Health

By: Lorri Markum— Muncie, IN—Meridian Health Services will host area’s largest Health & Fun Fair and Ducky Derby this Saturday, August 25, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Suzanne Gresham Center. The carnival themed Fam Fest brings fun and excitement to the family festival’s 11thannual celebration with clowns, face painting, carnival food and more! Fam Fest, presented in partnership with PrimeTrust Federal Credit Union, consists of two events to raise awareness of health, wellness, community resources and the prevention…

By: Courtney Thomas— Muncie, IN –Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana has selected IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery, part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver safe and effective specialty care, based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community. Hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery…

By: Dawn Brand Fluhler— Muncie, IN – Indiana University Health East Central President Jeff Bird, MD, recently announced the new role of chief operating officer for Critical Access hospitals in the East Central Region, which will be filled by Rodney Stevens, MSNL, RN. In this new role Rod will have direct operational responsibilities for both IU Health Jay and IU Health Blackford. He will continue to serve as chief nursing officer for IU Health Blackford. “Rod has been an important part…

By: Kourtney McCauliff— Muncie, IN—Open Door Health Services announces that Suzanne Clem has joined the Open Door team as Director of Community Awareness. Suzanne received a bachelor’s degree in advertising and master’s degree in social psychology from Ball State University. Her experience includes 13 years in marketing at Ball State, focusing on strategy development, social media, and wellness marketing for the university food service. She also has written for higher education publications and community projects and has provided volunteer communications…

By: Jennifer Hurtubise— Muncie, IN—Delaware County ranks 85th out of Indiana’s 92 counties in overall health outcomes. Thirty-one percent of the adults living in the county are considered obese, and there are 24.6 drug overdose deaths annually per 100,000 population, compared to the national average of 15.6. Twenty percent of Delaware County’s residents smoke, and the mother smoked during pregnancy in 22.3 percent of births—more than three times the national average of 7.2 percent. These poor health rankings limit the…

By: Dawn Brand Fluhler— Blackford President Steven West to retire, Jay President Dave Hyatt promoted Muncie, IN—IU Health’s East Central Region President Jeff Bird, MD, recently announced the retirement of IU Health Blackford Hospital President Steven West, and the promotion of IU Health Jay Hospital President Dave Hyatt. West will retire from his administrative duties at IU Health effective June 10, 2018. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Miami University and his graduate degree from The Ohio State University, Mr….

By: Nancy Larson— As I sit at my computer writing this article stressing about my procrastination, I reached for a cookie…then I stop myself and realize that I am “stress eating!” Everyone eats for emotional and stress relief occasional. That’s not what gets you in trouble. It’s the constant, mindless “grazing” or reactive eating that will put on the extra weight. Stress eating itself is not the problem. It is what ever is DRIVING you to turn to a drug,…

By: Matthew Cox— Muncie, IN—Warm days at the beach, golf course or swimming pool are near-universal visions of summer, and the game of baseball is synonymous with summer for many youth players, their parents and adult fans.  Wednesday, May 31 is also World No Tobacco Day, and the image of baseball players using chewing tobacco and other products is infamously timeless as the game itself. Baseball’s attempt at positively influencing youth is certainly behind its decades-old ban on smokeless tobacco…