Merrimack Valley Magazine

Wellness Wednesday – 11/27/19

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WELLNESS TIP OF THE WEEK

Uno Deck Removes Red And Blue Cards To Keep Thanksgiving Dinner Politics-Free

Toy manufacturer Mattel, according to Yahoo News, has released a new Uno deck with the red and blue cards removed in an effort to keep political discussions among relatives at bay.

The card deck, named “nonpartisan Uno,” has been made available to purchase from U.S. retailer Walmart in time for the holiday season.

With many American families currently making preparations for their Thanksgiving festivities, Mattel hopes the nonpartisan deck will help keep the peace around the dinner table.

Green Tea May Be Essential To Conquering Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

According to StudyFinds.org, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a greater focus among doctors and health-focused scientists in recent years. However, researchers at the University of Surrey in England may have found a secret weapon in the fight against these persistent microbes: green tea. According to their new study, epigallocatechin (EGCG), a natural antioxidant commonly found in green tea, can help eliminate antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Dr. Jonathan Betts, a senior research fellow at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey, led a team of researchers that assessed the compatibility of EGCG and aztreonam by conducting in vitro tests that analyzed how the substances interacted with P. aeruginosa, both individually and in combination. They found that a combination of the two was much more effective at lowering bacteria numbers than either agent alone.

Betts’ team hypothesize that EGCG facilitates elevated uptake of aztreonam by increasing permeability within the bacteria. They also theorize that green tea antioxidant may interfere with a biochemical pathway associated with antibiotic susceptibility.

Expert: It’s OK To Turn Work Off During The Holidays

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, many people are already beginning to feel the pressure of trying to balance work and personal demands. Elana Feldman, an expert on organizational behavior who studies how people use their time on the job, can offer a range of tips on how to achieve a balance between happy holidays and professional productivity.  

“Feel good about turning work off,’” says Feldman, an assistant professor of management at UMass Lowell. “Taking time away from work helps prevent burnout and can boost creativity. If you truly take a holiday break, you will return to the office more energized and engaged.”  

Feldman’s recommendations also include:

  • Recognize that turning off work during the holidays benefits your coworkers, too; if you’re not sending emails, they won’t feel obligated to answer them.
  • Make a conscious, thoughtful decision about whether and how much you will work over the holidays. Many people end up working without really considering whether they have to or want to do so.
  • Focus on those tasks that are most urgent and important, and keep the others off your radar until after the holidays.
  • If there are projects that you will have to pick up again after the holidays, leave yourself clear reminders about where you left off. Make to-do lists so that you don’t forget key tasks when you are back in the office.

These small behaviors can also help you feel less stressed while you disconnect because you know you’ve set yourself up for a smooth return to work.

 

NoteWorthy – 11/24/19

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AROUND THE VALLEY

Aid Association Raises $130,0000 In Support Of Anna Jaques Hospital

The Anna Jaques Aid Association celebrated its annual meeting in October and presented a check for $130,000 to President and CEO Mark Goldstein, Chairman of the Anna Jaques Board of Trustees David LaFlamme, and Chair of the Anna Jaques Community Health Foundation Matt Khatib.

Funds raised this year were designated to assist underinsured and uninsured low to moderate income patients in Seabrook, the AJH birth center, comprehensive pain clinic, Cardiac Cath and Interventional Radiology Suite, and the pediatric psychiatric unit.

The meeting also recognized retiring Aid directors, welcomed new members and introduced Karen Davis as corresponding secretary.

UMass Lowell Researcher Receives $1 million To Alleviate Asthma In Senior Citizens

A UMass Lowell researcher who works to alleviate asthma in senior citizens has received $1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. UMass Lowell Prof. Dave Turcotte leads Healthy Homes, a program that works to reduce asthma among low-income seniors and families living in public and subsidized rental housing in Lowell. 

With the new award, the program is taking aim at protecting senior citizens from asthma triggers associated with gas stoves such as nitrogen dioxide emissions and microscopic particles including chemicals, metals and dust. While electric stoves do not emit these substances, converting from gas to electric stoves in many apartment buildings is not feasible, according to Turcotte.

The grant will allow Healthy Homes to install portable air filtration units in apartments with gas stoves and provide other equipment with the goal of improving the health of senior tenants with asthma or preventing it. Turcotte and his team will also research whether these measures are effective.

NECC Receives 2019 Magazine Pacemaker Award From Associated Collegiate Press

Parnassus, Northern Essex Community College’s student magazine, recently received a 2019 Magazine Pacemaker Award for literature and art from the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP).

This is the second year in a row that Parnassus has received this award. The magazine was also selected in 2011, and was a finalist for the award in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

Parnassus was judged on the quality of the writing and editing, photography, art and graphics, layout and design, and overall concept or theme.  Published each spring, the magazine includes student poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction, and photography and artwork.

Northern Essex was competing with 126 collegiate publications from 22 states and Canada. Forty-one were named as finalists and 14, including Parnassus, were selected as winners and announced at the Fall National College Media Convention on Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C.

Anna Jaques Hospital Welcomes Patients To Newly Expanded Comprehensive Pain Center

On Nov 14, Anna Jaques Hospital welcomed patients to the newly renovated and expanded Comprehensive Pain Center located on the hospital campus at 25 Highland Avenue, Newburyport.

