Salem Observer : Health & Fitness

Salem toddler beats cancer, now parents want to help

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:41:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

When John Rufo learned his baby daughter had a cancerous tumor on her kidney, he stepped out of the hospital emergency room and vomited in the parking lot.

“How can anything go wrong with a 10-month-old baby, especially my child? It’s such a young age. It’s something that is just unfathomable,” he said. “Children are supposed to be untouchable. You let them grow and experience and become adults. You expect that to happen to older people, not to children.”

Diane Rufo, an occupational therapist, felt the hard lump of a Wilms’ tumor on Milana’s side a year ago and knew instantly something was very wrong with her bubbly, wide-eyed daughter. There was no time to stop and think or let the bad news sink in, she said.

“You put your head down and you plow right through,” Diane said.

On the advice of pediatrician Susan Brown, the Rufos drove straight to Children’s Hospital in Boston. Milana spent two weeks there, undergoing surgery to have her right kidney removed on Halloween last year.

From there it was a whirlwind of daily doctors appointments, chemotherapy and radiation, Diane said. Throughout, the couple dealt with their worries as Milana’s weight dropped and hair fell out as she underwent treatment. There were no more trips to the park or play dates. Relatives were asked not to drop by for fear Milana might catch a cold. One trip to the isolation chamber for a mild case of the flu was enough, Diane said.

But now Milana is on the mend – her last round of chemotherapy ended in June – and pent-up emotions have poured out.

“You’re so busy, you don’t really have time to get depressed,” Diane said. “After everything was done we both fell apart.”

John still feels the anxiety of the past year. He calls his wife daily to check on Milana.

“She’s out of the woods and you sit back and look at her and she’s running and playing and laughing and then it hits home, more or less like a wake-up call: this terrible thing had taken our daughter,” John said. “Everything comes kind of like a freight train in a way. You step back and sometimes I cry for no reason, just looking at her.”

Out of the three of them, Milana may have taken it the best. She’s quick to smile and eager to share her toys – though not for too long – despite her ordeal. She was a “trooper,” Diane said, Milana kissing her nurses’ hands even during injections or when they’d draw blood.

But if Milana walks away with no more than a few surgical scars, Diane and John will live with what they saw during daily trips to the hospital: dozens of children as sick or more so than their daughter.

To help, the couple has partnered with friends they made since last Halloween to coordinate local blood drives for cancer patients.

It’s the least they can do, John and Diane said. They received a lot over support over the past year and want to pay it forward. Treating Milana cost $300,000, which the family was able to offset through fundraising, social services, insurance and help from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Jimmy Fund. They also received a lot of emotional support from friends, co-workers and doctors, the couple said.

“As they say, every pint helps four kids,” John said. “The more blood that they’re going to get ... the more that get better.”

Region readies for H1N1 virus

Salem Editor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:13:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Local officials are gearing up preparations to take on the potential outbreak and spread of the H1N1 virus as flu season approaches.

“We’re hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst,” said Brian Lockard, the town’s health officer. “We try to recommend recognizing the illness, covering coughs, washing hands and those kinds of things. Social distancing as well – keeping your distance from people – especially if they might be ill so you don’t come in contact the virus.”

That means implementing a public education policy at town hall and other popular locations around town, like the public library, according to Lockard. Fliers with tips on how to avoid getting sick or spreading an illness have been posted, and Lockard said he is coordinating his plans with school administrators and emergency and health officials from across the region.

Superintendent Michael Delahanty said the district has had to take a reactionary position for the time being, emphasizing preventive measures and monitoring for any signs of the virus. According to Delahanty, the district will likely draft a plan to provide continued academic support for students were a significant amount of the school staff to fall ill.

“I’m hopeful we’re not going to reach the point where we’re going to close the schools,” he said. “Right now we’re just kind of in a waitand- see mode and, again, providing as many precautions as we can and taking all the prevention measures we can.”

According to Delahanty, there are no plans in place to require either students or employees to receive vaccinations for the swine flu once they become available from the state, but the district will be holding a flu clinic for school staff and retirees.

Delahanty has also been discussing the possibility of using the schools as distribution points for mass public vaccinations with Lockard, Fire Chief Kevin Breen and regional officials.

“If they decided or state officials decided there is a need for wide-spread vaccinations and they want schools to be points of dispersion then we will coordinate with them on how to do that,” he said.

Planning for the possibility of mass vaccinations is part of Garrett Simonsen’s job as Public Health Network coordinator, based in Derry and encompassing 10 communities in the area, including Salem. Simonsen said health and emergency officials from across the greater Derry area have been meeting monthly to coordinate training, resources and preparations for a potential public health emergency.

With the emergence of the H1N1 virus this past spring, Simonsen said he has also spoken to school district officials to reinforce preventive measures to slow the possible spread of the illness. A Point of Dispensing (POD) site drill – essentially a public clinic where residents can receive medication or vaccinations in response to a public health event – scheduled around that time was pushed back to mid- October to give health officials a test run on coordinating public flu vaccinations, according to Simonsen.

