Social worker joins Peace Moving Forward wellness center in Wilton

Peace Moving Forward Holistic Wellness Center has announced a partnership with Velma Evans, a licensed clinical social worker, at its location at 343 Main St. in Wilton.

Evans will be joining Marylena Chaisson, a licensed clinical professional counselor and owner of Peace Moving Forward; and professional counselor Kate Kelley, owner and outpatient therapist of LL Lotus Healing & Wellness.

Velma has worked as an social worker since graduating in 2003 from Boston College. She has served individuals, couples and families, most recently in Franklin County and prior to that in Oxford County. She provided services in primary care doctors’ offices since 2009 in those counties.

Evans most recently been trained in basic Accelerated Resolution Therapy, a new evidence-based form of psychotherapy.

CMP conducting spring inspections of power lines by helicopter

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Central Maine Power has begun its spring inspections of its transmission lines by helicopter, according to a news release from the company.

The flights are an important part of the utility’s annual inspection program to ensure safe, reliable delivery of power to homes and businesses throughout its service area, the company said.

Each spring and fall, CMP, a subsidiary of AVANGRID Inc., does a visual inspection of all of its transmission rights of way from the air. The flights help to spot potential problems with equipment, as well as signs of unauthorized use.

“Unauthorized uses in our corridors can pose a risk to our energy grid or the environment,” CMP spokesperson Gail Rice said in the release. “We want to be a good neighbor by preventing abuses such as off-road vehicle use or disposal of trash or brush.”

In addition to the spring and fall inspections, CMP also flies over its entire transmission system in the summer using a helicopter equipped with infrared thermal imaging equipment to detect “hot spots” that might need attention.

“Our lines are exposed to the weather all the time, and extreme temperatures and precipitation can take their toll on switches, clamps, insulators, and other equipment,” says Rice. “These devices often heat up if there’s been minor damage or wear, so inspecting the lines with infrared equipment lets us find and fix problems before they cause a power outage.”

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CMP owns nearly 2,500 miles of transmission line.

Richmond KOA campground to reopen Sunday

The Augusta/Gardiner KOA Journey campground, located at 30 Mallard Drive in Richmond, will be open for the summer camping season May 1, according to a news release from the company.

The campground is one of 485 KOA sites open to the public in the Kampgrounds of America system in the U.S. and Canada.

To celebrate 54 years of business, KOA is partnering this summer with Keystone RV Co. to offer a prize package through the What’s Behind The Yellow Sign? giveaway. Beginning Wednesday, campers can enter to win a new Keystone Bullet Ultra Lite Crossfire 2070BH travel trailer and a KOA gift card.

The giveaway will run through Aug. 31. Participants can enter at www.BehindTheSignGiveaway.com.

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Campers also can pick up a 2016 edition of the KOA Directory free at any KOA campground. The directory, a travel atlas of every state and Canadian province, and includes descriptive listings of each KOA campground as well as detailed maps and directions to each location. The digital edition of the 2016 KOA Directory is available at http://koa.uberflip.com/i/641109-2016-koa-directory.

Watchdog group gives Franklin Memorial “A” rating

Franklin Memorial Hospital, in Farmington, is one of 798 U.S. hospitals to receive an “A” ranking from the national patient safety watchdog The Leapfrog Group as being among the safest hospitals in the United States.

An announcement released nationally on April 25 by has assigned A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide to provide the most complete picture of patient safety in the U.S. health care system.

“Avoidable deaths in hospitals should be the number one concern of our health care leaders. Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ from Leapfrog are leaders in saving lives, and we commend them and urge their continued vigilance,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, on Monday in a news release.

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign letter grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score includes five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well as two of the most common infections, C. difficile and MRSA.

To see Franklin Memorial Hospital’s full score, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org or follow The Hospital Safety Score on Twitter or Facebook.

Timothy Churchill, FMH interim CEO and president, noted that the hospital has received the “A” rating four times in a row.

In addition to FMH, nine other Maine hospitals received an “A” grade.


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