FHN Focus

January 23, 2025

Next Week's Calendar
of Events:

January 23

Blood Pressure Screening
1 – 3:30 p.m.
FACC, 514 S. Chicago, Freeport
Open to the public; no cost or registration required.

Mama Milk Circle Infant Support Group
4 p.m.
Freeport Public Library, 100 E. Douglas Street
Bring your baby and join area moms to share knowledge, build a support system, and gain up-to-date infant support information. This group is open to all moms and free to attend; visit fhn.org/breastfeedingtaskforce for more information.

Prenatal Class (Session 2b)
1 - 3 p.m.
Stephenson County Health Department, 10 W Linden Street, Freeport
The FHN/Stephenson County Health Department series of prenatal classes is offered to all regardless of their number of weeks gestation, however, they do correlate a bit with how a pregnancy progresses. Mothers-to-be and spouses/support persons are encouraged to attend these free sessions together. In session 2, the Stephenson County Health Department staff will discuss newborn and postpartum care, STDs, birth control, and community resources. Register for all of these classes online at fhn.org/ob or call 815-599-6221 for more information.

January 25

BLS for Healthcare Professionals - CANCELLED
8 a.m. – noon
FHN Memorial Hospital Globe Room, lower level, 1045 W. Stephenson Street, Freeport
For healthcare professionals only; this hands-on program focuses on high-quality CPR and basic life support skills Registration is $40, which includes the BLS Provider Manual (contains BLS reference card) and BLS certification card valid for 2 years. For more information or to register, visit www.fhn.org/basic-life-support.asp .

January 27

Living Through Grief
6 p.m.
FHN Memorial Hospital Deaconess Room, 1045 W. Stephenson Street, Freeport
The Living Through Grief Support Group offers a confidential place for those grieving a loss within the last 2 years to talk about your thoughts and feelings. We utilize videos, books, speakers, and discussions to help participants learn about the grief process, share stories of loss, and regain hope. To register or more information, contact FHN Hospice, at 815-599-7240 or visit fhn.org/grief.

January 28

Prenatal Class (Session 3)
5 - 7 p.m.
FHN Memorial Hospital, 1045 W. Stephenson Street, Freeport - Conference Dining Room
The FHN/Stephenson County Health Department series of prenatal classes is offered to all regardless of their number of weeks gestation, however, they do correlate a bit with how a pregnancy progresses. Mothers-to-be and spouses/support persons are encouraged to attend these free sessions together. In session 3, FHN OB Department staff will discuss labor and delivery and provide a tour of the OB Unit.Register for all of these classes online at fhn.org/ob or call 815-599-6221 for more information.

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View past issues of the Focus

Welcome

Coming up in this week's issue of The Focus you'll find:

FHN Awards Four Healthcare Career Scholarships
FHN to Offer February Heart Month Specials
FHN Career Corner
Help Spread the News: We’re Here, For You!
Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion and Worldwide Health
Our Sympathy
Classified Ads

FHN Awards Four Healthcare Career Scholarships

Four area students have been awarded scholarships to help cover the cost of healthcare education. Again this year, an outstanding group of students submitted applications for the scholarships.

Each student wrote an essay about their career path along with strengths and personal goals to support the healthcare needs of FHN’s service area, and the top candidates were selected for face-to-face interviews.

After the interviews, three Healthcare Career Scholarship applicants and one Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship applicant were chosen to each receive a $1,000 scholarship. All of FHN’s scholarships are funded through donations to the FHN Foundation.

The 2024 Healthcare Career Scholarship winners are:

Emily Allison from Ridott, who is pursuing a Physical Therapist Assistant degree at Highland Community College in Freeport with plans to transfer to Blackhawk Technical College or Elgin Community College to finish her degree.

Abbey Hammer from Shannon, who is pursuing a Nursing degree at Highland Community College in Freeport.

Hayley Smith from Warren, who is pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UW-Madison in Madison, Wis.

The 2024 Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship winner is Bintou Timbiné of Rockford, who is pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Rockford Campus.

