Murfreesboro, TN –  The Primary Care and Hope Clinic announces the addition of Julie Henderson, Family Nurse Practitioner.  Henderson will be responsible for general patient care including healthcare for chronic and acute illnesses, annual physical exams, immunizations, care for minor injuries and women’s health.

Henderson graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Master of Science in Nursing in 2011.   While at MTSU, Henderson gained more than 350 hours of clinical experience training under the supervision of Primary Care and Hope Clinic Nurse Practitioners.

Prior to joining the Primary Care and Hope Clinic team, Henderson worked as a Clinical and Administrative Nurse with MedManagement Inc. in Franklin where she provided patient care as well as offered clinical staff training for OSHA, HIPAA and BLS for the Healthcare Professional.

“We are thrilled to have Julie join our team,” states Lisa Terry, CEO, Primary Care and Hope Clinic.  “She possesses a dedication to providing quality, compassionate patient care which will make her an asset as we continue our mission of serving uninsured and underserved families in our community.”

The Primary Care and Hope Clinic is a not-for-profit healthcare clinic providing quality, affordable family health services to medically uninsured, underserved, Medicare and Medicaid families in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. The clinic operates on a sliding fee scale based on income and family size and has served the health care needs of uninsured families for the past twenty years.  Call 615-893-9390 to schedule an appointment or go to www.hopeclnc.org to learn more.

Second annual race to benefit United Way

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties and The Avenue Murfreesboro have partnered to present the second annual Run United 5K to be held on Saturday, May 19, 2012, at 7:00 AM at The Avenue property located at 2615 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro.

Participants may walk, jog or run the race course, which will be throughout The Avenue property.

Registration is available at www.rabbitroadracing.com. Early registration is $30 and ends May 1. Early registrants are guaranteed an event shirt. Registration after May 1 is $35 and participants will not receive an event shirt. Day-of registration is $40 and does not include an event shirt.

Check-in for registered participants is available 10 AM - 4 PM on Friday, May 18 at The Avenue management offices and 5:30 AM -6:45 AM on the day of the race.

Volunteers are needed and those interested in volunteering at the event should contact Kristen Hampton at (615) 893-7303.

Murfreesboro, TN - Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, PA welcomes Ronald Angles, D.O. He will be joining the Gastroenterology department in April 2012.

Dr. Angles received his undergraduate degree in Zoology from Olivet Nazarene College in Kankakee, IL and graduated Magna Cum Laude.  He earned his doctor of osteopathy degree in 1991 from Southeastern University of the Health Sciences in North Miami Beach, FL.  He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Flint Osteopathic Campus at Michigan State University in Flint, MI.  He finished his Gastroenterology fellowship at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Flint, MI.  Dr. Angles is proficient in all aspects of invasive gastroenterology including ERCP and is board certified in Gastroenterology.

Robert Ingle, M.D., MMC’s senior Gastroenterologist, stated, “We are privileged and excited to have Dr. Ron Angles join Murfreesboro Medical Clinic.  His training, skill and personality will allow him to be a great addition to our Gastroenterology Department.  We look forward to the knowledge he will bring to our group.”

Before coming to the Clinic, Dr. Angles worked at Digestive Healthcare of Central Tennessee, PLLC in Shelbyville.  He will maintain office hours for patients both in Shelbyville at 112 Airport Business Park Drive and Murfreesboro at 1272 Garrison Drive.

Joseph A. Peay, Chief Executive Officer, added, “Attracting quality physicians, such as Dr. Angles, remains our goal so that we can continue to meet the medical needs of Murfreesboro, Rutherford County and surrounding areas.  He will be a great addition to our Clinic.”

Dr. Angles’ hobbies include construction, sports, history and volunteer missions.  Dr. Angles plans to reside in Normandy, Tennessee with his wife, Charlotte.  They have two daughters, Bethany and Hannah.

For more information on Dr. Angles, please contact (931) 735-6036 or (615) 867-8070

Murfreesboro, TN - The Primary Care and Hope Clinic will celebrate it’s 20th Anniversary of serving uninsured and underserved families with a Summer Luau on  Saturday, June 16th at 6 p.m. on the back lawn of the Stones River Country Club.  The fundraising event will feature a casual, luau theme and will offer guests the opportunity to dine and mingle inside one of the spacious dining rooms or outside along the shaded porches and patio.  Following a casual dinner, guests will have an opportunity to dance under the stars to music playing on the back lawn.

