Vision group pledges to donate for eye exams

CANTON — VSP Vision Care has pledged to donate up to 50,000 eye exams and glasses for children, valued at more than $19 million, to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, including the Cherokee County branch, through the VSP Eye Pledge campaign.

For information, go to www.SeeMuchMore.com, click on “Take the VSP Eye Pledge,” take the pledge to take care of your eyes, then insert “Canton” for location to receive a free exam. For every pledge, VSP will donate an eye exam and new pair of glasses to a Boys & Girls Club member on your behalf, at no cost.

“Boys & Girls Clubs of America believes that every child can achieve a great future,” said Sharon Hemphill, senior director of health and life skills at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “We are dedicated to helping them get there and are thankful for our partners such as VSP, whose Eye Pledge provides critical services to our club kids that helps to eliminate just some of the health and wellness challenges they face every day.”

Northside earns distinction

CANTON — The National Marrow Donor Program, the federally funded organization that facilitates most matched unrelated donor transplants in the U.S., has released outcome data that indicate Northside Hospital’s Blood & Marrow Transplant Program has the best survival rates for matched related and unrelated transplants of any program in the country.

The Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Northside is one of the largest and most comprehensive programs in the nation, serving patients who require bone marrow or stem cell transplants.

Patients don’t need to travel far to have access to the full range of available hematopoietic transplants, including those from matched related, matched unrelated and haploidentical donors and cord blood transplants. All services are located at Northside’s Atlanta campus.

In 2010, 175 transplants were performed at Northside, placing the hospital among the top 10 percent of all blood and marrow transplant programs in the nation, in terms of volume.

“Although transplant volume is important, our philosophy at Northside is focused on providing the most patient-friendly experience and the best clinical outcomes for patients undergoing blood and marrow transplants,” said H. Kent Holland, M.D., and medical director Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Northside.