Find Information and Resources for Women in the Five County Area

The Women's Resource Center, located in Wayne, PA, offers a variety of information and services in the five-county area around Philadelphia.

The Information and Referral Call Center is a help line for a vast number of support services for women including abuse (domestic and otherwise), job training, child care, family counseling, senior services, financial management, health and mental care, emergency and transitional housing, and legal information. The Call Center connects hundreds of women each year with services, support groups and information to support women, strengthen families and build communities.

WRC also offers a wealth of its own programs run by experienced professionals, both paid and volunteer, all for low or no cost around the Delaware Valley:

Free Legal Consultations
One-on-one consultation with an attorney to discus legal options for divorce, custody, child support or other family law matters

Free & Low-cost Counseling
Confidential consultations with a professional counselor in a safe, supportive environment on any issue; drop-in hours available

Affiliate Therapist and Attorney Referral Program
Referrals from pre-screened professionals sensitive to women's concerns; rates are offered on a sliding scale to those who qualify

Single Parenting Support Groups
Classes and support around anger & stress management, decision making, single parenting, nutrition and career planning

Coming out of Marriage & Relationships Support Group
Women who are considering or already in the process of divorce or separation can learn about the emotional and legal stages of divorce in a supportive and confidential environment

Individual Career Consultations
Free one-on-one consultations with a career expert for women who are re-entering the workforce, changing jobs or just starting their careers

Career Guidance Over Coffee
An informal group led by a career counselor that affords women the opportunity to discuss job search strategies and share tips; held at the Gryphon Cafe in Wayne, PA

Girls' Leadership Program
Offered to middle school girls to encourage them to develop leadership abilities by providing support through skill building programs


Call 610-687-6391 for Information & Referral and WRC Programs or visit WRC’s website to learn more.
Monday-Friday
9:00am-5:00pm

New Student Aid Website

As thousands of Pennsylvania college students head to college, they and their parents will have access to a new and improved student aid and debt management website, YouCanDealWithIt.com, from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

The site provides information and resources on

• ways to pay for school, including grants, scholarships and loans,
• student aid basics, including commonly used terminology, information on repaying student loan debt, options for borrowers having trouble making monthly payments, and money management,
• budgeting tips and the benefits and dangers of credit cards, including access to calculators and other resources to help estimate loan payments and create personal budgets.

The free site offers students and parents with practical and easy-to-understand advice and information on how to deal with common financial situations in today’s college and post college environment.

Department of Health Urges Pennsylvanians to Get Immunized Against Whooping Cough

From our friends at the PA Department of Health:

Department of Health Urges Pennsylvanians to Get Immunized Against Whooping Cough; Clinics Slated in York, Delaware Counties

Harrisburg – With some areas of the state seeing an increase in whooping cough, known medically as pertussis, the Department of Health urges all Pennsylvanians to ensure they are protected against the vaccine-preventable disease. The department will soon hold public vaccination clinics in York and Delaware counties, where cases of pertussis have been rising. Pertussis is an infection of the respiratory system and is characterized by severe coughing spells that end in a "whooping" sound when the person breathes in.

The pertussis vaccine is required for children to enter school. Because immunity from the vaccine fades over time, most adolescents and adults are susceptible to the disease. In addition to the typical childhood series of pertussis immunizations at 2, 4, 6, 15-18 months and a booster at 4-6 years, the Department of Health recommends the adolescent-adult pertussis vaccine, Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis, or Tdap, booster for:

• individuals 10-64 years of age who are not fully immunized;
• women of childbearing age, before or immediately after pregnancy;
• people who have contact with pregnant women or infants too young to have received a full series of vaccinations; and
• all family members and caregivers of infants.

Individuals should talk to their doctor to discuss their current vaccine status or request the vaccine.

The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a common cold including runny nose, sneezing, mild cough and low-grade fever. After about one to two weeks, the dry, irritating cough evolves into coughing spells that can last for more than one minute and can lead to vomiting.

For more information about immunizations, visit www.vaccinesforlife.com or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH.