“Twenty years ago, the Primary Care and Hope Clinic began serving uninsured families in a small facility with two exam rooms and one Nurse Practitioner,” says Lisa Terry, Primary Care and Hope Clinic CEO.  “Through the generous support of our community, we have been able to grow and expand our services.  In the past year, the clinic provided more than $600,000 worth of medical care to uninsured and underserved families in our area and the need continues to grow.”

Currently, the Primary Care and Hope Clinic operates a main facility off of Old Nashville Highway as well as a satellite clinic, Hope II, in the Franklin Heights housing Authority.  The main facility features twenty four exam rooms, three treatment rooms, an education classroom and a behavioral health suite.  Within the next few months, the Primary Care and Hope Clinic will open a second satellite clinic in the StoneCrest Physicians Building.  The Smyrna clinic will provide uninsured residents of North Rutherford County with an additional access point for quality, affordable medical care.

“As the demand for uninsured medical care continues to grow, funds raised through the Luau will directly support the Primary Care and Hope Clinic’s mission of providing accessible, affordable healthcare to uninsured and underserved families. According to the most recent census data, there are an estimated 30,000 adults and children in Rutherford County without health insurance.  Every donation we receive helps to support our mission of providing hope and healing for those in need,” Terry says.

The Primary Care and Hope Clinic serves as a medical home for uninsured and underserved families through the provision of annual exams, well- child exams, adult and child immunizations, healthcare for acute illnesses such as colds, flu and sore throats, healthcare for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol and healthcare for minor injuries including cuts, burn and suture removal.

Medical services for uninsured families are provided through funding from grants, corporate gifts and individual donations.  Uninsured patients pay on a sliding fee scale based on income and family size.  While the clinic does accept insurance, many of the clinic's patients are without insurance and pay only 10%-20% of the true cost of their visit.

In addition to providing primary care services, the Primary Care and Hope Clinic offers Diabetes Counseling Services and free Diabetes Education Classes, Behavioral Health Counseling Services and Breast Cancer Awareness and Education Services.  The Primary Care and Hope Clinic partners with MTMC to offer expanded pediatric outreach through the Mobile Health Unit- a mobile medical facility that visits local Murfreesboro City and Rutherford County schools providing comprehensive healthcare for uninsured and underserved children and adults.

“We’re looking forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary of serving uninsured and underserved patients with one of our signature fundraising events, the Summer Luau.  It will be a fun, casual evening with all proceeds being utilized to serve the medical needs of families in our community” Terry says.

Tickets for the Primary Care and Hope Clinic Luau are $75 per person.  For sponsorship information or to make a reservation, call (615) 893-9390 ext. 207 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Visit www.hopeclnc.org or call (615) 893- 9390 to learn more about the Primary Care and Hope Clinic.

Murfreesboro, TN - Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC) today unveiled a special wall display featuring photos of some of the neonatal intensive care unit’s (NICU) tiniest patients who have now blossomed into flourishing children.

A ceremony and reception were held to celebrate the occasion. The children featured on the display, their parents, NICU nurses and members of MTMC leadership were among the attendees. Sara E. Rose of Sara Rose Photography in Murfreesboro, Tenn., who photographed the children for the display, also attended the event.

“These photographs are a testament to the strength and value of the babies we care for, the faith and support of their families and the skill and compassion of MTMC’s nurses and doctors,” said Janet McIntosh, director of nursing for the maternal child division at MTMC. “We share these stories of survival and growth so others can have hope.”

The special display hangs in the NICU waiting room located in MTMC’s Maternal Infant Services department on the third floor of the hospital. Children featured on the display include:

• Kendri Davis – born at 29 weeks, weighing 3 pounds, 0.7 ounces, she spent 71 days in the NICU
• Brandon Greene – born at 30 weeks, weighing 3 pounds, 1 ounce, he spent 60 days in the NICU
• Logan Greene – born full-term with lung complications and spent nine days in the NICU at MTMC
• Noah Klepper – a twin born at 30 weeks, weighing 3 pounds, 12 ounces, he was in the NICU for 36 days
• Sydney Klepper – a twin born at 30 weeks, weighing 2 pounds, he spent 56 days in the NICU
• Chandler Lilly – a twin born at 27 weeks, weighing 2 pounds, 7 ounces, he was in the NICU for 83 days
• Chase Lilly – a twin born at 27 weeks, weighing 2 pounds, 4 ounces, he spent 78 days in the NICU
• Caleb Lockley – born at 27 weeks, weighing 2 pounds, 5.6 ounces, he was in the NICU for 72 days in the NICU
• Sydney Robertson – born at 30 weeks, weighing 3 pounds, 1 ounce, she spent 35 days in the NICU
• Michael Robertson – born at 28 weeks, weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces, he spent 84 days in the NICU

“Because we operate as a level III-A NICU, we care for some of the most critically ill newborns in an intensive care setting,” said Dr. Jenny Ravenscroft, a neonatologist at MTMC. “We are so blessed to be able to provide such a high level of care right here at home and help give children like these a chance at happy, healthy lives.”

