Happy St. Patrick’s month,

And of course, the Ides of March will come before St. Patrick’s Day and the first days of Spring just after. So, a busy month on the calendar!

As an Irish woman, my public service announcement is to remind you all to be very careful in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. NO drinking and driving, and be kind and respectful of all around you. For many, it is a family celebration, with kids and teenagers in areas usually reserved for adults only, for example in pubs or cultural centers, where they are a part of the singing, dancing and/or playing musical instruments And if you celebrate the day at one of the many local parades, be sure to watch the little ones, that they don’t get in the path of the marchers, particularly if there are horses marching in the parade.

As spring makes it debut for 2025 and we get back to the outdoors, don’t forget skin protection when out in the sun, and monitor for tick and mosquito bites. For information on protection from bites and what to do if you find a tick imbedded in your skin, please go to the Public Health Nurse page on the town website.

We are still seeing cases of ‘flu here in Rehoboth.

There are findings that children with underlying health issues seem to be at risk for complications with this year’s ‘flu strain. The literature is indicating some neurological complications in children, specifically those children with underlying neurological conditions. In the event that your child is experiencing ‘flu like symptoms, particularly with fever, please contact the child’s PCP for instructions. And as I have mentioned in the past, if you or your child are sick, especially when accompanied by fever, please stay home until symptoms have resolved and you and/or your child is fever-free for 24 hours.

BP screening clinic continues on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Senior Center here at 27 Francis Farm Rd from 11:30am-1pm. I am still offering the COVID-19 vaccination to seniors during the Wednesdays BP screening clinic. Please contact me at 508-962-4558 to schedule your vaccine.

The podiatry clinic is on March 20th. The doctor is on vacation the first Thursday of March, hence the change in week. All appointments are filled now, but give me a call if you’d like to go on the cancellation list. The next podiatry clinic will be May 1st from 9am-12n.

We continue to offer home safety evaluation and wellness checks for those who are homebound and may need help or referral to other services so that they may stay safely at home. These visits are usually booked for Tuesday or Thursday afternoons. If you or a loved one would like to be seen, please reach out to us at 508-962-4558 or at ghamel@rehobothma.gov 

The Bereavement Group continues to run on Wednesdays from 9:30am-10:30am. All are welcome, and remember one’s loss and bereavement may not be related to the death of a loved one, but possibly to the loss of any relationship that results in a sense of grief. We are joined by Judy Rosa during some of our meeting. Judy is an intricate part of almost all of the exercise classes here at Francis Farm, and has been such a support for our group, helping us through our grief using meditation. Having experienced the loss of her husband, she has the ability to really empathize with our groups’ various grief experiences. If you are suffering after a loss, I hope you’ll join us.

Though the term ‘Ides of March” is associated with things morbid or negative, I refer to this March calendar landmark because it is sometimes used as a reference to sadness. If you are experiencing sadness, depression or anxiety that is impacting your quality of life, please reach out to your PCP for support and a referral for further care if needed. Likewise, if you are noticing a friend or family member suffering, talk about it, don’t ignore it. You will also find some resources on the Public Health Nurse’s page on the town website. I learned, many years ago, that we are Bio-Pyscho-Social beings. A disruption in any one of these facets results in disequilibrium and potentially illness. So, we shouldn’t ignore any part of our being. The protection and care of each part of us is essential to our overall health. I have said the following so often in my years of practice; we don’t ignore or discount serious physical health issues, so why do we ignore pyscho-social health issues?

We’ll chat again in April! In the meantime, be kind, be good and be safe!
Sincerely,
Geri Hamel
Public Health Nurse
27 Francis Farm Rd.
508-962-4558
ghamel@rehobothma.gov