Halloween safetySun Journal, 10/31/08. Officer Robert Sanders, also known as Sammy Swat, and Detective Drew Hufnagel of the Jay Police Department visited the Jay Elementary School on Thursday and spoke to the children about Halloween safety.
  • State says children newly at risk for fluKennebec Journal, 10/30/08. Now's the time to arrange for a flu shot. And this year, a new category has been added to the high risk group -- children and teens.
  • First full-time pediatrician opening shopVillage Soup, 10/29/08. Mary Jennings Telsey, MD, will soon open MDI Pediatrics, at 12 Summit Rd. in Northeast Harbor. She will offer full-time pediatrician services for infants and children from birth to age 21.
  • Maine gets $500,000 grant for suicide preventionPortland Press Herald, 10/29/08. The Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program is receiving a $500,000 grant for its efforts in high schools.
  • A night of sweets to help childrenBangor Daily News, 10/24/08. A double strand of freshwater pearls and matching earrings. A pen made from parquet flooring at Boston Gardens. A hand-woven basket made by Caron Shay of Indian Island. A painting of Mount Katahdin by Perry Jordan. The Lucerne Inn’s chocolate bread pudding. A quilter’s package with a lot of fat quarters. Four University of Maine Black Bear hockey tickets. Landscaping. A spa package. Teeth whitening by a dentist. Children’s items. Getaways. Desserts from various restaurants and caterers.
  • Game feast seeks to put children on healthful pathBangor Daily News, 10/24/08. Chris Melia admitted his tummy was “a little weak” as he held a cooked piece of moose tongue close to his lips Thursday during a Native American Feast put on for pupils at SeDoMoCha Middle School.
  • Prosecutors called on to end child abuseBangor Daily News, 10/22/08. The director of the Minnesota-based National Child Protection Training Center urged Maine prosecutors on Tuesday to join the call to end child abuse within 120 years.
  • Midwifery office receives awardSun Journal, 10/18/08. Central Maine Obstetrics-Gynecology, 12 High St., has been recognized by the American College of Nurse-Midwives with its Golden "With Women for a Lifetime" commendation. It is the first midwifery service in Maine, and only the second in New England, to receive the award.
  • Rally against flu shot for kidsSun Journal, 10/18/08. As flu season approaches, many New Jersey parents are furious over a first-in-the-nation requirement that children get a flu shot in order to attend preschools and day-care centers. The decision should be the parents', not the state's, they contend.
  • Investing in Maine children pays off in economic well-beingLaurie Lachance, Kennebec Journal, 10/13/08. For 25 years, I have analyzed and made forecasts about Maine's economic condition.
  • 'AUTISM 101' WHAT CAN BE DONE?Kennebec Journal, 10/12/08. As Katie Crowley described some characteristics of children with autism, dozens of people in the room nodded their heads. They had all seen the signs and symptoms of the pervasive development disorder in their classrooms and in their homes.
  • Baby girl with tumor still in hospitalMorning Sentinel, 10/10/08. In the month since doctors discovered Faylynn McEwen had a brain tumor, community fundraising has collected almost $10,000 toward her treatment. She is about 4 months old.
  • Parents Weigh High Cost Of Child CareMPBN, 10/10/08. A report released recently by the National Women's Law Center and The Maine Children's Alliance shows that fewer Maine families are eligible for child care subsidies with the onset of tighter limits on family income and decreased federal and state funding.
  • WIC numbers at all-time highSun Journal, 10/10/08. Blame it on higher prices for milk, eggs and cheese.
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters awarded $10,000The Current, 10/9/08. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine has been awarded a $10,000 grant by the Wal-Mart Foundation to support the expansion of mentoring programs serving children throughout York County.
  • Cafeteria review mandate violatedBangor Daily News, 10/6/08. Federal law requires every school cafeteria be inspected twice a year by state health inspectors, and even though only 3 percent of Maine’s 666 schools are meeting that standard aimed at preventing food poisoning, state officials say the cafeterias are safe.
