Lutheran General Hospital notes

HOLD support group: The Counseling Center of Advocate Medical Group offers a free Healing Our Lost Dreams support group twice a month for persons who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss.

Meetings are held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of each month at The Counseling Center, 1610 Luther Lane, Park Ridge. Upcoming sessions will be held Sept. 4 and 18.

Parents, grandparents and other adult family members are invited to attend the sessions, share their feelings with others who understand what they are going through, receive support as they move through the first season of grieving, serve as resources for each other, and gain new perspectives of life. The group sessions are led by Denise Casey, licensed clinical psychologist at The Counseling Center.

For more information, call The Counseling Center of Advocate Medical Group, (847) 518-1800.

Free blood pressure screenings: Senior Advocate of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital offers free blood pressure screenings each month. Screenings will be held from 10 a.m. to noon the first Wednesday of every month.

The next screening will be held Sept. 5 at the hospital's Patient Resource Center, 8820 W. Dempster Street, Niles (across from the hospital).

No appointment is necessary. For more information, call (847)723-7277.

Baby care and development class: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is offering a six-hour Baby Care and Development Class designed for couples who are expecting their first child, grandparents, childcare givers and adoptive parents. Topics include physical care; safety; sleep; common concerns; immunizations; and development, birth through 12 months.

The next class will be offered from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Wednesdays, Sept. 5 and 12 at Lutheran General Hospital, 1775 Dempster, Park Ridge.

The fee for the class is $40 per couple or $30 per couple if taken in conjunction with the Weekend Childbirth Series or Labor, Birth and Postpartum Class.

For more information and to register, call HealthAdvisor at (800) 323-8622 or visit www.advocatehealth.com. The code for this class is 8B11.

Grandparent workshop: New and expectant grandparents who plan on lending a helping hand may be a little "out-of-practice" when it comes to caring for newborns. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is offering a three-hour workshop aimed at new grandparents. The class provides an opportunity to discuss current childbirth and parenting practices, including childcare and feeding philosophies. Participants will share their own ideas or questions about what it means to be a grandparent today.

The grandparenting class will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 7 at Lutheran General Hospital, located at 1775 Dempster Street, Park Ridge. The class requires advanced registration and a $15 fee to cover reference materials. To sign up, call (800) 323-8622 or visit www.advocatehealth.com. The reference code for this course is 8B01.

Infant/Child CPR course: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and the American Red Cross are offering an infant/child CPR course. This five-hour course teaches participants how to recognize and care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in infants and children. It also includes information on how to prevent injuries to infants and children at home and in play areas. The next course will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 8 at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, 1775 Dempster, Park Ridge. An upcoming session will be held on Saturday, September 22.

The fee for the course is $50. Call (800) 323-8622 or visit www.advocatehealth.com to register. The code for this class is 8C16.

Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies: Preconception care and the many things that women and couples can do to improve their physical and emotional health before pregnancy will be the topic of discussion at the "Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies" presentation at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

The session will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 15 at the hospital's Labor and Delivery Conference Room C359. This event, including a question and answer session with an obstetrician, is free and open to the public. Anyone planning on expanding their family is welcome to attend.

Reservations are required. To sign up, call (800) 323-8622, or visit www.advocatehealth.com/lutheran and enter class code 8B26.

Sibling class: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is offering a one and a half hour class designed for children who are expecting a new baby in the family. Children ages three to nine may participate in the class. Discussions include newborn behavior and responses, infant needs and supplies, ways children can help with the baby and family changes. Children will learn how to hold, feed and diaper a baby. Children may also tour the newborn nursery.

The next class will be offered from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Sept. 15 at Lutheran General Hospital, 1775 Dempster, Park Ridge.

The fee for the class is $15 for the first child and $5 for each additional child.

For more information and to register call HealthAdvisor at (800) 323-8622 or visit www.advocatehealth.com. The reference code for this course is 8B12.

Caldwell Breast Health Center: To increase awareness and help make a difference in the battle against breast cancer and breast disease, free information sessions are offered to local groups by the nurses of the Caldwell Breast Health Center at the Advocate Lutheran General Center for Advanced Care.

Topics include information about self-breast exams and testing options along with behind-the-scenes tours of the state-of-the-art center.

Local groups, schools or women's organizations are encouraged to contact the center to sign up for one of these times. In addition, the Breast Health Center staff is available to speak at community meetings.

Call (847) 723-3303 to talk with one of the center's registered breast health navigators to sign up a group for an information session or schedule a speaker for an upcoming meeting.

Volunteers needed: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is looking for people to join their volunteer staff.

Volunteers are needed to provide service in many areas throughout the hospital, these include delivering flowers to patient rooms, directing patients and visitors around the hospital, providing wheelchair assistance, assisting customers in the gift and flower shops, delivering newspapers and magazines to patients and giving comfort and support to families in waiting areas.

For more information about volunteer opportunities at Lutheran General call (847) 723-6105 or visit www.advocatehealth.com/luth/about/community/volunteer/.

Whooping cough: To help reduce the risk of infants catching whooping cough (pertussis), Advocate Lutheran General Hospital has launched an aggressive education and vaccination campaign targeting parents of every newborn at the hospital along with other adult caregivers who will be near the babies.

All new moms now receive information from Lutheran General mother-baby unit nurses about the importance of getting a Tdap vaccination to help shield their infants from exposure to whooping cough. Licensed in 2005, Tdap is the first vaccine to protect adults and adolescents against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the booster shot is recommended for all adults who have close contact with an infant younger than 12 months of age.

Whooping cough is caused by bacteria that is easily spread from person to person. Although pertussis vaccinations are administered in early childhood, they begin to wear off after five to 10 years, leaving preteens, teenagers and adults at risk. Infants usually are exposed to the disease through contact with adult caregivers. Pertussis is especially dangerous for infants since it can cause severe complications including pneumonia, seizures and even death.

At Lutheran General, the Tdap shot is offered to new moms during their hospital stay after they give birth.

New dads, however, are encouraged to have the shot two weeks before the baby is due since it takes that long to build up immunity. Any other adults who will be near the infant also should be vaccinated including grandparents, siblings, baby sitters, child care providers and health care workers.

Teens Matter Clinic: Advocate Medical Group pediatricians have expanded services to provide complete physician care specifically geared toward the teen population -- age 11 through college - through the creation of a new 'Teens Matter' clinic. Located on the first floor of the Yacktman Pavilion, the clinic is open from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays with plans to expand days and hours in the near future. It features complete, confidential and convenient care with a separate waiting area and educational materials on topics of interest to teens.