Oh, The Places You'll Go

March News and Events from the Near West Family Network!

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March 2015

Yes - there are so many places to go this month! From beginning to end, March is not only when we celebrate Dr. Suess's birthday, it is also filled with all kinds of fun things to do with the Near West Family Network! This weekend we have two events ....and on the 28th we will have our Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Fairview Park! Details for these and everything in between are in the Upcoming Events section below.

A QUICK SUMMARY FOR THIS WEEKEND!

SATURDAY at 1:30 pm The Library Crawl makes its final stop at the Cleveland Public Library's Main Branch (Children's Room on 6th floor) Join us for story time and craft.

SUNDAY at 11:00 am Meet up at the Capitol Theater to see Mr. Peabody & Sherman! NWFN member families FREE, otherwise just $1!

Also be sure to check out this month's Neighborhood Family Practice Health Corner article. It's all about women's health this month. Be healthy and have a great month!

Near West Family Network Board of Directors
information@nearwestfamilynetwork.org

Wow! Thank you Steve Kachmyers for Gym Days at Franklin Circle Church! The recent cold weather and school closings has made this an extra-popular event! March will be our last month of Gym Days for the Winter - before we know it, we will be able to play at the parks again! This Saturday (February 28th at the Main Branch) is our last stop on the Library Crawl, thank you to Katie Zucca, Jessica Merugu, Molly Martin, and Amy Kulisheck for all their hard work and organization to showcase our wonderful library branches around the West Side.

If you are interested in helping us make more happen in your neighborhood or if you have an idea for something specific, please let us know!

It's (almost) never too early to start teaching kids about money management

Families take a lot of different approaches when it comes to allowances, but most will agree that instilling our kids with a solid understanding of the value of money and how to be responsible with what we earn is extremely important. A recent article in Slate definitely takes a position which you may or may not agree with, but the issues it raises make it a worthwhile read. Click here to read "You're Doing Allowance All Wrong" by Ron Lieber.

It's also not to early to start thinking about summer camps!

Many of our institutions offer summer camps for kids of different ages. Check out the web sites at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, The Great Lakes Science Center, The Museum of Natural History, The Children's Museum of Cleveland to name a few. Right here on the near west side we also have Tailspinner Theater offering classes spring, summer and fall! We have started compiling a list of organizations that offer camps and classes on a new Camps and Classes page on our website. If you have something for us to add, send a link to the Web page to information@nearwestfamilynetwork.org

Sunday, March 1

Movie Meet Up! 11:00 am at the Capitol Theater
Join us to see Mr. Peabody & Sherman. NWFN member families FREE, otherwise just $1
Capitol Theater is located at 1390 W. 65th St. in Detroit Shoreway

Tuesday, March 10

Gym Days at Franklin Circle Church, 9:30 – 11:00 am
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring their little ones to the gym to burn off some winter energy while you get some time to socialize. $1/ per child. Recommended for children 6 and under. We will have a simple snack and coffee available.
Franklin Circle Church is located at 1688 Fulton Rd. (corner of Fulton and Franklin) in Ohio City with parking and Gym entrance off Fulton Rd.

Friday, March 13

Members “Lucky Friday the 13th” Spin Class and Happy Hour, 6:30 pm Spin Class, 7:30 Happy Hour!
Head off the Ides of March with Harness Cycle on March 13th. Then, replenish those calories at Jukebox with Happy Hour prices for NWFN members from 7:30- 9:00 pm. Harness Cycle is offering a $5 Happy Hour Spin Class to NWFN Members and Jukebox will have post-class drink specials for members, too (regardless of whether or not you took the class!)
Harness Cycle is located at: 901 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113
JukeBox is just around the corner/next door at: 1404 W. 29th St., Cleveland, OH 44113

Register by March 9 to reserve your bike!:
1.       Go to www.harnesscycle.com
2.       Create a user account + purchase a $5 “happy hour” series
3.       Email info@harnesscycle.com to reserve a bike {include your first + last name}
** reservations can also be made over the phone or in person at Harness Cycle

Saturday, March 21

Kids Yoga with Neighborhood Family Practice, 10:00 – 11:00 am at the NFP Ridge Road location
Kids and parents – come visit the Neighborhood Family Practice center on Ridge Road for a Saturday morning Yoga session! Studies have shown that yoga has many physical, mental, and emotional benefits for children. Physical benefits include strength, balance, and posture. Mental and emotional benefits include improved focus, concentration, and attention span while building confidence, developing discipline and relieving stress. Mats will be available for use or you can bring your own. A light snack will be provided after the yoga practice.
Neighborhood Family Practice is located at 3569 Ridge Road, Cleveland, OH 44102 (corner of Ridge and Denison, next to Dave’s Mercado)
MetroHealth Breast Amigas Health Fair, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at Primera Iglesia Bautista Church
Free Health Fair/Screenings; The BREAST/Amigas Team would like to invite you to attend our next health fair. Our Breast Screening/Health Fair offers free mammograms, breast exams, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, sickle cell, and HIV testing. Free food, massages, child entertainment, and community resources are also available.
Primera Iglesia Bautista Church is located at 6800 Denison Ave., Cleveland, Ohio

Tuesday, March 24

Gym Days at Franklin Circle Church, 9:30 – 11:00 am
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring their little ones to the gym to burn off some winter energy while you get some time to socialize. $1/ per child. Recommended for children 6 and under. We will have a simple snack and coffee available.
Franklin Circle Church is located at 1688 Fulton Rd. (corner of Fulton and Franklin) in Ohio City with parking and Gym entrance off Fulton Rd.

