Aubrey Tusar, this year's Heart Hero

Aubrey's Angels will be walking in the Centre County Heart Walk to be held on Sunday, September 9, at the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center in State College, will you?

Registration starts at noon, and the walk will begin at 1:00 pm. Aubrey Tusar's story is meant to be an inspiration to those who are considering participating in the three-mile walk to benefit the American Heart Association (AHA). She is this year's Heart Hero.

Aubrey Tusar, now 22 months, was born with a congenital heart defect and will undergo multiple procedures throughout her life to treat the disorder. She and her twin sister Ainsley both have Turner Syndrome, but Ainsley does not have the heart defect.

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted Three-year Accreditation with Commendation to the Cancer Program at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

"The most important aspect of this accreditation is what it means for our patients. It ensures that a patient will have access to comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment," according to Aileen Galley, ACSW, LSW, administrative director, Penn State Cancer Institute at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Kasandra Botti, DO, FACEP, EMS medical director, is a role model for her staff. That's how she got "hooked" into leading a weight loss challenge for nine staff members from the emergency department at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

"The paramedics asked me how I lost the weight after my second baby." She took the question to heart, considered what it actually took to take the weight off and developed a customized 60-day weight loss program. "It's time to take care of you," she told them.

She also put some money in a pot and challenged all participants to ante up as well. The winner, paramedic Rob Jones, was able to walk away $325 richer. Rob lost 26.2 pounds, which was 12.5% of his body weight. He lost 15 inches.

For the 60-day weight loss challenge, Dr. Botti provided a selection of recipes that focused on vegetables and lean meats. Here's one that fits the bill for tomato season.

Village Salad

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ c. chopped red onion
• 1 tbl. olive oil
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 2 tbl. reduced-fat feta cheese

Combine tomatoes with sea salt; let sit for 5 minutes, then mix tomato and salt together with the rest of the ingredients. Makes one serving.

	Joel Myers

When Joel Myers, 69, had a bad fall a few winters ago, he didn't realize that the accident would have long-term consequences on his right shoulder. As a farmer and soil specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Myers was used to a busy and active life working a 75-acre farm and assisting local farmers. When his shoulder started to really bother him, he went to see his primary care physician, J Alfred Jones, MD, who did an exam and then referred Myers to Brian Spencer, DO, an orthopedic surgeon with Martin and Suhey Orthopedics in State College.

"After reviewing the results of an MRI and some other tests, Dr. Spencer said he would need to repair my right rotator cuff and bicep muscle using arthroscopic surgery," says Myers. "Dr. Spencer did a great job of explaining the surgery to me using a model. He said that it would be minimally invasive using small incisions to access the affected area. The surgery was done in late May at the Mount Nittany outpatient surgery center. My wife Kitty and I arrived at about 7:00 am and I was home by noon!"

	2121 Old Gatesburg Road, the location of the new Sieg Neuroscience Center

Mount Nittany Health will open The Sieg Neuroscience Center at 2121 Old Gatesburg Road in State College to expand the physical presence of outpatient neurology services on September 24.

The Sieg Neuroscience Center offers a combination of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system, including sleep disorders.

Patients who experience chronic headaches or migraines, memory loss, muscle weakness, seizures, or have experienced a head injury, could be referred to a neurologist.

Mount Nittany Physician Group's board-certified neurologists diagnose and treat a variety of conditions of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system, including Parkinson's Disease, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, and more.

A plan developed by Mount Nittany Medical Center's Security Department, State College Police Department and the Pennsylvania State University Police Department was created to assist the public and Medical Center staff accessing the Medical Center during football game weekends.

Download the directions and corresponding map to get to Orchard Road from State College, Bellefonte, Port Matilda and I-99 West.

Police will not permit traffic on Orchard Road to get backed up at the Park Avenue stop sign. All traffic will be directed onto Park Avenue toward the Medical Center.

Know Your Stats, a campaign sponsored by the National Football League and the American Urological Association, is dedicated to educating men about prostate cancer.

Join Mount Nittany Health on October 22 for this special presentation by urologist Howard Miller, MD, Mount Nittany Physician Group. Dr. Miller will discuss prostate cancer risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options, including da Vinci® robotically assisted surgery.

Registration and our pre-event "tailgate," featuring light refreshments, will start at 6:30 pm. Dr. Miller's presentation will begin at 7:00 pm and will be followed by a Q & A session.

The event is free and open to the public. Space is limited. To register, please call 814.234.6727.

Buy one package of Latisse, and receive a free eye makeup application (value $30) with our licensed aesthetician Camille Brown.

Receive 15% off of your second package of Latisse if purchased at the same time.

Latisse is for people with thinning eyelashes - and can double lash fullness in 16 weeks.

Call Mount Nittany Physician Group Reconstructive & Cosmetic Surgery at 814.231.7878 for more information or to book your appointment today.

Offer expires 9.30.2012. 15% discount on second package of Latisse is only applicable when second package is purchased at same time as the first. Free makeup application is for eyes only.

In her role as director of education, Susan Foster, MS, BSN, RN-BC, is an advocate of health literacy and is helping Mount Nittany Health work toward being a "health literate organization."

"Addressing health literacy is important for achieving the goals of patient-centered, equitable care through appropriate access to services and information," she said in a presentation to Mount Nittany Health's communications department recently.

Foster provides informational programs for Mount Nittany Health employees and departments interested in raising the bar on health literacy. She said most people are surprised by the small changes they can make in the way they communicate, both written and verbally, that can make a big difference in understanding and comprehension.

In honor of World Diabetes Day, join Mount Nittany Health for a special presentation from one of America's leading authorities on nutrition and weight management, Barbara J. Rolls, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences and the Helen A. Guthrie Chair in Nutrition at The Pennsyvlania State University. Dr. Rolls will introduce you to her science-based "Volumetrics" weight management approach. She will share the latest research on how the density of calories in foods affects how much you eat, and will explain how to develop healthy eating habits that will ensure optimal nutrition and manage body weight.

Health information tables from various Mount Nittany Health providers and community partners, along with refreshments, will be featured.

This special event takes place on Wednesday, November 14 from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm in the Galen and Nancy Dreibelbis Auditorium, Entrance D, Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Please call 814.234.6727 to register.