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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
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KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel
KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
Women’s Q U A R T E R L Y
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INSIDE this edition 4
Nationally acclaimed jazz singer with local roots
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Homeless shelter director dedicated to mission
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Roberta’s organic gardens grow
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Seniors recognized for achievements
Every three months we will look at everyday challenges that women of all ages face. Our next issue is scheduled to publish in July.
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
10 Local woman learns lessons from Lybia
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20, 2011 Wednesday, July 22,
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Jazz singer with local roots wins national ASCAP music award BY NANCY P. MCGINNIS Correspondent
tures some of the Bay area’s best musicians. With the album in its final stages of production this summer, Elwell has launched a Halley Elwell, still in her 20s, has fundraising campaign on www.indiegogo.com become an award-winning jazz vocalist and to help cover expenses. composer — in part, she said, because She has ambitiously set her sights on rais“nobody ever told me I couldn’t.” ing $2,500 — a goal that will cover studio The Hallowell native and Hall-Dale class fees for extra production sessions, mastering of 2002 graduate is living her dream. costs, album artwork fees, compact disc Currently a resident of San Francisco, duplication and payment of royalties. she made a trip east last month to receive Incentives to donors, in addition to supan ASCAP award at Lincoln Center — and porting emerging talent, range from signed to appear at a gig at the Higher Grounds, concert posters and copies of the CD, to accompanied by her former music teacher, original work created by Elwell’s talented Marcia Gallagher. ASCAP stands for The siblings, Cassie Elwell and Angela Snyder, American Society of Composers, Authors under their House of Bouton and Nouveau and Publishers. Abode design labels, respectively, in a show “There was a lot of love in that room,” of support for their sister. Gallagher said afterward. The standingElwell landed in San Francisco because room-only crowd was a mix of all ages, she was looking for a welcoming city with a including Elwell’s contemporaries and forjazz scene. She knew that wherever she was, mer classmates, teachers and parents, local she would have to work hard: “There are not residents, acquaintances and well-wishers, many jazz vocalists my age. Part of my chaland folks who hadn’t known Halley Elwell lenge is to sing into the music, but also Photo by at all, but love good jazz engage with the audience and build a rapport Nancy McGinnis “It was sure a lot of fun,” Elwell said, with them.” Accompanied by recalling the steady stream of faces, many Performing in venues on either coast, her former music familiar, and all of them thrilled to witness both jazz standards and her own compositeacher and mentor and hear the poised, successful performer. tions, Elwell connects with her audience. Marcia Gallagher, “A great turnout and a crowd that is lowSharing her own experience, along with the Halley Elwell, ASCAP (The key and forgiving — performing doesn’t historical anecdotes about the music, helps American Society of her fulfill her personal mission to educate get any better than that,” she said. Composers, Elwell, who moved to California in contemporary listeners about the genre, Authors and 2007, gratefully attributes much of her while passing on the jazz legacy. Especially Publishers) awardmusical career success thus far to the eduas a young person still in her 20s, Elwell winning jazz singer cation and encouragement she received in and songwriter, per- feels that mastering and embracing the balMaine. She said she is especially pleased ance also helps to validate her as a performed for an enthusiastic homewith the support from the two music teachformer. town crowd at the ers to whom she feels indebted for their “In order to sing with intent, I’ve learned Higher Grounds in confidence in her abilities, and their menyou really have to focus, and put time into Hallowell last torship. it,” she explains. “To succeed you have to month. “I started taking piano lessons from know your own story and be present, with Marcia (Gallagher) when I was 12-yearsall your spirit and soul in the moment, rather old. And I was a freshman when Deb Large than, as musicians say, ‘phone it in.’ ” began teaching at Hall-Dale, so she and Attending the ASCAP awards was “a radio on…but it was Halley, and she was to eventually earn Elwell the ASCAP Marcia were a large part of my musical much bigger deal than I had thought it really good.” Young Jazz Composer award, which she support system.” After Hall-Dale, Elwell graduated with was presented in New York City last month. would be,” Elwell confessed. At the event Before she graduated in 2002, Elwell had honors from the University of hosted at Lincoln Center by ASCAP “After I earned my music degree, I figparticipated in the Hall-Dale musicals as President Paul Williams, Elwell was one of Massachusetts at Amherst with a bachelor ured the only way to productively pursue Reno Sweeney in “Anything Goes” and as about 20 awardees present, before an audiof music degree in jazz and a degree music — without being swallowed whole the Queen in Once upon a Mattress. She African American Studies. “I had the great by my student loan debt — would be to get ence of about 100 people. also took part in District Chorus, All-State She said performances that evening to privilege of studying with Dr. Catherine a day job and do gigs at night. Well, the and Jazz All-State, as well as the popular honor legendary composers, such as Louis Jensen-Hole, and jazz legend Sheila Jordan, day job changed everything, including my Hall-Dale vocal group, Purple Enigma. at the Jazz in July Summer Music promusical goals. I ended up recording for free Armstrong and Duke Elliott, demonstrated Her mother, Robin Miller, has been gram,” she recalled. at a student-run studio at the San Francisco “such an incredible level of musicianship impressed with Elwell’s intuitive talent The immersion experience among jazz art school where I worked as an administra- that it really motivated me to continue to since she her daughter was a little girl. practice and perfect my own skill.” giants was a life-changing experience. tive assistant, and that’s how my first “I remember when she was in the fourth Elwell also debuted one of her first original album, “Last Spring,” was born. Samples of Elwell’s music, more informagrade, I heard a woman’s voice singing Comprised of five original songs, includ- tion and details about how to support her songs, “Nobody Bothers Me,” which upstairs. Thinking I was at home by album through the indiegogo campaign, can received accolades from Jordan, Geri Allen ing the ASCAP award winner, and three of myself, I assumed someone had left the be found at www.halleyelwell.com. and John Blake, among others and went on Elwell’s favorite standards, the album fea-
KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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Head of shelter devotes life to homeless “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.”