Led by Medical Director Simon Faynzilberg, the Comprehensive Pain Center strives to help patients reduce and cope with chronic pain including back pain, neck pain, joint pain, neuropathies, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, post-traumatic injury pain, cancer pain, and more.

The recent renovation project centralized all related pain services to one expanded facility, including a new surgical procedure room and pre- and-post procedure areas. The suite also houses the latest C-Arm technology which provides high-resolution, real-time fluoroscopic X-ray imaging during surgical procedures.

In addition to the community-based care provided by Anna Jaques, as a member of Beth Israel Lahey Health, Comprehensive Pain Center patients also have access to a network of leading experts in orthopedic and spine surgery, neurology, behavioral health, occupational and physical therapy, and more.

NoteWorthy – 11/17/19

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AROUND THE VALLEY

North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau Celebrates Tourism Awards

The North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau held its 2019 Annual Meeting, Tourism Awards and Mini-Grant Ceremony on Nov. 7 at the Blue Ocean Event Center.

Among the 2019 North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Award winners were Karen and Glenn Cook of Amesbury’s Cider Hill Farm and Mass. Sen. Diana DiZoglio. The communities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover were given special recognition for their collective leadership, compassion and perseverance during the Merrimack Valley natural gas disaster of 2018.

Lowell Community Health Center, UMass Lowell and D’Youville Life & Wellness Community Among  Massachusetts 2019 Top 100 Women-Led Businesses

Lowell Community Health Center (Lowell CHC) CEO Susan West Levine, UMass Lowell Chancellor Jaqueline Moloney and President of D’Youville Life and Wellness Company Naomi Prendergast were honored on Nov. 8 by the Commonwealth Institute (TCI) and the Globe Magazine for leading one of the Commonwealth’s most noteworthy women-led businesses. This is the first time that Lowell CHC has been included on this list.

Spanning all sectors, the 2019 list includes leaders of health care companies, retail giants, construction companies, financial institutions and nonprofit groups.

The Commonwealth Institute, a nonprofit that supports female business leaders, examined revenue or operating budget as well as other variables, including number of full-time employees in the state, workplace and management diversity and innovative projects. TCI then ranked organizations according to its own formula. This is the 19th year that TCI has created the list and the seventh year that the Globe Magazine has partnered with the group.

For the complete list of honorees, click here.

Enterprise Bank Named Best Place To Work Among Large-Sized Companies

Enterprise Bank has been named the number one place to work among large-sized companies in the employee-based “Top Places to Work” survey from The Boston Globe. Enterprise Bank has been recognized as a top employer since 2012.

In a joint statement, Chairman George L. Duncan, President Richard W. Main and CEO Jack Clancy said “We are deeply honored and humbled that the opinions of our team members have earned us recognition as the Top Place to Work. There is nothing more important to us than our Enterprise Family, who have made Enterprise what it is today. Our team and work environment is our greatest asset and is what sets us apart from other companies. We are truly a family — united by our core values of integrity, community, excellence, teamwork and professionalism.”

Chelmsford Center for the Arts Hosts 10th Anniversary Gala Celebration

Dan Rodriguez and soprano Sarah Ryman perform at the CCA’s Gala. Photo by Bob Stegmaier of Silver Fox Studios.

On Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, the Chelmsford Center for the Arts (CCA) hosted its 10th Anniversary Gala Celebration. The Gala was attended by nearly 100 members of the community, including donors, artists and the CCA leadership and advisory board.

Performers included pianists Diana Tetzlaff, Nathan An, Zoe Liu, Dan Rodriguez and Frank Wilkins; flutist Sarah Buliszak; vocalists Sarah Wyman and Joan Watson-Jones; and rock band True North. Anna Kehoe, a Chelmsford High School student, charmed the audience with the story of how she raised $2,500 for the CCA.

Susan Gates, the CCA’s executive director, said, “While there is still much to accomplish, we celebrate all we have done over the past decade to make the Chelmsford Center for the Arts the only public visual and performing arts center serving Chelmsford and the Merrimack Valley. The Gala showcased the impact we have on young artists and the caliber of professional musicians we present at the CCA.”

UMass Lowell Honors Local Oprah Winfrey Scholars

Photo by Tory Wesnofske for UMass Lowell

Sixty UMass Lowell students who are this year’s Oprah Winfrey Scholars were recognized at an event at University Crossing on Friday, Nov. 15, the one-year anniversary of Winfrey’s appearance at UMass Lowell’s Chancellor’s Speaker Series. A total of $300,000 in scholarships was awarded to the scholars, who hail from cities and towns across New England as well as Washington, D.C. The funds raised will allow UMass Lowell to continue to award Oprah Winfrey scholarships for years to come.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Sound Recording Pioneer Named UMass Lowell Distinguished University Professor

Music Prof. William Moylan, architect of UMass Lowell’s nationally acclaimed Sound Recording Technology program, has been named the 2019 Distinguished University Professor. The highest accolade bestowed on a UMass Lowell faculty member, the award honors educators for exemplary teaching, research and service to the university. 

Moylan, an authority on audio engineering and music theory, founded UMass Lowell’s Sound Recording Technology (SRT) program in the 1980s. A signature course of study at the university and one of only a few of its kind in the United States, the program is a renowned training ground for professionals in all fields involving capturing sound. The program has produced numerous Grammy and Emmy winners, and UMass Lowell graduates working in the industry are making essential contributions to music, radio, TV, film, video and live-event production.

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