Season for garden restoration at park begins April 5

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

‘‘I just ask that they bring their tools and their smiles,” she said with a laugh.

The first Saturday of every month during the growing season, volunteers gather at the park to work on the gardens designed by the landscape architect Rose Greely at Point Farm and the Patterson home.

On April 5, from 9 a.m. to noon, the public is invited to join other volunteers in restoring the gardens, working on pruning, mulching and general grooming at the gardens.

With a copy of the original 1935 landscape plans as a guide, garden volunteers meet on the first Saturday of the month to uncover hidden plants and bring the gardens back to their original beauty.

‘‘We’re trying to bring it back to what it was a long time ago when the Pattersons lived in the house,” Campbell said.

Campbell sent a press release that said this is a great opportunity for ‘‘new” gardeners – typical volunteers are a mix of new and experienced gardeners, as well as those who are members of the Calvert County Master Gardeners, who are very willing to share their garden knowledge.

Campbell said the monthly gardening meeting is fun for all of the volunteers. In the summer months, sometimes the hours are moved back to avoid the heat if it gets bad.

‘‘We work together, get dirty together, get tired together,” Campbell said of the group of volunteers.

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, a state museum of archaeology and home to the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, is a program of the Maryland Historical Trust, a division of the Maryland Department of Planning. It is located on 560 scenic acres along the Patuxent River and the St. Leonard Creek in St. Leonard. For more information call 240-298-6072 or go to www.jefpat.org.

CMH offers new prostate cancertreatment

About one third of local men diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer could benefit from a new treatment option now being offered at Calvert Memorial Hospital. Clinical studies show the minimally invasive procedure — called brachytherapy — compares favorably with conventional alternatives with few side effects, according to a press release from the hospital.

‘‘It’s one of the better treatment options for localized prostate cancer,” board-certified urologist Dr. Shafquat Meraj said in the press release. ‘‘It’s safe and effective.”

Localized means the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes or another area.

The procedure involves inserting tiny radioactive seeds through hollow needles directly into the tumor in the prostate gland to shrink it and eventually destroy it. In recent years, Meraj said more men have been choosing this method over surgery (that removes the prostate) because it has a lower rate of impotence and incontinence.

Meraj performed the first brachytherapy in December at CMH with board-certified radiation oncologist Dr. Boris Naydich. Since then they have performed four more. Meraj estimates that he personally sees 100 to 200 cases of prostate cancer per year and that 25 to 30 could be treated with brachytherapy. Board-certified urologist Dr. Modesto Rivera is also certified to perform the procedure.

‘‘The technique is very popular and is producing positive results,” Naydich said in the release. ‘‘With localized cancer, the cure rate is better than 90 percent.”

In the last eight years, he has performed 300 similar procedures in Southern Maryland as a primary treatment for localized disease and as a boost for high-risk prostate cancer patients. Of that number, five patients experienced a recurrence of their cancer. The treatment outcomes are comparable to results from intensity modulation radiation therapy (IMRT), which consists of daily treatments over a period of nine weeks.

According to Meraj, brachytherapy offers other advantages.

‘‘It can be done as an outpatient procedure,” he said, ‘‘and the recovery is much faster. The patient is back on their feet the next day.”

With traditional surgery, the patient could expect to be hospitalized several days.

The procedure produces relatively small risk of serious complications. In general, these patients have mild-to-moderate frequency and discomfort at urination and some rectal complaints, which are successfully managed with medication.More prolonged issues are uncommon and are seen in about five percent of patients.

Brachytherapy takes 90 minutes compared to two to three hours for traditional surgery and can be done using regional or general anesthesia. Working in concert, the team determines in advance the radiation dosage and the exact number of seeds required for a case, as well as the precise seed placement to effectively treat the tumor.

‘‘Overall, the side effects are reasonable and tolerable,” Naydich said. ‘‘Most urinary and bowel problems are temporary.”

Brachytherapy is not for everyone, he said. Generally, the best candidates are men who might otherwise expect to live at least 10 more years and whose cancer is confined to the prostate, or older men who are not eligible for surgery.

‘‘Previously, local patients had to travel an hour or more to have the procedure,” Meraj said. ‘‘Now, we’re able to offer it here at CMH. This benefits our patients because they can be treated by the same doctor ... and there is continuity with the follow-up care.”

He said there has been an increase in the number of prostate cancers diagnosed locally. ‘‘We’re actively looking for it more,” Meraj said, ‘‘so we’re finding it more and finding it earlier.”

Since 2005, 512 men have been treated for prostate cancer at CMH.

The hospital’s community wellness program offers free prostate cancer screenings several times throughout the year. The next screening is planned for March 28 and 29 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Calvert County Health Fair at the Calvert Pines Senior Center in Prince Frederick. Preregistration is required. To make an appointment, call 410-535-8233.

County urges residents to sign up for CodeRED

The Calvert County Division of Emergency Management uses CodeRED, an emergency telephone notification system, to contact county residents in emergency situations. This system allows hundreds of telephones per minute to be called with a recorded message. When an emergency arises, those impacted by the event are called using identified lists such as residents around Calvert Cliffs or Cove Point, geographical areas such as residents on a particular road or a radius for events such as missing persons. CodeRED has been used to inform and update residents about power outages, missing persons, weather information, water and sewer service disruption, and gas line breaks.

To sign up for the program, go to the county’s Web site, www.co.cal.md.us, and click on the CodeRED Residential Data Collection Registration Form link. You can also call the Emergency Management Office at 410-535-1600, Ext. 2638, to register. Emergency Management personnel also participate in many public awareness events to promote CodeRED and register citizens.

In order to successfully reach residents during power outages, it is recommended that you have at least one plug-in, non-portable phone in your home. Emergency Management staff use CodeRED to provide updates and broadcast emergency information such as warming center locations and shelter activations. Citizens should register cell phone numbers as well as home and work numbers to ensure they are notified of an incident even if they are not at home.

Grief support offered for children, teens

Bridges, an eight-session grief support program for children ages 3 to 12; teens ages 13 to 18; and adult family members who are grieving the death of a loved one begins April 10 and continues through May 29 on Thursday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church on Main Street in Prince Frederick.Ê

Students are divided into age-appropriate groups where creative activities and discussion are used to assist with coping and healing. Growth-oriented information on the impact of death within the family is provided.

Adult family members learn how grief affects children and teens and how to support their child or children, and strengthen the family.

All bereavement programs are available to Calvert County residents at no charge. No prior connection to Hospice is required.

Contact Stacy Newman, Calvert Hospice Bereavement Coordinator at 410-535-0892 or 301-855-1226 for more information or to register, or got to www.calverthospice.org.