National statistics show coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the single leading cause of death for American women.

As part of Munson Medical Center’s ongoing Women’s Heart Health efforts, area women will again have the opportunity for a one-on-one heart disease screening the week of Sept. 27 at Munson Community Health Center in Traverse City.

Screenings and tests will include blood pressure, body mass index, stress and depression levels, nutrition review, smoking and alcohol assessments, family medical history review, and a blood test for glucose, lipid profile, and cholesterol. Participants will leave with a personalized action plan, including an educational DVD, risk factor reduction material for improving health, and referrals for further cardiac care as needed.

Cost for the program is $45, and grants are available. To schedule an appointment, call (231) 935-8561.

Those who complete the comprehensive screening are eligible for a six-week women’s exercise class starting in October. Cost for the class is $90, and grants are available in October.

Munson Community Health Center is located at 550 Munson Ave. in Traverse City.

Residents at the Goodwill Inn in Traverse City now have a weekly opportunity onsite that allows a nurse to review their medications and general health status.

Members from Munson Home Health, the Traverse Health Clinic, and Goodwill Inn have established time on Thursdays for clients to have their medications reviewed, a basic health screening, and education to help guests care for any chronic health conditions.

“This is a really great program for us. We have people who come here without adequate health care, inadequate medications, or the wrong medications,” said Elizabeth Post, manager of the Goodwill Inn. “This is a great program for them to start back on their health care. We also wanted to reduce reliance on Munson’s emergency room. We can triage their medical concerns and make more appropriate medical referrals.”

The nursing triage time began in June after a series of conversations between the hospital, the Traverse Health Clinic, and the homeless shelter, Post said. Guests at the shelter are living in poverty and often arrive with chronic health conditions that require appropriate care.

Munson Home Health nurse Kristin Harrison, R.N., has written some protocols for staff to follow when shelter guests have health needs. She said the triage provides a time for education as well as addressing basic needs.

“It’s a time the new residents can come in and we can go over their medications,” she said. “We also look at their health history to see if there are any recommendations we can make to the Goodwill Inn and to the Traverse Health Clinic.”

Harrison said the joint effort between volunteer nurses from the community and the Traverse Health Clinic currently offers eight guests a two-hour time block on Thursdays for health reviews. The time could expand based on need, she said.

Traverse Health Clinic staff nurse Karen Comella, R.N., said the triage will allow the clinic to connect with Inn residents who are new to the area. It also benefits the overall health system.

“We want to try and catch those people who have not been established with the Traverse Health Clinic,” she said. “I consider it a consultation time that offers pointers on what they can do with their health regime. It also is a chance to do some very basic follow-up if they are coming to the Traverse Health Clinic.”

Post said Goodwill Inn staff also has an after-hours phone number to contact a nurse about health concerns prior to seeking a physician’s care. Guests at the Inn also appreciate the nurses’ time.

“We’ve had great feedback from the guests who have received services,” Post said. “We are grateful to the nurses for all of their time and efforts.”

The Goodwill Inn averages 84 people a night and had more than 700 people use the shelter during the 2010 fiscal year, Post said.

Nurses interested in volunteering for the program may contact Harrison at (231) 935-9126.

The Traverse City Light & Power (L&P) Board will now enable L&P ratepayers to produce local renewable energy that may partially or fully offset their energy requirements. At its July 27, 2010 meeting, the board approved a Net Metering Policy which expands L&P’s Net Metering Program and gives individual ratepayers this new incentive for individual power generation. L&P’s first Net Metering Project was in 2006, when it partnered with Northwestern Michigan College to install a solar photovoltaic array which, at the time, was the largest solar array in Northern Michigan.

“There have been many community discussions regarding local renewable generation and in response to that, L&P staff developed the Net Metering Policy,” said Ed Rice, L&P Executive Director. “The Policy will allow those ratepayers who qualify and are interested in installing a wind or solar generator on their house or business, the ability to do so.”

The Net Metering Policy allows for the installation of wind and solar projects on property owned by the ratepayer. Interested ratepayers will need to submit an application to L&P to participate in the program. Once the application is received, an engineering analysis will be performed by L&P staff to determine if all proper utility standards are met. Ratepayers will then be contacted by L&P with information on how to proceed.