“Regionally, we would be looking to continue to coordinate information across the communities about key prevention methods and that way we can control or slow the spread through the community,” he said. “Vaccination is one of the key prevention strategies that we have. Once the vaccine becomes available we will be coordinating information about who should be receiving vaccine, how they can access services and as the situation evolves as more vaccine becomes available you may see vaccine move outside of the health care sector and into public sector.”

For the moment, Simonsen said the emphasis remained on reinforcing preventive measures, like hand-washing, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home from work or school if suffering from flulike symptoms and getting a seasonal flu shot, now available from health-care providers.

Salem teen in D.C. to lobby for food allergy act

Salem Editor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:08:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

When 80 kids converge on Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to pass a bill calling for voluntary food allergy guidelines in schools, Chris Giuliano of Salem will be among them.

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, an organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, is working to pass the federal bill.

The organization’s Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill program will put Chris, 13, and other young people who have food allergies into the role of junior ambassadors for two days.

They will urge lawmakers to pass the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act, which calls for voluntary national guidelines to help schools manage students affected by food allergy and anaphylaxis, a severe lifethreatening allergic reaction.

The experience will give Chris and the other kids the chance to provide members of Congress with a firsthand account of what it’s like to live with food allergies.

“We know what it’s like dealing with them,” said Chris, an eighth-grader at Hampstead Academy. “We can share all our experiences and how we deal with it. Someone who doesn’t have food allergies can’t do the same.”

Chris applied and was accepted into the program after his mother, Karen, read about it in an FAAN newsletter.

Junior ambassadors, who range in age from 6 to 18 and come from all over the United States, will be in the nation’s capital on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. They will meet with lawmakers, tell their stories, and advocate for the bill and food allergy research.

“These children impressed us with their commitment to spreading awareness and educating others about food allergies,” said FAAN CEO Julia Bradsher in a press release.

“It is so heartening to see that even at such a young age, they are effective ambassadors. We are so pleased to give them this opportunity to come to Washington, and we appreciate their efforts to help pass food allergy legislation for schools.”

According to the organization, approximately 3 million children in the United States live with the potentially life-threatening condition.

Chris is allergic to many foods, including peanuts, tree nuts, peas, fish, shellfish, legumes and sesame seeds.

He was diagnosed with food allergies when he was 16 months old. He had broken out in hives when he ate a peanut butter cracker in preschool.

Chris and his family must constantly be careful about his contact with foods. Often, he can’t eat cake at birthday parties. In school, he has to be careful who he sits near in the lunchroom. In the past he’s used nut-free chocolate. And he carries with him an Epinephrine auto-injector to treat allergic reactions. At least twice, he’s injected himself with it.

“When we go out to eat, Chris is certainly good about asking how things will be prepared,” said Karen. “It’s not unusual for (chefs) to come out and talk to us and tell us how they prepare (the meal), even bring us a package so we can read it. We want to eat foods that are available as much as possible without, obviously, putting Chris at risk, so it’s a balancing act.”

FAAN was founded in 1991 and is based in Fairfax, Va. The nonprofit organization is a world leader in information about food allergy, which afflicts approximately 12 million Americans. It has 30,000 members in the U.S. and 59 other countries.

This is the organization’s third annual Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill. While in Washington, Chris hopes to meet with U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes and U.S. senators Judd Gregg and Jeanne Shaheen.

Karen likes that her son is participating in government. He’s taking on an issue that personally affects him, and he’ll learn from the experience.

“I like for him to have the appreciation for what it’s like to live in a democracy where you really are free to say what you want,” said Karen.

Chris is excited, too, and is very eager to make the trip. He’s ready to tell Congress why the legislation is important.

“I just think, what a great government we have when (we) at least have the right to try to make an impact,” he said. “Whether we do or not, it’s saying something that we can actually try.”

EEE watch - Disease not found in Salem, but officials urge caution

Salem Editor — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:09:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

As more communities have been placed under a state public health threat for Eastern equine encephalitis in recent days, local health officials are trying to keep the public aware of the dangers of the insect-borne disease.

According to Brian Lockard, Salem’s health officer, the town has been under a public health threat for EEE at one point or another through each of the last few summers. While the Department of Health and Human Service’s declaration for Salem late last month allows the town to seek up to 25 percent reimbursement for the costs associated with mosquito control, it more importantly alerts the community to the health risk, Lockard said.

“What it tries to do is make people more aware that this is the season where we see EEE,” Lockard said. “It’s a designation that you want to use to make people aware, but not to panic. We haven’t found it in Salem, but everyone should take precautions.”

The town’s mosquito control program – handled by Dragon Mosquito Control, a private company based in North Hampton – begins in April and continues on into October. While the town had the high school and middle school athletic fields sprayed for mosquitoes earlier this year, Lockard said officials would wait to see if any mosquitoes captured in the community tested positive for EEE before considering emergency spraying before the first frost.

