Health announcements

TOPS meeting

Take Off Pounds Sensibly Chapter 185 meets every Monday morning with a weigh-in from 11 to 11:50 a.m. and meeting at noon at Christ Lutheran Church, 8249 Jumpers Hole Road, Millersville. Each meeting includes a program to provide guidance on losing weight and maintaining weight loss. For information, call 410-987-5122.

Reiki practitioners

Natural Healing Wellness Center, 100 Annapolis St., will host a reiki practitioner gathering at 7 p.m. June 25. This is a complementary event open to reiki practitioners of all levels. Ronni Stewart will present information on the use of crystals with reiki. For information, e-mail reikireflections@aol.com or call Natural Healing at 410-626-0045.

Blood drive

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater will host an American Red Cross blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 26 at the Schmidt Conference Center, Building 200, at 647 Contees Wharf Road in Edgewater. For information, call Liza Hamill at 443-482-2422.

Bone marrow drive

The Department of Defense Bone Marrow Donor Drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 30 at Fort George G. Meade Post Exchange and Commissary, MacArthur Road, Fort Meade. This event is open to all Department of Defense ID cardholders, family members, retirees and other authorized persons between the ages of 18 and 60. Many who are not eligible to donate blood are eligible to be bone marrow donors. For information, call 301-677-1486.

Parkinson meeting

The Anne Arundel County Chapter of the American Parkinson's Disease Association will meet from noon to 2 p.m. June 26 at the Severna Park Elks Lodge, Truck House Road.

Members are asked to bring a luncheon plate of sufficient size to serve five or more people. Finger sandwiches and beverages will be provided.

A group discussion and a question and answer session will follow lunch.

This is the last meeting until September.

Arthritis seminar

The Arthritis Foundation, Southern Maryland Branch is hosting the first of three arthritis seminars from 6 to 8 p.m. June 26 at the Anne Arundel Medical Center, Sajak Pavilion, 2nd Floor, 2002 Medical Parkway. This seminar, "Don't Shrug Off Upper Body Pain," will focus on arthritis and upper extremities. This seminar is free and open to the public. A question and answer period will follow each speaker's presentation. For information, call 443-481-4000 or 1-800-MD NURSE.

Birthing circle

A birthing circle meeting, "Who's on Your Birth Team?," will be held 7 p.m. June 26 at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Tate Cancer Center, first floor, 301 Hospital Drive in Glen Burnie. The Anne Arundel Birthing Circle is a non-profit organization that provides resources for expectant mothers and offers support and education to mothers as they make choices about birth and parenting. For information, visit www.birthingcircleaa.org.

Eyecare Web site

EyeCare America has launched a new public service Web site that provides eye health information. EyeCare America is a non-profit organization that works to preserve eye sight by raising awareness about eye disease and providing access to medical eye care at no cost to the patient. Visitors to the Web site can learn about specific eye problems, how to protect sight, and get access to no-cost care. For information, visit eyecareamerica.org.

'Dejar de Fumar'

Two free publications can be downloaded from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health Web site to help Spanish speakers quit smoking.

"Cambie un Habito" is for all adults and gives step-by-step instructions to quit smoking and stay that way. It helps smokers evaluate their smoking habit, prepare to quit and make the transition from smoker to nonsmoker.

"Medidas Extremas para Dejar de Fumar" is designed for young men and compares quitting smoking to extreme sports. It presents several quitting plans in an adventurous way.
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