members also volunteer in the homeless shelter and at the winter overflow project, providing winter sleeping quarters in a JOHN LENNON church basement when the shelter is full. For more information about shelter proThey raise funds, and mentor families in BY NANCY GALLAGHER grams, please call (207) 872-6550. The parenting, budgeting and how to find Correspondent shelter’s Facebook page features comappropriate support services once they have ments on recent activities. Contributions left the shelter. They have become a federBetty Palmer, Executive Director of ated partner of the Mid-Maine Homeless Waterville’s Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, to the capital campaign may be mailed Shelter. unequivocally believes it takes a village to to Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, P.O. In September of 2010, Palmer became raise a child. Box 2612, Waterville ME 04903 or visit Assistant Director of the Mid-Maine Palmer was raised in Phillips, Maine, the www.shelterme.org. Homeless Shelter. When the executive daughter of downtown business owners. A BETTY PALMER director subsequently resigned due to ill self-described street urchin, she said she health, she progressed to interim executive wandered business to business each morndirector and then to executive director of a ing, visiting the Phillips Shared Ministry In 2007, life again took other turns. “If you don’t know the five people living shelter in the midst of an ambitious capital church as well. closest to your house, you don’t know your Palmer returned to central Maine to attend campaign. “I am the product of a community raisneighbors. Let’s build community.” to pressing family concerns. As outreach According to Palmer, the new shelter, in ing a child,” Palmer said. And build community they did. When a director of Waterville’s Pleasant Street The glamour of the unknown drew her group of parishioners knocked on doors United Methodist Church, she began volun- addition to providing food and shelter to the homeless, will feature a family life proaway from Maine as a young adult. and discovered numerous neighbors in teering with the Waterville Area Homeless gram offering a continuum of services Memories of her happy, safe childhood need, Palmer founded Neighbors Helping Action Group, a startup gathering of indiextending beyond the shelter to continue drew her back to Maine as a single parent. Neighbors, a mission that annually rehabili- viduals hoping to make a difference in the shaping sustainable, productive, successful Here, she followed in her father’s footsteps, tates about 70 homes for the elderly, handi- lives of the homeless in Waterville. owning a series of retail and service busiThis group learned that one of the great- lives. capped and disabled, with the help of 400 A portion of the proposed new building nesses. est needs of the homeless wasn’t occurring to 600 church and community volunteers. will be dedicated exclusively to homeless Life took a few unexpected turns. inside the shelter, but rather after they left Centered in an area that hires thousands prevention. Palmer’s focus shifted from the commer- of temporary harvest workers, Palmer real- the shelter — a dispiriting absence of “It is so much easier and more effective cial to the liturgical. She attended Bangor household goods with which to furnish a ized that building community should Theological Seminary and accepted assign- extend beyond home-owning neighbors. new living space, not a bed to sleep on, not in this current economy to intercede and partner with people when they’re still under ments in Downeast Maine. She also fosa broom to keep the space clean. Palmer Her solution? Form a migrant ministry to a roof,” Palmer said. tered dozens of children. She adopted three provide clothing, personal care items, liter- offered a solution: Collect cleaning supPalmer said her strong religious core of those children, doubling her personal plies, linens, used furniture and kitchen acy, and French-, Spanish- and Micmacguides her efforts, puts gas in her engine child count to six. language Bibles to nearly 5,000 blueberry items which are housed in the Pleasant every single day and fuels her belief that As pastor of the Machias United rakers a year. The two missions have since Street United Methodist Church donation one person, one family at a time, we can Methodist Church, Palmer urged her concenter for distribution as needed. merged to form the Downeast Maine gregation to meet their neighbors, saying: Now 250 strong, Homeless Action Group end homelessness in central Maine.” Missions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Maine Laser Skin Care .........................................7 MaineGeneral Medical Center ...........................24 Mathieu’s Auto Body ...........................................14 Mirror Images-Hair and Nail Salon ..................20 MK Orthodontics.................................................14 Morin, Brian J., D.M.D., M.M.S., P.A. ..............19 Pine Tree Orthopedic Lab.....................................9 Pine Tree Quilters Guild .....................................11 Redington Fairview General Hospital ...............17 Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. ..........13 Reflections, Etc.....................................................20 School Street and Second Street Yoga ...............20 Smart Eyecare Center .........................................20 Taylor Insurance and Financial Services, Inc...16 University of Maine at Augusta ..........................23 Waterville Custom Kitchens ...............................14 Waterville Women's Care....................................19
About this section This special advertising supplement was produced by the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel. The cover design was by Denise Vear, Creative/Innovations Manager. If you would like information on running a section about your business or organization, call Business Development Manager Bridget Campbell at (800) 452-4666, Ext. 155.
ON THE COVER: Halley Elwell, ASCAP award-winning jazz singer and songwriter, at the Higher Grounds in Hallowell last month with her former music teacher and mentor, Marcia Gallagher. — Photo by Nancy P. McGinnis
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20, 2011 Wednesday, July 22,
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
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Morning Sentinel
Roberta’s organic gardens grow in life-giving abundance BY JEAN ANN POLLARD Correspondent
There’s a big blue mailbox and, just beyond, a gray-shingled Greek Revival house surrounded by flowers. What better announcement could there be for the lush, organically-certified flower and vegetable gardens of Roberta Bailey of Vassalboro? For this is no ordinary place, and Roberta Bailey is no ordinary woman. Pulling into her driveway, a visitor is greeted by two friendly collies and a big, gray cat. Nearby, Bearded and Siberian Irises, mounds of Wild Geranium and Nasturtiums bloom behind a neatly stacked rock wall. To the right is a post-and-beam greenhouse as one goes past another border where lemon balm smells heavenly, and columbine and Echinacea stand tall. “The house is almost as it was when I moved here 11 years ago,” says Bailey, “but I’ve added a sunroom where I start all my seedlings every year, as well as this greenhouse where they get moved into larger growing trays at the end of March before being transplanted outside.” Bailey’s soil is heavy clay and water tends to puddle, but behind the house is some of the darkest, richest earth in Maine. And it’s here, in addition to growing most of her food, that she produces seed for three companies, including Fedco of Waterville, Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, and J. L. Hudson of La Honda, California. A tour provides a visual feast. Past a little chicken house, biddies are running around free, kept in check by Juno the Border Collie, “who herds them away from the gardens so they don’t scratch everything up. He’s so good, that they don’t even come near the gardens now,” she said with a laugh. “He also keeps the deer away.” A small, new herb garden contains lemon grass, motherwort, black cohosh, arnica chamissonis and comfrey. “I’m beginning to take better care of myself,” she said “I’m going to nurture myself more instead of working quite so hard. Herbs can help.” But it’s difficult to envision her ever slowing down. After all, this is a woman who came to Maine at the age of 18, built a couple of log cabins in Mt. Vernon, was a ‘back-tothe-lander’ in Topsfield for 13 years with husband and two children, makes baskets of spruce tree roots, is a fiber artist, spins, cooks, and once repaired wood and canvas canoes. Not only that, she has bred the popular hot pepper, Matchbox; is credited with saving a feathery-leafed cilantro after a seed company
Jean Ann Pollard photo
Roberta Bailey of Vassalboro washing off garlic bulbs fresh from her garden.
