Just about everyone enjoys freshly baked bread. The smell of warm bread coming fresh out of the oven can overwhelm anyone’s senses. This isn’t just any bread either. You can go to the store and buy this, but you won’t get the same results.

Now that the holidays are approaching, and you need that one special treat to make your family members glad you are home, chocolate chip banana bread is exactly what you need.

Banana bread in itself is a very flavorsome since the banana add a soft, mellow flavor, keeping the bread moist for a while.

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed banana

Tara Levy/ Student Life Editor

Chocolate chips

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

½ cup butter

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

½ cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the mashed bananas, butter and eggs. Make sure the butter is soften. Blend all the ingredients together until the texture is soft and creamy.

2. Add in the chocolate chips. Add in as many as you would like; however, too many will overpower the bread.

3. Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan, preferable a 9 by 5 by 3 inches pan.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 60 to 70 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

5. Serve and Enjoy.

Serves approximately 24 slices.

120 Calories per slice .

Just in time for the holidays, these peanut butter cookies are the perfect treat for your holiday get togethers. Peanut butter and chocolate are always a great combo, so why not add a few ingredients and bake them together into a delicious treat? For this recipe, I use Hershey’s Kisses in the center of the cookie, but you can use other types of chocolate if you would like. For additional flavor, you can add more sugar or butter to the mixture to make it more flavorful.

Ingredients:

Tara Levy/ Student Life Editor

½ cup sugar (more if desired)

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup butter or margarine (melted)

1 egg

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

Hershey Kisses (1 bag)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended.

Stir in the flour, baking soda and baking powder until the dough forms.

Take a piece of the dough and make round balls in your hand. Roll some additional sugar on the dough.

On an ungreased cookie sheet place dough about 2 inches apart. If you want, you can put a piece of wax paper on the cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.

When the cookies are done cooking, immediately press 1 milk chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. You want to do this as soon as they come out of the oven.

Remove the cookies from the tray and let them cool for about 5 to 10 minutes on a cookie rack.

Serve and enjoy.

Prep time: 60 minutes

Serves: About 30 to 40 cookies

Pineapple fried rice is a more flavorful alternative to the traditional fried rice. By adding pineapple, the rice becomes more of a fruity, light flavor, instead of plain rice. For those looking for more of a simpler dish, you can simply make the dish without using the pineapple half. Adding in raisons also helps with the sweetness factor. In order to make the dish not too sweet, you can add some form of meat, either chicken, shrimp, beef or any meat of your preference. Make sure you cook the meat prior to adding it into the rice.

Ingredients:

Pineapple (1 whole, for serving and cooking)

Jasmine Rice (4 cups)

Tara Levy/ Student Life Editor

Vegetable Oil (3 tbs)

Egg (1)

Small Onion (1)

Garlic (5 cloves)

Fresh Ginger (1 tbs)

Chinese long beans (1 cup blanched)

Diced tomatoes (½ cup seeded)

Thai fish sauce (3 tbs)

Sugar (1 tsp)

Green Onions (3)

Raisins

Shrimp (optional)

Salt and pepper

Description:

For appearance, slice the pineapple in half, making sure the leafy stem is still attached. Hollow out each half, keeping the pineapple for the rice mixture.

Heat 2 tbs of the oil in a wok or large skillet, coating the whole pan in oil.

Add in the onion and stir until a soft, golden brown. Add the garlic and continue to stir until soft. From there, add the ginger and stir for another minute.

Cook the rice prior until tender, but not soft.

Add the rest of the oil into the wok or skillet and add the rice. Fry together for approximately two to three minutes over high heat.

Add the beans, tomatoes and pineapple. Fry together all these ingredients for two to three minutes more.

In a separate skillet, cook the egg until scrambled to liking. Add the egg into the rice with the rest of the mixture. Also, in a separate skillet, if you would like to add a meat, cook prefered meat until done, then add into the rice mixture and continue to stir. For this particular recipe, I added shrimp.

Toss in the fish sauce and the sugar with the rest of the rice for roughly five minutes. Then, add the green onions into the mixture, continuing to stir. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the rice from the wok or skillet and transfer into the carved out pineapple half. For garnishing purposes, you can add some tiny chunks of pineapple on top.

Serves: 4 to 6 people

For those unable to participate in regular yoga activities, ‘yoga with a chair’ is an opportunity to exercise mobility through a unique method. Using a chair allows one to adapt to each pose at their own level of comfort. This gentle form of yoga is an alternative method to more traditional forms of yoga.

