By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Health officials set up in the lobby at Medina Memorial Hospital today to share information about the dangers of smoking.
Nola Goodrich-Kresse, a public health educator with the Orleans County Health Department, and Jen Srock, an outreach coordinator for Community Partners with the Orleans Community Health, were at the table as part of the Great American Smokeout.
The jar in the front left represents a year’s worth of tar from smoking that end up in a smoker’s lungs. The other jar shows teeth in tobacco juice.
Orleans County has one of the highest smoking rates for adults in the state. It is one of nine counties with a rate at 25 percent or higher. The state average is 16.9 percent.
Health officials will make reducing the county’s smoking rate a priority, Goodrich-Kresse said.
The county Health Department recently submitted a community health assessment to the state, which includes strategies for combatting tobacco use and other high-risk behaviors. That assessment will be reviewed by the state Department of Health.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 November 2013 at 12:00 am
A new leader has been appointed for Oak Orchard Health, a healthcare organization with sites in Albion, Lyndonville, Brockport and Warsaw.
Jim Cummings, the new CEO, is familiar with the community. He was an executive at Lakeside Health System since 2006.
Cummings
“It is with great pleasure and excitement that the board announces our hiring of Jim Cummings as the next CEO at Oak Orchard Health,” said Karen Watt, the OOH board chairwoman. “He will begin in this position by the middle of December and is enthusiastic and appreciates that he is joining a truly gifted and extraordinary staff.”
As an executive at Lakeside, Cummings first served as vice president of human resources, then senior vice president, and finally interim CEO.
Watt said Cummings keenly understands the health care needs and issues of our region. He provided executive leadership for all aspects of strategic planning, executive and physician recruitment, compensation, benefits administration, employee relations, organizational development, volunteers, and oversight of Lakeside hospital operations starting in 2011.
“It is my honor to have been selected to serve the community by leading Oak Orchard Health through this turbulent, yet exciting time of transition in American health care,” Cummings said. “Oak Orchard has a 40-year history of providing affordable quality services to families and individuals who might not otherwise have access to care. It will be my job to ensure that this important resource is well-positioned to thrive into the future and to continue to provide the community excellent preventative and primary care services.”
Prior to Lakeside, Cummings held a series of executive positions at Corning Hospital over a 26-year period. Corning Hospital is a 99-bed acute care facility with high volume outpatient services, 550 employees, and is an affiliate of Guthrie Healthcare System.
While employed by Corning Hospital, Cummings was vice president of human resources and vice president of operations. For the five years prior to that, he held various management positions at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elmira.
“Jim Cummings clearly stood out from among the 85 applicants for the president and CEO position, as a person that both intimately understands health care administration and is keenly committed to the Oak Orchard service area and patients,” said OOH Board member Dave Jewell. “There is no question but that we are placing Oak Orchard in very capable and caring hands.”
Robert Q. Hendershott served as interim president and CEO for Oak Orchard since August 2012.
“Under Bob Hendershott’s experienced guidance, Oak Orchard has very considerably strengthened its management and other systems,” Watt said. “He has helped build an excellent executive team, and is handing over the organization in fine condition.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County could reach an agreement to sell the nursing home next month.
The three-man board of Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation received two qualifying bids for the 120-bed Villages of Orleans.
The HFC, a local development corporation formed by the County Legislature to sell the nursing home, received requests to buy the site by an Oct. 16 deadline.
The Health Facilities Corporation is chaired by Russ Martino, a former Yates town supervisor and retired Lyndonville elementary principal. The LDC met today in executive session. It issued a statement this evening saying it will pursue a sale with two of the bidders.
One of the groups is led by Mordy Lahasky, Benjamin Fuchs and Benjamin Landa, which has multiple facilities in the Albany, Long Island and New York City. The other group is led by Kenneth Rozenberg and has multiple facilities across New York State.
Each bidding group will consider keeping existing employees, continue services for existing residents, maintain important community programs and continue to serve as landlord to the resident county offices, according to the news release.
The board anticipates entering a binding sale agreement in December 2013 with a change in the licensed operator as of Dec. 31, 2014.The state Department of Health will review the proposal, which often takes a year to get through Albany.
