Health - Marblehead Current

11 Mar

COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS: Nominations being accepted for Amy R. Saltz Award

Submitted ContentHealth, Local News

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” C.S. Lewis What does it take to live on for others after you are gone? It can be hard to hold on to the small, everyday acts of kindness that define a person, but Marblehead Counseling Center felt it was important to honor a woman whose entire adult life was dedicated to helping other people. The Amy R. Saltz Community Champions Award, now in its second year, is meant to acknowledge the many unsung heroes in…

11 Mar

Boys and ‘bigorexia’

Submitted ContentHealth, Local News

Many of us would probably characterize a person with an eating disorder as being a once-healthy looking person who has subsequently starved themselves to a near-skeletal weight. Particularly with adolescent girls or young females, eating disorders often play out this way in the form of an eventual diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia. However, body dysmorphic disorder differs from this traditional idea of an eating disorder in that a person sees their body, or a feature of their body, differently than it really is. People suffering…

10 Mar

Town administrator to reveal override scenarios Wednesday

Leigh BlanderAbbot Public Library, Business, Education, Health, Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

Much-anticipated figures are now in from Group Insurance Commission, the state-backed insurance plan the town uses to purchase employees’ health insurance. The increase for fiscal year 2027 will be 11%, down from the 15% feared earlier but not as low as recently hoped. “Pretty much the same,” Marblehead Finance Director Aleesha Benjamin wrote in an email to the Current Saturday night about the final impact. “No real change.” That means the town’s projected $7.7 million deficit will likely not decrease significantly. Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer…

05 Mar

PUBLIC HEALTH: Mental health concerns in wellness survey

Submitted ContentColumns, Health

By Marblehead’s Board of Health members Dr. Tom Massaro, Dr. Amanda Ritvo and Tom McMahon “Social disconnection puts us at increased risk for depression, anxiety and suicide, as well as heightening our risk for stress-related physical ailments …. Its impact on our risk of premature death is on par with smoking 15 cigarettes daily,” said Vivek Murthy, former U.S. surgeon general. Today’s world is marked by what the former surgeon general has described as a growing “social disconnect.” Marblehead has certainly experienced its share of…

04 Mar

Marblehead weighs deep cuts, new fees to close $7.7M budget gap

Leigh BlanderEducation, Health, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer told the Select Board Wednesday night that the town faces a $7.7 million deficit for fiscal 2027, presenting two stark budget scenarios that would either dramatically shrink town government or introduce new fees and additional cuts to maintain some services. “This is not a surprise, but it is shocking what we’re facing right now,” said Town Moderator Jack Attridge after hearing the presentation. The deficit, currently calculated at $7,736,211, reflects rising health insurance costs, inflation and limited revenue growth under the…

04 Mar

CURRENT EVENTS

Leigh BlanderArt, Entertainment, Health, Life Style, Recreation, Top Stories

Don’t miss Marblehead’s best bets coming up Current Events spotlights notable happenings around town in the coming week. To submit a listing, email Current Editor Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org Celebrate the life of newsman Ed Bell Thursday, March 5, 6 p.m. Come to the Boston Yacht Club to honor renowned journalist and Marblehead volunteer Ed Bell, who died last year. Co-hosted by TV journalist Susan Wornick and Bell’s daughter Andrea Bell Bergeron, the night will include local awards, a tribute video, and live and silent…

01 Mar

Health & Wellness Fair brings community together

Aleka KroitzshHealth, Top Stories

On Feb. 28, about 200 people of all ages chatted and mingled at the Marblehead Community Center during the Board of Health’s second annual Health & Wellness Fair. Dozens of businesses and medical practitioners hosted tables where residents could learn about Marblehead’s health-related offerings. Presenters included Pilates and jiu-jitsu instructors, chiropractors, foot care specialists, local gyms and other wellness providers. “People don’t realize how many options are at their fingertips,” Board of Health member and event organizer Tom McMahon said. With the new year underway…

25 Feb

New group aims to reimagine town’s parks with beauty, biodiversity in mind

Leigh BlanderEnvironment, Health, Top Stories

Recreation and Parks Commissioner Larry Simpson is spearheading an effort to bring new life — and new vision — to Marblehead’s public parks. Working alongside local landscape architect Kathy Bradford, Simpson is forming a nonprofit, Friends of Marblehead Parks, with a mission to enhance the town’s green spaces through thoughtful design, native plantings and long-term sustainability. “We’re concerned about the aesthetics of the parks as you drive by and walk by,” Simpson said. “There’s no design intent. There’s nothing. And there’s just one layer for…

25 Feb

State e-bike safety recommendations could bring new rules to Marblehead streets

Akanksha GoyalHealth, Public safety, Top Stories

By Akanksha Goyal A new state report recommending helmet requirements, speed-based classifications, equipment standards and a statewide identification system for e-bikes and similar devices could reshape how micromobility is regulated in Marblehead and across Massachusetts. The recommendations, released by a special state commission tasked with studying. micromobility, aim to address longstanding gaps in state law as e-bikes, electric scooters and other motorized devices have proliferated in recent years. In Marblehead, where residents and officials have raised concerns about high speeds, young riders and powerful electric…

24 Feb

From firehouse to finish line: Lequin runs for firefighter cancer awareness

Leigh BlanderHealth, Public safety, Top Stories

For nearly two decades, John Lequin Jr. has run toward danger as a firefighter in Marblehead. This spring, he will run 26.2 miles for a different reason. Lequin, 46, a longtime member of the Marblehead Fire Department, will compete in the 2026 Boston Marathon to raise money and awareness for occupational cancer among firefighters — a cause that became deeply personal last year. “No one ever expects to hear the words, ‘You have cancer,’” Lequin said. A diagnosis no one expects Marblehead Firefighter John Lequin…