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Upcoming Events
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November 19
4:30-5:30 PM
Mid Coast Hospital
The Highlands
December 3
11:00-12:00 PM
December 6
Mast Landing School, Freeport
Fridays through
December 18
9 AM - Noon
Mid Coast Senior Health
December 4, 5 & 6
Call 373-6928 to register
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Page of the Month!
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Recipe of the Month
Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
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Topping
4 med sweet potatoes
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Filling
8 ounces mushrooms
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
4 cups chopped leftover turkey or chicken
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken or beef broth
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1 cup green peas
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Scrub potatoes and pierce several times with a fork. Place in a 9x13-inch baking pan and bake until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool while you make the filling.
3. While the sweet potatoes are baking: wash and slice mushrooms. Peel onion and garlic. Dice onion. Mince garlic. In a large skillet over medium-high, cook mushrooms and onion until tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Add turkey or chicken, thyme and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just to heat through. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Add broth and Worcestershire and bring to a simmer. Cook until mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas, salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
6. Peel the cooled sweet potatoes and place in a medium bowl. Add milk, butter, cinnamon (if using), salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until smooth. Spread over the filling. Bake until hot and bubbling at the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
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Access Health
Access Health
works with communities to encourage and support healthy and happy lives, with a focus on:
- Physical Activity
- Healthy Eating
- Tobacco Prevention & Cessation
- Reduction of Second Hand Smoke
- Substance Abuse Prevention
- Mental Health Awareness
Find out more!
Mid Coast Hospital is the lead agency for Access Health.
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Access Health
Board Members
Anthony Anderson,
BIW
Andree App
el,
Oasis Clinic
Mary Booth, MSAD 75
Marla Davis,
Sagadahoc County Board
of Health
Mattie Daughtry,
Legislator
Jaki Ellis,
Brunswick Champion
Deb King,
Brunswick
Downtown Association
Don Kniseley,
Thornton Oaks
Pam LeDuc,
Topsham Parks &
Recreation
Joel Merry,
Sagadahoc County
Sheriff
Karen O'Rourke,
UNE
Jim Peavey,
United Way
Craig Phillips,
Tedford Shelter
Kelly Howard,
YMCA
Steve Trockman,
Mid Coast-Parkview Health
Karen Tucker,
Mid Coast Hunger Prevention
Samantha Ricker,
Bath Champion
Stacy Frizzle,
People Plus
Kristi Hatrick,
First Parish Church
Katherine Swan,
Martin's Point
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| From the Director's Desk |
I hope you find time during the Thanksgiving holiday to relax, eat good food, and spend quality time with loved ones. We've included a few resources and tips this month to help make your November filled with healthy choices! Enjoy the pie and gravy, but balance those delicious choices with some activity and relaxation.
In good health,
Melissa Fochesato,
Director
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Healthy Schools, Healthy Kids
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New Walking Trails in Brunswick
Jennah Godo, MS
Something new to do! Harriet Beecher Stowe (HBS) Elementary School in Brunswick has a new outdoor walking course thanks to Mid Coast's Hospital's Let's Go! 5-2-1-0 Program and Access Health. Created by HBS Speech Pathologist Jessica Pelletier and Physical Education Teacher/Wellness champion Lynn D'Agostino, the course includes three trails of varying difficulty. The project is an expansion of the indoor trails course, throughout the halls of HBS.
Being outdoors and exercising can improve physical and mental health. The new trails are available to families on weekends and after school, as well as children and staff at recess. You can walk, jog, skip, whatever you choose, but most importantly, be active and have fun!
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Healthy Homes
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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Terry Sherman
Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. You can't see or smell it,
but it is a deadly poisonous gas created from burning fuels such as wood, oil, coal, natural gas, gasoline, propane and kerosene. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can present with flu-like symptoms including headache, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and death. Preventing carbon monoxide from building up in your house is the best way to reduce your risk of illness.
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Healthy Eating
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Healthful Holiday Mealtime Tips
Tasha Gerken, MS, RD
SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator
Thanksgiving may be a time of indulgence, but we still want to consider our health. This doesn't mean changing the entire meal - but a few adjustments can go a long way. Here are some tips to host a healthier celebration during this season of giving without huge sacrifices:
- Savor the Moment in Style: Dust off the beautiful family heirloom dishes that rarely see daylight and serve up your food with flair and nostalgia. Research shows that making a meal feel more special often slows things down, allowing your "I'm full" triggers to alert you before you need to unbutton your fancy pants.
- Hide the Giant Dinner Plates: Serve the meal on smaller 9" fancy luncheon plates. It may sound silly, but your body and brain will be more than satisfied by a meal served on a plate that size. Also, taking seconds or splurging on dessert will be more manageable.
