Franciscan St. Francis Health to offer free child safety seat inspections

INDIANAPOLIS – Franciscan St. Francis Health is encouraging parents and caregivers to have children’s safety seats inspected based on recommendations issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The hospital is offering free inspections with certified technicians available to advise on the proper use of seats for youngsters. The event is 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15 in the parking lot of Franciscan St. Francis Weight Loss Center (5230-A E. Stop 11 Road).

The hospital is partnering on the project with the Automotive Safety Program (ASP) at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for this event.

If unable to visit the inspection sites, adults can arrange for free inspections by calling the hospital at 317-528-5774 or ASP toll-free at 800-KID-N-CAR.

Language interpreters will be on hand to assist Hispanic and Burmese/Chin parents and adult caregivers. Children’s car seats will be provided for families who can prove they are receiving public assistance and the child must be present.

“We want to help adults do their best to protect children,” said Sharilyn Wagner, RN, a postpartum nurse and Child Passenger Safety Technician at Franciscan St. Francis. “It’s said that three in four child seats are not placed correctly. In the end, when it comes to the safety of your child, there is no room for mistakes.”

To learn more about the Child Passenger Safety Clinic at Franciscan St. Francis Health, CLICK HERE.

Baby and family fair returns to Greenwood Park Mall Sept. 26

GREENWOOD, Ind. – There’s going to be a lot of baby talk going on at Greenwood Park Mall Saturday, Sept. 26. 

Franciscan St. Francis Health is hosting Guiding You – Mommy, Baby & Beyond, an informative fair for mothers, expecting parents and children of all ages. The event is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. where attendees can meet with experts from the Women & Children’s Center to learn about programs and services offered to patients and children.

The event is located indoors between JCPenney and Von Maur.

Visitors can experience the soothing effects of aromatherapy and learn the benefits of acupuncture and massage therapy. And parents can enroll their babies into the annual Diaper Derby. Specialists also will be on hand to demonstrate the correct installation of children’s car seats and visitors also can participate in Mommy & Me yoga and Dancing for Birth classes.

There will plenty of fun activities for children, including the hospital’s Healthy Sprouts kid’s activity station.

Numerous prizes and giveaways will be available, and the first 100 people to stop by the registration table will receive a free gift.

The event also offers an excellent opportunity to learn more about the major expansion and renovation of the Women & Children’s Center at the hospital’s Indianapolis campus.

Last year's event attracted hundreds of families.

And they're off!!!! Well, sort of.

Orthopedic surgeon welcomed to Franciscan St. Francis Mooresville medical staff

MOORESVILLE, Ind. – Joshua Carter, MD, orthopedic surgeon at the Midwest Center for Joint Replacement, has joined the medical staff of Franciscan St. Francis Health-Mooresville.

Dr. Carter, who will perform total joint replacement surgery at the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery, is an independent physician who chooses to practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Mooresville.

After obtaining his undergraduate degree Summa Cum Laude from the University of Kentucky, he completed his post-graduate work at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington on full scholarship and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. 

Dr. Carter completed his orthopedic surgical residency training at the University of Vermont and an Adult Reconstructive Fellowship at the OrthoCarolina Hip and Knee Center in Charlotte, N.C., where he received specialized training in anterior hip replacement. As well, he has provided orthopedic care while participating in mission work overseas.

He is married and has three children.

Click here to learn more about the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Mooresville.

Family medicine chief reappointed to state legislative public health committee

INDIANAPOLIS – Richard D. Feldman, MD, has been reappointed as a lay member of the Indiana General Assembly’s Interim Study Committee on Public Health, Behavioral Health and Human Services.

Dr. Feldman is director of the Franciscan St. Francis Health Family Medicine Residency Program, which he has headed since 1981. He also directs the hospital’s medical education program. He has held several elected appointments with the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP), the Indianapolis Medical Society and Indiana State Medical Association.

In 2014, he received lifetime achievement accolades from the IAFP and the Indiana Public Health Foundation.

An Indianapolis resident, he has served as president of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) and is past president of the Indiana Medical History Museum.

Dr. Feldman served as Indiana State Health Commissioner from 1997 to 2001, and he’s a featured editorial columnist for the Indianapolis Star.