Public vaccination clinics will be offered in York and Delaware counties at the following dates and times:

York County
Aug. 25

9 a.m. – noon; 1 – 3 p.m.
Albert S. Weyer Health Center
435 W. Philadelphia Street
York

9 a.m. - noon
1750 N. George Street
York

Delaware County
Aug. 25

9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Delaware State Health Center
151 W. Fifth Street
Chester

Aug. 30

3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Penn State - Brandywine Campus
Commons/Athletic Building
25 Yearsley Mill Road Route 352 (enter at Campus Drive traffic light)
Media

Delaware County State Health Center Offers Free Services

All of the following FREE services are provided at:

Delaware County State Health Center
151 West 5th Street, Suite 1
Chester, PA 19013
(610) 447-3250

Free HIV Counseling and Testing Site (No appointment necessary)

• Every Wednesday of each month
• 9:00am - 11:30am (must be there before 11:00 to be tested)

Free CD4 and Viral Load Testing Site (By appointment only)

• Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Free Sexually Transmitted Disease Site (No appointment necessary)

• Every Wednesday of each month
• 1:00pm-4:00pm (please try to arrive as early as possible to be tested)

Free Tuberculosis Disease Clinic (By appointment only)

• 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month
• 8:30am-11:00am

Free Childhood Immunization (By appointment only)

• Delaware County State Health provides shots at no cost for children up to 18 years old who have no insurance or whose insurance does not cover immunizations
• Call (610) 447-3250 for information and to make an appointment
  

Budgeting Worksheet

Budgeting your money can be a daunting task, especially when your resources become tight and you need to start cutting back on things. But fear not! This Budgeting Worksheet is the perfect tool to help you organize your spending.

Use this helpful worksheet to list all of your monthly income and expenses. Then, set some goals for areas where there may be room for cutbacks. The worksheet will calculate your totals automatically*, you don't even need to use a calculator! You can also click on the "Chart" tab at the bottom of the worksheet to see a list of totals for each budgeting category.

When you have completed your budget, you may also print a copy to keep with you as a reminder for the goals you have set.


*In order to enter information on the worksheet, you must first download it to your desktop or make a copy:

• To download to your computer, open the link and click File --> Download as --> Excel (or your preferred data software). Then you can save it to your computer and make your entries!
• To make a copy, open the link and click File --> Make a Copy. This may only work if you already have a Gmail account.

Action Verbs for Resumes

Do you want to make your resume sound more professional? Then spruce it up with some action verbs!

Using action verbs like "communicated," "developed," or "supervised" to exemplify your job skills will help employers to take notice of your experiences, and might give you a step up above another competing candidate.

Here are some examples of weak resume statements, which can be improved by using action verbs:

Example #1:

Weak: Report writing and editing

Action: Wrote and edited reports varying in length from 5 to 100+ pages

Example #2:

Weak: Good communication skills

Action: Communicated effectively with clients and staff to achieve desired outcomes

Example #3:

Weak: New hire training coordinator

Action: Coordinated various training activities for new hires

It is important to remember that action verbs and details like the ones in the above examples make your resume much more interesting and appealing to employers. Check out the links below for some suggestions for finding the right words to use:

• A list of Action Verbs from Boston College: http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/skills/resumes/verbs.html
• View Action Verbs alphabetically or by skills category at Quintessential Careers website: http://www.quintcareers.com/action_verbs.html
• More Action Verbs by skill category at WriteExpress.com: http://www.writeexpress.com/action-verbs.html
  

Get Paid Work Experience!

PA Fair Care - Coverage for Uninsured Adults With Pre-Existing Conditions

PA Fair Care is Pennsylvania’s new health plan for uninsured adults with pre-existing conditions. This temporary plan offers insurance for those eligible until federal health insurance reform takes effect in 2014. PA Fair Care is available on a first come basis, which means once the program is full, we will create a waiting list.

To learn more about eligibility for the program, please visit the program's website.  Answers to frequently asked questions are also available.  PA Fair Care will begin taking applications on August 4, 2010.  The Insurance Department suggests that people apply online.

The Insurance Department is accepting emails with your questions. In addition, a toll-free number, 1-888-767-7015 (TTY 1-888-767-7018), is available to help you throughout the application process. This call center will be open Monday thru Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Next Week is National Health Center Week

(from our friends at the USDA)

National Health Center Week is August 8-14, 2010, and many communities during the month of August are sponsoring health fairs and health screenings. These events target low-income individuals and families without access to adequate health services.

State and community SNAP outreach staff can sign up to volunteer at these events and offer a table with information on SNAP and nutrition materials as there is a direct connection between our diet and our health. Most events have no fee. You can find out about local events at http://www.healthcenterweek.org/join.html.  Clients can also use this site to look for events in their area that they may want to attend.

If you do not see an event in your state today, try again in a few days. Events are posted daily.

image courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Automatische_bloeddrukmeter_%280%29.jpg