The LDC board anticipates meeting again next month to approve the final sale agreement.
County officials did not disclose the offers from the two entities.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Albion homes are increasingly becoming infested with bed bugs, a problem that may be difficult to prevent because the bugs are “hitchhikers,” a public health officials told the Albion Village Board.
The Orleans County Health Department has been getting complaints about bed bugs locally since 2011, but the calls have increased this year, public health sanitarian Nancy Kelly told the Village Board on Wednesday.
“It’s a growing concern,” she said.
Bed bugs are considered a private nuisance, instead of a public health nuisance. That means the public health department isn’t very involved in the cases. When a complaint is made, Kelly will typically contact the local code enforcement officers.
Ron Vendetti, the code officer for Albion, said many local landlords have purchased steam cleaners and can take care of the problem at their properties. Other residents may turn to exterminators.
Houses and apartments that are clean can typically be rid of the bugs quickly. Homes with hoarders, with a lot of clutter, may struggle to get rid of the pests, Vendetti said.
Kelly said bed bugs bother people from all backgrounds – rich, poor and middle class. The bugs have been discovered in schools and work places. They easily can “hitch hike” from public places and come home with someone, she said.
The bugs also spread from discarded furniture. Some furniture has been left by the curb because of a bug infestation. The couch or chair often is then picked up by a passing motorist, who brings it – and bed bugs – home.
Mayor Dean Theodorakos said the village will use its newsletter to warn residents about picking up discarded furniture due to the bed bug possibility.
Kelly said Albion could also pass legislation requiring landlords and property owners to take action when there is a complaint about bed bugs. Vendetti didn’t think a new law was a good idea or would accomplish much.
“How do you legislate a bug?” Vendetti asked.
The landlords also shouldn’t be held entirely responsible for the property, Vendetti said. The residents often bring in the bugs, and their lifestyles may make it difficult to rid the places of the pests.
“We also have cockroaches and mice,” Vendetti said. “We have a number of problems that revolve around the condition of properties.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Volunteers at The Villages of Orleans, the county-owned nursing home in Albion, will need flu shots or else they will have to wear a mask if they want to be inside the facility interacting with residents.
The state Health Department issued that decree for the upcoming flu season. The Health Department first put the policy in place near the tail end of last year’s flu season.
The new policy already has rankled one volunteer. Adolf Genter is a regular presence at the nursing home, playing his accordion. He doesn’t want to get a flu shot.
He spoke out against the new state policy during Wednesday’s County Legislature meeting.
The state health commissioner hasn’t declared the start of the flu season yet, so Genter can continue to play the accordion at the nursing home without a flu shot or protective mask. But he won’t be able to much longer.
The flu season generally runs from November through April. There haven’t been enough cases yet to prompt the commissioner to declare the official start of flu season, said William Gillick, the nursing home administrator.
The new policy applies to nursing home employees, volunteers and interns. It may also extend to other personnel who occasionally work in the facility, including Buildings and Grounds and information technology staff, said Paul Pettit, the county’s public health director.
The new state policy doesn’t apply to nursing home visitors.
The policy extends to hospitals, nursing homes, health clinics, home care agencies and hospices. State health officials say they want to help contain the spread of the flu.
New York recorded 45,352 confirmed cases and 9,537 patients hospitalized with influenza last season, the Associated Press reported. After a spike in flu cases last January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a public health emergency.
By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Public Health Educator for the Orleans County Health Department
Veterans’ Day for some the day is mixed with emotions, some good, some not so good and unfortunately for many, it is just another day or a day off.
According to Wikipedia, “Veterans Day is an official United States holiday which honors people who have served in armed service also known as veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.)
Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving.”
When pondering on what to write for this week’s column the thought of so many who have given their service and for some, their lives, the thought of saying thank you in a health column was easy to consider.
Many of those who have served in our Armed Forces over the years were serving either because they wanted to do something for this great nation we live in. For some, they entered the service because they were drafted and didn’t have a choice and for others they were looking for job training, structure, and / or an adventure. Whatever the reason, thank you!