“This was a wet summer and the concern was we would have a lot of mosquitoes breeding. (EEE) appears to be in the towns that seem to find it every year and southern Rockingham County seems to be the area where EEE presents itself. We will continue to monitor it and continue to take necessary action,” Lockard said. “Our program is ongoing. We’ll continue to treat wet areas and do surveillance and trap mosquitoes.”

In neighboring Windham, health officer David Poulson said the community was trying to take a proactive approach to the public health threat declaration.

According to Poulson, the town’s mosquito control agent, SWAMP Inc. out of Kittery, Maine, began spraying for mosquitoes around the community – mostly recreational and school athletic fields – on Sept. 9.

“We’re taking precautionary measures right now. We’re trying to be proactive. We can only do what we can do,” Poulson said. “I don’t think we’re at any greater risk.”

According to Beth Daly, an epidemiologist with DHHS, 29 mosquito pools have tested positive for EEE across the state so far this year. While the public health threat that has been declared for all of Rockingham County and some communities outside the county is the first this year, Daly said the state declares a health threat every year as EEE activity is spotted.

DHHS recommends that people take precautions for EEE by wearing mosquito repellants, avoid going out at dusk or dawn and try to eliminate mosquito breeding sites on their property, according to Daly.

In Salem, Lockard said the emphasis was on increasing awareness of EEE and getting the information out to the local residents.

“We try to put information out there. We have it on our Web site and on the cable station. We try to get the information out. It needs to be reinforced. The weather gets a little cooler and people may think about less about protecting themselves, but the mosquitoes are still active,” Lockard said. “People still need to take that precaution. Use repellant. It’s cooler at night, so wear long sleeves and if there is no need to be out at dusk or when it gets dark, go inside.”

20-month-old Salem girl is ‘hero’ of Jimmy Fund Walk

Salem Editor — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:30:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

Brian Godfrey has never met Milana Rufo. But the 20- month-old Salem girl, who was treated for a kidney tumor at the Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston, will inspire Godfrey as he walks to raise money for cancer care and treatment.

Godfrey, a Salem resident, is a member of Team Textron Defense Systems of Wilmington, Mass., 18 people who will participate in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk in Massachusetts on Sunday, Sept. 13.

“It’s really an incredible day,” said Godfrey, whose team has raised more than $300,000 over the last 15 years. “At this event, everyone who’s there wants to be there. They’re all collecting money for the same cause.”

It’s a cause that’s very important to him. Godfrey’s father succumbed to cancer in 1997 at the age of 64. His father had prostate cancer, and when it was discovered, the cancer had already spread to his bones. It later traveled to his brain.

This year’s walk is expected to draw more than 8,000 participants. Routes of various lengths are available, and some participants will walk up to 26.2 miles along the historic route of the Boston Marathon.

Since the first walk was held 20 years ago, more than $60 million has been raised for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

The Jimmy Fund Clinic is the institute’s pediatric oncology center.

Some of the local people that traditionally support Godfrey’s participation include the Salem Exchange Club, Windham financial advisor Larry Vandevetter, and Joe Ouellette, the Windham owner of Lowell Car Care.

Godfrey tells walkers that once they’ve participated in a Jimmy Fund walk, they’ll continue to participate for the rest of their lives.

“Emotionally, it’s just an incredible day, to be with people doing something so good, so positive,” said Godfrey.

Milana is a member of the event’s heroes program.

Like other children, she puts a public face to the fundraising cause. Their photographs line the walk route to inspire and motivate participants. And many of the heroes join their families along the route to cheer on their teams.

“Walk heroes inspire and motivate our walkers,” said Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk Director Ann Beach. “They enable the walkers to make a personal connection with the many miles they’re logging and dollars they’re raising.”

The experience of being a walk hero distracts the young patients from their treatments and introduces them to new friends, according to organizers. Walkers provide friendship and support to walk heroes and their families.

“It’s just incredible when you see these kids smiling,” said Godfrey, who expects to meet Milana and her parents, Diane and John, at the event. “You know they’re dealing with something treacherous in their lives.”

Last October, Milana was diagnosed with a Wilm’s tumor, a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children, when she was 10 months old. It was devastating news to her parents.

Her mother was changing her one day when she noticed her trunk was asymmetrical. A tumor on her kidney was pushing her liver forward.

A pediatrician who checked out Milana sent the family to Children’s Hospital in Boston. Surgeons removed the tumor and her right kidney. Six treatments of radiation and eight months of chemotherapy followed, and Milana lost most of her hair.

“They’ve been unbelievably supportive, obviously besides saving her life,” said Diane of the people at Dana-Farber. “It’s such an unbelievable place. Everyone is just so kind and supportive and caring.”

Thanks to the generosity of several organizations, the family received gift cards for gasoline and groceries, a blanket, doll, and care packages. Now, they’re giving back.

In August, Milana was a pedal partner for the 30th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, where more than 5,500 cyclists rode to raise money for Dana-Farber. And Diane is working with parents of other young cancer patients to coordinate blood drives to benefit Children’s Hospital.