dropped it and who hopes to resurrect Maestro peas when the strain “got messed up with another variety. She literally preserves summer by canning apple cider with grapes or berries, produces an elixir of Echinacea for warding off colds and makes as an elderberry tonic that a friend said is “so tasty it belongs on ice cream.” “Ok, but why comfrey?” a visitor asks. “Isn’t it toxic?” “Its deep roots bring up minerals,” she replies. “I cut it for compost, and at times use
the dirt under its leaves for my house plants. They like it.” Gooseberry bushes, selected by distinguished University of New Hampshire plant breeder Elwyn Meader for size and taste, flourish beside elderberry bushes, which Bailey said “are antiviral and especially good for bronchitis.” Turning to one of her large vegetable patches, plants seem to rocket out of the dark soil. A 75-foot row of potatoes, including Carola and Kennebec, wait to be mulched
with hay causing her to say with a groan, “I need to simplify.” Next are peas climbing on nets — Miragreen are a favorite — then a group of Welsh Onions, clearly in bloom. “They’re the first thing up every spring,” Bailey said. “I use them as green onions, save a little seed for the Seed Savers Exchange, remove the seed stalks and with fall there are green scallion types all over again.” The Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of heirloom seeds on their 890-acre Heritage Farm near Decorah, Iowa. Visitors side-step a spatter of tiny, bright green calendula and Elka Breadseed poppy leaves. “I like to have lots of flowers for bees and love the idea of survivors popping up through the rows so a little bit of wild peeps through,” Bailey said. Beyond are row-after-row of tall garlic plants including Russian Red, which Bailey said she has kept for almost 30 years. Nearby are brassicas, protected by Agribon row-covers until they get established. Then come cucumbers, including the sunny heirloom, Boothby’s Blonde, varieties of squash, musk melons, watermelons — Peace has incredible flavor — dozens of tomato plants producing seed for Fedco, and rows of covered peppers. “One row of sweet peppers is for personal use,” she said. “The others are for seeds. Peppers self-pollinate, but they could possibly get a little bit of insect pollination, so row covers keep them isolated. Chilipeno is in the first year of a 10-year breeding project, while Thai Hots, repotted into 71, two- and threegallon containers, remain in the greenhouse.” By this time a visitor’s sense of awe has mushroomed: There will be no Maestro messes in this garden. Under High Bush blueberries is a blanket of Sparkle strawberries; cranberries beneath a plum tree. There are kiwi vines, 12 varieties of grapes espaliered along metal wires and a 120-foot-by-80-foot orchard of cherries, plums and apples enclosed by an eight-foot fence with bird houses for tree swallows and bluebirds on 27 posts. But her greatest surprise comes last. Several rows of plants look like grass. “What is that?” the visitor asks. “Rice.” “Rice in Maine?” she is asked. She’s growing a hardy, short-season Russian variety called Duborskian that, in 2010, actual-
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ly produced heads of grain. “You know,” Bailey says, “as experienced gardeners, it’s rare that we walk into a garden with no idea of what to do, but that’s how I felt about trying rice. I didn’t know what to do or how to do it. I often work with people who don’t know how to plant or grow anything, and I have a lot of patience and am pretty good at educating, but it’s really good to remember what it was like at first. “I feel like I’m at a place in my life now where it’s time to share and do more teaching. I’m not a doomsday person, but who knows what’s going to happen with this society or the financial world?” Bailey wondered aloud. “ Who knows what’s coming down the pike? I’m trying to give people a lot when I can. And if the need ever arises, I’ll teach the whole town how to garden.” Roberta offered me lunch and who could refuse? In her charming kitchen she served “Cream of asparagus soup with spring peas.” Made of new asparagus with some fresh Miragreen peas scattered on top, it was a work of art. “Because I didn’t know if you ate dairy or
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY not, I thickened it with some cooked oatmeal, blended in a little potato water and some very new asparagus,” she said. There was also a superb salad of Quinoa, fresh parsley, garlic, mint, lemon and tiny little red grape tomatoes; some hard-boiled fresh eggs from her own hens; herb tea, and a lovely, strong grape ‘pick me up’ that one didn’t want to stop drinking. No matter how much you love it, growing food is hard work, so she was asked why she does it to such perfection. After thinking a moment she said, “It’s very important to me to have food that tastes incredibly good. Asparagus picked from the garden and brought inside is sweet; broccoli that you get fresh from the garden is sweet. Once you’ve had truly fresh food there’s no going back to store-bought. Even “organic food” in supermarkets is not as good. So there’s a flavor element. “Aside from flavor, for me it was originally an attempt at more self sufficiency and cost-effectiveness, but I think quality became more and more an important part of it. “I don’t think it was control of my food at first but it’s become more that way now with all the problems of genetically modified organisms, chemicals, salmonella and E coli,” she said. “Now I feel that I need to protect my food and do more for myself because of that. I know my food is safe. I think that health issues come in on largescale factory farm levels.”
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
~ IN PROFILE
Contributed photos
An overview of Roberta’s beautiful lush gardens.
Inside Roberta’s new postand-beam greenhouse with tomatoes and other seedlings. The greenhouse was built by Baileys husband, Rob Lemire.
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Wednesday, July 20, 22, 2011
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KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel
Seniors are recognized for lifetimes of achievement BY BETTY JESPERSEN Correspondent
A generation of men and women, many of whom contributed to their country, their state and their community, are quietly living out their days in nursing homes or residential care facilities. Often, few people are aware of their unique or interesting accomplishments. The Maine Health Care Association has been changing that. For nine years, its project, known as Remember ME, has honored those who spent the best years of their lives making a difference for their families and communities. Each year, the call goes out for nominations to association members who care for Maine’s older populations, asking them to identify honorees who have a history of volunteerism and civic engagement. Those selected by a panel of judges have included decorated war heroes, community leaders, health care professionals, educators, homemakers, farmers, performing artists, writers, loggers, mill workers, grange members, scientists, entrepreneurs and business people. Some overcame extraordinary hardships. Others helped build strong communities, were pioneers, broke barriers, or were swept up in historic events. Many are veterans, such as the man who was among the American troops who liberated a Nazi concentration camp and then became the only survivor of a land mine that blew up the vehicle in which he was riding. Or, a woman who helped organize a secret intelligence, code-breaking team that analyzed Japanese military and government communications during World War II. For Nadine Grosso, vice-president and director of communications for the Maine Health Care Association, one woman’s story as a Holocaust survivor still moves her. “It’s hard to truly imagine what this woman witnessed as a child and I was very impressed with how she used this negative experience to later have a positive impact on others as an educator, mentor and parent,” Grosso said. “I think the Remember ME program caught on quickly and has remained strong for nine years because of the genuine commitment by all involved,” said Grosso, who launched the project in 2003. “Not only are we committed to the project and honoring residents, but so are our member facilities and their staff,” she said. “Maine’s long-term care providers believe
Contributed photo
Claire Meuse, one of the honorees of the Maine Health Care Association’s annual recognition project, Remember ME, is congratulated by First Lady Ann LePage at the event and photographic exhibit in April held in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta. Meuse, a teacher, long-time community volunteer and tutor is a resident of Sandy River Center in Farmington.
