The 13th  Annual Autumn Wine Tasting will be held on September 18, 2010 from 6pm – 10pm at the historic Port Tobacco Courthouse.

Tickets are $60.00 and include all wine samples, all food, open bar and specialty bars.  There will be a Cigar Lounge where you can purchase cigars and feel free to buy your favorite bottle of wine at the Wine Boutique.  You can also start your holiday shopping early by bidding on items at the Silent Auction.

New this year: VIP Reception sponsored by Dr. Krishan Mathur, Medical Oncology from 5pm – 6pm (VIP Ticket Required, limited to 60, call for availability).  VIP ticket includes private wine tasting of select reserve vintages paired with gourmet inspired foods prepared by Prime Street Grille.  After reception, join the VIP sponsor Outdoor Creations and everyone else to enjoy the Annual Wine Tasting.  Tickets are $100.00.

Click here for additional information.

Bringing the faith community and healthcare agencies of Charles County together is the goal of 2^nd Annual Faith and Unity Health Expo to be held on Saturday, August 28, 2010 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the College of Southern Maryland’s La Plata campus in the Business & Industry Building.

Over 45 healthcare and community agencies including Civista Health will be attending and offering screenings, including: Blood pressure check, HIV rapid test, body mass index (BMI), basic skin cancer check, massage therapy, and bone density check.

Other Great Events at the Expo include:

• A musical performance by the Shiloh Community Praise Team
• Liturgical dance, vocal solos, and live music
• Stress Relief through Fitness and Belly Dancing for Fitness Demonstrations
• And Break-Out Learning Sessions Sponsored by Civista:
  • “Advanced Directives/Living Wills” presented by Robin Benton, RN, Manager Case Management Services, Civista Medical Center
  • “From Energy Drinks to Water, You Are What You Drink” presented by Ann LeBarron, MS, RD, LD, registered dietitian, Civista Medical Center

This event is a special project of the Partnerships for a Healthier Charles County (PHCC). For more information, please contact Mary Beth Klick at (301) 609-6932.

A recent widespread outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) this summer has contaminated the egg supply in the United States and made nearly two thousand people sick. As a service to the community, Civista Health would like to provide you with good online resources so that you can arm yourself with knowledge against potential illness:

• Get more information on the recall from Civista by clicking here.
• Get the latest updates from the Food and Drug Administration, including how to determine if your eggs are included in the recall, by clicking here.
• Get the latest updates from the Centers for Disease Control, including how to identify the symptoms of salmonella sickness and general advice for consumers, by clicking here.

Salmonella Enteritidis can cause severe illness in healthy adults and even cause death in infants and the elderly unless treated promptly with antibiotics. If you believe you may have purchased recalled eggs, do not eat them and return them to the store where they were purchased for a refund. Civista Health will continue to keep you up to date about this and all other health issues that affect our community.

Civista Medical Center will be participating in a Maryland State Region V Disaster Exercise on Thursday, August 26, 2010. Civista along with 12 other Maryland State Region V hospitals will be participating in the drill.

With this regional effort we will be able to assess and evaluate a number of factors including:  hospital readiness, surge, communications, coordination/collaboration with local agency and all hospitals within the Maryland State Region V area. Civista’s Mass Casualty Disaster Organization Team will conducting the drill with participation from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Charles County Emergency Management System and Volunteer EMS – Fire & Rescue.

Civista Health is proud to present “Pitching for Prostate Health” Prostate Cancer Awareness Night at the Blue Crabs Baseball Game on Friday, August 20th, at 7:05 pm. Education on the benefits of early detection and screening information will be available, so have fun and get on the path to prostate health at the same time. For more info visit www.somdbluecrabs.com.

And, make sure to save the date for our next complimentary Prostate Cancer Screening. Civista offers a free screening to detect prostate cancer, including a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). The free screening will be held on Tuesday, September 28th, between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm in the Same Day Surgery Department at Civista Medical Center. Pre-registration is required, but the screening is free.

On Saturday, July 31st, Civista Medical Center and the Pink Ladies & Sisters at Heart breast cancer support groups celebrated a great night of awareness, fellowship and a Blue Crabs win with an out-of-the-park home run at Regency Furniture Stadium.

The combined efforts helped raise awareness about the importance of early detection for breast cancer and the Blue Crabs pink jersey auction raised $8,455 to further support the wonderful work of the Pink Ladies and Sisters at Heart.

Thank you to all of you who supported us!

Care E Bear and Gail Lessner, breast cancer survivor and Civista’s Nurse of the Year

The Pink Ladies and Sisters at Heart at Regency Furniture Stadium

Please join us in participating in the Buy Local Challenge, a statewide campaign to support local farmers by eating at least 1 food from a local farm each day during the last full week in July.

Civista Health has accepted the challenge and will serve at least 1 food from a local farmer in the cafeteria each day from July 17th – 25th, and we will identify which menu item contains the local food. This year hospitals will also be recognized for the highest number of community members participating. The health care facility with the highest percentage of employees and with the highest number of employees and community members participating will be recognized in several ways.

We encourage you to share this great idea with your family members and with the people we serve and invite them to sign up on one of our sign-up sheets or on the Buy Local Challenge website.

Do you know someone in our Southern Maryland community who deserves recognition for their commitment to helping others? Don’t let them go without being thanked—here’s your chance to share their story with the whole world!

The Civista Hero of the Month is our way of recognizing and showing our appreciation for those who support and care for the people in our community. A new hero will be chosen each month, so there’s an opportunity to recognize many of our local heroes.

Best of all: The Civista Hero of the Month and the person who nominates them will each receive a $25 gift card! So let the whole community know who your heroes are—nominate your own community hero to be The Civista Hero of the Month! Visit www.CivistaHeroes.com for details.

The Villages of SteepleChase helps raise more than $4,300 for the Civista Health Foundation

A great time was had by all last Friday night at Regency Furniture Stadium, home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team. Players on the Blue Crabs roster wore Redskins-themed jerseys, which were auctioned at the end of the game to benefit the Civista Health Foundation. La Plata community The Villages of SteepleChase was the jersey and auction sponsor, proudly supporting both the Civista Health Foundation and our local baseball team. In all, more than $4,300 was raised for the Civista Health Foundation, and we all enjoyed an evening filled with fun, baseball, and community fellowship.

(Left to right): Kanoee Reynolds, Ronald Rymer, Tom Nelson, Dr. Richard Ferraro, Dr. Dwayne Thompson

The Civista Health Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports Civista Medical Center in its mission to provide the community with a full range of health care services. The Foundation raises funds through individual and corporate donations, memorial and planned gifts, special events and an annual campaign.

Civista Health hosted the annual Cancer Survivors Reception on May 21 in the Healing Garden at Civista Medical Center. This beautiful venue was a welcoming place to enjoy time with fellow survivors. Approximately 150 survivors and their families enjoyed an evening of food and fellowship at the reception.

At the Reception: Shown left to right are David Nortrup, Martha Nortrup, Tracy Keech, and Anne Griffith.

Breast Cancer Survivors and Care E. Bear at the 2010 Relay for Life event.