To donate go to the Jimmy Fund Web site and find Team Textron Defense Systems, which can be reached by selecting the team drop down areas.

The Web site is: http://www.jimmyfundwalk.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=297511.

Officials say education is key to stay healthy

Salem Editor — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:48:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Health officials are coordinating efforts across the region and reaching out to the public with information regarding the arrival of the H1N1 “swine flu” in New Hampshire.

“A lot of it is education,” said Brian Lockard, Salem’s health officer. “Education is probably the best thing we can do. We don’t want people to be in fear or to panic, we want them to be aware.”

Lockard posted informational fliers throughout the community last week, ranging from proper handwashing techniques to tips for staying healthy. Lockard has also posted a link to the Center for Disease Control on the town’s Web site.

Judging from the phone calls he has handled since the swine flu emerged in Mexico late last month, being able to stay informed and updated is exactly what residents want, Lockard said.

“I’ve been getting a number of calls. I don’t think people are panicking, they’re looking for information,” he said.

Lockard participated in a coordination meeting this morning with local health and emergency officials from surrounding communities. The Southern New Hampshire Public Health Emergency team met to streamline efforts across the region to disseminate information to the public and coordinate resources in the event officials had to activate their emergency response actions to combat the spread of swine flu, Lockard said.

Were the flu virus to reach a pandemic level in New Hampshire, Lockard said local officials are preparing to set up multiple “points of distribution” locations, or PODs, to get antivirals or vaccines out to the public.

According to Fire Chief Kevin Breen, who doubles as the town’s emergency management director, officials at the community level are monitoring the situation, keeping a close eye out for potential outbreaks and reviewing their preparations.

“Right now we’re in a monitoring stage ... Everybody is reviewing their support activities and should this escalate, people are prepared,” Breen said.

Many of the health emergency plans local officials are now revisiting to aid in the prevention of the spread of swine flu have been in existence for years. While updated regularly to reflect each new potential threat, Lockard can remember when it was known simply as the “smallpox plan.” Now, after the anthrax attacks and concern over the avian flu, Lockard said the plans have come to be known as an all-hazard plan and can be tailored to any potential public health emergency.

For the time being, Lockard is still focusing on coordinating plans with neighboring communities, communicating with state and federal officials and relaying public health information to residents.

“If (residents) take measures to prevent the spread of swine flu, that will go along way into preventing any serious issues,” Lockard said.

Salmonella strikes dozens on science trip

Salem Editor — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:38:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Fifty-four seventh-grade students, including five who went to area hospitals, have fallen ill from salmonella since returning from an environmental camp.

State health officials began investigating the illness after students began showing up sick at area hospitals on Sunday, April 19, suffering nausea-like symptoms.

Health officials have since been investigating the Stone Environmental School in Madison, where many of the seventh-grade students stricken with salmonella spent much of the previous week, for the cause of the illness.

Although salmonella has been located, health officials have not yet located a source or determined how the students came in contact with the bacteria.

Superintendent Michael Delahanty said district officials realized there was a problem on the morning of Monday, April 20 after 51 students and one teacher reported absent for school, all from Salem’s Woodbury Middle School.

The students – 97 in all, according to school officials – had spent four days last week at the overnight environental camp.

Delahanty said a few of the children began to feel ill sometime between the evening of April 16 and the morning of April 17. A total of 11 students went home early from the environmental school, and by the time the rest of the group arrived back in Salem Friday afternoon, several more children reported feeling ill as well.

On April 20, Delahanty said the Woodbury School nurse began calling the parents of the children who made the trip and found that many were suffering from nausea and digestive problems.

At least five had been taken to the hospital since returning from the trip, he said.

State officials have been tracking the total number of students who have gone to the hospital and said all are recovering.

Two other teachers also on the trip have not reported any illness, according to Delahanty.

Though this year marks the last time seventh-graders from Woodbury School will participate in the environmental school due to budgetary, education and liability reasons, Delahanty said the district has had a long-standing relationship with the camp.

“We’ve never experienced this type of a problem,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate and nerve wracking.”

Students participate in nature hikes, take classes to identify different plant species and learn about the night sky during the three- to four-day excursion.

Almost every one of the 393 seventh-grade students will participate in the program at some point in the school year. Delahanty said.

A group of students returned the previous week from the outdoor educational program without a problem, according to Delahanty.

Former heart patient gathers stuffed bunnies for children in need

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:44:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

What better way to put a smile on a sick or needy child’s face at Easter than by giving them a new stuffed bunny to hug?

Arianna Centazzo hopes to make hundreds of children happy this year. That’s why the 6-year-old Salem girl and her family are asking the community to help them collect 420 new stuffed bunnies.

Arianna wants to deliver 300 of them to Children’s Hospital in Boston, where she successfully underwent heart surgery two years ago, along with 70 for Nashua Children’s Home and 50 for the Lazarus House Shelter in Lawrence, Mass.

“She’s always been like that, wanting to help other people,” said her proud mother,

Denise.