MTMC has a 16-bed neonatal intensive care unit, the only NICU in Rutherford County, providing subspecialty care for patients with severe and complicated neonatal disorders, as well as those who require normal or intermediate care. As a level III-A NICU, care is provided for infants born at more than 28 weeks gestation and weighing more than 1,000 grams or approximately two pounds. Level III-A units also have the capability to provide sustained conventional mechanical ventilation and perform minor surgical procedures.

“Though we are lucky to have NICUs as technologically advanced as ours at MTMC, there is still much to learn in order to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality,” said McIntosh. “That’s why it is so crucial for us to bring awareness to prematurity and we do that in many ways from prenatal education to supporting the Rutherford County March of Dimes March for Babies every spring."

MTMC is the leader in childbirth services for Rutherford and surrounding counties. The hospital offers comprehensive childbirth services, from helping mothers who are “at-risk” deliver their babies safely to providing a team of nurses and physicians to care for the hospital’s tiniest patients. At MTMC, a neonatologist, obstetrics physician and anesthesia coverage are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

MTMC has seen a steady annual increase in babies born over the past three years with a record 2,613 births in 2011 and the number is still growing. In addition, MTMC cared for more babies in its NICU during 2011.

“That growth is continuing into 2012 as we’ve delivered more babies each month this year over last year,” added McIntosh. “Patients recognize the expertise and care of our nursing staff and physicians and that we’re providing it right here in their community, closer to home.”

For more information about childbirth services at MTMC, visit www.mtmc.org/childbirth.

About Middle Tennessee Medical Center

Middle Tennessee Medical Center is a member of Saint Thomas Health, the market share leader in Middle Tennessee and a faith-based health ministry with more than 6,500 associates. Saint Thomas Health’s regional health system consists of five hospitals – Baptist and Saint Thomas Hospitals and The Center for Spinal Surgery in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro and Hickman Community Hospital in Centerville – and a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures in diagnostics, cardiac services and ambulatory surgery as well as medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities. Saint Thomas Health is a member of Ascension Health, a Catholic organization that is the largest not-for-profit health system in the United States. For more information, visit www.mtmc.org or www.sths.com.

Mike Cowles to Join the Heart of Tennessee Chapter Staff

Murfreesboro, TN - The Heart of Tennessee Chapter is pleased to welcome Mike Cowles as the new Chapter Executive Officer, to help serve residents in Rutherford, Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Marshall, Lincoln, and Moore Counties.  Cowles comes to the Red Cross with over 11 years of proven experience with the Boy Scouts of America.  Some of his past achievements include success in fundraising, and volunteer recruitment and management.  These skills will be paramount in his new position with the Red Cross

A graduate of Austin Peay State University, Cowles will replace former CEO, Greg King following his recent promotion to Regional Director of Chapter Operations for the Tennessee Volunteer Region.

“We are looking forward to working with Mike Cowles as he leads the Heart of Tennessee Chapter in the future and helps to continue to build the organization and further the mission of the American Red Cross,” said Greg King, Regional Director of Chapter Operations.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Join us and others around the world as we practice one of the oldest forms of exercise and natural health. We’ll have demonstrations of several different forms, audience participation, and speakers covering the history and basic principles of tai chi as well as a discussion on traditional Chinese medicine. If you’ve ever been curious about tai chi, now is the time to come and see what it’s all about. For all ages on Saturday, April 28, at 10 a.m. the event is free and will be held in the Sports*Com Gym.

For more information, please contact Allison Davidson, Sports*Com Fitness/Wellness Coordinator at 615-895-5040 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Sports*Com is located at 2310 Memorial Blvd., Murfreesboro, TN 37129.

Murfreesboro, TN – Though early rainfall has provided better growing conditions for flowers and plants this spring, the standing water it leaves has also provided ideal growing conditions for one of the area’s most notorious pests – mosquitoes.

With spring firmly in place and even warmer days already upon the community, plans for what will likely become this summer's fight against mosquitoes are already underway.

The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service advises a major part of that battle is to kill the larvae before they have a chance to become adults, Rick Templeton, director of Murfreesboro’s department of streets; explained recently.

To do that, he added, larvicide dunks will again this year be placed in standing water along public rights-of-way and drainage easements where the insects breed.

“What we’ll be doing,” Templeton said, “is putting out larvicide – it comes in dunks that look like a donut – in standing water and drainage ditches if they are holding water. That includes retention ponds within public drainage easements.