  • Educare program coming to areaKennebec Journal, 10/5/08. Three supervisors with master's degrees, 12 lead teachers with bachelor's degrees in early-childhood development and nearly two dozen assistant teachers with either bachelor's or associate's degrees in the same discipline.
  • Governor: Maine kids too heavySun Journal, 10/4/08. Gov. John Baldacci says 30 percent of Maine youths are obese or overweight, presenting a major health risk that must be addressed.
  • A natural connection for childrenBangor Daily News, 10/3/08. Thirty years from now, a new generation of policymakers will be asked to make critical decisions about the fate of the world’s remaining wetlands, forests and streams.
  • Maine Children To Participate In National StudyMPBN, 10/3/08. Cumberland County will participate in a national study that'll focus on children's health from birth to age 21.
  • Educare challenge grant good for area, stateMorning Sentinel, 10/1/08. We all want the best for our children. And the opportunity to give young children the best kind of education just landed in Waterville.
  • Maine Childhood Vaccinations Lowest in New EnglandMPBN, 10/1/08. Ten years ago, Maine had one of the highest childhood vaccination rates in the country, with about 90 percent of 2-year-olds getting their shots.
  • Take it outsideBangor Daily News, 10/1/08. Getting children to play outside doesn’t seem like the type of problem that needs a government solution. Given how few children routinely spend any time out of doors and the growing number of children who are obese, however, the government had no choice but to try to reverse the trends.
  • Boy, 6, proves heart surgery worksSun Journal, 9/29/08. When you meet six-year-old Mackenzie "Mack" Zashut, it's difficult to believe that he has had four open heart surgeries. He buds with energy and curiosity.
  • Kids' obesity prompts state conferenceSun Journal, 9/29/08. Addressing an obesity epidemic in Maine children and finding ways to get them outdoors are the focus of this week's conference on Youth and the Natural World.
  • Waterville to build $10M child care centerKennebec Journal, 9/29/08. Waterville will be the first community in New England to boast an innovative child care and education center aimed at wiring children for success by promoting brain development in the first five years of life.
  • Waterville officials await announcement on 'Educare Center'Morning Sentinel, 9/26/08. An $8 million to $10 million center providing innovative child care and education to as many as 200 children from newborns to age 5 could be coming to the city.
  • Children: Invest EarlyBangor Daily News Staff, Bangor Daily News, 9/24/08. Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe says 20 percent of the lawyers who work in his office effectively spend their days working on child protection matters — trying to remove children from abusive, neglectful homes, or working to get parents back on track so they can keep their kids. It’s what he calls “remedial work,” essentially fixing problems that might have been avoided in the first place. If you consider that several other lawyers in his office spend their time prosecuting accused murderers, the cost of that “remedial work” looms even larger.
  • Investing in kids will pay off for MaineGlenn Ross, Bangor Daily News, 9/23/08. We hear more and more discussions about improving Maine’s economy. Intrinsic to those discussions are strategies to prepare future generations of workers to compete in the global marketplaces of today and the future. The majority of this effort is placed on the education and training of Maine’s young people during their high school and postsecondary years.
  • Investing in kids will pay off for MaineGlenn Ross, Bangor Daily News, 9/23/08. We hear more and more discussions about improving Maine’s economy. Intrinsic to those discussions are strategies to prepare future generations of workers to compete in the global marketplaces of today and the future. The majority of this effort is placed on the education and training of Maine’s young people during their high school and postsecondary years.
  • Activists call attention to children's issuesPortland Press Herald, 9/18/08. Gardiner Area High School ninth-grader Amy Princiotta said she's lucky to have good parents and to live in a supportive community.
  • Waterville: City is finalist for education and care centerMorning Sentinel, 9/18/08. Word on whether Waterville will win $4 million toward the creation of an innovative care-and-education center for young children has been put on hold.
  • Why ban birth announcements?Douglas Rooks, Times Record, 9/18/08. Having written often about hospitals lately — particularly about construction plans, certificates of needs and budgets — I can attest that these once quiet community institutions have become a whole lot like regular businesses.