Thank you for doing your best to protect our freedoms. Thank you for doing your best to protect our borders. Thank you for leaving your families and potentially risking your lives for those of us who live here. Thank you for ignoring the rudeness of those who treated your poorly when you returned home from service because they disagree with what you stand for.
Thank you to your families who stood by you through the mail and more recently through technology. Thank you to your families who missed you and thank you to you for all the dinners, nighttime tuck-ins, school events, parties, weddings and good-byes you couldn’t say because you were / are protecting us.
Whatever your reason for serving, whatever your experiences while serving, you are appreciated and your service and sacrifices are not forgotten.
Thank you!
Editor’s note: Nola Goodrich-Kresse sent this in time for Veterans’ Day. My apologies for not posting it sooner.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The local development corporation that is working to find a buyer for the Orleans County nursing home will meet Friday to discuss proposals for the 120-bed site.
That discussion is expected to be behind closed doors in an executive session.
The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Orleans County Health Department, 14012 Route 31 West, Albion.
The LDC is led by its Chairman Russ Martino of Lyndonville. The group’s agenda says the executive session is warranted because publicly discussing the proposals “would substantially affect the value thereof.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Gerry Zinkievich is pictured with a plate of quiche during tonight’s wine-tasting event to benefit the Knights/Kaderli Memorial Fund. The kitchen was busy during the 10th annual event.
RIDGEWAY – For 10 years Gerry Zinkievich has summoned an army of cooks, bakers, wineries and donations to raise money for Orleans County residents battling cancer.
Zinkievich and her family are dedicated to an event that raises about $6,000 every year for the Knights/Kaderli Memorial Fund, which assists local residents who are fighting cancer. The fund helps pay emergency expenses and some other bills.
Zinkievich, the retired Shelby town clerk, has seen how the fund can lessen the burdens for a family fighting cancer. Her late husband Jim fought the disease until his death about 12 years ago.
“They’re like the angels that walk among us,” Zinkievich said about the volunteers at Knights/Kaderli. “You just want to give back because they really helped my husband out.”
Her brother-in-law David also died from cancer. His wife Sue Zinkievich is another driving force for the wine-tasting event.
Melinda Vizcarra of Vizcarra Vineyards in Gasport served wine during the event at the Ridgeway Fire Hall. Five wineries were at the event offering wine tastings.
Five wineries offered wine tastings to the 250 people who attended the event. There was also lots of food and baked goods.
Volunteers also collected 102 gift baskets that were raffled off.
A DJ played music and the Hot Country Liners performed several dances for the crowd.
“We try to make it fun,” Zinkievich said. “I just want people to have a good time.”
Jim Owen of Akron is part of Hot Country Liners that performed tonight as part of a fund-raiser for the Knights/Kaderli Memorial Fund.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Horvath makes commitment to Orleans Community Health
Photos by Tom Rivers – Dolores Horvath, CEO of Orleans Community Health, checks some of the merchandise up for bid at Saturday’ night’s Treasure Island fund-raiser for OCH. On Monday, the OCH board of directors named Horvath the chief executive officer, removing interim from her title.
MEDINA – Three months ago Dolores Horvath arrived in Medina for what she thought would be a six-month job, helping Orleans Community Health find a permanent CEO for a healthcare organization that includes a hospital, a health care facility in Albion and other outpatient sites.
Horvath impressed the board of directors at OCH, and the community won her over. She is staying, and not just as the interim leader of the OCH. On Monday the board of directors appointed her chief executive officer.
Horvath would like to serve in the position for five years. She is looking for a house in Medina.
‘This is a wonderful little town,” she said Saturday at the hospital system’s Treasure Island fund-raiser. “You have a committed board and a community that supports you. There are staff that have worked here for 40 years. You just don’t see that kind of commitment too often.”
The Treasure Island event was another demonstration of the community support for the hospital. About 275 people attended the event at the Sacred Heart Club. Numerous businesses and residents donated items to be sold. The event typically raises about $50,000 for Orleans Community Health.