that each individual resident’s life story is important and worthy of recognition. This program has simply provided them with a statewide vehicle to share that belief with others.” Each year, the Remember ME project publishes a booklet and puts on a photography exhibit of black and white, current and past, photos of 35 honorees accompanied by brief biographies. An additional 20 nominees receive honorable mentions. The annual recognition is held in April, when the residents are presented with Certificates of Lifetime Achievement in front of an audience of family members, staff, officials and legislators. The event is specifically held in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta to remind legislators and the public that state
house decisions have a local impact on human lives, Grosso said. Claire Meuse is one of this year’s honorees. Meuse continues to tutor Once or twice a week, Meuse, 86, and Alberta Tracy, 68, find a quiet place to sit at the Sandy River Center in Farmington where they are reading together on the young adult edition of Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz.” Meuse, a 25-year tutor with Literacy Volunteers, has been working with Tracy for three years. Originally from Melrose, Mass., Meuse and her late husband, Robert, had one daughter, Lori, a veteran English teacher at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Meuse, over her career, worked as a math
and science junior high and high school teacher in several states, was a lifelong community volunteer and for 50 years, a Girl Scout leader and a Scouts’ summer camp director. As a tutor, she taught individuals and groups, worked with people with developmental disabilities, with youngsters who needed to improve their skills, and now, with senior citizens. “After teaching eighth-grade boys, you can teach anything,” she said with smile. “I will take on any student.” Meuse moved to Farmington 10 years ago following the death of her husband, so she could be near her daughter. Shortly after
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arriving, she contacted Literacy Volunteers and began tutoring, a commitment she continued until she suffered a stroke three years ago that left her wheelchair-bound. Soon after getting settled at Sandy River, however, she found a reading student in Tracy. “Claire is very compassionate and a great tutor. For years, she worked with a lot of youngsters who get referred to us by parents or their schools, and all the students liked her because she made learning fun,” said Joan Moes, the director of FranklinSomerset Literacy Volunteers of America who retired last month. “I am so pleased. There is a need for tutors at nursing homes but we don’t have the people to do it,” Moes said. Sandy River Center’s activities director, Lynette Hinkley, said the example Meuse is setting shows that the elderly want to remain active and involved. “This is a very good learning experience for both of them, and it gives Claire a sense of being useful and valued,” Hinkley said. Grosso said the stories she reads through the Remember ME project inspire her. “I am consistently amazed by the responsibilities and goals they took on,” she
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY said. “I firmly believe that we live in a society that tends to forget about its long-term care residents for a variety of reasons. Perhaps it’s because they may not be as visible in their communities as they once were. But more so, I think it is because of widely-held misconceptions about the aging process and even long-term care in general.” Grosso said in creating the project and naming it Remember ME, she wanted to give long-term care residents the recognition they have earned and at the same time remind Maine lawmakers, regulators, media and the general public of the value of these residents’ contributions. “They have spent the best years of their lives creating families and building communities. As they come to us for long-term care, it is our privilege to serve them,” she said. And the feedback from residents, consistently, is that they are so very humble, Grosso said. “While their accomplishments are so great and their actual experiences are often once-in-a-lifetime, they can’t imagine why they deserve this lifetime achievement award,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many times in nine years I’ve heard residents say they were just living their lives, nothing out of the ordinary,” she said. The Maine Health Care Association is a
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Contributed photo
Remember ME, a project of the Maine Health Care Association, annually recognizes the lifetime achievements of men and women currently in nursing homes and residential care facilities. At the recent recognition event held in the Hall of Flags at the State House, Richard A. Erb, president and chief executive officer of the association, addresses honorees, their families and officials as he presents the Lifetime Achievement Awards. House Majority Leader Rep. Philip Curtis, R-Madison, is on far left, and First Lady Ann LePage and Senate President Kevin Raye are on right.
statewide association of providers of services to Maine’s older and disabled populations. MHCA represents more than 300 adult day service providers, assisted livingresidential care facilities, home health providers, independent living-congregate
housing providers, nursing facilities, rehabilitation and skilled nursing providers, and other organizations and individuals who provide housing, health care and supportive services to more than 10,000 Maine residents.
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Wednesday, July 20, 22, 2011
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KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel
Local woman learns lessons from Libya; grateful to be home BY J.A. POLLARD Correspondent
Lesson #1 I couldn’t believe what I was doing. Kneeling right there on the runway. Big jets grumbling all around and I in my white trousers and lacy, long-sleeved blouse, silver loops in my ears, hair all sleek, eyeliner applied, baby quiet in my tummy as if she knew this was a special moment. And there I was, kissing the tarmac! People stared. I even stared at myself, felt as if I was floating somewhere above. Watching. Shocked. Because I WAS shocked. Culture-shocked. I’d just landed in New York, 20 hours out of Libya, a country on the southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, northern edge of the Sahara right next to Egypt — and a woman stalked past pulling a little wheeled suitcase, face uncovered, clicking along in stiletto heels, waggling her bottom. For a moment I was stunned: “My god! No barracan!” And suddenly knew fully, completely, that where I’d been living had roiled me, burned me into someone else. Lesson #2 Once upon a time the country of Libya was the breadbasket of Ancient Rome. The ruins of Leptis Magna and Sabratha — beautiful and golden — still rise out of smothering sand after 2,000 years. Tesserae from long-ago villas on the coast lie scattered. Even ochre-pocked Tripoli, once called the White City, is impressive. It’s a beautiful, dry, sometimes forbidding world where hippos once wallowed in rivers, elephants trumpeted and a forgotten people 10,000 years ago drew pictures on Saharan sandstone. I was afraid. It began in Tripoli’s airport where men in dark trousers, white shirts and maroon skullcaps stared as if I were wild game, or maybe a prize goat. Two women shrouded in pinkish-tan sheets from head to ankle clutched children’s hands, Barracans, are worn by Libyan women to prevent thembeing seen by men. We headed for the ‘ladies room,’ all the men staring at me. I ducked inside where walls were smeared with feces. Watch where you step and bring your own T.P. Lesson #3 Other Arabs, someone said, called Libya “the armpit of the Arab world.” But my husband was teaching geology at the University of Tripoli, and I was an author/artist. I’d read Muslim history, loved the domes of mosques,
minarets, fabulous tiles and desert oases. This lesson occurred on a sandy peninsula called Farwa jutting into the Mediterranean close to the border of Tunisia. With an oil company secretary and medical doctor friend, we crossed a shallow lagoon by rickety boat, chose a picnic spot in dunes, stripped down to bathing suits. My husband marched off to find some rocks. We women flung ourselves onto blankets. Silence. Peace. Until a shoeless boy in tattered trousers and flapping shirt came out of nowhere. Staring. Followed by more boys and a crowd of men. All staring. Next, they slaughtered an unwilling sheep, built a fire and proceeded to barbecue. There were no women. “Why do they stare?” I asked the Doc. “They don’t see many female faces, much less bodies. They watch Hollywood movies, believe all of us are evil. Also available. Quadaffy made Egyptian women furious when he said that women are biologically defective. If we were equal to men, he said, “ ‘we should be willing to jump out of planes in parachutes while pregnant.’ ” “You can’t be serious.” I said. I was carrying my first child. Lesson #4, Part 1 Geologists, as everybody knows, study the Earth. Scooting along the coast road of Libya in our Volkswagen ‘bug’, I double-checked the contents of my husband’s rucksack. Along with charts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was his geologist’s hammer, binoculars, research notebooks and a letter written in English and Arabic from his Head of Department: “Dr. Peter Garrett, the bearer of this note, is a staff member of the faculty of science, University of Tripoli. He is studying the rocks and coast of Tripoli. Please offer him any assistance you can.” It was stamped with a blue, official-looking seal. Turning down a sandy track, we passed a zariba of stacked brush corralling jumping goats, scrawny dogs, screeching children and, just beyond, a domed, whitewashed Holy Man’s Tomb overlooking a subkha or salt flat and the sea. Land Rovers were parked beside it. We joined the line — and an army came pouring out like mad hornets. “Uh oh!” the secretary said. “Hm,” from the doctor. Peter got out calmly, shrugging on his rucksack, juggling binoculars with one hand, camera with the other. “Salam Alaykam.” he said. No one replied.