- Set up for Success: Help guests stave off pre-meal hunger and post-meal noshing by leaving healthy snacks around the house. A bowl of in shell tree nuts (with nutcracker!) is a lovely way to naturally pace snacking, and a bowl of easy-to-peel clementines could satisfy a hunger pang without spoiling dinner.
- Beef up the meal with...veggies: Keep in mind that half of your plate should be filled with fruits and veggies. If that's true, it only seems appropriate to plan your entire holiday menu that way. Drizzle diced carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions with olive oil, pepper, and herbs for budget-friendly holiday side dishes.
Everyday foods have a place at your holiday celebrations and so do "occasional" foods in smaller amounts. Keep perspective on special occasions and balance enjoyment with smart, healthful choices. Need some ideas? Check out Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters website for
scrumptious, affordable recipes
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Tobacco
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Lung Cancer Screening
Linda Christie
If you, or someone you love, smoke or used to smoke you should be aware that there is now a recommended screening test for lung cancer - a low dose CT scan (LDCT). During this test, an X-ray machine scans the body and uses low doses of radiation to make detailed pictures of the lungs.
Who should be screened? Those who...
- Have a history of heavy smoking (a pack a day for 30 years or 2 packs a day for 15 years), and
- Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and
- Are between the ages of 55 and 80.
This screening test is recommended only for adults who have no symptoms but who are high risk for developing lung cancer because of their history and age.
For more in-depth information about this screening test ask your health care provider. You can also visit the Mayo Clinic's Lung Screening Basics Page.
For more general information about cancer screening visit
Cancer.gov.
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Colleen Fuller, MPH
We know we should be getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, but finding those 30 minutes in our already busy and hectic schedules is another story. Here are some unconventional suggestions that will allow you time to spend with your family or accomplish chores while fitting your activity in - how efficient!
- Raking leaves for 30 minutes burns roughly 150 calories and helps strengthen your arms and back. Other yard work such as weeding counts toward your daily physical activity, too!
- Splitting and stacking wood provides an amazing cardio and core workout and burns approximately 185 calories for only 30 minutes of work. That is roughly the same amount of calories burned when walking a 4.5 mph for 30 minutes.
- Are you spending your Sunday watching football on the TV? Then get up and do some basic exercises during commercial breaks. Perform some lunges, march in place, or do a few jumping jacks. Being active during commercial breaks will contribute to your overall daily amount of physical activity and help prevent you from running to the fridge for a snack.
- Getting a head start on your holiday shopping? Park in the spots further from the door to increase how many steps you take in a day. Carrying heavy shopping bags back to your car will boost your workout.
- Go for a family walk after dinner or on the weekends. You will be able to spend time with your loved ones and improve your health at the same time.
*Based on calculations for a 150 lbs. individual.
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Elizabeth Munsey, LCPC-c
Access Health welcomes Elizabeth Munsey, LCPC-c, our new Mental Health Coordinator. Elizabeth will be overseeing the newly acquired Project Aware Grant.
Th
e
intent of Project Aware is to train 1,000 teachers
and other youth-serving
adults in Youth Mental Health First Aid
over the next three years. Project Aware will expand the capacity of adults to detect and respond to behavioral health issues impacting adolescents and connect those with behavioral health issues with needed services. In addition, she will also work to increase community awareness of positive behavioral health by providing community presentations.
Elizabeth has worked in the behavioral health field since 2010 and has experience working in suicide prevention, community mental health, and stigma reduction. She earned her Master's Degree in Community Mental Health in 2013 and her licensure as a Conditional Clinical Professional Counselor in 2014. As an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Trainer, she has trained over 150 Maine Army National Guard Service Members in the ASIST Model.
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Substance Abuse
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Keep Your Teens Safe on "Black Wednesday"
Andrea Gove
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an estimated 10.8 million underage drinkers binge drink on Thanksgiving Eve, hailing it the nickname "Black Wednesday."
Nationally, Thanksgiving Eve has higher underage and binge drinking rates than graduation, prom, and New Year's Eve. Instances of drunk driving are higher as well.
Black Wednesday is believed to occur due to college students reuniting with their hometown friends since going off to school. Such reunions often involve parties including underage drinking.
How can you keep your teen safe around Thanksgiving this year?
- Talk with your teen. Ask them what their plans are with friends; where they will be going and who they will be with.
- Check in often. If your teen goes out, check in with them throughout the night to make sure they're okay and to confirm where they are.
- Celebrate early. Start your Thanksgiving celebration early - this will give you more quality time with your family and supervised time with your teen.
Maine teens are nearly 5 times as likely to drink if they don't think they will be caught by their parents.
Sync with your teen this Thanksgiving holiday to make sure it's a happy and healthy holiday for all!
For more tips on connecting with your teen to prevent underage drinking visit:
CASA's Sync page for parents.
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Access Health
66 Baribeau Drive, Suite 7
Brunswick, ME 04011
Phone: 207-373-6957
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