WNC Wellness review: a free dental clinic; NC patients wait three days for emergency psych help

• A-B Tech offers free dental clinic:

“The North Carolina Dental Society will bring its Mission of Mercy, a free dental clinic for the community, to A-B Tech’s Asheville campus from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 13 and 14.” – [MX Blogwire] 

• YWCA of Asheville announces Family Fun Fitness Program:

“The YWCA is starting a Family Fun Fitness Program. The program will focus on creating holistic change in the family in regards to nutrition and exercise practices. ” – [YWCA Blog] 

• BRCHS in Hendersonville to celebrate National Health Center Week:

“Blue Ridge Community Health Services (BRCHS) will be celebrating National Health Center Week August 8-14, 2010 in an effort to raise awareness about the critical role health centers throughout our country play in the lives of those seeking quality health care. […] Throughout the week, BRCHS will be offering programs and health care screenings with several of their community partners.” – [WHKP]

• Report claims patients needing psychiatric care in NC face days-long waiting lists for care:

“A new report says people needing treatment at psychiatric hospitals in North Carolina have to wait for nearly three days on average in emergency rooms and crisis centers. The Wake County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness says in a report released Friday that in the first six months of the year, over 3,000 patients needing psychiatric care were put on wait lists.” – [FOX 8]

• Immunization drive picks up for Buncombe County students headed back to school:

“A one-time $3 million appropriation by the state General Assembly will be a shot in the arm for some children. The money in Buncombe County alone will pay for more than 2,000 doses of childhood vaccines, important given the county leads North Carolina in the percentage of students allowed to go without state-mandated vaccines.” – [Asheville Citizen-Times]

• Buncombe County Health Services are on the move:

“The Buncombe County Department of Health is on the move towards a Human Services Complex. This complex will improve access and provide services to citizens in a seamless, one-stop format. ” – [MX Blogwire]

• Pardee orthopedics construction and renovations rolling along:

“Construction has been rolling along and in the next couple of months patients on our Orthopedic Center of Excellence will have five new patient rooms, increased space in the salon and massage area and a major expansion of the group physical therapy space. ” – [Pardee Blog]

• Senate passes Child Nutrition Act:

“The Senate on Thursday approved a long-awaited child nutrition act that intends to feed more hungry kids and make school food more nutritious, and it provides for $4.5 billion over the next decade to make that happen. Called the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, it passed the Senate unanimously and now moves on to the House, where passage is also expected. National child nutrition programs are set to expire Sept. 30.” – [New York Times]

• Why are food allergies on the rise? :

“Scientists are still trying to figure out why food allergies seem to be on the rise, especially in industrialized countries such as the United States. Are children not getting exposed to enough bacteria? Should they eat common allergens such as nuts and shellfish at an earlier age?” – [CNN Health]

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