Health Briefs for Sunday, June 24

Alzheimer’s Services

Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area, 3772 North Blvd., will hold the following events this week:

• “A Time to Remember,” a Bourgeois family fundraiser, will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Clarion Inn and Conference Center, La. 30, Gonzales. Admission to the event is $25, and proceeds will benefit Alzheimer’s Services and Charlie’s Place. There will be a dessert social and silent auction and entertainment by Center Stage Players. For more information, call [phone] or email [e-mail].
• Caregiver network groups for caregivers and family members of people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia will meet from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Oakwood Village Assisted Living, 4400 McHugh Road, Zachary; 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. James Place Health and Wellness Building, Classroom 1, 333 Lee Drive; and 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Denham Springs/Walker Library, 8101 U.S. 190, Denham Springs.

For more information, call [phone].

Family Service

Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, 4727 Revere Ave., will offer counseling services for children, individuals and families who need help with a wide range of emotional, behavioral and relationship problems from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Child and Family Counseling Center. Trained experts can help with alcohol/drug abuse issues and family conflict/violence issues. Services are offered on a sliding-fee scale. For more information, call [phone].

Mary Bird

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, 4950 Essen Lane, will hold the following events this week:

• A free prostate cancer screening will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at Capital City Family Health, 3140 Florida Blvd.
• A free skin cancer screening will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Walmart, 10606 North Mall Drive.

For more information, call [phone].

HIV services

The following HIV services will be offered this week:

• Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, 4727 Revere Ave., will offer free, confidential HIV testing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information, call [phone].
• Metro Health will offer free, confidential HIV testing from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Dr. Leo S. Butler Community Center, 950 East Washington St. Hepatitis C and syphilis testing will be conducted from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. Metro Health will also offer testing from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 4000 Gus Young Ave. Testing will also be done from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Earl K. Long Mid-City, North Foster at Gus Young Avenue. Call [phone].

Red Cross

The Louisiana Capital Area Chapter American Red Cross, 4655 Sherwood Common Blvd., will hold the following classes:

• “Babysitting” will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the office. The two-day camp for ages 11 to 15 teaches life-saving skills including first aid, CPR and care-giving. Cost is $140.
• “Adult First Aid/CPR/AED” will be from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the office. Another class will be offered Saturday. Cost is $90.
• “Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED” will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the office. Cost is $110.

For more information or to register, call [phone] or visit http://www.batonrouge.redcross.org.

Cancer Services

Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge, 550 Lobdell Ave., will hold the following events this week:

• “YogaThrive: Yoga for Cancer Survivors” will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at The Red Shoes, 2303 Government St. Registration is required.
• “Fit & Fearless,” an exercise program for cancer survivors, will be at 5:15 p.m. Monday at BREC Independence Park, 7500 Independence Blvd. Registration is required.
• “Fit & Fearless: Total Body Workout” will be at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at BREC Independence Park. Another class will be at 5:15 p.m. Thursday. Registration is required.
• After Hours Cancer Support Group will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the office.
• Ascension Parish Support Group will meet at noon Wednesday at First United Methodist Church, 224 West Constitution St., Gonzales.
• “Zumba Gold” will be at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at BREC Independence Park. Registration is required.
• Make Tonight Count speaker meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the office. Dr. Ann Zedlitz will speak on “Skin Cancer and Caring for Your Skin.”
• Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myelodysplasia Support Group will meet at noon Friday at the office.

For more information, call [phone] or visit http://www.cancerservices.org.

Grief Recovery

The Grief Recovery Center, 4919 Jamestown, Suite 101, will offer the following events and opportunity this week:

• A support group will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday at the office.
• A bereavement support group for adults will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 14040 Greenwell Springs.
• A bereavement support group for adults will meet from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Elizabeth Hospital, 1125 W. La. 30, Gonzales.

All support groups are free and confidential.

• Speakers are available on a variety of topics dealing with grief.

For more information, call [phone] or visit http://www.grcbr.org.

