Topics include:

– The importance of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle during pregnancy

– How to achieve a healthy pregnancy weight gain

– The danger of food-borne illness and tips to protect yourself during pregnancy

– The best methods for feeding the baby

– The consequences of smoking, drinking and drugs during pregnancy

The Have a Healthy Baby program is a research-based curriculum taught by trained, caring educators across Indiana. In LaPorte County, Purdue Extension Educator Allison Goshorn and Program Assistant Jody Kutch will deliver nutrition education to bring about lifestyle changes promoting a healthy pregnancy.

The program will take place on the following dates and at the following locations:

– The Bridge, Michigan City, on Tuesdays, Feb. 28 and March 6, from 3 to 5 p.m.

– State Street Community Church, LaPorte, on Tuesdays, March 13 and 27, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Registration is required. For more information, visit http://www.purdue.edu/momstogether, e-mail agoshorn@purdue.edu or call 219-324-9407.

Here are upcoming American Red Cross blood drives in LaPorte County.

– Friday, Feb. 17, 1 to 6 p.m., South Central School south gymnasium, 9808 S. 600 West, Union Mills. Come to donate and receive a T-shirt. This Pint Size Heroes blood drive is sponsored by the National Honor Society.

– Friday, Feb. 24, 8 a.m. to noon, St. Anthony Health’s St. Francis Hall, 301 W. Homer St., Michigan City.

– Monday, Feb. 27, noon to 5 p.m., IU Health LaPorte Hospital. Come to donate and receive a $3 lunch coupon. Please call 326-1234, ext. 1518, to schedule your blood donation appointment.

“This gives our citizens a way of safely disposing of unwanted medications,” Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer said in a press release. “Medications flushed down the drain end up in our groundwater, while medications thrown out in the garbage or left in cupboards can end up in the wrong hands.”

TRIAD and the sheriff’s office ask that only pills are brought in and left in the drop box. The best way to bring the pills in is in ziplock-type plastic bags or in the original prescription containers, with the patient name on the label removed.

Members of the LaPorte County TRIAD will be present Friday to answer questions about the program. The public is invited to attend the dedication.

LaPorte County TRIAD is an organization made up of law enforcement, community service organizations and seniors whose goal is to improve the safety and quality of life of older adults in the community.

At the Jan. 12, 2012, LaPorte Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Cains told the board that the LaPorte Fire Department and LaPorte County EMS recently responded to a call at an apartment in the 500 block of Jefferson Avenue, where they found an unconscious woman. At LaPorte Hospital it was determined that she had high levels of carbon monoxide in her system and had subsequently had a heart attack.

Cains told the board that carbon monoxide poisoning results mainly from poor heating systems. He reminded landlords that it’s city law that they make sure their heating systems are working properly. He encouraged all homeowners and landlords to have their heating systems inspected annually. Renters can best protect themselves by making sure this is done prior to moving into a rental unit, he said.

Cains also suggested that the city look into passing an ordinance requiring registration of apartment units so they can be inspected properly.

Shop vendors including Harry & David, Pampered Chef, Lia Sophia, Party Lite, Mary Kay, Tupperware, Gold Canyon Candles, and more. Plus, baked goods by Rittenhouse will be available. Additional vendors are welcome.

Come early for breakfast, which will be served from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. for $6, and will include french toast casserole, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and beverages.

For more information, contact Heather at 219-872-6800.

The next Certified Nursing Assistant classes will begin Feb. 27. The session will consist of five days of classroom work and four weeks of hands-on training. To maintain instructional quality, classes will be limited to 10-12 students, so space is limited.

There’s currently a large shortage in the CNA field. This shortage provides tremendous opportunities for candidates willing to apply themselves.

Interested parties are encouraged to attend one of the informational sessions.

For more information, call 219.326.4654 or toll free 800.235.6204, ext. 4654.

The 10-week course consists of Saturday classes from March 24 to June 2. There will be no class on April 27. Classes are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sixteen hours of practicum and clinical time are included. The classes will be held at the hospital in Room B113, lower level.

The course includes 80 hours of classroom training, practicum, pre- and post-tests, a midterm exam, and final oral/written exams.

