Local residents recently completed a Healthy Bones class that was hosted by the Chautauqua Adult Day Care at Christ First UMC in Jamestown. Nine participants attended the 10 week class to learn exercises that improve their strength and ability to remain independent. Healthy Bones is taught by peer leaders and has been proven to help older people build strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance. To learn when the next class will be offered, contact Chautauquau Adult Day Care at 665-4899 or visit their website.

The Chautauqua County Health Network announces the relocation of its offices to 200 Harrison Street in Jamestown. The move provides additional space while maintaining a presence on Jamestown's emerging medical corridor. In addition to the change in address, staff can be reached at a new phone number, (716) 338-0010. All email addresses have also changed and can be found on the website by clicking on this link.

Question: My spouse no longer has insurance. I have Medicare, but what is available to cover just an individual alone? Your spouse is in a difficult situation. I am running into this dilemma more and more. Sometimes it is due to retirement, sometimes being laid off, sometimes COBRA ending, sometimes because one spouse ages into Medicare. The reason doesn’t really matter, but the result is the same; A spouse or individual without insurance.

The Chautauqua Cares Coalition, the local Advance Care Planning initiative, held its annual meeting at Webb's Captains Table in Mayville. The meeting not only celebrates the group's accomplishments for the previous year, but also honors select partners for their extra effort. This year there were four awards given. The Physician Advocate Award was given to Westfield Family Physicians for their delivery of patient centered care that incorporates advance care planning conversations. The Attorney Advocate Award went to Brautigam and Brautigam, LLP, for making submissions of healthcare proxies to the registry part of their estate planning process. Rev. Jim Bailey and the members of Park United Methodist Church received a Community Advocate Award for continued support of Coalition programs through the use of their facility. A second Community Advocate Award was given to April Reynolds, Department of Social Services, to recognize her volunteer accomplishments in support of key Coalition activities.

Senior Life Matters, a program of Lutheran Social Services, will host a series of free educational sessions for people who are living with long-term conditions and their caregivers. "Living with a chronic illness can take its toll on the individual and his or her caregiver," said Janell Sluga, Senior Life Matters certified geriatric care manager. "We've had numerous requests to provide programs that offer tips on managing chronic illness and helpful ways to improve communication." On June 18, Kerry Mihalko will speak on the secrets to Being the Leader of Your Healthcare Team.

During the last several weeks, health care has received an unprecedented amount of media coverage. Despite allegations that pending health reform legislation would create panels to decide which patients were worthy of living, the facts are clear—and they clearly disprove these misrepresentations.

Speakers from across the state will be in Chautauqua County on Wednesday discussing the “age wave” and its affect on rural communities. Chautauqua County Executive Gregory J. Edwards, the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), Chautauqua County Office for the Aging (OFA), and Chautauqua County Health Network (CCHN) are pleased to present a one-day conference, “Preparing for the Age Wave – Is Your Organization Ready”?

The Chautauqua County Health Network (CCHN) recently received notice from the New York State Department of Health that the local organization will receive a grant of $233,180 under the Rural Health Network Development Program and an additional award of $120,000 under the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY). Funding for the Rural Health Network Development Program supports rural providers in improving access to care, enhancing coordination of services, increasing efficiency of service delivery and introducing needed community services. HEAL NY funding will support local and regional planning activities aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness of community health care systems.  

Office for the Aging (OFA) is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of seniors and their families in Chautauqua County. I would like to feature some of our community partners that collaborate with OFA on various programs and let you know what these agencies do beyond assisting OFA. CCHN has partnered with OFA on many occasions over the years because of our parallel missions of improving the health of people in our community. Over the last two years, I have had the pleasure of working with Executive Director, Ann Abdella, and the CCHN staff on many projects that are making a difference in our county like "Built Environments" a "STEPS to a Healthier NY" initiative to encourage improvements to the environment that promote healthy activities. 

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