BR General

Baton Rouge General will hold the following events this week:

• A smoking cessation program will meet from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday and Wednesday at the Bluebonnet location, 8585 Picardy Ave., Pennington Cancer Center Conference Room. The General’s Stop Smoking program is led by certified smoking cessation facilitators, who help participants find their own way to stop smoking. It consists of small group sessions that take place over a seven-week period. Registration is required by calling [phone].
• Healthy Steps: Lebed Exercise Program, healing through dance and movement, will be from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Mid City location, 3600 Florida Blvd. Call [phone] to register.
• “Breastfeeding Basics” will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Bluebonnet location, Conference Room 2. Cost is $30 per couple. Learn the basics of breastfeeding, including advantages, importance of an early start, proper positioning and latch, and many other topics. Register at http://www.BRGeneral.org.
• Healthy Steps: Lebed Exercise Program will be from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bluebonnet location. Call [phone] to register.

Woman’s Hospital

Woman’s Hospital, 9050 Airline Highway, will hold the following events this week:

• “Prenatal Yoga” will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Saturday at Destination Maternity, 5921 Bluebonnet Blvd. Cost is $12 per class. Call [phone].
• “Baby Steps,” a light exercise class for moms to do with their babies, will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday and 5:30 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. Thursday at Destination Maternity. Cost is $12 per class. Call [phone].
• “Finding Your Core II” will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Woman’s Center for Wellness, 9637 Jefferson Highway. An instructor will assess abdominal muscles and recommend exercises. Cost is $30. Call [phone].
• “Strong Mamas,” an exercise class to prepare for pregnancy body changes, will be from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at Destination Maternity. Cost is $12 per class. Call [phone].
• A free informational session on Woman’s Ideal Protein, a weight-loss program for men and women, will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Woman’s Center for Wellness. Call [phone].
• “Body Basics for Girls” will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the hospital, Conference rooms 2-3, first floor. Cost is $15. For more information or registration, call [phone] or http://www.womans.org.

HIV events

In observance of National HIV Testing Day, the following events will be held this week:

• Free HIV testing will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 4000 Gus Young Ave.; 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Leo S. Butler Community Center, 950 East Washington St.; midnight to midnight Wednesday at the Baton Rouge AIDS Society, 4560 North Blvd., Suite 100 ((225) 923-AIDS); 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Capital Area Reentry Program, 8478 Scotland Ave.; and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Delmont Community Center, 3535 Riley St.
• Positive Leadership Luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at McKinley Alumni Center, 1520 Thomas H. Delpit Drive. The event is for people living with HIV and will address the goal of building positive leadership.
• “Focus on Women,” the viewing of two videos, a reception and the opening of the exhibit “Hattitude,” will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.
• Out of the Box Production program will provide education and resources from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday at McKinley Alumni Center, 1520 Thomas H. Delpit Drive.
• A youth summit will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at the Southern University Agricultural Center.
• Running Over HIV-Fun Walk/Run will be from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Lake at City Park, 1515 Dalrymple Drive.
• “Women: Our Bodies Our World,” an event providing educational information on services and community resources specifically for women, will be from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Radisson Hotel, 2445 South Acadian Thruway.

For more information, call [phone].

Survivors of Suicide

Survivors of Suicide, a free support group for people whose lives have been impacted by the loss of a loved one, neighbor, co-worker or friend to suicide, will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, 4837 Revere Ave. For more information, call [phone].

Grief support

The Community Grief Support Group, in partnership with several other local agencies, will meet at noon Tuesday at Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge, 550 Lobdell Ave. The group is open to anyone coping with the loss of a loved one. Call [phone] for more information.

DBSA

DBSA - Depression and Bi-Polar Support Alliance (Opens Arms Chapter) will meet from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at La Madeleine Café, 7615 Jefferson Highway. The meeting is open to those diagnosed with depression and bi-polar disorder as well as family and friends. Call [phone].

The Hospice of BR

The Hospice of Baton Rouge, 9063 Siegen Lane, will offer the following events and opportunity this week:

• Free grief support group sessions will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Sunrise Assisted Living, 9351 Siegen Lane, and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ochsner Medical Center, 17000 Medical Center Drive. For more information, call [phone].
• The hospice is seeking volunteers for patient/caregiver support, health fairs and office assistance.

For more information, call [phone].

‘CancerFit’

“CancerFit,” a comprehensive wellness program from Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins designed to help cancer patients stay active and mentally fit, will hold a class, “Boosting Bones and Muscling Metabolism,” from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of the Lake Plaza Diagnostics Building, Suite 112, and 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Friday at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Asphodel Room.

Classes are free and include an hour of yoga and guided meditation followed by a 15-minute presentation. For more information or to register, call [phone].