“Great,” I thought. “Maybe we’ll be shot for spies.” He was jostled, rucksack grabbed. Soon hands were waving charts, trying out binoculars. As he rummaged through pockets, rifles were raised, but he paid no attention, offered his official letter to a big black officer who burst out of the building shouting orders. I was terrified. The letter was seized, held upside down, soldiers grabbed it, held it every which-way, arguing. “They can’t read,” the secretary said. “They’ll rip it.” I squeaked. The officer pocketed the letter, returned the rucksack, made a gesture saying, “Do your thing,” and we headed down-slope to the sea. “What was that about?” I said. “They were just checking,” Peter said with Jean Ann Pollard photos
Above, the pregnant author during her time in Tripoli, in a citrus, date palm, olive grove where plots of barley had been planted between trees.
Left, in the 1970s the Souk al Juma, a market on the Homs road to the west of Tripoli, was busy every Friday. A market full of men and boys turned hostile , some even stoning the author.
Left, Desert Tuarg in Germa, far south of Tripoli in the Sahara.
a smile. But I discovered what checking meant. Lesson #4, Part 2 Sliding down the steep, sandy slope to the wide subkha below the Holy Man’s Tomb, I was about to say, “I wonder what soldiers are doing in there?” when one of their Land Rovers roared to life and came plunging after us, its driver and buddies braking to a wild
stop, leaping out. “No!” they shouted, waving away my husband while flapping their arms at we women like farmers shooing brainless hens. “They want us to go back up the hill,” the secretary said. I couldn’t believe my ears. Awkward with More on LYBIA, Page 11
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pregnancy, I stumbled. Voices barked. “La!” exclaimed the doctor. “Tabib,” I heard her say. Then Arabic for “mother, child.” I thought of the Koran, Sura 31: “We enjoined man to show kindness to his parents, for with much pain his mother bears him….” The soldiers drove us, flapping. I was afraid for the baby, shuffled up the slope to our Volkswagen, threw myself inside and locked the doors. They rocked the car. Boys. I thought. They’re stupid boys. One rapped the windshield hard and I heard the doctor say, “La! Imshi!” Heart pounding, I picked up a book, pretended to read. He fingered his rifle. Then the big officer reappeared, shouting orders, and the Rover sped off again. Below, my husband ambled unconcernedly. “They’ll kill him!” I could hardly breathe. The Rover braked, he got aboard. Delivered to the parking lot, he shrugged. “They want us to go somewhere.” So, hemmed in by army vehicles, we
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made a tight convoy back to the coast road, parked before a mud-brick building with an old green door, a Rover blocking all escape. I wanted to screech. Until, inside, a handsome senior officer took our passports, checked our photos, fingered the letter, thought a moment, handed them back. “I trust you have good researching, Dr. Garrett,” he said. Ignoring me, he turned to the unmarried women. “Why have you no husbands?” he asked. And got their addresses. I didn’t know what to feel. Lesson #5 The farm villa my husband and I rented in Libya was in a citrus grove. Solid and square, it was built by Italians in the early 1900s before Quadaffy threw them out, confiscated their property, banned foreign language signs, pork and alcohol. Close by was the Souk al Juma — the Friday Market. The road to the souk wandered between red-dirt berms topped with prickly pear. Driving our ‘bug’ we passed a small, white camel tethered to a date palm, yellow acacia in bloom, tall eucalyptus lining the way. Ahead and behind were Peugeot pick-ups loaded with sheep. It was hot. I was doing my best to respect the culture, wearing a flowing dress with full-length sleeves. Beyond a line of opensided, garage-like stalls — one with a
Jean Ann Pollard photo
Camping in the dunes along the beautiful Mediterranean coast of Tripolitania east of Tripoli.
camel’s head dripping blood — was an open area partly walled by crumbling stone, where farmers offered pyramids of new potatoes, fennel, tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers, onions, broad beans, peas, even bananas from Ecuador. Parking, we went inside. I was choosing peppers when the first stone hit. At first I didn’t understand. There was no parting of the crowd. Nobody shouted. The stone hit me on the side, skittered down my skirt. Another hit my hand. I stood stock still in disbelief. Then came a handful of pebbles. Someone hated me. I remembered the
princess who’d been stoned to death in Saudi. Twenty feet away my husband placidly bought beans. Easing over, I clutched his arm. “I’m being stoned!” “Beg pardon?” “Stoned!” “I don’t see anything.” “Get me out of here.” The souk was crowded. There was no rush of feet, no yells. But suddenly I realized
More on LYBIA, Page 13
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Wednesday, July 20, 22, 2011
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Cookbook offers father-daughter team advice BY NANCY MCGINNIS Correspondent
In this appealing cookbook, “Jacques Pepin's Kitchen: Cooking With Claudine,” popular classical French chef Jacques Pepin is matched up in the kitchen with an irreverent red-headed twenty-something souschef — his daughter Claudine. No, she didn ‘t genetically inherit the ability to create memorable French cuisine. “If my father were a surgeon, would I necessarily know how to operate?” she asks. Only after purchasing a copy did I realize that it is apparently a companion cookbook for a PBS series by the same name that aired some time ago. I never saw the TV versions, but the cookbook is handy to browse through for specific recipes and entire menus — or for the purpose of armchair daydreaming or nitty gritty event planning. Sprinkled here and there are adorable snapshots of father and young daughter working together in the kitchen years ago — but this book, while sometimes whimsical, is absolutely serious in its dedication to the pursuit of good food rather than cuteness. Conversational comments and anecdotes, as well as practical tips quoted in the margins make the reader feel as if Jacques and Claudine are right there in the kitchen; a detailed nutritional analysis of every recipe is helpful for people with allergies or dietary restrictions. Pepin’s approach is unabashedly artful but not the least bit pretentious. It also is mindful that Claudine’s generation often has limited time and funds, along with a concern for healthy eating. Respect for tradition and a willingness to learn are combined with a respect for creativity and the challenge of making something out of what one has on hand. In short, it is simple cooking that pleases and nurtures, without straining to impress A cookbook for summer — or anytime — in Maine. I know from experience that one can easily Google any recipe one can imagine on the Internet, but that’s not the point. Just like curling up with a great fiction hardcover, in an all too electronic world, sometimes a person just wants to sit down and flip through the pages of a well thought out and attractively designed cookbook. When I turn my attention to food, I prefer to be thinking of the cutting board, not the keyboard. From the older family members — European and Caribbean heritage to Claudine’s childhood summers spent on the New England coast — this book reinforces Pepin’s notion of affective memory versus intellect. Simply put, our own emotional and personal experience that we bring to the kitchen and to the table is embodied in the food we eat and how we prepare it. So this father-daughter pair shows us how to eat locally and think globally, from New England clam fritters to continental clafoutis (a thick fruit custard dish, a European classic). Dig in!
