Health digest for Sept. 22, 2008:

AWARDS

PATH director

BLOOMINGTON - Karen Zangerle, executive director of PATH (Providing Access To Help), the Bloomington-based crisis information and referral agency, has been named Public Citizen of the Year by the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Zangerle received the award on Friday during the chapter's 2008 symposium at the University of Illinois, Urbana. Zangerle was honored for her positive impact on the McLean County area, for her work to address social problems and improve lives, and for her support of the ethics and values of the social work profession.

The National Association of Social Workers has 153,000 members, including more than 8,000 in Illinois.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Diabetes Walk

BLOOMINGTON - The Step Out for Diabetes Walk will be 10 a.m. Oct. 4 at White Oak Park, Bloomington. Check-in begins at 9 a.m.

The walk supports programs and services of the American Diabetes Association in Central Illinois. Diabetes association market manager Nicole Campen expects 250 to 300 people to participate and to raise about $65,000.

To register or for more information, go to www.diabetes.org/stepout or call (888) 342-2383 ext. 6546.

Leukemia Walk

BLOOMINGTON - The Light the Night Walk, sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, will be 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Miller Park, Bloomington.

The walk celebrates cancer survivorship and commemorates lives touched by cancer. Patients and survivors carry white illuminated balloons while supporters carry red balloons. Money raised supports research and services for patients and families. More information is at http://lightthenight.org or at (309) 451-1692.

Flu vaccine

EUREKA - The Woodford County Health Department will offer flu vaccine at clinics from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 17 at the Christian Union Church, Metamora; noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 24 at Minonk City Hall, Minonk; and 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 at the health department, Eureka.

Flu vaccine will be available for adults and children six months and older. For more information, call (309) 467-3064.

Medical building

FARMER CITY - Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services will build a medical office building in Farmer City, chief executive officer Rob Schmitt announced last week.

The medical office building will be for family practice physician Dr. Darrin Ray. The building will be 2,000 square feet and will cost $250,000. Construction will begin in October and the building should open in January.

Ray received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford and will complete his family medicine residency training there in December. Ray is married to Dr. Bernadette Ray, a Bellflower native who will be starting her medical practice in January.

Light Your Porch

TREMONT - Tazewell County Health Department wants county residents to light their porches pink in recognition of breast cancer awareness month in October.

For a $5 donation, supporters will receive a pink light bulb. Money will go to the health department fund to assist in paying for mammograms for women unable to afford them. The Porches in Pink campaign was started to compensate for a reduction in funding for women's health services. Light bulbs may be picked up from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday at the health department in Tremont. More information is at (309) 925-5511 ext. 316.

Make-A-Wish

NORMAL - The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois needs help to reach children living with life-threatening conditions in Central Illinois. The foundation needs wish-granting volunteers who work in teams to grant wishes to children battling serious illness.

The next volunteer wish-granter training will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Bank of Illinois, 200 W. College Ave., Normal. A volunteer application and online training must be completed prior to attending the training session. Registration is required by Sept. 29 by contacting Lara Moberger at (800) 978-9474 or at moberger@wishes.org.

APPOINTMENTS

Volunteer services

LINCOLN - Lynne Metz has been named manager of volunteer services at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Lincoln.

She coordinates all hospital auxiliary activities and events, manages the Pink Shutter Thrift Shop, the In the Pink Gift Shoppe and the Lifeline program.

Metz was the volunteer specialist at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield for 13 years.

Critical care

BLOOMINGTON - Dr. Kishore Karamchandani has been named medical director of OSF Critical Care, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington.

Before joining OSF, Karamchandani served as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria. He was medical director of the intensive care unit and sleep lab at Methodist Medical Center, Peoria, and was a partner with Peoria Pulmonary Associates.

Karamchandani is a graduate of Bombay University in Bombay, India, and a member of the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom. He completed residencies at Grant Medical College, JJ Group of Hospitals in Bombay, and at Mount Carmel Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. He completed a fellowship in pulmonary/critical care at Loyola University, Chicago. He is board certified in internal, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.

Submit Health Digest items to Paul Swiech at pswiech@pantagraph.com.