Greg Canham weighs a bid on some of the items at the 20th annual Treasure Island fund-raiser to benefit Orleans Communtiy Heath.
Horvath will remain an employee with HealthTech Management Services, a firm hired to manage OCH in June. That contract was for an initial three-year deal.
On Monday, the OCH board decided it wanted to retain Horvath through HealthTech.
“She has addressed a lot of issues and we’re moving in a positive direction,” said Bruce Krenning, president of the OCH board. “She has a lot of experience and she fits what we’re trying to do.”
Horvath has already led a complete assessment of OCH’s operations and finances. She said this is a tumultuous time in health care with a new federal health care law taking effect and many smaller hospitals struggling to stay open. Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport shut down in April, for example.
Krenning said Medina Memorial Hospital isn’t closing.
Horvath said the organization needs to position itself towards more outpatient services. She will be working to recruit more primary care physicians. She said the organization needs to expand its services and will likely need a capital plan to upgrade some of the facilities.
Bruce Krenning, president of the board of directors for OCH, attended the Treasure Island fund-raiser on Saturday. Tammi Pritchard, administrative assistant for CEO Dolores Horvath, volunteered at the event, helping people pick bottles of wine.
“We haven’t decided on that yet,” she said.
Horvath said the organization wants to be known as the preferred health care provider for the entire county. Other outside healthcare organizations also are pushing for Orleans County residents as patients. The former Brockport hospital is now known as Strong West. Strong Memorial Hospital and the University of Rochester Medical Center are running that site and they are advertising in Orleans County.
Horvath said Orleans Community Health is the only health care organization whose sole mission is primarily targeted to Orleans County residents. (The organization also serves patients in Genesee and eastern Niagara counties.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo from Wikipedia – Bed bugs are typically active at night when people are sleeping. They feed on blood.
ALBION – They first attracted major notice a few years ago in New York City when bed bugs bit people at night, and infested many city hotels.
The tiny insects, about a quarter inch long, have spread throughout the state, including to Orleans County. A County Health Department official has told village trustee Eileen Banker there is a “huge problem” with bed bugs in the county, Banker said at tonight’s Village Board meeting.
The Health Department has offered to meet with village officials to discuss strategies for combating the pest. The bed bugs are active at night, biting people to feed on their blood.
Village officials and local landlords have been meeting with the Health Department for more than a year, advising tenants and residents on precautions to reduce their risk.
Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said he currently has 15 reported cases of bed bugs in the village. If an rental is infested and it’s vacant, landlords are responsible for treating the problem, Vendetti said.
He cautioned against putting the blame on landlords. Many of tenants and home owners bring bed bugs into their residences, Vendetti said. Children can bring them home from school or from a friend’s house. Adults can unknowingly bring them in after they return home.
Vendetti suspects some people introduce bed bugs to their homes when they pick up discarded furniture from along the road.
“It’s definitely an issue but it’s not something you want to start knee-jerking and passing things,” Vendetti told the Village Board.
Mayor Dean Theodorakos said he would invite a public health official to a village board meeting. Vendetti said he welcomes a partnership with the public health department on the problem, but he said it can’t be a village code enforcement issue primarily.
“I want to help, but I don’t want the whole ball of wax,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Karen Watt, co-owner of Watt Farms Country Market, addresses the crowd this morning before the start of the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at the farm on Route 98 in Albion.
Larry Montello, front center, waves while he joins other walkers at the start of the walk at Watt Farms. Montello was part of a team from Community Action that walked in memory of Kathy LaLonde.
ALBION – Karen Watt took a walk through the orchards of Watt Farms today, carrying her 1-year-old grandson Evan on her back.
Watt is thankful for the chance to be a part of his life. About a decade ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She credits breakthroughs in research for improved treatment. Otherwise, the cancer might have killed her long before Evan was born.
“It’s precious the time I have with him as a grandmother,” Watt told a big crowd of several hundred people at today’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Watt Farms. “I wouldn’t have it without those who went before me.”
Watt and her husband Chris have hosted the Making Strides walk for nine years now. It has become a mega-event, drawing about 800 people who raise about $50,000 for the American Cancer Society in Western New York.
