Free Medicare Info, Nutrition

For Cancer Survivors Sessions

BRIDGEPORT — St Vincent’s Medical Center is offering a free program of health insurance and Medicare information and counseling to the public every week. Individuals can meet with the health insurance specialist by appointment in the privacy of the Banks Library located on the third level of St Vincent’s.

The one-to-one information sessions are conducted by Susan Tracy, an attorney and trained volunteer with Connecticut’s Program for Health Insurance Assistance, Outreach, Information and Referral, Counseling and Eligibility Screening (also known as CHOICES), who helps seniors explore their options in health insurance, supplemental coverage and later life care arrangements.

The purpose of the CHOICES program is to enable older persons to understand and exercise their rights, receive benefits to which they are entitled and make informed choices about quality of life issues.

Ms Tracy answers questions regarding Medicare benefits, Medicare Supplemental, managed care and prescription plans, appeals, claims, medical bills, covered versus non-covered expenses, advanced directives, and assists individuals in filing Medicare and insurance forms. In addition she will counsel individuals on selection of assisted-living or long-term care facilities and issues surrounding these options.

The program is a community outreach effort by St Vincent’s to help seniors obtain the medical benefits they need, and to make the best decisions about health insurance coverage.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, contact St Vincent’s Volunteer Office at 203-576-5111.

Nutrition Sessions

In other news, St Vincent’s is presenting “Nutrition for Cancer Survivors” on the second Wednesday of every month from 4:30 to 5:30pm in its Elizabeth Pfriem SWIM Center for Cancer Care adjacent to the hospital. Upcoming dates are August 8 and September 12. The class is made possible by St Vincent’s SWIM Across the Sound.

The class provides information and resources for healthy eating during and after treatment, in addition with dietary tips and modifications to help improve overall wellness and health. The class will be facilitated by St Vincent’s outpatient nutrition educator Karen Novak, MA, RD, CDE, CD-N, who provides individualized nutrition counseling for outpatients referred by their primary care physicians or endocrinologists on issues of weight management, heart and other diseases.

To register or for more information, contact the SWIM Hot Line at 203-576-6158. To view the full listing of health and wellness events offered here at St Vincent’s Medical Center, go to www.stvincents.org/events.