Health News
Headway with a music grant
£10,000 grant was music to the ears of charity Headway East London.
The National Lottery cash will fund their innovative music therapy sessions.
Headway East London, which supports people with brain injuries, operates a social rehabilitation centre in Hackney.
It offers music therapy as a complimentary treatment alongside others like craniosacral therapy and yoga.
Research has found music therapy can help brain injury survivors relearn communication, listening and sharing skills.
The charity’s music therapist, Alex Street, said: “I’m delighted with the award; we will now be able to purchase a range of new instruments including an electronic keyboard which can be connected to a computer.
“As well as providing an ideal accompaniment to the musicians, we intend in the future to make our own recordings. This can be shared with family and friends.”
Ben Bellman said: “I love music and music therapy.
“Alex is an inspiration and he encourages me to be spontaneous with my flute, which I love.”
More information
For further details visit: www.headwayeastlondon.org.
Screening for gene
The pilot phase of a groundbreaking project designed to identify people at high risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer has been launched.
The Genetic Cancer Prediction through Population Screening (GCaPPS) project involves testing healthy Ashkenazi Jewish people, one-in-40 of whom carry faulty BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which put them at a higher risk of developing the disease than the rest of the population.
Researchers from the Gynaecological Cancer Research Centre, at University College London’s Institute for Women’s Health, hope this will help identify those at risk of developing cancers or passing on the risk to their children.
Organisations including Jewish Care and Norwood are supporting the project and people interested in volunteering can get information from Hackney’s Norwood Centre in Stoke Newington.
The pilot phase involving 1,000 will continue for the next year. This will be followed by the core phase of the project, targeting a further 9,000 people.
Professor Ian Jacobs, Director for the Institute for Women’s Health, said:
“There is the possibility that this approach will lead to a reduction in the number of cancers. The data from GCaPPS will provide the basis for informed decision making about the introduction of BRCA population testing in the Ashkenazi Jewish community and other populations.”
More information
For more details of the pilot contact Norwood Wellbeing at: Bearsted Centre, 85a Lordship Road, N16.
Sexual health roadshow
World Aids Day on 1 December sees the official launch of a new sexual health roadshow and website for Hackney.
The CHPCT has set up the service to offer screening and information throughout the Christmas party season. The fourweek ‘SHO me’ campaign will see a colourful mobile unit visit busy public places around the borough. The unit has a private consultation room for HIV, Chlamydia and pregnancy testing.
Plus there will be two on-board laptops to access the new website.
Dr Lesley Mountford, Joint Director of Public Health from the CHPCT, said: “This is an ambitious campaign tackling a highly sensitive issue. By taking screening services and information right in to the heart of the community, we particularly want to reach young and old people, who would not necessarily visit their GP or hospital.”
Visitors to the roadshow will be able to discuss their sexual health in confidence with trained staff. Free condoms will be also be available.
More information
The roadshow will visit: Liverpool St, Hackney Marshes, BSix College, Concorde centre, Queensbridge sports centre, Hackney College, St Pauls, Gillett Square, Britannia sports centre, Clissold Park & London Fields.
For info visit: www.sho-me.nhs.uk. For details of World Aids Day visit: www.worldaidsday.org.
Page updated: 2 Dec 2008