Meet Janice Wood, obstetrics nurse.

Thanks to her work, Miles Memorial Hospital became the first hospital in Maine to achieve "baby-friendly" status from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Hospitals get this citation for a strong focus on breastfeeding and providing a nurturing and educational environment for moms.

Now she is the Maine Hospital Association’s Caregiver of the Year. Wood got the award last night at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.

Wood's story starts more than 25 years ago, when she launched the Childbirth Education Program at Miles. She was so invested in the program that she wasmaking home visits on her own time.

Last year, she organized a medical team to go to Uganda to offer HIV education and midwifery training, and raised money for the supplies.

Congrats, Janice.

This past weekend, I was among the millions of TV watchers who winced as Tiger played at the U.S. Open, nursing what we now know was a torn ligament in his left knee.

Golf-related injuries, understandably, are on people's lips. It's not really an issue for me. (I only play mini-golf.) But if you're a golfer, here are some tips from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons on how to avoid getting hurt:

• Practice on real turf instead of rubber mats, when possible.
• Wear the appropriate golf shoes: ones with short cleats are best.
• Do not hunch over the ball too much; it may predispose you to neck strain and rotator cuff tendinitis.
• Avoid golfer’s elbow – which is caused by a strain of the muscles in the inside of the forearm – by performing wrist and forearm stretching exercises and not overemphasizing your wrists when swinging.

Ballard House, Portland's free-standing birthing center, is winding down its operations as founder and owner Sarah Levy prepares to turn the building over.

"We're closing on the sale in mid-July," Levy says. "It's an alternative school that has bought the building, which is really cool."

The school, she says, will be geared at "0 to 6-year-olds" who will do "yoga and meditation, music and art."

The Ballard House facilitated its last natural birth at the end of May.

Back in January, Levy said she was going to close the birthing center because fewer families were using the services.

Also, working 60-hour weeks to run the center on her own while raising a family was wearing on Levy. She said she could not afford to hire staff, with the center averaging just four births a month - down from a peak of nine.

The center's client base significantly dropped off more than two years ago as Levy looked to replace a midwife practice.

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Now, moving onto menopause.

I'm working on a story about how women navigate through the treatment choices out there for menopausal symptoms. Interested in chatting? E-mail me at jhuang@pressherald.com or call me at 791-6364.