All projects undertaken will ensure the general safety of L&P employees and the public, while maintaining the integrity of the L&P distribution system.

For more information on the Net Metering Program and how to submit an application, please contact the L&P Engineering Department at 231-932-4564.  Net Metering documents will be available on the L&P website (www.tclp.org) at the beginning of October, 2010.

More northern Michigan manufacturers will receive training and support through NMC’s Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center’s (MMTC) expansion into eleven additional counties of the northern lower peninsula.

Northwestern Michigan College hosts the regional office of the MMTC. The center is part of the nationwide Manufacturing Extension Partnership program under the National Institute for Science and Technology.

The expansion – taking MMTC’s service area from 10 counties to 21 counties – is part of a statewide redistricting. It also aligns with NMC’s strategic agenda calling for the college to increase its role in support of economic development, workforce development and community growth.

“For the Northern Michigan region to grow and prosper, the manufactures here must employ highly-skilled and educated people, use world-class quality processes and apply advanced manufacturing technology in order to continually improve their global competitiveness,” said Richard Wolin, Director of the regional office. “Workforce education is increasingly a key component of business retention, growth and attraction efforts of economic developers.”

The MMTC is required to achieve performance metrics regarding the number of clients served as well as client-reported impacts to ensure the effective use of state and federal tax funds for support of business and job growth. Through the regional MMTC office assessment services and basic improvement advice are offered at no cost along with a number of low cost introductory training topics. The office is required to maintain an average of 15 to 1 return on investment as reported by clients using the services. Client organizations are surveyed by a national, third-party firm between six and 12 months after project completion to assess project impacts.

“We will provide the training services necessary to enhance the global competitiveness of Northern Michigan’s small to mid-sized manufacturers,” Wolin said. “We will work with each client to assess needs and design solutions aligned with organizational strategies. We can provide access to state and national resources through our partnership with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center.”

Learn more about NMC’s manufacturing training at www.nmc.edu/mmtc

Munson Hospice and Palliative Care, an component of health care for the past 30 years in northern Michigan, is accepting applications for its fall training class for volunteers.

Volunteers are needed for friendly visits or respite care in the patient’s home, extended care facility, or adult foster care residence in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Osceola, Otsego, and Wexford counties. These include the cities of Buckley, Cadillac, Gaylord, Manton, Mesick and Reed City.

Volunteers also may choose to offer their services at Munson Hospice House in Traverse City for a four- or eight-hour shift between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Help is especially needed on weekends and evenings. Couples are encouraged to consider this volunteer opportunity. Volunteers may choose their level of involvement at Hospice House and are trained accordingly.

Munson Hospice House is an eight-bed residence and provides a home-like setting for hospice patients who may be unable to stay in their own home, or may not have a caregiver or family to assist them near the end of their life in their place of residence.

All volunteers are trained through an independent self-study course in addition to a training class with other new volunteers in Traverse City, Cadillac, Gaylord, Manistee, or Reed City.

Volunteer applicants must be at least 18 years old, available for an interview prior to training, and willing to make a time commitment of a minimum of eight hours per month on a regular basis to Hospice House or four hours per week in a patient’s home. Volunteer beauticians and massage therapists also are needed.

Those who have experienced a significant loss in the past year and wish to volunteer for direct patient care are encouraged to wait at least one year before completing the application process.

For more information, please contact Judy Goodrich, Munson Hospice and Palliative Care volunteer supervisor, at (231) 935-8485 or 1-800-252-2065 ext. 5-8485 or jgoodrich@mhc.net

The YMCA is creating its first cookbook, the Y Family Cookbook. They are looking for your recipes.

They would like you to share your favorite family recipes with others.

They are looking for a variety of healthy meals and snacks. Members can submit up to 5 recipes each. Choose your favorites and bring them in.

To submit your recipe please click here, print & fill out the recipe form and turn it in to the YMCA Welcome Center. Recipe forms are also available at the YMCA Welcome Center.