Sunday, September 21, 2008
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – Created to address disparities in minority and medically underserved populations in our region through improved health literacy, the UMES Mini Medical School has begun its fifth year of instruction.
The 2008 Mini Med School program is scheduled for each Wednesday evening, ending on Wednesday, October 22, in the Richard A. Henson Center Ballroom. This year’s focus involves increasing the average person s health knowledge and enhancing his/her communication skills with his/her health care provider. Topics of discussion will include dental health, heart disease, naturopathic approaches to disease prevention and management, colorectal cancer, diabetes and other endocrine disorders, nutrition management of diabetes, breast cancer, influenza and pneumonia, Alzheimer s disease, and addressing the physician’s shortage on the Shore.
Prior to this year’s program, Mini Med sessions have provided information about the Medicare prescription drug program, navigating the health care system, Parkinson s disease, physical balance and aging, weight management, managing sleep disorders and more. The six-week program is a public service to Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester county residents. Providing instruction are UMES faculty, University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty and local physicians.
At the start of each session, screenings that are relevant to the topic of discussion are conducted, and a light dinner is served. Each session concludes with a question and answer period, which is followed by a presentation evaluation by participants. At the end of the six-week program, participants will receive certificates of completion during a small graduation program.
UMES, in keeping with its mission, is committed to community outreach. For more information about the fifth annual UMES Mini Med School, please call 410-651-6310 or visit www.umes.edu/minimed.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