FHN offers Healthcare Career and Diversity scholarships each year; the application period opens early each summer. For more information, visit www.fhn.org/scholarships.

FHN to Offer February Heart Month Specials

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Early diagnosis of heart disease is key, so FHN is offering two different screening tests for American Heart Month. If you have no known coronary artery disease and no prior heart issues, you can take advantage of our Heart Health Specials below.

CALCIUM SCORING CT HEART SCAN uses 64-slice CT scanner technology to detect calcified plaque in arteries, an indication of potential heart issues. This non-invasive x-ray takes only a few minutes and does not require any physical activity.

STANDARD TREADMILL STRESS TEST helps determine heart conditions and may be right for you if you have risk factors for heart disease such as high cholesterol, existing or borderline high blood pressure, a history of smoking, diabetes, or family history of heart disease. You must be able to walk for this test and not have a history of heart problems.

Call 815-599-6860 by Friday, Feb. 28 to schedule at the special price of $134 each. Tests must be performed by Friday, May 30, 2025. For more information, visit www.fhn.org/HeartMonthSpecials.asp.

FHN Career Corner

There are many career opportunities within FHN. If you or someone you know is interested in new challenges go to our Career page, displaying the latest open positions.

FHN Team Members
Friends and Family

Help Spread the News: We’re Here, For You!

We have a lot to be proud of at FHN, from our talented, dedicated staff to the many advanced capabilities we offer our patients. We’re working hard every day to be sure we provide excellent care to our patients.

Each week, look to the Focus for good news to share about FHN in the form of downloadable flyers you can print and post or hand out to patients who may be interested. Also look for links to our most recent radio interviews and past interviews to listen to and recommend to others. Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook! Please encourage patients, friends, and family to also take advantage of these FHN information resources. Thanks for your help in promoting FHN!

Have you heard the latest radio interviews? Catch up on our Radio Broadcasts page!

Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion and Worldwide Health

January is …
Thyroid Awareness Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Birth Defects Prevention Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Stalking Awareness Month
Radon Action Month
National Blood Donor Month

Days to Note:
January 23 is Maternal Health Awareness Day
January 26 is World Leprosy Day

The Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony held each January and February, lasts for eight days and each day is dedicated to an event such as tobacco invocation. The days vary according to community.

January is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender History Month in the United Kingdom. It was initiated by Schools OUT in Britain in February 2005. This is an opportunity for all to learn more about the lives and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Britain and Northern Ireland.

January 25 is Robert Burns’ Night, which honors Scotland’s national poet, born in 1759. The night is celebrated by the Scots with a sit-down “Burns Supper” and with speeches, poetry, and song.

January 26 is Australia Day, commemorating the anniversary of the first British settlement in 1788, which was a penal colony established to help relieve overcrowding in British prisons.

The people of India celebrate Republic Day on January 26. It is the day the Indian Constitution came into effect and India became a sovereign nation and democratic republic in 1950.

January 29 is the Chinese New Year, the start of the year of the Dragon. This is the year 4721 in the Chinese Lunar calendar and the most important holiday. It is a three-day holiday in China and Hong Kong. The Chinese clean and decorate their homes with the 5 lucky signs of happiness; new clothes are worn and even the poorest buy new shoes, for it is considered bad luck to step down on the ground into old shoes. Vietnamese call it the 'Tet' Festival.

Seollal, the Korean New Year celebrated beginning January 29, lasts three days. During this time, many Koreans visit family, perform ancestral rites, eat traditional food, and play folk games. Additionally, children often receive money from their elders.

Our Sympathy

We extend our sympathy to ...
Isabel Jones (Telemetry), Medelyn Curtiss (Med/Surg), and Ekhayne Ocon (Med/Surg) on the loss of their mother/grandmother.
Alicia Horton (Family Practice) on the loss of her mother.
Karlene Beckmeier (Surgery) on the loss of her husband.

Classified Ads

The deadline to submit ads for each Focus is 10 a.m. the Thursday before publication. Please submit your classified ad information to Tammy Edler, and send your donation to the Foundation.