February 1, 2014
www.timesofti.com
Times of Ti - 3
Ticonderoga church dinners reach milestone Free meals enter fourth year at First United Methodist Church By Fred Herbst
fred@denpubs.com TICONDEROGA Ñ ItÕ s hard to beat the community dinner program at the First United Methodist Church in Ticonderoga. It offers good food and good company for an unbeatable price Ñ itÕ s free. The program, which serves dinner each month, marked its third anniversary in January. Led by Penny Mason, Joan Viault, Lori Fox and Beth Hanley, the program has served more than 5,500 meals. The church will begin its fourth year of free dinners Sunday, Feb. 2. It will serve meat loaf with mashed potatoes, vegetables, desserts and beverages 4:30 to 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome. While there is no charge, a free-will donation is appreciated. High chairs, booster seats and a child friendly menu will also be available. Take-outs are also available. Ò Starting its fourth year with the Feb. 2 din-
ner, the program has already served 5,500 meals,Ó Mason said, Ò and we hope many more will join us this year. Hopefully weÕ ll reach 20,000 before too many more years.Ó A group of volunteers assist Mason, Viault, Fox and Hanley each month. Ò Many faithful volunteers have added to the continued success of the program,Ó Viault said. The church youth group also helps out. Ò The youth of our church are also helping in many ways with the dinners, especially by bussing tables,Ó Fox said. Ò They are eager and learning to help where they can.Ó The free community dinner program is held on the first or second Sunday each month in the church fellowship hall. Dinners may be boxed to take home. The First United Methodist Church is located at 1045 Wicker St. (Rt. 9N) in Ticonderoga. For more information contact the church office at 585-7995 or visit the church web site: www. tifumc.com. Rev. Scott Tyler is the church pastor. Everyone is welcome to attend the worship services held each Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday School for children is held during the 10:30 service.
The Ticonderoga First United Methodist Church free community dinner program is entering its fourth year. Helping plan the monthly meals are Betty Mason, left, and Joan Viault.
Ti PA earns national credential TICONDEROGA Ñ N. Alexandra Caffrey, PA-C, a physician assistant at Moses-Ludington Hospital in Ticonderoga, is one of 108 certified physician assistants nationally to recently earn a specialty credential called a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Caffrey was awarded a CAQ in emergency medicine, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing an exam in the specialty. She is one of only 39 certified PAs in New York and 530 certified PAs nationally, to earn a CAQ since the program’s inception in 2011. “The demand for certified PAs in the era of health care reform is skyrocketing,” says NCCPA Board Chairman James Cannon, D.H.A., PA-C, himself a recipient of the CAQ in psychiatry. “The CAQ validates, in an objective way, a certified PA’s understanding and experience in a specialty area. It is good news for the public as these PAs are doing over and above what is required
for state licensure by earning this valuable credential. It is also good news for physician specialists who are likely to appreciate PAs who go the extra mile to expand their skills, adding value to the practice with a clinician who holds both primary care and specialty certificates.” CAQs were offered to certified PAs in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, orthopaedic surgery, nephrology and psychiatry. This year, NCCPA will add hospital medicine and pediatrics to the CAQ program. Certified PAs are licensed and certified health care professionals who practice medicine with physician supervision and bring a breadth of knowledge and skills to patient care. Though their role in any particular workplace is determined in consultation with the supervising physician, certified PAs can take histories, conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventative health care, assist in surgery, perform a variety of procedures and write prescriptions.
N. Alexandra Caffrey