Participants will:

– Acquire the core knowledge and skills needed to handle advanced medical interpretation situations

– Learn how to organize and prioritize the knowledge needed for each medical encounter

– Learn the national code of ethics, standards of practice, roles of the interpreter and types of interpreting

– Learn advanced anatomy, physiology and medical terminology

– Learn memory and note-taking techniques

– Learn about the role culture plays in interpreting

The course is designed for individuals who are bilingual in English/Spanish, have a desire to learn how to be a professional interpreter and wish to further their education and expertise. Prerequisites include a completion of a language proficiency and entry exam administered by the course instructor. To schedule an appointment, call 219.326.1234, ext. 4629.

Cost is $800 and includes textbook and all training materials, and is payable by cash, money order or credit card. To reserve a spot in the class, call 219.326.2322.

Registration for Flab to Fab runs from Jan. 2-15 at the Y front desk. The program starts Jan. 16 and is 10 weeks long. Teams consist of 2 to 10 people and the cost is $25 per team member.

Take advantage of a special Flab to Fab offer for non-YMCA members and join the Y for 10 weeks for an additional cost of only $75 per team member. Family teams may include children ages 7 and older. Non-members may only attend the four free designated group exercise classes each week. A day pass must be purchased to use the rest of the facility.

Take this fun 10-week challenge together and feel the difference it will make in your lives!

Also coming in January: Family Drums Alive! This class will be offered Thursday evenings in the Y’s Swanson Gym for anyone age 7 and older. Class will begin Thursday, Jan. 12, from 5:30-6:15 p.m.

In addition, join one of the hottest new workouts this season and have a party in the pool with Aqua Zumba. This class will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-7 p.m., and the Y is the only place in all of LaPorte County that will be heating up the pool Zumba style.

For more information on these programs, contact the Y at 219-325-9622 or visit www.lpymca.org.

IU Health LaPorte VNA Services is certified to accept Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance.

The addition of the Hamlet office was sparked by the needs of the community to have a homecare facility in Starke County. Services provided include: home telemonitoring services, home infusion therapy, social services, home health aides, and speech and language skills.

IU Health La Porte VNA Services provides care in Jasper, LaPorte, Marshall, Pulaski, Starke, St. Joseph, and Porter counties. VNA services are non-sectarian in nature. VNA is a non-profit organization.

Business office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 574.867.7700.

Wearing the LPFD pink T-shirts are (front row, from left): Gary Smith, Bill Lott, Maria Fruth of LaPorte Hospital Foundation, Matthew Schuster, and Andy Snyder. Back row, from left: Dr. Hester Muller, Brian Gray and Michael Boardman. (CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE)

Besides protecting the community, the LaPorte Fire Department is showing its muscle as a powerful fundraising group.

– The LaPorte squad raised $11,203 in its 2011 Fill-the-Boot drive for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. That’s the highest raised by any of the 32 departments in the region that held drives. LaPorte FD’s total, which was $2,000 higher than last year’s, bested the amounts raised by fire departments in larger towns such as South Bend, Elkhart and Hammond. In fact, Hammond’s total was a distant second to LaPorte’s at $8,500.

All told, the 32 departments raised $100,000 for MDA. The funds will go toward sending children with muscle diseases to a summer camp, as well as supporting a no-cost clinic in Elkhart, research, and medical equipment.

– LaPorte Firefighters IAFF Local 363 sold pink T-shirts during the month of October to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. Proceeds were donated to the LaPorte Hospital Foundation to support its breast cancer prevention efforts.

Maria Fruth, executive vice president/chief operating officer of LaPorte Hospital Foundation and Dr. Hester Muller, supervising radiologist for mammogram services at IU Health LaPorte Hospital Women’s Imaging Center, visited the firefighters at Station No. 2, where they were presented with the check.

The idea to sell the shirts came from a few firefighters whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. “We were discussing in one of our union meetings about looking for a community cause that we could support,” said firefighter Matthew Schuster, union treasurer. “Several of the guys had a wife or mother who had breast cancer so we felt it was important to do something that brought about an awareness of breast cancer and early detection.”

The Breast Cancer Prevention Fund assists uninsured, low-income women age 40 and older, and women of any age who are at high risk for breast cancer, to receive screening or diagnostic mammography services through a doctor’s order. The fund also provides education for women in early detection practices.

The T-shirts have the fire department emblem on the front, a pink breast cancer ribbon on the sleeve, and a Firefighters for the Cure logo on the back. Remaining T-shirts are available to the public and may be purchased for $15 at LaPorte Fire Station No. 1 at 18th and I streets.