Jeanne Wormuth, a breast cancer survivor from Elba, is pictured with her husband A.J.
Some of that money supports research, and some goes to patients and their families battling the disease. Watt lamented the loss of “two pillars of the community,” who recently died from cancer. Kathy LaLonde of Albion was an active community volunteer. She was 54 when she died on Oct. 6.
Judy Christopher, another Albion community volunteer and business owner, was 70 when she died on Aug. 3.
Friends and family of LaLonde and Christopher both formed groups to walk the orchard today and raise memory of the two women. LaLonde was a grant writer at Community Action before taking a job at Brockport State College.
Annette Finch, a former co-worker of Kathy LaLonde at Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, wore a shirt in memory of LaLonde during today’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Watt Farms Country Market in Albion. LaLonde died from cancer on Oct. 6.
Although she stopped working at Community Action about a decade ago, many of her former co-workers showed up in force today, wearing T-shirts in her honor.
“She was an integral part of Community Action,” said Annette Finch, director of community services for the agency. “We just loved her to no end.”
LaLonde was instrumental in starting the Angels in Action program, which has built a big network of volunteers and supporters for the agency and its clients.
The Community Action staff walked in memory of Kathy LaLonde.
Christopher lived in Albion and Carlton. “The Ladies of the Lake,” a group of about 35 of her friends and neighbors, all walked the orchard in Christopher’s memory this morning. Many wore a sticker with her saying to “Keep Moving.”
Karen Blank, owner of the Whole Approach in Holley, worked for Christopher when she owned Phoenix Fitness, a health club in Albion. Blank formed a team from her Holley gym in honor of Christopher.
“We’re here because of the loss of our beautiful friend Judy Christopher,” Blank said. “This is a cause that is near and dear to most women’s hearts.”
Jeanne Wormuth of Elba attended the walk a year ago when she was in the throes of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She returned today as a cancer survivor. She wants to help raise money for research.
“I benefitted from the past people and the advances in treatment,” she said.
Kathy Williams, a breast cancer survivor for 13 years now, urges a crowd of several hundred people to keep advocating for cancer research through private donations and government funding.
The walk today included teams from CRFS in Albion and Medina, the Holley Fire Department, and Albion, Kendall, Byron-Bergen and Elba central schools, as well as numerous other groups.
Elba and Byron-Bergen have a combined football team. The 38 players and their coaches joined for the walk today. One player had a father die from cancer and other players have parents fighting the disease.
Coach Mike Cintorino said the group raised more than $1,500 for the Cancer Society.
Members of the Elba Lancers were part of today’s breast cancer walk at Watt Farms.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Residents with unwanted or expired medications are urged to drop them off at sites in Holley, Albion and Medina on Oct. 26 as part of a nationwide prescription drug take-back initiative.
The following are collection points between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.:
Orleans County Public Safety Building, 13925 State Route 31, Albion
Holley Fire Department, 7 Thomas St., Holley
Medina Fire Department, 600 Main St., Medina
This is a collaborative effort with the U.S. Department of Justice – Drug Enforcement Administration, the Orleans County Health Department, and the Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess said the prescription drug take-back events have reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse, and increased awareness of “this critical public health issue.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Big crowd for Knights-Kaderli won’t be stopped by rain
Photos by Tom Rivers
Robert Patterson of Akron pulls Colten Cleveland, 7, in a wagon up Barber Road in today’s walk/run to benefit the Knights-Kaderli Fund.
EAST SHELBY – A big crowd gathered today at the East Shelby Fire Hall, undeterred by damp weather, and then proceeded to walk and run with purpose on a 3.5-mile loop. This group is walking up Barber Road before making a turn on Townline Road.
The 25th annual Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run drew 250 participants. The event raises money for Orleans County residents battling cancer. The Knights-Kaderli Fund distributes about $50,000 a year to residents fighting cancer who need help with their bills. Rhonda Kaderli Sloper and her brother John Kaderli are among the volunteers who help organize events and manage the fund. Their mother Sue Scharping Kaderli died from cancer in 1989. The family of Richard Knights, who died from cancer in 1984, also are active organizers for the fund.
