Hospitals Offer Programs to Keep You Well

A number of Southland hospitals serve their communities in other ways besides treating the sick. With prevention in mind, they offer to the public a variety of free or low-cost educational lectures and classes.

You can learn everything from how to stop smoking to how to perform infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation .

Many hospitals keep mailing lists and send out informative health-oriented newsletters and calendars of coming events.

The following is a random sample of 10 hospitals offering free or low-cost programs.

College Hospital, Public Relations Department, 10802 College Place, Cerritos, (213) 924-9581 or (714) 826-2140.

Community lectures and discussion programs are offered. A free, seven-session seminar, “How to Enjoy Living With Your Teen-Ager,” will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m. beginning Jan. 29, at five locations: Lakewood, Los Alamitos, La Palma, Cypress High School and College Hospital. Recent topics have been chemical dependency and child abuse. The Use Response Unit provides speakers for schools or parent groups. Call for a brochure or to be added to the mailing list.

Memorial Hospital of Glendale, Edith Homan Health Resources Center, 1420 S. Central Ave., Glendale, (818) 502-2373.

Ongoing community education programs offered for minimal fees include CPR for infants, behavior modification for weight control, a diabetes support group, stress management and Positive Pulse (a three-hour health workshop). The Well Street series of free presentations takes up the subject of laughter on April 1 at 7 p.m. Reservations are encouraged. To receive the Well-Street Journal, a quarterly magazine, call public relations at (818) 502-2207.

Huntington Memorial Hospital, Department of Public Affairs, 100 Congress St., Pasadena, (818) 440-5464.

Free community health forums, which are conducted by panels of physicians from various specialties, begin at 7:30 p.m. and take place periodically. Scheduled for Feb. 11 is “Cocaine and Booze, the Medical Facts” and on April 8 “Losing Weight Sanely.” Call to request a calendar of events or to be added to the mailing list.

The education department offers multiple-session, for-fee classes on behavior modification for weight control, the use of biofeedback for controlling stress and childbirth classes. For information on sessions, call (818) 440-5041.

The Hospital of the Good Samaritan, Education Department, 616 Witmer St., Los Angeles, (213) 977-2338, Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Health/Education/ Progress (HEP) programs are held monthly in the auditorium at 2 p.m.; upcoming are “Coping with Stress in Later Life,” Jan. 29; “AIDS--The Present Situation,” Feb. 26, and “What to Do Before the Paramedics Arrive,” March 26. Evening programs on community health take place on a regular basis. Scheduled on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. is “What to Do Before the Paramedics Arrive,” at the Moseley Salvatori Conference Center in the Sequoia Room. “Diabetes Update” programs are held every other month. The March 11 session at 7 p.m. is “Diabetes and Stress: Learning to Cope.” Reservations are required. Call to receive notices of free programs.

The Women’s Health Plaza, 637 S. Lucas Ave., offers a number of programs, including the “Women’s Night Out” lecture series. To receive the Plaza Exchange newsletter, call (213) 977-2490.

San Clemente General Hospital, Community Development Center, 654 Camino de los Mares, San Clemente, (714) 661-4448.

The center offers monthly CPR classes for $10. First aid classes are available on a quarterly basis. “Questions and Answers” lectures are an ongoing free community service. Upcoming programs include health-screening clinics, cosmetic surgery, skin care and eye care. In March, a parenting series featuring Dr. William Sears begins. Call for the calendar of events and a copy of Health Scene, the hospital’s quarterly newsletter.

AMI Mission Bay Hospital, Public Relations, 3030 Bunker Hill St., San Diego, (619) 274-7721.

Upcoming programs include a session on “Living With Arthritis,” tonight at 7 p.m.; “Less Stress in Five Easy Steps,” Tuesday at 7 p.m., and “Athletic Knee Injuries,” Feb. 3, 7-9 p.m. The two latter classes will be held at Claremont Community Hospital Auditorium, 5255 Mount Etna Drive, San Diego. To reserve a seat for any class or to receive a quarterly newsletter, call (619) 276-9636.

The Rader Institute Eating Disorder Treatment Program offers programs at the hospital. The Saturday “Awareness Seminar Series” takes place on the first Saturday of each month 9-11 a.m. The topic Feb. 7 is “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” at Mission Bay Hospital, 4501 Mission Bay Drive, Suite 2D. Reservations are advised. The “Intervention Awareness Series” on coping with someone who has an eating disorder takes place on the first Wednesday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m. at Mission Bay Health Center, Suite 2G. For information, call the Rader Institute at (619) 274-7721, Ext. 595.

Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Health Education, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale, (818) 409-8020.

Numerous programs related to stress management, weight control, alternatives to smoking, physical fitness and parenting are offered. A six-session “Stress Class” is held Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. beginning Feb. 17; cost for the series is $60. Free lectures are held monthly. Call for class information or to receive Health Scene, a quarterly journal, call (818) 409-8050.

Saint Joseph Hospital, Community Health Education Department, 1100 W. Stewart Drive, Orange, (714) 771-8040.

Call for a bimonthly newsletter containing health-related articles and a calendar of events. Lecture and workshops topics include natural family planning, diabetes education, exercise, overcoming peer pressure for teen-agers and stress management. Classes are free or for a minimal fee. “Dealing with Back Pain” is the subject of a free program Feb. 5, 7:30-9 p.m.; “Earthquake Preparedness” is the topic Feb. 10 from 7 to 8 p.m for $5. A four-session class on “Assertion Training for Adults” begins Feb. 10, 1:30-3 p.m. and costs $50. A free lecture on “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Heart” will be held Feb. 19 from noon to 1 p.m.

Nu-Med Health Source, 22323 Sherman Way, No. 9, Canoga Park, (818) 999-6060.

Nu-Med Regional Medical Center/West Valley sponsors a variety of programs. Call to request a quarterly catalogue of health-education classes. Among upcoming offerings are “Mid-Life Crisis: Chaos or Opportunity?” Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m.; free eye screening for glaucoma and cataracts, Feb. 11, 12:30 p.m.; “Back Pain Workshop,” Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m., and “Extramarital Affairs,” Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.

Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Education Department, 215 W. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, (805) 497-2727, Ext. 586.

Upcoming free programs include a lecture on common foot problems on Tuesday and a Feb. 5 lecture on diabetes, both at 7:30 p.m. On four successive Tuesdays starting Feb. 3 at 10 a.m., a Senior Outreach Public Service Program takes place. Free mental health lectures are offered at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. On Feb. 17, the subject will be “Surviving Adolescence: A Primer for Parents and Teen-Agers.” A six-week series of “Shape Up and Slim Down” classes is offered for $100.

Support-group programs include an after-breast-cancer program, coping with cancer and diabetes groups. Call for brochures or to be added to the mailing list.

For other programs offered in Southern California, call the hospital nearest you.