In November 2004, when she was only 2, Arianna was diagnosed with permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia, a heart condition that caused her heart to beat more than 300 beats per minute. She took medication three times a day and frequently wore heart monitors. The surgery done to repair her heart was performed in December 2006 by Dr. John Triedman.

The idea for the bunny drive was born after Arianna had her last appointment with Dr. Triedman, her primary cardiologist at Children’s Hospital, in January.

It was Arianna’s final checkup with the doctor who gave the little girl a clean bill of health and finally released her from his care.

Arianna gave Dr. Triedman a painting of a heart – “always in my heart,” she had written on it – and hugged him.

The day was an emotional and bittersweet one for the family, recalled Denise who traveled back from the appointment with her husband, David, and Arianna.

“I said to my husband, ‘How do you thank a doctor who gave your child back their health and their life?’” said Denise. “It was a very emotional day for us.”

Arianna told her parents she would miss the hospital and wanted to do something nice for the children being treated there. The family decided on doing a stuffed bunny drive for Easter.

“(He’s) really the main reason for wanting to give back to the hospital,” said Denise of Dr. Triedman.

Arianna and her parents plan to deliver the bunnies to the hospital on Good Friday, April 10. Hospital workers will put them in wagons and deliver them to patients in their rooms.

The support that Arianna has received from several organizations for her mission has enabled her to expand the bunny drive to benefit the Nashua Children’s Home and the Lazarus House Shelter.

Nashua Children’s Home provides residential care to children who are unable to live with their families and special education services. The bunnies will warm the hearts of students and in-house children.

Workers at the shelter expect to feed 50 children on Easter Sunday. The people serving the meals, according to Denise, would love to be able to give each child a bunny.

People at St. Basil’s Salvation Center in Methuen, Mass., Rockingham Christian Church in Salem, and Academy of Notre Dame in Tyngsborough, Mass., where Arianna attends kindergarten, are providing bunnies.

St. Matthew Church in Windham is serving as a dropoff site.

At Salemhaven Nursing Home, employees, residents and their families are enthusiastically supporting the cause. And they’re offering their building, too, as a collection site. Members of the community can drop off bunnies at the nursing home’s front desk until April 1.

“Something like this is close to the heart of our residents,” said Stephanie Micklon, the facility’s community liaison. “Our residents have all gone through a lot in their lifetime so they can really relate to this. They’re all dealing with medical issues, so when they heard about this they said, ‘yes, we want to do this.’”

One of those residents is Doris Gidry whose son spent two months at Children’s Hospital in Boston with scoliosis, curvature

of the spine.

“I think it’s wonderful, to think of that and want to share,” said Gidry of Arianna’s idea to do something nice for the hospital’s young patients. “It will be wonderful for them.”

Collection agency called in for Salem ambulance bills

Salem Editor — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:57:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Fire and finance department officials are making a break with tradition by enlisting the services of a collection agency to help recoup some of the $132,000 owed to the town in outstanding ambulance bills.

In March, Director of Finance Jane Savastano began working with the town’s third-party billing agent Comstar to address what she called “pages and pages” of unpaid ambulance service accounts, some dating back to 2001. She has also put a temporary stop to writing off accounts in an attempt to catch up with large amount of outstanding debt owed to the town.

Coming before the board on Aug. 25, Savastano recommended writing off any account for less than $100 – some of them are for as little as a few cents, she said – and anything prior to 2005.

Unpaid ambulance bills dating from 2005 on would be handed over to a collection agency, in a break from the past. In previous years, those accounts that Comstar had been unable to recoup were presented to the Board of Selectmen to nullify on a monthly basis. Savastano said the write-offs had begun to distort the town’s revenue.

“This is kind of a catch-up time for the last couple of years, trying to write off this old noncollectable debt. Other (boards of selectmen) did not encourage going through collection agencies and with that, (the accounts) just went off on a write-off report,” Savastano said. “Hopefully, we’ll recover some debt. The hope will be to be on top of it once the old billings are cleaned up. It’ll be easier month to month.”

While the board has been supportive of Savastano and Fire Chief Kevin Breen’s move towards using a collection agency to address the loss of those funds, they did express reservations at the just over $76,000 in unpaid invoices the two are asking to be written off before moving forward.

Most of that amount comes from accounts dating back seven or eight years, or from those that only amount to under $100. According to Savastano, collection agencies consider any outstanding bill older than two years not feasible to pursue.

“Only up to two years (serves) as a guideline for the collection agencies,” Savastano said. “That’s really whats feasible and realistic to collect. We can send them everything, but the chances are very slim. As we get caught up, it would be easier, but this is a lot of old garbage sitting out there.”

Salem would continue to work with Comstar in the future – through a process of mailing collection letters to individuals indebted to the town before reporting to the credit companies – to serve as a liaison with a collection agency in the future at no cost to the town.

According to Savastano, for every bill collected by the agency, Salem will see roughly 66 percent of those funds. About 30 percent would remain with the agency as a commission. At the moment, Comstar charges 6.5 percent of the outstanding bill at the time of collection.