FROZEN WATERMELON SLUSH Serves 8 Total time about 30 minutes, plus 12 to 14 hours freezer and refrigeration time. 1 medium watermelon (about 12 pounds) 3/4 cup lime or lemon juice 3/4 cup sugar 1. Cut the watermelon into 2-inch wedges. Remove and discard the rind, black seeds
and as many of the softer white seeds as possible. Cut the flesh into one-inch chunks, and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Process until liquefied. (Some small chunks may remain.) This will yield about 10 cups. Add the lime juice and sugar, and process just until incorporated. 2. Transfer the watermelon mixture to a stainless steel bowl, cover, and freeze until solid, for 8 to 10 hours. 3. At least 3 to 4 hours (but as long as 5 hours) before serving, move the bowl to
the refrigerator to soften the mixture. In the last hour before serving, use a fork to break the softened mixture into shavings. Serve in cold glass goblets or bowls.
NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS: Calories 209.6 Protein 2.6 gm. Fat 1.8 gm Saturated fat 0 gm Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 12.1 mg
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something horribly significant: In all that gathering of carts, donkeys, boys, and men wearing toga-like capes over white shirts and dark trousers, mine was the only female face. I was the only woman there. I thought I’d faint, and for some reason remembered the small white camel tethered to the palm. My husband walked me out of there. I’d never visit the souk again.
Nancy P. McGinnis
A double page spread shows Jacques Pepin’s exuberant, casually hand-drawn and decorated menu for a bridal shower brunch created for one of daughter Claudine’s friends. On the opposite page, a mouth-watering photo of a tray of openface sandwiches features several “colorful and complimentary tidbits of food layered on a single thin slice of bread, toast or a cracker,” spotlighting fillings such as salami, mozzarella, scrambled egg, blue cheese, herring, tuna, smoked mussels, brie, and more.
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Lesson #6 So there I was kneeling on the tarmac. The baby kicked. “Never mind, little one,” I murmured. “We’ll be all right.” I’d said it so many times in Libya. In so many places. And for just a moment actually missed the clacking of date palms overhead rather than the grumbling 767s and 727s and all the little carts with luggage and men with flags. Then someone put his hand on me, stood me up. “Thanks,” I said. “All right?” “Yes. Now.” He looked concerned, eyes bright, uniform immaculate. “OK,” he said. Sorry. Sorry. I lied about that, dear reader. There was no freshly-pressed, official, young American. I was all alone[4]. Cut off. The same way I’d felt in the Sahara, in the World of Islam. And wondered what it was like for Muslim women in America.
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Wednesday, July 20, 22, 2011
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Morning Sentinel
North End gathering breathes life into the community BY BONNIE N. DAVIS Correspondent
When 800 hundred adults and children gathered last month for the Fourth Annual North End Night at Dave’s Place — the small park located on Drummond Avenue between Oak Street and High Street in Waterville — community advocates saw the fruits of their labor. Hosted by the North End Boys and Girls Club and Living Water Community Church, the community bash offered a free evening of fun and food in a safe environment. People of all backgrounds mingled, as their children played. The Alfond Youth Center, the parent organization of the boys and girls club, offered karate demonstrations. Dance performances, face painting, music and games delighted the children. “I think it’s huge,” Connie Turmelle, area landlord and neighborhood beautification advocate, said about the event and Bonnie N. Davis photo the presence of the North End Boys and Jo Horn and her granddaughters, Aiydna and Dasey McNeill, came to North End Night for the first time. Girls Club. “Steve Aucoin is amazing. He’ll go door to door, to all the houses with kids. It’s a huge draw when people move to the neighborhood.” “With each year, I think people now have an expectation that this event will happen and they look forward to it; it’s Our collision, mechanical and detailing great to create an event that has longevicenter for all your car needs! ty,” said Steve Aucoin, event organizer and director of the North End Boys and Girls Club. “Over half the tenants in public housing were there. The kids conducted themselves very well.” Turmelle agreed. “From my end, I have a lot of social worker skills, people want safe homes,” Allen Street, Waterville she said. “We’re seeing more neighbors taking care of neighbors and taking pride www.davidmathieucompany.com
in the neighborhood. I just want people to know that the North End is alive and well and that we have earnest, hardworking people in this neighborhood.” According to Turmelle, her husband Arthur remembers large North End block parties from the past. At that time, Frieda Levine spent countless hours working to help woman and single mothers in the North End, she said. “She helped a lot of single women when no one else would,” Turmelle said. “One woman, now in her 90s, is still in the neighborhood. For me, that’s a huge legacy. To try and fill her shoes is not easy. It’s not one of my goals, it’s my destiny.” When Turmelle and her husband purchased a double square block of the North End 25 years ago, the property was added to smaller holdings. “We wanted to flip the neighborhood, but not to sell,” Turmelle said. “Besides
More on GATHERING, Page 15
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the beautification, you want to offer a nice place to live — clean and safe, with respectful neighbors.” As Ziyadah Montas walked around the party with her friend’s daughter, Airyanna, she wore a broad smile. “I moved here a few months ago from Massachusetts, so this is really different. There are things for everyone to do,” she said. “When I went to school, no one would talk to me, but I came here and they do.” For Jo Horn, the party was a great place to bring her granddaughters, Aiydna and Dasey; it was their first year. “I think it’s awesome. The lines are long, but the girls are patient and they’re having a blast,” Horn said. “A lot of people are struggling right now, so it’s great this is free for donations.” Craig Sargent, sensei of Club Naha — the karate school at the Alfond Youth Center — was pleased with the turnout. “I think the block party is a great idea,” Sargent said. “It gets the community together for bonding and to have a little fun. We enjoy coming out here and
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showing the community the program the Alfond Youth Center has to offer.” Aucoin, along with volunteers, gathered goods and funds from local merchants, businesses and individuals so that free hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, water and soda could be served at the block party. “Food is an introduction to something larger,” Aucoin said. “Breaking bread has a unifying quality.” Mike Nerney, pastor of Living Water Community Church, and his wife, Sue, have an active role in the neighborhood, which includes the North End Ministry Center located at 10 Toward Street. His Oakland congregation offered games, free popcorn and cotton candy. Sue Nerney provided vouchers for free backpacks and youth camp. Other church volunteers offered information on women’s activities and Bible study groups. “Mike brings the spiritual part to the North End,” Turmelle said. “They offer support, programs for women and help you feel like you’re not alone. I loved seeing the volunteers from Inland.” Medical assistant Jessica Gammon felt their Inland Family Care booth — Bonnie N. Davis photo
More on GATHERING, Page 17
Living Water offered a week full of fun for neighborhood kids, free of charge.