  • 'Our girl, she's a fighter'Morning Sentinel, 9/17/08. Faylynn McEwen is three and a half months old. Two weeks ago, during an unrelated test for a urinary tract infection, doctors discovered a 2-inch tumor in her brain. About 80 percent of it was successfully removed during surgery a few days later.
  • A day for kids in AugustaKennebec Journal, 9/17/08. Today is the day Maine celebrates Step Up for Kids Day, a national effort that seeks to get candidates to remember kids' issues as they campaign for the upcoming elections.
  • These special deliveries go smoothlyPortland Press Herald, 9/17/08. Blake Spry tried to open his eyes as he was wheeled down corridors and in and out of elevators. His oxygen level remained high, a sign that he was comfortable and breathing steadily throughout the trip. His brother, Colby, slept the entire way.
  • Maine Med makes a movePortland Press Herald, 9/16/08. It's moving day today at Maine Medical Center. Patients from the Family Birth Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are moving into the hospital's new East Tower.
  • Mainers call for restrictions on plastic additivePortland Press Herald, 9/16/08. Health and environmental advocates gathered in Portland today to call for more aggressive federal regulation of a plastic additive used to make baby bottles and other products.
  • Portland Hospitals Tout New Birthing CentersMPBN, 9/16/08. The business of birthing in Maine is changing. Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital, two of the state's busiest hospitals are both opening new birthing centers in Portland a week apart of one another.
  • Dinner tonight to help infant cancer patientBangor Daily News, 9/12/08. The parents of Nicolas LaPlante knew there was something wrong with their baby boy, and after months of testing they recently found out he has a rare type of brain cancer that required surgery at Boston’s Children’s Hospital.
  • State urges MaineCare use for kidsBangor Daily News, 9/12/08. As Maine children and their families settle into the back-to-school routine, state officials are hoping parents will enroll their youngsters in the health care coverage they need to stay healthy and succeed in school. About 19,000 Maine children and teens are uninsured, and 11,000 of them are eligible for comprehensive coverage through MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.
  • Remember: Children need access to health careElinor Goldberg and Richard Lucas, Bangor Daily News, 9/11/08. With so many issues facing us in a heated presidential campaign, including worries about the economy, the Iraq war, the housing markets and taxes, access to health care for children is one issue that’s at risk of being forgotten.
  • Some hospitals back off on birth announcementsSun Journal, 9/9/08. Central Maine Medical Center could soon stop announcing one of the most celebrated events at the hospital: the arrival of a new baby.
  • Is keeping newborns' names secret a necessary move?Portland Press Herald, 9/5/08. Is our culture more dangerous than it used to be? Overall crime rates rose in the 1980s and 1990s, but have declined since 2000.
  • Mid Coast Hospital proposes expansionPortland Press Herald, 9/5/08. Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick is proposing a $3.5 million expansion in response to a proposed takeover of Parkview Adventist Medical Center by Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston.
  • New family support worker namedDaily Bulldog, 9/4/08. The Franklin County Children’s Task Force is happy to welcome Karen Luker to their Growing Healthy Families Home Visiting staff as a Family Support Worker.
  • Dr. John C. Frachella: Wanted: pediatric dentist to treat poor kidsDr. John C. Frachella, Bangor Daily News, 9/4/08. Maine dentists do more free work than most people will ever know.
  • Hard times hit agency for terminally ill childrenBangor Daily News, 9/3/08. In the photograph, Corey Atwood looks as if he’s dying. His arms are stick-thin, his eyes large and dark in his hollow face. His dark hair is thin and patchy. He is seated in his wheelchair. His parents and other family members stand behind him, their expressions unreadable. “He looked like a refugee,” said his mother, Kiki Atwood, shaking her head, remembering.
  • Hospitals get out of the baby-publicity businessPortland Press Herald, 9/3/08. Some stop collecting information for newspaper use, trying to avoid tipping off potential infant abductors.
  • KIDS ON BOARD ...Meredith Goad, Portland Press Herald, 9/3/08. . . . with proper eating and exercise habits, thanks to a new interactive game that's all about 'Healthy Options.'
  • SAD 47 board to vote on health surveyKennebec Journal, 9/3/08. School Administrative District 47 board members tonight will vote on whether to allow a health survey of students at Messalonskee Middle School.
