Health Care

A coalition says it has gathered a wealth of helpful information about Washington County health-care needs. The Health Improvement Coalition's work hopefully will lead to positive changes, said co-chair Allen Twigg, the director of behavioral sciences for Meritus Health. The group capped a yearlong period of research by releasing a report on its findings on Thursday at Robinwood Professional Center. In January, the coalition - which includes representatives from several local health and social-service organizations - held a community health summit.

Walnut Street Community Health Center Rhonda G. McMillian and Anthony D. Dicello recently were hired by the Walnut Street Community Health Center. McMillian is serving as a  psychiatrist in the integrated mental health program. Her expertise covers a broad range of disorders, including bipolar disorder, major depression, panic disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity, post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder and women's health, including premenstrual syndrome.

“My choice in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.” Those words were spoken by Harry S Truman back in his day. Maybe he was on to something. Our election is coming down to the wire, and your vote is important. Our future awaits us at the fork in the road. Yogi Berra's advice: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Even if you believe that the election will be determined by the states of Ohio, Virginia and Florida; even if you believe your vote doesn't mean anything; and even if you agree with President Truman's analogy, you still need to cast your vote.

“I'm calling about the comment in Tuesday's Mail Call about the property on Fairview Mountain in Clear Spring. I think the landlord is just mad because they had to do something on the property. Too bad. If you want to be a landlord or homeowner, you need to be more responsible, and not so lazy or cheap to spend your money. I think Clear Spring should be on these landlords. It makes more people just mad, and gives Clear Spring a bad reputation. Come on.” - Clear Spring “Know what the difference is between a recession, a depression, and a recovery?

The best person for the United States is Mitt Romney To the editor: Mitt Romney has the right ideas about how to run our country. While both the incumbent and the Republican nominee want to help their country, it is my opinion that Romney has the best way to accomplish that. Our current President, Barack Obama, believes that the federal government is important to the welfare of the people, and in a way, he is correct. However, the government is too involved in the affairs of small business owners, the unemployed, and the economy.

Joe Manchin had help rebuffing repeated assertions Tuesday night by Republican John Raese that West Virginia's junior Democratic senator was on the wrong political team in Washington. Mountain Party candidate Bob Henry Baber said Raese's linking of Manchin to President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's positions on the regulation of the state's coal industry amounted to a “bald faced lie,” saying Manchin was “too close to coal.” In closing remarks, Baber said he sometimes felt as if he was the only Democrat on stage at Shepherd University's Reynolds Hall for the debate, which lasted about 75 minutes.

War Memorial Hospital will offer the American Heart Association's CPR for Health Care Providers Course noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, and again on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Education Room B at the hospital located at 1 Healthy Way (off of Fairview Drive) in Berkeley Springs. This course is designed for licensed health care providers who need to obtain or renew their CPR certification.  A $50 fee is charged for the course. Class size is limited so advance registration is required.  For more information or to register, call Deb Unger at 304-258-6525 or Paul Cooper at 304-258-6577.

Friday was a big day for private-sector health care specialty services in Hagerstown and Washington County. Dozens of people, including employees, doctors, guests and elected officials, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Parkway Professional Center at 13-17 Western Maryland Parkway. “We have been overwhelmingly welcomed by the community, and this is just one of the most impressive days that I've seen in Washington County with regards to health care,” said Kara Vittetoe, chief operating officer of Parkway Neuroscience and Spine Institute, which has operated in the community for more than 16 years, about six at its current location.