On Wednesday, May 15, from 5 to 7 p.m., the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce will hold its next Business After Hours at the Boothbay Region Health Center. Come tour the Center, meet the medical staff, enjoy delicious hot and cold healthy hors d'oeuvres, wine, beer and soft drinks, and learn about all the convenient healthcare services offered in the Meadow Mall. The Health Center will be offering a special prize of wine and chocolate to the winner of the business card drawing. And, a $125-value Health Care Card will go to the lucky winner who completes the Health Center tour and wins that drawing. The Health Center is introducing these new Health Care Cards to local businesses. The $125-value cards can be purchased for $100 each and given to summer employees who need a doctor's visit but don't have health insurance (or have a high deductible). A sick employee is a liability. Keeping your workers healthy with convenient, affordable care is part of the mission of the Boothbay Region Health Center.

At the Business After Hours, you'll get to chat with the center's Medical Director Dr. Steve Cook and learn why he decided to become a family doctor after spending many years as a surgeon and an ER doc. He'll also tell you about his twice monthly free Empowered Patients' classes, where you can learn more about how to get and stay healthy.

You'll get a chance to meet our new integrative medicine tick-born disease specialist and mental health professional Jennie McNeil. You'll also find a full array of Lyme and other tick-born disease preventive information, and the opportunity to get your tick-related questions answered by BRHC Board Member and Lyme Warrior, Paula Jackson Jones.

You'll meet Brett Auclaire, a generalist family nurse practitioner who also specializes in pain management – using Trigger Point Therapy, which massages the fascia and is 90% effective for most pain. You'll also learn from Brett about our opioid and substance misuse treatment program.

Dr. "Chip" Teel will be happy to answer questions about your aging parents, your and your family's health, and describe our chronic care management program--in which patients set personal health goals and get personalized coaching to reach them.

Experienced Family Nurse Practitioner Becky Traquair will answer any questions you have about the transition from Nancy Oliphant's medical practice to working as part of the Health Center team. She'll answer your health-related questions, and can also tell you about the many ways the Health Center keeps patients' costs down through the use of cost-effective imaging services and referrals to other quality services.

Family Nurse Practitioner Susan Lord will introduce you to all the womens' health and reproductive health services the Health Center offers.

Health Coordinator Robyn Ham will tell you about many of the preventive programs she is providing, from teaching CPR, to providing free car seats for qualified families, to providing discounts on vitamins, supplements and medical supplies.

Wellness Coach Mary Baudo will test your balance and flexibility and tell you about our Fit, Flexible & Strong Wellness program.

The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours are open to members and non-members, and everyone from the business community is encouraged to participate. Chamber members attend free non-member admission is $10. Please register to attend by calling the Chamber offices at 633-2353.

The Chamber already has a full line up of Business After Hours events scheduled right through September. To get the 2019 Business After Hours schedule, go to the Chamber website at www.boothbayharbor.com, Chamber Events.

The Chamber’s new Midcoast Visitor Information Center located at 25 Route 1 in Edgecomb, will officially open Thursday May 16.