  • Jamie Comstock: Wherever you live and breathe, always go smoke-freeBangor Daily News, 9/1/08. Every day in Maine, seven people die from tobacco use, one of whom is a nonsmoker who has been exposed to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals and more than 50 cancer-causing agents. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even brief exposure can be dangerous.
  • Maine's smoking-in-vehicles law starts todayBangor Daily News, 9/1/08. Maine today joins other states and Canadian provinces that have made it illegal to smoke in a car while children are present. But for the first year the law is in effect, violators will only get warnings.
  • State bans smoking in cars if kids insidePortland Press Herald, 9/1/08. Maine today joins other states and Canadian provinces that have made it illegal to smoke in a car while children are present. But for the first year the law's in effect, violators will only get warnings.
  • No more smoking when kids in carsJoanne Joy, Kennebec Journal, 8/31/08. On Monday, Maine will take one more step in protecting its citizens from secondhand smoke.
  • Kids in Maine, N.H. sought for arsenic studySun Journal, 8/29/08. Researchers are recruiting students in Maine and New Hampshire to participate in a study evaluating arsenic's effect on children's intellectual development.
  • Law Enforcement & Local HMP Work to Get the Word Out: September 1 Law Says NO SMOKING in CARS with MINORSVillage Soup, 8/26/08. State and Local Police and Sheriff Departments are teaming up with Knox County Community Health Coalition, our County’s Healthy Maine Partnership (HMP) to help get the word out about next Monday’s new State Law. As of September 1, it will be against the law to smoke in a motor vehicle when a minor under 16 years of age is present.
  • Cycle event to benefit hospitalSun Journal, 8/21/08. A Roar-In for motorcycles will be held Saturday at Wal-Mart. Motorcycle groups such as the United Bikers of Maine, the American Legion Riders and the Exiles, a group from the Mexico/Rumford area, have been invited to gather in the former Ames parking lot at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, said Peter Zamboni of Wal-Mart.
  • Golf tournament raises $8,200 for Jimmy FundBangor Daily News, 8/18/08. Tim Richardson had been worried he might not reach his $5,000 goal for the Jimmy Fund during the first Friends Fighting for the Cure Golf Classic held earlier this month, but his worries were unfounded.
  • 6-year-old boy treated for cancerous brain tumorBangor Daily News, 8/15/08. Jonathan Mullis, 6, is fighting cancer, but his early medical treatment, his positive attitude, and the love extended to him from his family and community appear to have sucker-punched the disease.
  • After 37 years, pediatrician retiresBangor Daily News, 8/15/08. When Dr. Leonardo Leonidas opened his practice in Bangor in 1972, he was one of just four pediatricians serving the area.
  • Warning: Kids in car means no smokingThe Current, 8/13/08. It will be illegal as of Sept. 1 to smoke in a car if a child under 16 is riding along, under a law passed earlier this year by the Legislature.
  • Cafe chain helps families find SunshineThe Current, 8/7/08. Having a daughter with cancer puts life in perspective, Shirley Larson said.
  • State funding returns for children's programBangor Daily News, 7/31/08. By the time Lily Knowlton turned 4, she already had been through four area preschool programs, and her out-of-control behaviors had cost her mother her job.
  • WIC supplements children's nutritionBangor Daily News, 7/28/08. The federally funded Women, Infants and Children program, known as WIC, aims at improving the health and nutritional status of women who are either pregnant, breast-feeding, or up to six months postpartum along with their infants and children up to age 5.
  • 'Anchoring' Kids With Psych DisordersAdvance for Nurses, 7/23/08. Anchor program at Maine's Spring Harbor Hospital provides innovative in-home family-based treatment to kids
  • Family hopes breathing improvesSun Journal, 7/23/08. The family of a young girl with a rare breathing disorder is hoping she soon will be able to breathe on her own.
  • Jason Program, a 'hidden gem,' deserves savingPortland Press Herald, 7/16/08. Her name was Molly. She was born into Bill and Terri Flaherty's life in 2005 -- and three months later she was gone.
