Swamped by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and rocked this year by earthquakes in January (7.6 on the Richter scale) and February (6.5), El Salvador is receiving much needed assistance from individuals and organizations.
Included among the hundreds of thousands helping the Central American country is Raul Arguello, MD, clinical director of the Department of Pediatrics at South Nassau Communities Hospital and an El Salvadoran native.
Dr. Arguello has initiated a health care relief project that could transform health care in two of El Salvador's poorest communities from outdated to modern-day. The project includes developing and implementing continuing education and training programs and services for physicians and caregivers, and teleconferences with American doctors to develop more effective treatment plans. The project also sets up a network of American physicians to provide specialized pediatric surgical procedures.
Annual crafts fair
Mercy Medical Center's Council of Leagues will hold its annual crafts fair on Sun., Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the hospital front parking lot #3, and will include a variety of handcraft and woodcraft items, as well as clothing and jewelry. For further information, contact Jeannie Jaeger at 705-2589.
Coping and caring
Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation's Suffolk "Coping and Caring" Conference is on Sat., Sept. 22, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel, 1717 Vanderbilt Parkway, Hauppauge. Keynote speaker: Dr. Peter V. Rabins, author of "The 36 Hour Day." Admission is $30 in advance, $35 at the door. For more information, call 866-789-LIAF.
New gynecology oncology office
Winthrop-University Hospital announced that Long Island Gynecological Oncologists, PC, experts in providing subspecialty gynecological oncology services to women with diagnosed or suspected gynecologic cancer, recently opened a Mineola office.
The physicians perform all surgical procedures necessary to treat cancer and its complications, administer chemotherapy and develop treatment plans with radiation oncologists. They also conduct clinical and basic science research in gynecologic cancer, and are principal investigators for the Gynecologic Oncology Group, a national research organization. Their office is located at 200 Old Country Road, Suite 137. For further information, call (516) 294-5440 or visit their Website at www.ligynonc.com. For general women's health information, call Winthrop's Women's Health Services at 1-888-53-WOMEN.
Power wheelchairs available
The Senior Wheels USA Program makes available power wheelchairs to senior citizens (65 yrs. old and up) and the permanently disabled at no cost to the recipient, if they qualify.
The electric-powered wheelchairs are provided to those who cannot walk and cannot self-propel a manual wheelchair, and who meet the additional guidelines of the program. No deposit is required. If the patient's need is for use in the home, call for more information to see if they qualify. Call toll free at 1-800-246-6010.
Other activities and meetings
The Alzheimer's Association, Long Island Chapter, will hold its Annual Memory Walk on Sat., Oct. 6, 10 a.m. at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow at Parking Field 6A. Call the Chapter at (631) 580-5100 for information about how to become a corporate sponsor, team captain or individual walker...The Auxiliary of Franklin Hospital Medical Center will sponsor a flea market with a wide variety of quality vendors on Sun., Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the hospital's main parking area at 900 Franklin Avenue in Valley Stream. The event will benefit patient care services at the 425-bed medical complex. For information, call 256-6360..."One Healthy Way," a half-hour talk show program sponsored by South Nassau Communities Hospital is on every Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. Tune in to 1100 AM on your radio. On Aug. 26, the topic will be "Treating headaches and migraines," featuring Samuel Sandowski, MD...The American Heart Association is encouraging all Long Island residents, companies, sports teams, clubs and schools to come out on Sun., Oct. 21 to "Step Out, Save Lives! - Strengthen the Chain of Survival," a Long Island heart walk. For more information or to register your team, call your local American Heart Association office at 777-8447.