Saturday, March 28

Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Fairview Park, 10:00 am
Come sunshine, rain, or SNOW we love to host this fun family event with hundreds of eggs filled with treats for kids, the Easter Bunny will make an appearance again this year, too!
Fairview Park is located on West 38^th St. between Franklin and Woodbine Ave. in Ohio City.

In various stages of planning and confirmation, we are always working on a number of events beyond the next month.... We will let you know about them as soon as there is something definite to tell!
Don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to help organize or be a part of the day-of activities. If no contact person is listed, email information@nearwestfamilynetwork.org to get more involved!

Kids Fishing with Metroparks
No date set yet
Details are being worked out with Metroparks to hold a Kids Intro to Fishing event. Timing and details are yet-to-be set, but if you like to fish and want to be a part of the planning, email Sarah at sryzner@nearwestfamilynetwork.org

Health & Wellness with the NFP Team
Women Everywhere: Remember to Take Care of YOU!
March 2015

Women, this is an article for you. Men, you may read and educate yourself and maybe even motivate the women in your lives to act on this important information!

Just like that, the first few month’s of the New Year have come and gone, and most of the time with it go our New Year’s Resolutions we so confidently set for ourselves. We aim for these new ways to change our lives or to “be a better YOU!” We set goals to get to the gym 4 days a week, go on a diet, or stop those bad habits. But, let’s be honest here: they don’t always happen. (Those of you still working towards those things, keep it UP!) But for some of us it becomes very difficult to maintain. One very prominent reason for this is how busy we become in our daily lives. We are conditioned to care for our friends, families, and loved ones. We get overwhelmed with work or stress at home. We miss an appointment or two because you had to get to the grocery store after your shift or take your child to soccer practice.

While these are all important things, NFP is here this month to remind you: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! And there are many ways this can be done. We hear this term “preventative care” so much in our society when discussing our health or the health care system in our country.

{preventative care}
Medical care that focuses on disease prevention and health maintenance. It includes early diagnosis of disease, discovery and identification of people at risk of development of specific problems, counseling, and other necessary intervention to avert a health problem. Screening tests, health education, and immunization programs are common examples of preventative care.
With that being said, this idea of preventative care is extremely crucial to staying at our best physical and mental health. For women, we have a few preventative care services that are for us, and us alone. In my opinion, there are two services we should pay the most attention to. What are these, you ask? Two diseases we can catch early with the right screenings: Breast and Cervical Cancers.

Cervical Cancer
I have heard on more than one occasion from more than one medical professional this fact: No woman should die from cervical cancer. It is all about identifying and treating pre-cancers before they turn into cancer. One way to help prevent this disease is the HPV vaccine. HPV (human papillomavirus) is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine, which has been recommended for girls in the U.S. for nearly 10 years, protects individuals from strands of this virus that can lead to cervical cancer. The CDC recommends young men and women receive the vaccine in a 3 shot series starting at age 11 or 12 until the age of 26 in order to be effective. According to the American Cancer Society and Dr. Debbie Saslow, PhD, the U.S. has already seen HPV infections drop by 56% as a result of this vaccine.

Another easy way to prevent and detect possible cervical cancer or abnormalities is through a Pap test. The guidelines have changed in recent years and it is important to follow up as recommended by your provider. According to the American Cancer Society, women ages 21-29 should get a pap test every 3 years and women 30-65 should get a Pap test and HPV test every 5 years. However, if you have a family history or history of abnormal results in the past, consult your provider. The Pap test is VERY important for women. The cervical cancer death rate declined by more than 50% over the last 30 years and this is thought to be mainly due to the effectiveness of Pap test screening.

Breast Cancer
We all hear about Breast Cancer and unfortunately all know someone affected by this disease. Unlike cervical cancer, it is not as easily prevented or treatable. It is the most common cancer among American women, besides skin cancers. About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer during their life time according to the American Cancer Society. While most risk factors for getting breast cancer in a lifetime cannot be changed, some are lifestyle-related and we can change to decrease our risk. For example, having children, being on birth control, breast feeding, staying at a healthy weight, and getting plenty of physical exercise are all ways to decrease the risk.
To help prevent or catch breast cancer early, here are things we can do:

Women in their 20’s and 30’s should have a clinical breast exam as a part of an annual preventative visit by a health professional every 3 years. Starting at age 40, this should be every year.
Self-exams starting in your 20’s are important as well. Know your bodies and what is normal for YOU. That way, if anything changes, you can report these concerns to your health care provider.
Finally, it is recommended that women age 40 years and older begin receiving annual mammograms.

*If any woman has a higher risk or family history of breast cancer, speak to your primary care provider about when you should begin screening.

These are just two of the important preventative care screenings we, as women, need. In addition, we need to keep up with seeing our providers on an annual basis, following up on specialty care, getting blood work and vaccines as recommended. There is a reason these services were recommended for you and if you ever have any questions ALWAYS ask your provider.

Not sure where to have these screenings done? Are you worried about cost or insurance coverage? At Neighborhood Family Practice, our mission is to provide high quality health care for the community regardless of ability to pay. We do everything we can to live out that mission by providing services and assistance to help you and your families. Do not hesitate to call our office and make your first preventative care appointment with one of our providers.

So, as March begins, make a promise to yourselves, ladies. Promise to take care of yourself and follow up on your health care. You owe it to yourself and the loved ones in your life!

Stay Well,
Elyse Shaffer, Women’s Health Patient Advocate
Neighborhood Family Practice
(216) 281-0872

As always, please forward this newsletter to anyone who is interested. We encourage everyone who shares our commitment to making the near west neighborhoods more family-friendly to become a member. Membership is open to everyone - download a membership form and mail it in, or you can also join online today!