NAMI

National Alliance on Mental Illness will hold the following events this week:

• Family to Family Support Group, for family members/caregivers of people with a mental illness, will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at University Presbyterian Church, 3240 Dalrymple Drive. For more information, call [phone].
• Connection Recovery Support Group, for those whose lives have been affected by mental illness, will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at University Presbyterian Church. Call [phone].

Co-Dependency

Co-Dependency Anonymous will have a 12-step — including step 11 — meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at University United Methodist Church, 3350 Dalrymple Drive, Room 204 of the Trice Building. For more information, call [phone] or for literature, visit http://www.coda.org.

Dept. of Health

The Department of Health will hold a forum on planned Medicaid pharmacy program improvements from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Galvez Building, Oliver Pollack Room, 602 North Fifth St. For more information, visit http://www.MakingMedicaidBetter.com.

Ochsner

Ochsner Medical Center, 17000 Medical Center Drive, will hold the following events this week:

• Lunch Bunch: “Dispelling the Myths of Hospice” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the medical center. Michelle Hunter will speak. This is a Golden Opportunity program activity for adults 50 and older in the Baton Rouge region. RSVP for the free event by calling [phone].
• Ochsner and United Blood Services will hold a summer blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday at the center’s first-floor classrooms.

Fibromyalgia

The Fibromyalgia Support Group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2021 Tara Blvd. Call [phone].

Grandparents

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday at Family Road, 323 East Airport Drive. Call [phone] or [phone].

SouthernCare

SouthernCare Hospice, 17316 Airline Highway, Suite P, Prairieville, will hold a grief support group meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the hospice. Topic will be “Life Changes.” Call by Tuesday to register. For more information, call [phone].

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market Baton Rouge, 7529 Corporate Blvd., will hold a Health Starts Here Tour from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Thursday at the market. The event will include a 45-minute tour and teach simple tips and tricks to get started on a healthy eating path. Tour is limited to 15. For more information and to make reservations, call [phone].

Peoples Health

Peoples Health will hold “Zumba Gold,” a free class, at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Cortana Mall, 9401 Cortana Place. Registration time is 9 a.m. The reservation deadline is Tuesday. Call 1-866-220-0418.

CASA

Capital Area Court Appointed Special Advocates Association, 848 Louisiana Ave., will have an orientation class, for those interested in becoming an advocate, at noon Thursday. Court Appointed Special Advocates help neglected and abused children in the foster care system find a safe and permanent home. To attend a session, call [phone].

Life Source Services

Life Source Services Hospice, 3049 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., will offer the following event and opportunity this week:

• A grief support group will meet from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the office. The group is free and open to the community.
• LSS is seeking volunteers for many of its projects. Call [phone].

Diabetic Foot

Diabetic Foot Institute, 5428 O’Donovan Drive, Suite D, will hold free diabetic foot screenings Friday at the office. A screening will include thermal imaging, blood flow study, gait analysis and a neuropathy screening. Call [phone].

Hospice Associates

Hospice Associates, 8119 Picardy Ave., is seeking direct-care volunteers for patient/caregiver support and companionship. Veteran volunteers are also needed for the We Honor Veterans programs to share their life journey with veteran patients and their families. For details, call [phone].

Battered women

The Battered Women’s Program invites anyone who has suffered or is suffering abuse at the hands of an intimate partner to attend its group meetings. Call [phone].

Alcoholics help

Alcoholics Anonymous, a fellowship of men and women who help each other recover from alcoholism, meets daily. Call [phone] or visit http://www.aa-batonrouge.org.

Al-Anon/Alateen

Al-Anon Family Groups, a 12-step program to help those affected by someone’s problem drinking, holds meetings daily in the Baton Rouge area. There are no fees. Meetings are confidential. Call [phone] or check the website, http://www.batonrougealanon.org.

Overeating help

Overeaters Anonymous, a 12-step program without dues, fees or diets, holds meetings seven days a week in the greater Baton Rouge area. For details, call [phone] or visit http://www.oabatonrouge.org.

Gambling help

Gamblers Anonymous, a support group for people with gambling problems, holds multiple meetings every week in Baton Rouge, Baker, St. Francisville, Gonzales and Hammond. For dates, times and locations, call (877) 770-STOP or [phone].

Narcotics Anon.

Need help with a drug problem? Narcotics Anonymous holds daily meetings. Call the helpline at [phone].