On average, use of the town’s ambulance service runs at about $700 a trip, depending on the equipment used and the distance to the hospital, according to Breen. Earlier this week, he stressed to selectmen that the service was not supported by taxes and depended on users to maintain. While some people suffer from financial hardships that might hold them back from reimbursing the town, others chose not to, he said.

“There (is) a large pool of citizens who believe the ambulance services is part of their taxes. We felt it would be appropriate to discuss it publicly before we go forward,” he said on Monday. “Some of the people in Salem get paid (by insurance companies) and chose not to pay their ambulance bill. There’s one thing when there is a hardship, it’s another when you’re receiving the funds and not paying. That’s unacceptable.”

Salon Grazie helps Salem's Fisk School get a defibrillator

Salem Editor — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:19:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

Susan Garofalo’s husband, Arthur, suffered sudden cardiac arrest while working out in a gym three years ago. An automated external defibrillator there was used to save his life.

That sent Garofalo on a mission: to get AEDs into schools and other public places. Thanks to her efforts, and that of a local beauty salon, the staff at Fisk Elementary School has a new AED in their building.

“They’re good to have anywhere,” said Cindy Dimario, the school’s nurse, when Garofalo officially presented the AED on Thursday, May 8. “I hope we never have to use it, but it’s nice to know we have it if we need to use it.”

An AED is a portable electronic device that can establish an effective rhythm to a person’s heart. Had an AED not been available at the gym where Arthur collapsed, he would not have survived.

“This thing saved his life,” said Garofalo, who lives in Weston, Mass. “He never would have made it – no way.”

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States and is responsible for approximately 325,000 deaths each year, according to the Heart Rhythm Foundation.

Since her husband survived his cardiac arrest, the couple have purchased and donated about 25 AEDS to libraries, schools, colleges and a Little League ball field.

Now, Susan combines her love of designing sterling silver jewelry with their mission to get AEDs into as many public places as possible. She is using sales of her HeartStrings’ Jewelry to buy them.

“This is my mission – to get them in schools, in (community) centers,” she said.

Leslie Stratos, the co-owner of Salon Grazie in Salem, displayed and sold Garofalo’s unique designs in her business. Money from sales, combined with money from sales to other HeartStrings’ Jewelry customers, was used to purchase the AED for Fisk School.

The device, the first one purchased with jewelry sales proceeds, cost approximately $1,800.

When applied to a victim, an AED diagnoses the heart rhythm and determines if a shock is needed. The device is designed to be easy to use.

“It walks you through it, so there’s nothing to be afraid of,” said Dimario.

His son survived cancer, now he’s racing for others

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:04:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

Grateful for the medical treatment his young son received when he battled cancer, and with a desire to help families dealing with the disease, Dane Hoover Jr. will soon endure the challenge of running the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon.

He’s raising money through his participation in the race to help fund cancer research. It’s a cause that’s personal to him: His oldest child, Dane III, survived stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare cancer, which was diagnosed when he was only 2.

Dane, who underwent five rounds of chemotherapy, two rounds of radiation and two bone marrow transplants, has been cancer-free for about eight years. Hoover credits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston with saving his son’s life.

Hoover will participate in the marathon, which takes place Monday, April 21, as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. They’re a group of runners raising money to benefit the Claudia Adams Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber.

“I’ll make it to the end, hopefully, and raise money for a good cause,” said Hoover, 39, who is running his first marathon. “It would be a great accomplishment.”

Hoover was inspired to sign up by a friend who participates in marathons and by a counselor who worked at a camp for cancer-stricken kids who runs in honor of a boy who died of cancer.

The DFMC, now in its 19th year, seeks to raise $4.5 million for Barr Program initiatives to better understand, treat and ultimately cure cancer.

So far, Hoover has raised about one-third of his $10,000 goal. Donations have come in from friends, strangers, people who have treated his son, and fellow Salem Rotarians. “I think it’s great that he’s doing it,” said Dane, now 10, a Soule School fourth-grader. “He’s doing it for cancer kids.”

Hoover has been training for almost five months. His business and family responsibilities require him to often train early in the morning or late at night. But the hard work has paid off. He’s shed about 20 pounds and has seen drops in his cholesterol and blood-pressure levels. “It’s a lifestyle change at the same time,” he said.

Hit hard financially and emotionally after his son was diagnosed with cancer – “I lost everything,” he said – Hoover now helps other families who have a cancer-stricken child.

He is a board member and volunteer counselor for Childhood Cancer Lifeline of New Hampshire, an organization that helps families dealing with pediatric cancer.

“When you go through cancer, it’s a horrible, tough situation,” said Hoover. “I want to give (families) the best chance to get through it.”

Hoover will run in Dane’s honor and in memory of Grace Oughton, a Virginia girl whose family stayed at Hoover’s home for two-and-a-half months while she was being treated for neuroblastomo at Dana-Farber. Grace went into remission but died last October at the age of 3, following a relapse.

One supporter who is opening his checkbook to support Hoover’s cause is Mike Antonietti, whose son, Peter, is best friends with Dane.