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Wednesday, July 20, 22, 2011
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Morning Sentinel
July is designated as “Sandwich Generation” Month A midlife tug of war phenomenon BY WANDA CURTIS Correspondent
required. • Take care of yourself. Make plans for your own retirement and for future college costs. The month of July has been designated as Sandwich • Find out about benefits for which parents may qualify. Generation Month, an annual national observance. Visit eldercare.org which can link you to the elder care The purpose is to recognize the thousands of Americans agency closest to your parents’ home. who are part of the Sandwich Generation, those sandIn Maine, Peg Soucy, owner of Elder Care Planning and wiched between raising children and caring for aging fami- Solutions, assists local residents in finding resources to ly members. meet the needs of aging family members. Soucy has The Pew Research Center has reported that approxireported an increase in sandwich generation members mately one of every eight Americans from age 40 to 60 is seeking her services to find out what is covered by insurraising a child and caring for a parent at the same time. ance, which resources are available in their area, and how Plus, seven to 10 million adults are caring for their aging to plan for aging parents. parents long distance. Soucy said that sandwich generation members must In a Feb. 20, 2007 Money Magazine article, Walecia juggle the responsibilities involved in maintaining two Konrad described this phenomenon as the “midlife tug of households — getting groceries, preparing meals, doing war.” She offered the following suggestions for dealing laundry, managing medications and appointments, paying with these difficult situations. bills and splitting time between their spouse, children and • Talk to parents about their finances and about what aging family members. She commented that the increased plans they’ve made if they become ill or incapacitated. demands on time, energy, health, and finances involved in • Make sure that parents have a durable power of attorcaring for aging family members can place a strain on the ney who can sign checks, pay bills, and make financial caregiver’s marriage and relationships with their own decisions for them if they become unable to do so. They children. She explained that, members of the sandwich should also have a living will outlining their wishes generation feel torn between the needs of their own famiregarding healthcare if life-sustaining medical care is ly and the needs of their aging parents and “are often left
with feelings of inadequacy.” Soucy said that professional geriatric care managers, like herself, are trained to assess family situations, identify problems, develop a plan, recommend services and arrange for and monitor services, as well as act as a liaison for family members who live at a distance or out of state. “Sometimes, they are called in to work with families, physicians, attorneys and guardians to assess, plan and coordinate care while maintaining the dignity and respect of the person needing assistance.” Soucy travels throughout central Maine visiting homes, conducting assessments and assisting families in developing a plan of care. Her website is www.ecpsme.com, or contact her by emailing psoucy@ecpsme.com. CBSNews.com has reported that by 2024 there will be 60 million Americans between the ages of 66 and 84 years, many of whom may need part or full-time care. The website for the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers is www.caremanager.org. Included on that website are frequently asked questions, information regarding how to find a care manager in a particular geographic area and articles related to specific topics of interest to caregivers.
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serving downtown Waterville — gave people an opportunity to learn about health issues in a comfortable forum. “This is our first year. We wanted to reach out to the community; not everyone can afford healthcare,” she said. “We want to be help for people who don’t go to the doctor. It’s been mostly woman. We give them the educational piece. When we take their blood pressure, we give them a ‘smiley face’ if it’s normal or we tell them to go to a provider or the ER(emergency room).” “It’s such a good example of people working together to build community; I hope people in the North End see it and learn from it,” said Aucoin. The organizing groups thanked everyone for donations and support, handing a special thanks to Arthur and Connie Turmelle. “It was a great event. About 6 p.m., straight overhead, there was a big old rainbow,” Aucoin said. “It was really cool, with over a 100 people looking up. It was a nice little touch; however, we got it.”
Bonnie N. Davis photo
Ziyadah Montas with her neighbor’s daughter, Airyanna, enjoyed the summer fun.
Bonnie N. Davis photo
Stephanie and Caitlin Blair ran the Inland booth with Jessica Gammon.
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Wednesday, July 20, 22, 2011
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
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Morning Sentinel
Prescription cabinets hold silent threats Many mistakenly assume prescription medications safer and involve no risk SUBMITTED BY CRISIS AND COUNSELING Special to Women’s Quarterly
“Maine is number one per capita for the use of pill-form opioids. There’s fewer stigmas around taking them so many people get trapped into addictions by underestimating the dangers associated with taking them.”
killer medication than ever before.” Crisis & Counseling Centers is the sole provider of 24-hour mobile crisis A silent threat rests in many prescripresponse and stabilization in Kennebec tion cabinets across the state of Maine and Somerset counties. Staffing the and a recent report points to what may PETER WOHL, emergency response line means Crisis DIRECTOR OF OUTPATIENT SERVICES AT CRISIS & COUNSELING CENTERS. and Counseling staff are often the first appear to be an unlikely abuser population — older women. A recent report by line of defense. “Approximately 20 perthe federal Substance Abuse and Mental cent of our clients are age 60 or older,” Health Services Administration shows a particularly – mistakenly assume that Lourie said, adding that in her experiWhy Middle-Aged women? 49 percent rise in emergency department prescription medications are safer and ence all age groups and both sexes Why Now? involve no risk. visits for drug-related suicide attempts attempt suicide. “Virtually anyone under For many older women, powerful and “There’s fewer stigmas around taking by women aged 50 and older between the influence is more prone to attempt addictive prescription drugs are more 2005 and 2009. These attempted suicides them so many people get trapped into suicide,” she said. available and socially acceptable than addictions by underestimating the danare closely related to prescription drugs gers associated with taking them,” Wohl illegal counterparts. Variants are adverintended to treat pain, anxiety and Know the Warning Signs tised on television, they often don’t carry said. insomnia such as OxyContin, When in doubt, call the experts if According to Wohl, class and age bar- the stigma associated with hardcore hydrocodone and zolpidem. someone you know seems unstable and street drugs, and American culture often Unfortunately Maine is at the foreground riers prevent many from seeking help. has: encourages people to combat pain, anxi“If you are an older person living a on the war against prescription drug • Sudden change in personality, solid middle-class life, you may feel ety or insomnia with prescription drugs. abuse. increased risk-taking and / or irritability. uncomfortable with the idea that you are In addition, females are more likely to • Stopped taking prescribed mediaddicted. You may not seek the help you attempt suicide, according to Abby Making Sense of the Threat cines. need because you don’t want to be asso- Lourie, Director of Crisis Programs at “Maine is number one per capita for • Stopped seeing a mental health Crisis and Counseling. “Many choose to ciated with the stigma of addiction.” the use of pill-form opioids,” said Peter provider or physician. overdose, which may be one reason for “The sooner people get help, the betWohl, Director of Outpatient Services at ter they will be both in the long term and this trend. Older women have easier Crisis & Counseling Centers. Many access to powerful prescription pain the short run.” Mainers – adolescents and older adults, More on THREATS, Page 19
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KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
~ H E A LT H TA L K
Threats Continued from Page 18
• Written a suicide note or will. • Given possessions away. • Been in or is currently in an abusive relationship. • An upcoming anniversary of a loss. • Started abusing alcohol or drugs. • Already attempted suicide or has talked about suicidal thoughts. For questions, contact Crisis and Counseling at its 24-hour toll-free crisis number: 1-888-568-1112. For more information, (including free brochures, visit www.crisisandounseling.org.
Photo provided by Crisis & Counseling Centers
At risk: Nationally women aged 50 and older are being treated in emergency departments at alarming rates, due to drugrelated suicide attempts. If someone you care about is at risk, please call the statewide 24-hour emergency response line: 1-888-568-1112, or Crisis & Counseling Centers’ local number (Kennebec and Somerset counties), 6212552.
