Health Notes

If you are looking for inspection reports on nursing homes in the Toledo area (or anywhere in the United States), ProPublica has produced an easy to use database to compare nursing homes based on the deficiencies cited by regulators and the penalties imposed over the past three years. The database allows searches of over 80,000 nursing home inspection reports to evaluate nursing homes near you. Visit ProPublica’s website for nursing home inspection data.

Toledoans with chronic or other conditions that require intravenous or injection therapies, by injecting medications directly into a vein, have two new infusion centers in the area. Infusion Associates and Horizon Infusions have both recently opened facilities in Toledo and Perrysburg, respectively. John Crawford, director of operations for Infusion Associates, said they saw the need for a new center as access to infusion care was lacking in the area. Many new biologic medicines today are used to treat a wide variety of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus or Crohn’s disease.

infusionassociates.com horizoninfusions.com

By Lou Hebert

For tasty Lebanese food in a casual, yet welcoming atmosphere, head to Ameera Mediterranean Bistro in Sylvania. Located on South Main Street about ½ mile from downtown in an unpretentious strip mall with plenty of parking, Ameera offers a variety of Mediterranean dining options that cover everything you would expect and much more.

As soon as you enter the door, the booming friendly voice of the proprietor, host and chef, Nick Chamoun, welcomes you. Chamoun is involved in every aspect of this delightful eatery. A long-time and well-known chef in the area, he not only prepares the food, but also seats you and takes your order from the many wonderful choices you’ll find on the menu.

Ameera Mediterranean Bistro

5127 Main Street, Sylvania, Ohio (419) 517-9999

Hours:

Sunday - Closed

Monday - 11am-9pm

Tuesday - 11am-9pm

Wednesday - 11am-9pm

Thursday - 11am-9pm

Friday - 11am-10pm

Saturday - 11am-10pm

Lighting - Well-lit

Parking - Ample

Kid Friendly - Yes

Accessibility - Yes

Noise - Quiet Price - Moderate

Chef

“A good, strong family is built on a foundation of pride, love and tradition. A good quality dining establishment is built on those same principles,” Chamoun said. Those standards of excellence are rooted in the Chamoun family culture of meal preparation from Chamoun’s grandmother, Ameera, for whom the restaurant is named. Chamoun says Ameera means “Princess” and his grandmother was the strength of the family, passing on her passion for delicious recipes with pride in the Lebanese tradition. Chamoun wants customers to feel like family so that once they have visited they will keep coming back.

It may take some time to review the entire menu as it features an extensive array of fresh and traditional Mediterranean staples. To get you started, Ameera offers a healthy selection of appetizers, including shows his many dishes. hummus, grape leaves, falafel and kibbi or lightly fried cauliflower florets – just one of many vegetarian or gluten free offerings served here.

For the hearty appetite, the shish tawook with rice, vermicelli and pine nuts is popular, as are the delicious Mediterranean lamb chops. Another favorite on the menu is Ameera’s Favorite Combo plate, a generous blend of shish kabob, shish tawook and beef kafta on a bed of rice with green beans.

In addition, there are plenty of choices for salads, soups, rolled pitas and pita pitza, and you can finish your dining experience here with a tempting treat of Mediterranean desserts sure to please the palate, including baklava, cheesecakes or rice pudding.

Whatever you choose from this banquet of menu choices, Chamoun says you can be assured they use only the freshest ingredients for every dish that comes out of the kitchen.

Ameera is truly a “Princess” among Toledo area dining options.

by Riley Runnells

Local grocery store operator

Sautter’s has updated the 2019 publication, “After All These Years, Ohio’s Still Cooking!” The original book, compiled by Amanda Kay, celebrates 200 years of Ohio food history through varying flavors and stories. The updated version, with Sautter’s special twist, has photos, news clippings, a collection of cooking and history articles and profiles of Ohio cooks, who share some of their secret family recipes.

Sautter’s Market, founded in downtown Toledo in 1927, has been a local community staple as the family-owned grocery business passed through generations, taking pride in offering locally sourced quality foods. The book has a foreword from former northwest Ohio television broadcasting legend and longtime Sylvania resident, Gordon Ward, who passed away at age 96 in 2022.

Purchase the book, dive into the history and connect with local epicurean offerings by trying the recipes.

Available for purchase on Amazon or at Sautter’s grocery stores in Sylvania and Waterville.

by Riley Runnells Congresswoman Marcy

Kaptur announced a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for $3.971 million to expand Ohio’s Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.

The federally funded program aims to lower food insecurity among seniors, while supporting local agriculture. The grant will increase the yearly Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) budget by 150%. Administrators from SFMNP will be able to serve more seniors and expand into different areas in Ohio. Rep. Kaptur was not only instrumental in securing this funding, but also was part of the creation of SFMNP in 2001.

The USDA grants a total of $50 million across 47 states under the American Rescue Plan Act. Every year, more than 800,000 seniors across the country receive up to $50 worth of coupons. These coupons can be exchanged for fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey at around 20,000 different farmers’ markets and food stands across the nation.