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.

You might have seen a series of videos burning up the Internets.

Each shows a group of friends setting their cell phones on a table, watching the kernels placed in the middle of them pop, and then yelping as if Criss Angel went "mindfreak" on them.

Here's an American-made one:

What do you think? Seems totally fake to me – right down to the reactions – and there appear to be other skeptics out there.

But I have to say the timing of these videos - I've seen three of them, each from different countries - is perfect. People are more freaked out about cell phones than ever before, thanks to a growing number of experts questioning their safety. (See: Larry King Live show on cell phones .)

Thanks, Kathy

It's supposed to hit the 80s this week, which makes it official. Maine's six (ok, eight) weeks of summer weather are here!

With last night being a bit muggy, I broke out the fan for the first time this year, and trained it on my poor, thick-coated dog, who needed it more than me.

But what about when it gets warmer? Short of buying another fan, I wondered what other ways there were to stay cool at home.

There's avoiding dehydrating drinks with alcohol and caffeine, and taking a cool shower, as the Maine CDC recommends.

Here's more tips, all of which happen to be "green":

* Cool your pulse points. Run cold water over the wrist for about a minute each hour. Or try splashing water on your temples or face. -LighterFootstep.com

* Easy with the electronics. Having all the lights on, the tv blaring, the washer going and the computer whirring is not just adding to your electricity bill, but generating heat. - eHow.com

* Try the Israeli air conditioner: "Drench some sheets in water (or wash some clothes) and hang them over the windows to let the water evaporate in the breeze, creating a lovely cooling effect." - Treehugger.com

Got other ideas? Let's hear them.