King’s Daughters Urgent Care opens in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — Beginning Sept. 4, King’s Daughters Medical Center will offer Urgent Care services at its Portsmouth facility.

The Urgent Care Center will be located in the King’s Daughter Medical Specialties – Portsmouth, office at 2001 Scioto Trail.

The Urgent Care Center will be open weekends and holidays only from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“When the Medical Specialties office is closed on weekends and major holidays, Urgent Care will be there to serve the medical needs of the Portsmouth community. We believe this addition will make finding quality healthcare more convenient,” said Wanda Parker, Urgent Care Center director.

The Urgent Care Center is equipped to provide a variety of diagnostic treatments including stitching cuts, splinting fractures, X-ray services and lab.

King’s Daughters Urgent Care Center is recommended for immediate, non life-threatening illnesses/injuries not serious enough to require the services of a hospital emergency department. It also is a means of care for those who do not have a primary care physician, or whose primary care physician is not available.

The Portsmouth Urgent Care Center can be reached by calling (740) 353-1978.

Medicare Part D help available at AAA’s Senior Expo

LUCASVILLE — Are you a current Medicare recipient who is interested in learning more about ways you can lower your prescription costs? If so, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan discount may help you!

LIS (Low Income Subsidy) or “Extra Help” is a discount plan that can help seniors lower prescription co-pays, cover all or part of their Medicare Part D monthly premiums, and eliminate the “doughnut hole” of coverage for medications. Locally, the Area Agency on Aging District 7, Inc. (AAA7) is helping seniors with determining eligibility and sign-ups for those who qualify.

Seniors can benefit from speaking directly with agency staff regarding this “Extra Help” at the upcoming Senior Expo that will be held on Friday, Sept. 10 at the Scioto County Fairgrounds in Lucasville. The event will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The entire community is invited and there is no charge for admission.

The AAA7 is proud to serve seniors in the following Ohio counties: Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton.

At the event, agency staff will offer an “Extra Help” tent where interested seniors can learn more about the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan discount. Seniors who plan on speaking to Agency staff during the event about the discount should be prepared to have knowledge of their bank account information including their assets and income as this is needed for determining qualification. Currently, guidelines for single seniors consist of a monthly income of $1,353.75 or less with assets less than $12,510. Married seniors must have a monthly income of $1,821.25 or less with assets less than $25,010.

Agency staff encourages seniors who are eligible or who have questions or concerns about Medicare Part D to attend the Senior Expo, stop by the “Extra Help” tent, and learn more about how the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan discount may help them.

In the past, the AAA7 Senior Expo has welcomed over 3,000 visitors to this one-day event that has served as a favorite throughout the district. Features at the Senior Expo include exhibit booths, free health screenings, Bingo, door prizes, live entertainment, a cake auction, food, games, and much more.

The event’s program will include Dick Lucas, “The Piano Man”, from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.; the Veterans Program from 11:30 a.m. until noon; cake auction at noon; and the Joe Freeman Band immediately following the cake auction until the close of the event.

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to welcome seniors and the community to a day of fun and fellowship at our 2010 Senior Expo,” commented Pamela K. Matura, Executive Director of the AAA7. “The Senior Expo has always served as a day for our seniors to learn more about their community, to share time with friends, and most importantly, to have fun.”

SSU theater expands shows this season

PORTSMOUTH — John Huston, associate professor and Theater Department coordinator at Shawnee State University, announces the upcoming 2010-11 season of plays that has been expanded to offer four productions this season.

The first play is John Ford Noonan’s comedy, “A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking.”

The first performance will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17. A matinee is offered at 2:30 p.m. and the final performance will be at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18. General admission tickets are $5.00 and may be purchased at the McKinley Box Office in the VRCFA.

Other productions offered this season are:

Alfred Uhry’s “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” winner of the 1997 Tony Award for Best Play, is directed by Huston. The play will be offered at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12-13, and four nights on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-20 in the Kahl Studio Theater.

Sandy Wilson’s musical, “The Boyfriend,” at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Feb. 9-11, 2011, and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Feb. 17-19, 2011. A special Valentine performance is planned for Sunday, Feb. 14, 2011, in the Kahl Studio Theater.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paul Zindel’s “The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild” at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 20-22, 2011, in the Main Stage Theater at the VRCFA.

Construction set to begin on U.S. 52

HANGING ROCK — Operations for a two-mile, four-lane resurfacing project are set to begin next week on U.S. Route 52 in Lawrence County, according to Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 Deputy Director James Brushart.

“Although we’re moving into fall, our construction program is still very active, so it is important to remind motorists of the continued need for additional safety in work zones,” said Brushart. “And with an investment of more than $6 million, this is just one of the eight preservation, safety and enhancement projects in which we are working to improve Lawrence County’s state highway system.”

Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7, crews from the Shelly Company will begin paving operations on U.S. 52 between the Scioto-Lawrence County line to just east of County Road 23 (Ohio Furnace Road) near Hanging Rock. Throughout construction, traffic will be maintained in at least one lane in each direction.

The Shelly Company of Thornville was awarded a contract in May for nearly $1.7 million, and the scheduled completion date for all work is Oct. 31.

For information on additional lane and road closures caused by construction, accidents, flooding or other related traffic events visit Buckeye Traffic on ODOTs web site at www.buckeyetraffic.org.

Corps reminds region to play safe over holiday

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is urging West Virginians to be careful on the water during Labor Day weekend.

The agency says people need to emphasize safety by using life jackets, not jumping from cliffs, paying close attention to children and avoiding alcohol while involved in water activities.

The Corps says about 6,000 people drown in the United States annually.

The agency also reminds people that jumping off cliffs is not allowed on lakes managed by the corps within the Huntington District.