Artisans throughout the area are donating silent auction items in celebration of the 15th Annual Chocolate Dessert Buffet & Silent Auction sponsored by AIDS CARE/Hampshire County (AC/HC). This annual event is taking place on Sunday, November 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center in Northampton. With slightly more than three weeks to go before this annual fundraiser takes place, a sneak peek into the donations suggest this year might be the best ever. Some of the silent auction items this year include:

NORTHAMPTON — Volunteering can help you find a new direction for your skills and energy.

Cooley Dickinson seeks volunteers to donate their time in the Coffee Shop and Gift Shop. The Coffee and Gift Shops raise funds for the CDH Auxiliary which helps fund vital patient care programs and services. In 2007, more than 300 volunteers gave over 32,000 hours of volunteer time to the hospital.

Greeters are also needed at the Information Desks. Typically, greeters welcome guests, answer general questions, push a wheelchair and do errands throughout the hospital.

Organizers are gearing up for the 15th annual Chocolate Dessert Buffet & Silent Auction that will be held on Sunday, November 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center.

UMASS Amherst has teamed up with Cooley Dickinson for MRI research. Watch the video (or click the "Read More" link)  to learn more.

A physical therapist receives certification in the Schroth Method; partners with orthopedic surgeon to offer a non-surgical option

NORTHAMPTON – Christine Sharkey, a physical therapist and rehab pediatric program coordinator at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Dr. Charles Mick, an orthopedic surgeon, announce a new program at Cooley Dickinson Hospital to treat people diagnosed with scoliosis, a lateral curvature of the spine.

Primary care appointments for people of all ages are available for residents of Southern Franklin County

SOUTH DEERFIELD – Effective Thursday, July 31, Dr. Sean Dacus joins South Deerfield Family Practice (SDFP) and certified family nurse practitioner Gail Blanchard in providing primary care medicine for infants through seniors. Dacus, who grew up in Conway, returns to the area after receiving his medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his family practice residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Cooley Dickinson Hospital is the first facility in the region to offer laser therapy for treating benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). GreenLight Laser Therapy may provide relief for area men suffering from an enlarged prostate. BPH, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, affects more than half of all men over the age of 60.

R.F. Conway, MD, medical director of Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) announces two physicians who this month received their privileges to practice in the hospital’s ED.

Jill McGovern, MD received her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her residency in emergency medicine at Baystate Medical Center in 2006. Since completing her residency, McGovern has worked full-time in emergency medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown, Maryland.

Mehdi Sattari, MD, received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of New Mexico in 2004. Since completing his residency, Sattari has worked full time in emergency medicine at Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem, Virginia.

Cooley Dickinson's Fast Track Emergency Service and Pediatric Hospitalists were recently featured on the ABC 40 nightly news. Watch the video (or click the "Read More" link)  to learn more.