Research geared toward improving treatments for teenage smokers will be a feature at HEALTHfest, which will be held at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A mobile research laboratory from the Center for Biobehavioral Health in the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital will be present at HEALTHfest.

In an effort to raise awareness of breast and cervical cancer, the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-COM) is providing free and reduced-cost screenings throughout southeast Ohio in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This effort is part of an ongoing series of screenings provided by the OU-COM Community Health Programs and the Area Health Education Center.

In recent change, birth-control pills now covered

The first H1N1 diagnosis at Ohio University was officially announced Thursday, and as anxieties about the flu spread across campus this week, many students are unclear about what is even covered on their student health insurance plan.

About 3,600 students were covered by the OU student health insurance plan in the 2008-2009 school year, said Jacqueline Legg, interim director of the Student Health and Counseling Services at OU. At $367 per quarter for yearlong insurance coverage, Legg said that OU student insurance costs an average of $90 per month.

Many college students spent their summers working or taking classes to get ahead in their academic careers. These busy schedules lead to less free time for lying by the pool and hanging out with friends. However, some students spent their extra time giving back to the Athens community.

Four Ohio University College of Communication students — Kaleigh Harger, Devin Hughes, Kelly Masterson and Carolyn Miller — one Honors Tutorial College student — Mary Dolan — and one dietitian student from the University of Pittsburgh — Tracie Rohal — donated their free time this summer as volunteers in the community-relations department at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital.

Student hopes to continue research in nanotechnology after graduation

When he's not riding his Harley, climbing mountains or riding bicycles with his mentor, Ohio University graduate student Adam Jacoby is working toward a lifetime goal of curing neurodegenerative diseases.

A mobile Computed Tomography (CT) scanner that was docked at the rear entrance of O’Bleness Memorial Hospital’s radiology department is now gone and the latest addition to the hospital’s digital diagnostic imaging capabilities – a 64-slice CT scanner – is up and running.

The temporary mobile unit was used this summer while the hospital’s previous CT scanner was removed and the new 64-slice CT scanner installed, according to a news release.

Daughter's blog charts dad's fight against ALS

Intro by Jaine Schmidt  Wyatt with special thanks to Kristin Miller

September is ALS Awareness Month. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. These nerve cells control muscles throughout the body, and as they degenerate, patients progressively lose voluntary control of their muscles until they can no longer speak, swallow or breath on their own.

The Southern Ohio Health Care Network (SOHCN) recently announced the award of an $18 million FCC-funded contract to Horizon Telcom for construction of a state-of-the-art fiber optic network across 13 counties in southern Ohio. 

The project will connect 120-plus health-care facilities, large and small, to a robust fiber-optic network, according to a news release. The connectivity will allow area providers to participate in telemedicine initiatives, progressive community health record projects and the regional health information organization. Likewise, use of the network will enhance sustainability of rural medical practices, develop deeper collaboration among health-care providers and enhance emergency communications, the release said.