New Hanover Regional Medical Center, in partnership with law enforcement agencies, Cape Fear Community College, Safe Kids NC and Cape Fear Coalition for a Drug Free Tomorrow, will hold a Medication Disposal Event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 29 at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Medical Mall, 2243 S. 17th St., located beside the main hospital campus.

The public can bring unneeded and expired medications “to be disposed of in a safe, convenient and environmentally sound manner,” hospital spokeswoman Erin Balzotti said.

All medications brought to the event should be in the original containers to help identify the medication. Local law enforcement agencies from New Hanover County, in addition to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, will be on hand to accept controlled substances.

Medications can be prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins or herbal.

Having unnecessary medications in the home can be a hazard, Balzotti said.

“Old medications could be confused with current medications; children could be poisoned by them; and pets could be harmed if they ingest medications dropped and not picked up,” she said.

Proper disposal of unused medications also prevents them from falling into the wrong hands and being distributed illegally or being used by someone who is abusing prescription medication, she said.

Improper disposal of old medications can have an adverse affect on the environment. Pills flushed down the sink or toilets go directly into the public water system. Throwing medications in the trash allows them to break down over time and leach into the groundwater.

Donated medical journals, books on way to Moldova

A contribution of 125 boxes of medical journals and books donated by local medical professionals began its journey to the Scientific Medical Library of Moldova on Oct. 20.

To help begin the journey, volunteers from the South East Area Health Education Center and New Hanover Regional Medical Center helped load the books into a truck. Additional boxes from East Carolina University will be loaded before the donation makes the journey to Moldova in Eastern Europe, courtesy of the U.S. State Department.

In 2006, SEAHEC formed a partnership with Scientific Medical Library of Moldova to provide current medical texts for Moldovan healthcare providers who don’t always have access to the latest medical research and treatments often found in American medical publications.

Before this donation, SEAHEC has helped provide over 21,000 medical journals and books, spokeswoman Lindsay Fletcher said.

Money raised to help fund purchase of neourology patient monitors

The New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation and local radio station Sunny 104.5 recently held the 2011 Sunny 104.5 Caring for Kids at NHRMC Radio-thon in the lobby of the Betty H. Cameron Women’s & Children’s Hospital.

During the two-day, commercial-free broadcast, the community donated more than $34,500 toward the purchase of pediatric ambulatory EEG monitors for the neurology patients in NHRMC’s Nunnelee Pediatric Clinic. The monitors should be available to patients in spring 2012.

“We are so grateful to the community for recognizing the importance of having these monitors here at New Hanover Regional Medical Center for our pediatric neurology patients. Thanks to the generosity of so many donors, we will be able to provide more specialized care for our children closer to home,” Aline Lasseter, executive director of the NHRMC Foundation, said in a news release.

The pediatric ambulatory EEG monitors are worn by children suspected of having seizures. The monitors can be worn at home, outside the clinical setting, and allow clinicians to capture more information over time, which helps with diagnosing the type of seizure and its location in the brain.

With the information monitors provide, clinicians can better customize a treatment plan for a child. By having the monitors available locally, the diagnosis can be done sooner, without a trip outside the area.

Zumba-Thon planned to benefit rape crisis center

The Rape Crisis Center-Brunswick of Coastal Horizons Center, Inc., will host an interest meeting for its first-ever Zumba-thon.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 3, at Coastal Horizons Center, Inc., 120 Coastal Horizons Drive, Shallotte.

The Zumba-thon will be held in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and will benefit the Rape Crisis Center of Brunswick County.

A Zumba-thon is a high energy cardio workout which incorporates international dance styles.

Those interested in being on a committee to help plan the Zumba-thon are encouraged to attend. The meeting is open to residents of Brunswick County and New Hanover County.

Those interested in attending the meeting or those with any questions can contact Deanna Stoker at [email protected] or at (910) 754-7949.

NHRMC recognized for quality care, pricing

New Hanover Regional Medical Center was recently recognized as a top-ranked Community Value Provider by Cleverley + Associates, a leading healthcare financial consulting firm, hospital spokeswoman Erin Balzotti said.

The designation demonstrated that that NHRMC scored high in four key areas, Balzotti said: high-quality care for patients, financial strength and reinvestment, cost of care, and pricing.

Only 25 percent of hospitals in the United States achieve the Five-Star Hospital designation.

“Despite continuing economic uncertainty, New Hanover Regional Medical Center continues to be a leader in quality of care and financial strength,” said Ed Ollie, chief financial officer of NHRMC, in a news release. “We are pleased to be recognized for this achievement and for our ongoing commitment to excellent patient care, regardless of ability to pay.”

Ohio-based Cleverley + Associates released its Community Value Five-Star Hospital rankings as part of the 2011 State of the Hospital Industry publication.