Antonietti has pledged $10 for every mile Hoover completes. He knows the money will support important medical work at Dana-Farber.

“It gives him an incentive to finish the race, which I know he’ll do,” Antonietti said of his pledge. “The story of his son is a compelling one. He’s a great little kid. It’s a miracle what they were able to do in his case, and it’s a great cause.”

Salem program helps children with disabilities

Salem Editor — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:20:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

As Joey Goulet, 5, swam toward one end of a swimming pool, his swimming partner, Zack Martin, 16, offered words of encouragement.

“Come on buddy, keep going,” said Zack as he, too, moved closer to the end of the pool. “You’re going to beat me, pal.”

Joey is a participant in Different Strokes, a swimming program at the Salem Boys & Girls Club.

Developed for children ages 3 to 8 who can’t participate in regular swimming lessons, it gives participants a chance to learn to swim – or at least enjoy the water – once a week with help from a teenage partner.

“The progress some of these kids have made in the water is incredible,” said Missy Rowell, the club’s aquatics director, as she watched Joey during the program’s Friday, Oct. 12, session.

When Joey, who is developmentally disabled, joined the program last spring, he wouldn’t swim without two things – a flotation device called a bubble that was strapped around him, and a long foam flotation toy known as a noodle.

Thanks to his experience in the program and swimming lessons he took over the summer, Joey recently swam halfway down the pool without one of the flotation devices and is now jumping into the pool by himself.

There are currently about 10 Different Strokes participants and they include children with Down Syndrome, developmental delays, autism, chromosome disorders and cerebral palsy.

“We run the gamut,” Rowell said.

Most of the teen volunteers are members of the Keystone Club, the Salem Boys & Girls Club’s teen leadership program.

The participants have varying levels of ability. Some cling to their partners. Some move about freely. One severely disabled girl must be held up in the water.

“It’s great for them both physically and socially,” said Rowell. “And it’s great for the teens. They’re learning more about the different disabilities.”

The current session is running only five weeks, but Rowell intends to run it in eight-week sessions. She charges a low fee, and hopes to secure grant money to help cover costs.

It’s a program that has proved to be popular. There is a waiting list of kids who want to participate.

As his mother Peggy watched him, Jonathan Plourde, 6, jumped into the pool and grabbed hold of a noodle.

The Methuen, Mass., boy has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism. Kids with AS have difficulty with social interaction.

Plourde said that during a vacation, she saw some emerging swimming skills in her son. She hopes Jonathan will develop skills so that he can eventually be part of a swimming team.

“I like these types of programs,” Plourde said. “I think it will be very important to him.”

Stacy Burns likes the program, too. Her son, Ryann, 6, has speech delay and sensory issues. This is Ryann’s second experience with the program and he is benefitting from the one-on-one assistance.

“It’s been a great experience for them,” said Stacy. “There’s not a lot of programs out there for kids with special needs.”

Along with Keith Beal, 13, Ryann played with toys in the water and was beginning to learn how to do the backstroke.

“He’s learning how to swim and it helps to have his partner helping him and guiding him,” said Stacy.

Then she added with a smile: “They always listen to someone other than their parents.”

Giving stroke victims a helping hand – New technology gives function back to patients

Salem Editor — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:34:00 GMT

BY MATT HERSH

After she suffered a stroke last year, Lillian Tarr’s right hand was clenched into an unmovable fist. Now, she’s using it to pick up small wooden blocks.

Tarr, a resident of North Andover, Mass., is one of about 25 patients at Northeast Rehabilitation Center in Salem who are making use of the Bioness H200, a muscle stimulating device to help paralysis patients regain movement.

Tarr and John Couture, another stroke patient, demonstrated the success of the product by picking up small wooden blocks and placing them into a container. For the two patients, this would have been impossible only months ago.

Though the center only recently incorporated the product into its therapy program, Tarr has been using it for three months, achieving notable success.

Tarr’s stroke occurred after a yoga class last March.

“When we were finished I got a bad headache,” she said. “The instructor said ‘see you next week’ and I realized I couldn’t get up.”

When Tarr was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, she learned she had suffered a stroke and the right side of her body was mostly paralyzed.

After a week in the hospital, she became a patient at the rehabilitation center, where occupational therapists worked with her to regain some movement.

While Tarr was an inpatient for two months, some progress was made, but it wasn’t until she began using the Bioness H200 that she was able to move her wrist and fingers.

The device, which fits on a patient’s wrist and forearm, houses electrodes which send impulses into different muscles, spurring them to move automatically.

Through repeated exercises with the device, stroke patients like Tarr have been able to regain independent movement in their arms.

Therapists can even program a series of impulses into the device so patients can have customized exercise programs, according to Cindy Kelly, an occupational therapist at the facility.

Patients typically work with the Bioness three times a week, running through a variety of muscle exercises.

“I’ve seen phenomenal progress in such a short time,” Kelly said. “It gives the patients a lot of hope.”

