Day: November 11, 2019

SALEM — Insa, a vertically integrated cannabis organization with locations in Springfield and Easthampton, announced the opening of its newest location on Highland Avenue in Salem, near the Lynn town line. 

“We are so proud of our team here in Salem,” Insa CEO Mark Zatyrka said. “For the past month, they have gone through extensive trainings as well as volunteered at dozens of nonprofits, community events, and cleanups. We couldn’t be more excited to open up a dispensary in the city of Salem. This city has been wonderful to work with, and we are looking forward to furthering our partnership and commitment to the city. We are so excited to open here in the North Shore.”

Insa Salem will be a recreational dispensary and the first Insa location in Eastern Mass.; however, many other dispensaries across the state carry Insa’s cannabis products.

Insa Salem will also offer online express ordering, a first-of-its-kind offering in the North Shore area. Patrons can skip the line by placing their orders on myinsa.com, and their order will be ready for pickup and payment when they arrive at the shop. 

Insa’s newest location will open its doors to the public today, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. A grand-opening ceremony will follow on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at noon.

GREENFIELD — On Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Cohn Family Dining Commons at Greenfield Community College (GCC), the Interfaith Council of Franklin County and GCC are collaborating to create Come for Supper, a community meal celebrating the cultures, traditions, and ethnicities of the region.

This family-friendly event will include games for children, music, dance, information tables, and food representing Guatemalan, Egyptian, Thai, Puerto Rican, Korean, Mexican, Jewish, Senegalese, Tibetan, and indigenous peoples’ cultures. There will also be an opportunity for people from different communities and ethnicities to offer blessings or share traditions.

The idea for the collaboration emerged from a desire to highlight and celebrate the many cultures and ethnicities embedded in Franklin County and the surrounding areas. Come for Supper is designed to be a community meal that encourages interaction and helps people to get to know the neighbors that help make Franklin County so dynamic.

“To a certain degree, you can measure quality of life by the diversity of cultures represented in a city or town’s culinary options. We are incredibly lucky in this region to have a wealth of locally grown food that feeds into a rich range of restaurants and caterers,” said Dean Leo Hwang. “People in Franklin County are hungry and eager to try new foods and meet new people, but sometimes in a rural region, it is hard to have the space to make that happen. We hope that Come for Supper will be one way to bring people together to strengthen our bonds of community.”

Added the Rev. Kate Stevens, “as a member of the Interfaith Council of Franklin County, it is an honor to work in partnership with GCC to celebrate the culinary and cultural diversity of this community. I look forward to a stimulating and delicious evening.”

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP at gcc.mass.edu/supper.

LONGMEADOW — Ruth’s House, an assisted-living residence at JGS Lifecare, is kicking off a free monthly Lunch and Learn program.

On Friday, Nov. 15, Dr. Neil Epstein, a SHINE counselor, will offer a general overview of Medicare benefits followed by a question-and-answer session with attendees and free lunch. For those confused by or dissatisfied with their Medicare benefits, or unsure of the options, Epstein will help make sense of this complex program and attempt to answer questions and concerns.

SHINE is the state’s health-insurance counseling program, which provides free and unbiased health information, counseling, and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries of all ages and their caregivers. The SHINE program is supported by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs in partnership with elder-services agencies, social-services agencies, and councils on aging.

The event takes place from 10  a.m. to noon, with lunch served at 11:30 a.m. RSVP to Lori Payson at (413) 567-3949, ext. 3105 or [email protected].

On Monday, Dec. 2, Jeff the Plant Guy will talk about plants that clean the air. He will look at daytime and nighttime oxygen-producing plants, what plants clean office toxins, as well as the best plants to invest in for the home. He will take questions and share his depth of knowledge and insights.

Attendees with a question about a specific plant should bring a picture, leaf, cutting, or the whole plant, for an assessment for identification and/or bug eradication. Anyone with a plant to swap or a cutting to share should bring it along as well.

The event takes place from 10  a.m. to noon, with lunch served at 11:30 a.m. RSVP to Lori Payson at (413) 567-3949, ext. 3105 or [email protected].

The Ruth’s House Lunch and Learn program is free and open to the public. Tours of independent and memory-care neighborhoods will be available.

SPRINGFIELD — Dr. Said Nafai, professor of Occupational Therapy at American International College (AIC), has been selected to receive the American Occupational Therapy Assoc. (AOTA) International Service Award at the 2020 annual conference in Boston in March.

The AOTA International Service Award recognizes occupational therapists who demonstrate a sustained, outstanding commitment to international service in this field; promote and advance occupational therapy abroad in regard to occupational health and/or occupational justice in underserved countries, thereby promoting a globally connected community; and provide incentive to extend international relationships and contributions to address global health issues. 

Nafai, known as the ‘father of occupational therapy’ in his home country of Morocco, returns several times a year to volunteer, teach, and raise awareness of occupational therapy as a profession and a tool for empowering people of all ages who face physical, cognitive, or behavioral challenges. Students and faculty from across the U.S. and Europe frequently accompany him to learn about Morocco’s healthcare system.

Among his credits, Nafai is the Moroccan delegate to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists; co-founder of the OT Project in Morocco; founder and president of the Occupational Therapy Assoc. of Morocco; vice president of Emmanuel’s Dream, a nonprofit for children with special needs; and a board member of the Lymphedema Advocacy Group, which currently has the most co-sponsored healthcare bill in the U.S. Congress. Passage of the Lymphedema Treatment Act would ensure access to compression garments and other vital tools for managing lymphedema.

Nafai has been invited to speak at the University of New England in Maine at the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Program, addressing 13 different health professions on the topic of “Considerations in Working with Muslims and Interprofessional Team Members.” Additionally, he was an invited speaker at the Lymphedema Symposium at Harvard University Medical School in 2018, and has been requested by the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, to participate in the “Global Report on Assistive Technology.” Further, he chairs a yearly conference in Morocco that features presenters from five continents.

According to AIC Dean of Health Sciences Karen Rousseau, “Dr. Nafai has dedicated his career to bringing awareness of OT as a life-changing intervention around the globe. Occupational therapy is a specialty in healthcare that finds solutions to myriad unique challenges, things that many of us take for granted. We are indeed fortunate at AIC to have a devoted professor and mentor in Dr. Nafai, who is deeply committed to making lives better. While he and his students provide OT services free of charge to communities near AIC, his passion and dedication extend to the global community as well.”