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Wednesday, July 20, 22, 2011
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
~ H E A LT H TA L K
Morning Sentinel
MacKenzie helps women navigate the issues of incontinence with reassurance “It’s so important for women to have personal, face-to-face support when dealing with incontinence. They often are embarrassed or uncomfortable discussing it. Being there during their appointments makes it easier to talk about it and I can help process the medical information.”
BY DIANE E. PETERSON Senior editor at MaineGeneral Health
Judy MacKenzie’s day started, like so many do, at a local obstetrician-gynecologist’s office. She was there to lend support and guidance to a woman who had called her, desperate for help with incontinence. After reassuring the woman that treatment was available and learning more about her specific problem, Judy helped set up the appointment for her to be evaluated and have treatment options explained. For MacKenzie, MaineGeneral’s women’s health navigator, fielding telephone calls, going with women to doctors’ appointments, helping them understand often-confusing medical information, being there for their surgeries, providing comforting support afterward and checking on their progress is all part of her day’s work. “It’s so important for women to have personal, face-to-face support when dealing with incontinence. They often are
JUDY MACKENZIE, MAINEGENERAL’S WOMEN’S HEALTH NAVIGATOR
MaineGeneral photo
Judy MacKenzie, registered nurse and women’s health navigator, connects women with the treatment they need. MacKenzie is just a toll-free phone call away at 1-877894-2282.
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embarrassed or uncomfortable discussing it. Being there during their appointments makes it easier to talk about it and I can help process the medical information,” she said. “I often get a big hug after the appointment so I know I’ve helped,” she said. Treatments vary from simple changes in diet, to pelvic floor exercises, medications, physical therapy and surgery. “Judy’s role is a unique service MaineGeneral started last year,” said Jennifer Riggs, administrative director of women’s services. “She offers women personalized and confidential support to connect them with the services they need, help coordinate their care and, if neces-
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Women feel safe and have a friend After suffering from incontinence for more than 10 years, Debbie Hamilton credits MacKenzie with giving her the support she needed to have surgery that has been a huge success. “I don’t think I would have had the operation if she hadn’t made me feel safe in deciding to have it done. She went with me to every appointment, was there when I had the surgery and calls me to keep in touch. She’s awesome.” Hamilton’s surgery was done by uroloMore on HEALTH, Page 21
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KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel
Health Continued from Page 20
gist Dr. Ravi Kamra, at Kennebec County Urology. “I had been wearing incontinence pads for more than a decade. Now I can sneeze, cough, run and it’s wonderful.” For Doris Jorgensen, MacKenzie has become a friend. “Judy is a newfound friend that I can confide in,” said Jorgensen, who had surgery last year, which she said gave her a second chance at life. She called MacKenzie after her primary care physician, Dr. Jenny Pisculli at Maine Dartmouth Family Practice recommended her. “She has the personality to put you at ease to be able to talk about personal things. You need a friend like that because it’s an intimate thing you don’t share with everybody,” Doris said. Physician support Although skeptical about Judy’s role at first, Dr. William George, an OB/GYN at Waterville Women’s Care, is a strong believer in its benefits. “Having Judy there during appointments is very reassuring to patients,” he
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY said. “And it’s good to have someone who knows our health care system so well to literally navigate them through it. People have a hard time knowing where to go. I think Judy makes their lives a lot easier. It’s wonderful to have that.” And, because MacKenzie has already talked to patients extensively beforehand, they often are better prepared, he said. Not just incontinence To date, much of Mackenzie’s time has been devoted to helping women with incontinence problems. “We started promoting that because we knew there are a lot of women in our communities who don’t realize there are treatments available. If we can connect them to those services, they shouldn’t have to live with the problem,” Riggs said. But, she emphasized, the goal of the Women’s Health Navigator Program is to help guide women through any services they need during all stages of their lives. “A lot of women have felt comfortable asking her about different services. Any health care issue has the potential to be scary and confusing,” Riggs said. “Having somebody physically go with you is such a huge relief. Not all women need that, some just want to know what to expect.”
Compassion - Leadership - Excellence
~ H E A LT H TA L K
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
Morning Sentinel
Community Health Needs Assessment plan is released health survey of more than 6,400 households www.inlandhospital.org for the full report and Health Needs Assessment process included developing and analyzing a comprehensive and Maine vital statistics, cancer registry and for specific results about Kennebec County health profile by county using data from a hospital and emergency department data. and Somerset County. OneMaine Health, a collaboration between In Kennebec County, the report indicates Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (which is that a high percentage of males are without a Inland Hospital is a member of Eastern Maine Health Care Systems (EMHS), which Inland Hospital’s parent company), usual source of care when compared to the serves as a foundation for more than 30 healthcare organizations in central, eastern MaineGeneral Health and MaineHealth, statewide rate. Tobacco, both smokeless and and northern Maine. Together EMHS members work to ensure safe, quality care is recently announced the release of Maine’s in the form of cigarettes, continues to be an available to Maine people. first comprehensive, statewide Community The OneMaine Health Collaborative was formed in 2007 by EMHS, MaineGeneral issue requiring attention and action. Another Health Needs Assessment. Health and MaineHealth to produce cost savings, share information and collectively compelling finding is that seniors in central The three health systems will work closely Maine are more likely than others their age in better understand Maine’s community health needs. While each system has previously offered its own individual Community Health Needs Assessment focused on its region, with the state’s hospitals and Healthy Maine Maine to be chronic heavy drinkers and binge the larger OneMaine Health study provided an opportunity to lower costs and deliver Partnerships to host local forums to share the drinkers. timely and comprehensive statewide information. information, begin discussions and develop Numerous presentations are planned in action plans based on the report’s findings. communities across the state so healthcare The Community Health Needs Assessment providers, citizens, business and legislative examined health status, use of health servicPresenting leaders can learn firsthand about the report’s es, access and barriers to care, and other fac- findings. These sessions will also provide an tors affecting the health of Maine people. The opportunity to share thoughts about the future in-depth report will help local communities of health care in Maine and how to effectiveand health-care professionals make decisions ly address local health issues. For more inforMedallion about the future of health care and prevention mation on the Waterville Community Health Your complete Sale in their areas by identifying how their comNeeds Assessment forum set for Aug. 30, munities compare to the state on many Kitchen contact Ellen Wells, Inland Hospital’s Starting dimensions of health Community Wellness Coordinator at 861and Bath Monday, The findings point out several major health 3292 or ewells@emh.org. Resource issues facing all communities, including July 18 OneMaine Health contracted with the chronic disease burden, such as diabetes, University of New England’s Center for Visit us at 2 Bangor Street New jewelry by Pamela Hitchcock, heart disease and respiratory disease, cancer Community and Public Health to conduct the our favorite Maine designer. Augusta or visit our website rates, levels of obesity, smoking and illicit Community Health Needs Assessment. The www.kitchenencountersinc.com drug use and access to dental and mental Muskie School and Market Decisions, Inc. Handmade designer jewelry by new 622-4300 health services. Visit www.chna.emh.org or helped complete the report. The Community individual designers, mostly in Maine SUBMITTED BY INLAND HOSPITAL Special to Women’s Quarterly
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KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel
Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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Women’s Q UA RT E R LY
KENNEBEC JOURNAL •
Morning Sentinel