The rehabilitation center unveiled the new technology on Tuesday, Feb. 27, in a presentation which included staff, patients, Bioness representatives, and Ron Roberts, a man from Texas who suffered a stroke about a year ago and can now use his formerly paralyzed hand to perform normal tasks.

“I bring hope from Texas,” said the 49-year-old. “Don’t give up and don’t let a stroke get in your way.”

Roberts spoke with enthusiasm and a thick Southern accent about his miraculous recovery with the Bioness, demonstrating the abilities he now has by picking up a cup of juice, which he was unable to do last year.

After using the device, Roberts was able to return to his job as a weatherman at a television news station in western Texas.

Like the center’s therapists, Roberts stressed the importance of determination and sticking with the Bioness program. Only through persistent exercise was he able to achieve his goal of hand functionality, he said.

Last year, Northeast Rehabilitation cared for more than 4,900 stroke patients, and adding the Bioness to the center’s list of tools is just another effort to incorporate new technology into their program, according to medical director Jim Whitlock.

“This tool can be used to greatly expand the practice that a person gets after an injury,” he said. “Devices like the Bioness will become and will remain an important tool.”

Currently, the facility has eight of the $6,200 devices and some patients have purchased their own for home use, Kelly said.

Whitlock said the facility is looking at acquiring a similar device designed to stimulate leg muscles.

Bioness Inc. was formed in 2004 by the Alfred Mann Foundation for Scientific Research, which also brought technologies like cochlear implants and pacemakers to the medical community.

Senior Center fees go to general fund

Salem Editor — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:58:00 GMT

By Matt Hersh
Staff Writer

Observer/Matt Hersh
Salem Board of Selectmen Chairman Michael J. Lyons discusses the issue of membership fees with senior citizens at the Ingram Senior Center on Wednesday, September 27.

After a complaint by a Budget Committee member, more than $9,000 in Salem Senior Center membership fees to go to the Council on Aging will now temporarily go into the town’s general fund.

Due to a legal complication, the money will remain in the general fund until March, when a warrant article will be proposed to move the money into a specific senior center fund, said Town Manager Henry LaBranche.

The fees, $12 for Salem residents and $24 for out-of-town members, were unanimously approved by selectmen and were being collected in order to give to the Council on Aging, a nonprofit organization that funds programs at the senior center.

This was until Budget Committee member Kathy Cote brought up a legality issue at the committee’s Wednesday, Sept. 13 meeting.

According to state law, funds collected by the town must be approved by voters before they can be applied to a specific purpose, Cote said.

After conferring with the town’s lawyer, LaBranche confirmed Cote’s statement and ordered the collected money into the general fund.

Now, the money cannot legally be given to the Council on Aging and will remain inactive until it can be approved in March.

Patti Drelick, the center’s director, said she will play a part in composing the warrant article and that she wants to see the issues resolved.

A supporter of the fees, Drelick said they will be helpful in making sure seniors have programs to participate in.

Most of all, she said, she wants the seniors to be happy and that most have been accepting of the fees.

“It was the seniors who suggested instituting the fees,” she said. “It gives them pride to say that they’re a member.”

The senior center issue, according to Drelick, has mainly been one between the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee.

At the Wednesday, Sept. 27 Budget Committee meeting, Cote raised the issue again, saying she was against the idea of fees as well as the way the selectmen handled the issue.

Cote said she is against the idea of membership fees because she believes that as taxpayers, seniors should not have to pay more for the center.

Instead of collecting membership fees, Cote said she would support a booster club to raise funds for the Council on Aging.

“What they did was illegal,” she said. “Do I think I did a disservice (to seniors)? I think not.”

Budget Committee member Pat Hargreaves said he was against the idea of charging membership fees for Salem residents but not for non-residents.

“The Selectmen make the policies,” he said. “But somebody should have asked why we are charging Salem residents fees.”

Hargreaves also said he thinks selectmen have the seniors’ interest in mind but they should have realized the legal issues before making the policy.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Michael J. Lyons said he thinks members of the Budget Committee are stirring up controversy over nothing.

On Friday, Sept. 29, Lyons spoke with seniors at the center and addressed their concerns.

“The Board of Selectmen is a friend of yours,” he told a roomful of seniors. “There are some people who want to rile you up, but there’s no issue here.”

Senior reaction on the issue has been mixed. Several spoke up and told Lyons they supported the fee.

“I come here all the time to have coffee and talk with people,” said Salem resident Gerri Beck. “Where else can you do that for 23 cents a week? I don’t see what the issue is.”

Others said they disagreed.

“It’s not right,” said Mary Roy, a Salem resident who regularly uses the center. “This is a public building and we should be able to come here for free.”

Despite concerns by some seniors, Drelick said paying the fees is expected, but optional. If a member does not wish or cannot afford to pay the fees, they may apply for a free membership or “scholarship,” Drelick said.

Cote said the application process is unfair as it asks seniors to provide personal financial information, similar to a welfare application.

Fees will continue to be collected, adding to the sum already in the general fund. Voters will have the chance to appropriate the funds in March.