  • Statins are not the answer for childhood diseasesPortland Press Herald Staff, Portland Press Herald, 7/14/08. Treatment should focus on diet and exercise, not cholesterol-lowering drugs.
  • Iraqi girl's dad recalls U.S. sniper shotsPortland Press Herald, 7/12/08. She will get a prosthetic skull bone at Maine Medical Center, thanks partly to a nonprofit.
  • ANOTHER VIEW: Cholesterol drugs for kids carry risks that can't be knownRichard Maurer, Portland Press Herald, 7/11/08. Exercise, stress modification, social behavior and diet would seem better areas of focus.
  • Noora's journeyPortland Press Herald, 7/11/08. An Iraqi girl injured by a sniper arrives in Portland for reconstructive surgery. Young Mainers greet the patient with gift baskets, good wishes.
  • Penobscot Bay Medical Center takes steps to prevent infant overdosesVillage Soup, 7/11/08. In the wake of national headlines warning about heparin overdoses in some hospitals' neonatal units, Penobscot Bay Medical Center wants residents to know that it has banned the use of the blood thinner in its newborn nursery.
  • Childhood obesity calledPortland Press Herald, 7/3/08. The nation's top health official praises a Maine initiative to promote healthy eating habits.
  • Study: U.S. underfunding kidsPortland Press Herald, 7/2/08. A Maine advocate says the federal budget is making children less of a priority. But do the programs work?
  • Building Better Parents Reduces Child AbuseEllsworth American, 6/26/08. As sheriff, I was encouraged to see so many events across Maine recently focused on child abuse and neglect prevention, and it is heartening to see community members come together to send the message that child abuse will not be tolerated.
  • Camp Rainbow: A Camp Experience for Children with CancerEllsworth American, 6/26/08. For 16-year-old Michael Atherton of Bucksport, Camp Rainbow holds all the traditional appeal of summer camp. He can play ball, take canoe rides and do crafts. He is just another kid at camp.
  • Education aid for disabled kids spurs suitBangor Daily News, 6/26/08. A class action lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court charges Maine’s top human services official with failing to follow federal Medicaid regulations in meeting the educational needs of the state’s disabled youngsters.
  • Close to Home: Nine-year-old gives voice to a causePortland Press Herald, 6/25/08. Alicia Fournier, who has epilepsy, and her friends put on a show and raise $11,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation.
  • Bangor: Acadia plans center to treat children, teensBangor Daily News, 6/19/08. Officials at the Acadia Hospital announced Wednesday that they have raised most of the money they need to build a new outpatient center for mentally ill children and teens and their families. Now they are inviting the public to a first-ever open house June 24 at the current outpatient pediatric unit in hope of generating additional community donations toward their $1.5 million goal.
  • Children's Center gets new directorKennebec Journal, 6/13/08. The Board of Directors of the Children’s Center in Augusta has named Jonathan Leach as its new executive director.
  • Foundation tracks above-average results for Maine's disadvantaged kidsMorning Sentinel, 6/13/08. AUGUSTA -- The number of Maine juveniles detained and committed into youth custody is three times lower than the national average, according to new data from a national youth foundation.
  • Immunization rate goal metSun Journal, 6/12/08. Oxford Hills Family Practice was one of 19 out of 600 practices in Maine to receive a 90 percent or greater score as part of the Healthy Maine 2010 project to bring children up to age 2 up to date on their immunizations.
  • Childhood, lighterBangor Metro, 6/5/08. Over one-third of Maine kids are overweight. Nearly all Maine kids spend too much time on their bottoms. Programs like 5210 are helping youngsters to move more, eat better, and enjoy the process.
  • Study: Kids' cancer rates might be highest in NortheastSun Journal, 6/2/08. CHICAGO (AP) - Surprising research suggests that childhood cancer is most common in the Northeast, results that even caught experts off guard. But some specialists say it could just reflect differences in reporting.
  • 11-year-old boy speaks for muscular dystrophySun Journal, 5/29/08. LEWISTON - When Derek Vintinner was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy four years ago, his family rarely spoke about it.

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