For Immediate Release
April 01, 1999

Contact:
Beryl Wolfe
(207) 775-5115
Web Site: http://www.martinspoint.org

Martin's Point Health Care will be offering free, anonymous alcohol screenings as part of the first-ever National Alcohol Screening Day this Thursday, April 8th. The free screenings will be held at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Martin's Point Health Education Center at 331 Veranda Street in Portland.

The program is designed to call attention to alcohol problems and to educate the public about the symptoms of and effective treatments for alcohol problems. Participants in the Martin's Point Health Care screenings will hear an educational presentation on alcohol problems, have the opportunity to talk one on one with a health professional and take a self-evaluation test. Names and phone numbers of local treatment and support services will also be available.

National Alcohol Screening Day is being held April 8th as part of National Alcohol Awareness month. The program is sponsored by the National Mental Illness Screening Project in partnership with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which is a part of the National Institutes of Health. It is being held across the country at 2,000 screening sites, such as other health centers, hospitals, alcohol and addiction treatment centers and colleges.

"This first-ever National Alcohol Screening Day will increase public understanding of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and the need for treatment," says Dr. Jan Wnek, medical director at Martin's Point Health Care. "One of America's most serious and persistent health problems, alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost society more than $167 billion each year. Nearly 14 million people in the United States -- one in every 13 adults -- abuse alcohol or are alcoholic."

Based in Portland at 331 Veranda St., Martin's Point Health Care also has clinics in Windham and in Newington, N.H. Established in 1981, Martin's Point has a staff of 240 health care professionals, serving more than 45,000 patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, radiology, cardiology, mammography and other fields.

Martin's Point holds a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide health care services for retired military personnel and the dependents of active duty personnel. The centers also accept all major health plans and insurance, including but not limited to HealthSource, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Harvard Community Health Plan, Tufts Health Plan, Maine Partners, Champus, Tricare, Aetna, Cigna and NYLCare plans.

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