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Compiled by Debra Scherban

Daily Hampshire Gazette - 8/1/2017

Compiled by Debra Scherban. Send items dscherban@gazettenet.comSouth Hadley begins safety program for Alzheimer’s patients

South Hadley will be kicking off a program to help keep those with Alzheimer’s and autism safe in the community Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the South Hadley Council on Aging, 45 Dayton St.

Called the Medic Alert Foundation’s L.E.A.P. program it is a partnership between the foundation and the South Hadley Police Department to protect community members with dementia and autism who are at risk for wandering.

Through the new program, South Hadley police will be able to enroll local residents (and their caregivers), via an online portal, into the MedicAlert national registry/database to receive a free medical identification bracelet and free emergency support services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We know that wandering is a grave concern for families, especially those with loved ones who have a dementia or autism spectrum diagnosis,” says David Leslie, president and CEO for MedicAlert Foundation. “Therefore, we are pleased to work with the South Hadley Police Department to further protect their community members who are at risk.”

Representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association, South Hadley police, the Hampshire County Sheriff’s office and the Northwestern District Attorney’s office will be at Thursday’s event.

Visit www.medicalert.org/leap for more information or contact Leslie Hennessey, director, South Hadley Council on Aging, lhennessey@southhadleyma.gov, 413-538-5042 Mental health group to hold fundraiser

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)-Western Massachusetts will hold a fundraising golf tournament Aug. 19, at the Westover Golf Course, 181 South Street, Granby.

Along with the tournament there will be raffles, a hole-in-one prize and a steak luncheon.

The event is intended to help NAMI-Western Massachusetts, which is based in Agawam, continue its free programs of education, advocacy and support.

One in four people in the United States suffer with a mental health condition. NAMI-Western Massachusetts is an affiliate of the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental illness.

For more information about the tournament visit namiwm.org or call 786-9139. CDH physician assistant earns emergency medicine credential

Martha Flores McKean, PA-C, who is employed at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, has been nationally recognized for earning a specialty credential called a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) of Johns Creek, Georgia..

McKean was recognized for earning a CAQ in emergency medicine, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing a national exam in the specialty. She is a 2011 graduate of the PA program at Springfield College and has five years of experience working in her specialty.

Typically, patients who walk into an emergency department will be seen and evaluated by a physician assistant but many are still learning about the profession and how Certified PAs practice.

“Certified PAs are prepared and proven providers who contribute real value to the healthcare of this nation,” says Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D, PA-C, president and CEO of NCCPA. “They graduate from demanding masters-level programs, pass a rigorous certification exam, and maintain certification at the highest level through continuing medical education programs and retesting throughout their careers. Certified PAs increase access to care for patients in every specialty and clinical setting, including those that are historically underserved.”

CAQs are offered to certified PAs in seven specialties: cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, orthopedic surgery, nephrology, pediatrics and psychiatry.