We won’t be applying them to flowing water and we won’t be applying them to private property,” Templeton added, “but property owners can purchase these dunks at four or five major retailers with garden centers around town.”

“Just call the office (893-4380) and we will provide that information,” he said.

For those mosquitoes that do make it to adulthood, the Rutherford County Health Department has some advice. Officials there caution citizens not to venture outside during dusk and dawn times of day when mosquitoes are most active.

"Our department is encouraging people to be aware of it," a health department official said, "and if people are going to go outside, we are advising them to wear long sleeves and long pants along with using insect repellent that contains the ingredient DEET."

A few years ago, the City of Murfreesboro decided not to develop a mosquito-spraying program based on extension service advice, Templeton said, and the same will be true this year.

“We talked to people at the agricultural extension service and they said spraying is not very effective,” Templeton said. “Mosquitoes are usually breeding off the (public) right-of-way and spraying on the road doesn’t get to them.

A Rutherford County Agricultural Extension spokesperson agreed saying spraying only gets to the adults. The larvae hatch in about a week and “you’re right back where you were.”

“The insecticide is also unhealthy and dangerous for people with respiratory problems,” Templeton added. “That spraying can aggravate those conditions and you wind up creating more problems than you solve.”

Call the local health department at 898-7785, Murfreesboro Street Department at 893-4380 or city administration at 849-2629 for more information.

Murfreesboro, TN - Fleet Feet Sports (www.fleetfeetmurfreesboro.com) launched a Get Fit Murfreesboro Challenge in January of 2012.  This program was designed to reach out to the Murfreesboro community and offer an incentive program for weight loss.  Saturday, April 7, 2012 the group completed their final weigh in.  The 153 participants lost a total of 1,030.1 inches.  To get a better grasp on this – it is the total width of a hockey rink!  Together the group lost 895.5 lbs and 265.8% of body fat.

Krista Dugosh, Fleet Feet Sports Owner, worked with her vendor partners to create an exciting incentive.  Brooks Sports provided category awards and a “Super Date” which included a hot air balloon ride. Local gyms and trainers provided their expertise for the weigh-ins and shared their nutritional recommendations.  The overall winner, Edward Friz, received a Cruise for two where he can celebrate his healthy lifestyle changes and fitness success.  Krista stated, “We are so pleased with the collaboration and support for our community. The smiles and achievements of our customers have been the driving force behind our business for the 5 years we have been in business. ”

Our fit philosophy is much more than a process or procedure; it’s our way of doing business. By providing a complete fit experience, our staff will help guide you to the right products for your individual needs.  Whether you walk, run, or simply need a good fitting pair of shoes, the experts at Fleet Feet Sports will work with you to evaluate your foot’s gait and natural biomechanics to help you select a shoe that offers the best fit and function for you. Fleet Feet Sports’ Fitlosophy is to help you find the right “FIT” in every facet of your active lifestyle.

Congratulations to our local celebrities who were announced, April 7th-6pm at the Fleet Feet Sports Celebration Party; Edward Friz, Jerry Alvarado, Mark Weller, Walter Golden, Zech Soorty and Lance Flood. A huge thank you to all the supporting gyms and Trainers:   MAC, Golds, Anytime Fitness, Olympus, Custom Build Personal Training, TriFit Murfreesboro, Dynamic Medical, Barry Campbell, Matt Kneisel, David Renegar, Adam Valentine, Kevin Lacy, Rich Kimberley and Tamar Butler.   Special thanks to Brian Mabin with Strong Body Nutrition.

Nashville, TN - Rutherford County residents are invited to join employees at Saint Thomas Heart at Middle Tennessee Medical Center and Friends of the Greenway in ditching their desks and participating in the American Heart Association's National Walking Day event on April 13th.

It’s all part of the association’s effort to beat the number 1 killer, heart disease. Research shows that exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day can reduce risk, and one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise can add up to two hours of additional lifespan. The association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Dr. Britt Mioton of Saint Thomas Heart at Middle Tennessee Medical Center will speak to walk participants, and MTMC will be providing a limited number of heart-healthy lunches.

When:  April 13, 2012, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The actual walk starts at 11:45 a.m.

Where: Middle Tennessee Medical Center in front of the DePaul Building. The walk will take place on the Greenway. If weather does not cooperate, the walk will be moved inside to the treadmills at the new Wellness Center in the DePaul Building.

Saint Thomas Heart at Middle Tennessee Medical Center is the local cause sponsor for the My Heart. My Life. movement and the Rutherford Heart Walk.