Sarah Flower of Medina walks with her dog Lilah during today’s Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run in East Shelby.
Nicole Goyette of Medina pushes her 2-year-old son Bradley on the 3.5 mile course. They are joined by Mia Hobbs, 8, at right and Evie Schultz, 10, both of Medina. They are pictured on Townline Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Fund provides about $50K annually to families fighting cancer
Provided photo – Walkers and runners join in last year’s Knights-Kaderli walk and run. About 500 people are expected for the 25th anniversary event on Saturday, beginning at the East Shelby Fire Hall at 11 a.m. Registration starts at 9:30.
MEDINA – Two families that lost loved ones to cancer have been working together for 25 years, raising money for Orleans County residents and their families fighting the disease.
The Knights and Kaderli families on Saturday will have their 25th anniversary run/walk, beginning at the East Shelby Fire Hall. The course covers about 3.5 miles. Organizers say 500 could be attend the event, which would be a record.
“It’s turned into a huge party, said Melissa Knights Bertrand.
Her father, Richard Knights, died from cancer in 1984. Five years later Sue Scharping Kaderli died from the disease.
The walk-run has raised about $200,000 since 1994, with the annual walk/run raising more money as participation has grown. It netted about $20,000 last year. A golf tournament in memory of David Millis of Albion also nets about $15,000, while a wine-tasting organized by the Zinkievich family in November raises $10,000. Other fund-raisers, including a Pink Crystal Ball, help push the fund to about $50,000 total a year.
That money helps about 50 families a year pay for out-of-pocket expenses, co-pays, transportation and other bills. Bertrand and Mary Kaderli Zelazny take requests for aid. A recipient must be undergoing a cancer treatment and must be an Orleans County resident.
“We’re a very unique fund,” Bertrand said. “You can have a check within a couple of weeks. We work really hard to get money to people because we know they are in a desperate need.”
The Knights and Kaderli families share the workload in planning events and managing the fund. Both families are well-known in the Medina area. They have worked to be inclusive, welcoming others in the community to help raise funding for families suffering a physical, emotional and financial toll from cancer.
“We’re there at a difficult time in people’s lives,” Bertrand said. “They let us in and we keep it all confidential. We give to the patients as a gift, expecting nothing in return.”
The Knights and Kaderli families expect to be committed to the fund for many years to come. The grandchildren of Richard Knights and Sue Scharping Kaderli have joined the effort.
For more information’s about the fund or Saturday’s walk/run, check the organization’s web site by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Care Net Center of Greater Orleans provides free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and other resources to families in crisis. The organization, which is based in the former Lipton’s office building across from McDonalds in Albion, has a new director, Gloria Lear. The staff includes, from left: Tiffani Ford, client services manager; Jocelyn Wilson, office manager; Lear; and Mary Jane Jimenez, nurse.
ALBION – An organization, which has been serving women and families in crisis pregnancies since 1989, has a new leader.
Gloria Lear, a former director of volunteer services and physician liaison for Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport, is now director of the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans. The organization is nearing its 25th anniversary in Orleans County.
Care Net is based out of the former Lipton’s office building on Route 31 in Albion, across from McDonalds. Care Net provides free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, tests for sexually transmitted infections, and other resources for families, including peer support and material aid.
“We want to help people make healthier choices, and not judge them for any of their decisions,” Lear said at the center, 111 West Ave.
Care Net is solely funded by donations, and many churches support the group’s mission. Lear wants to expand Care Net’s support throughout the community.
“We want to expand out outreach beyond the churches,” she said. “My main goal is to make a difference in the community.”
Lear has a degree in business and is working on a bachelor’s degree in public health. The Albion residents has three children, ages 13, 17 and 20. She has been a volunteer dance instructor the past eight years for Gotta Dance by Miss Amy.
Lear is part of a Care Net team that includes four part-time staff, including a nurse, client services manager and office manager.
Care Net is planning its annual “Walk for Life” at 9 a.m. on Nov. 2 at Mount Albion Cemetery. Participants can secure sponsors for the walk. For more information, contact Care Net at 589-7505.