According to Physical Education Professor at Keene State College Donna Smyth ‘yoga with a chair’ is an opportunity for people who are unable to participate in traditional yoga to still be able to gain all the benefits as well as the flexibility, possible muscular strength and balance. Smyth has been at KSC since 1988. She currently teaches physical education courses to those who are studying to become  physical education teachers. In addition, she also teaches yoga to non-majors as a credit class.

“It’s my observation that there are folks who would like to practice yoga, but are not comfortable getting down on the floor and getting up as much as a regular yoga class would be. Now that could be because they have limited mobility. It could be surgery, it could be for aging, or many other reasons,” Smyth said, “I wanted to provide folks with all the benefits of yoga, but with a way that would be comfortable with them and their bodies.”

Smyth said yoga is not just about the postures, it’s also about the breathwork, meditation and connecting with oneself.

“They like having the chair as a prop. It’s something to hold on to as opposed to having to sit in it. So the chair for many of my students is used as a prop. A lot of times it’s for balance and a way to be more comfortable,” Smyth said.

Photo Editor / Tim Smith

“I was hoping that through ‘yoga with a chair’ those participants would be able to gain those benefits as well as the flexibility, possibly muscular strength and balance. Giving back as a community service and the joy of doing this is enough for me,” Smyth said.

According to getfitwhereyousit.com, chair yoga can benefit those with weight control, arthritis, heart disease, scoliosis, joint pain, those who have trouble getting to the ground easily and back up and much more. Their website states that everyone has a different degree of flexibility, which is why chair yoga is common amongst those with varying levels of both lower and upper body strength.

The majority of members attending ‘yoga with a chair’ are mainly faculty and staff. Smyth said she hasn’t seen any KSC students at this class. She said she’s seen as little as two people and as many as seven in class. ‘Yoga with a chair’ is open to anyone with the desire to practice yoga at a more comfortable pace, whether that be students or faculty and staff. “I really want this class to be for folks who need it,” Smyth said.

Smyth has offered the class for a couple years now most recently in the fall and summer semesters of 2014. Smyth said the feedback she has received  from KSC students and faculty is that they are  grateful that they have the opportunity to practice yoga in a way that’s comfortable to them.

“Folks really appreciated that they didn’t have to get into pretzel positions. It works for them. It works for their body,” Smyth said. She said she hopes to see this class come back next spring.

Chair of the general science department at KSC, Sally Jean, was a participant of the yoga with a chair class.

“I have actually hip replacements and some other physical issues for which i could not do regular yoga and yet this gave me the opportunity to still do many of the things and it wasn’t as much stress on my body,” Jean said.

Jean said she has tried traditional yoga before, but prefers this method of yoga better. She is incapable of doing all the rigorous movements in regular yoga, and yoga with a chair provides her the opportunity to do all the same moves at her own pace at a different level.

Not only does yoga with a chair help her flexability and mobility, but it improves her daily routines.

“Donna Smyth is terrific. She allows us to do what we can and doesn’t push us to a point where we feel stressed. It gives those of us who can’t do regular yoga a for one hour a week to have time for ourselves. It’s a wonderful addition my time here and at Keene State,” Jean said.

KSC Yoga instructor Arian Deihim-Panah recently underwent knee surgery and still teachers his yoga class.

“It’s great that we are giving this opportunity to people who many not be able to to traditional yoga. I think everyone should do yoga. If you can’t be on your feet, ‘yoga with a chair’ is a great alternative,” Deihim-Panah said.

Deihim-Panah said students can benefit from any type of yoga, since it’s all about the alignment.

Smyth said that yoga is for all people, not just those who are physically able. It should be accessible to all people no matter what.

“It’s becoming very popular as a way to enhance flexibility, minimize or reduce stress, enhance some corse strength and improve balance. For those who incorporate meditation in their practice it can help with clarity and focus,” Smyth said.

Tara can be contacted at tlevy@kscequinox.com

Description:

If you are a pasta lover, this meal is for you. Shrimp Bucatini is a great option when serving a hungry crowd. The white wine and oil makes this dish a light one, but by adding shrimp and cheese this dish can feed anyone.

The hollow pasta allows all the flavors to absorb to create a flavorful dish. This pasta allows for a healthier alternative to the average pasta with marinara sauce. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves a good sauce, but this meal takes a step on the lighter side.

If you choose, you can substitute the shrimp for another meat or, if you’re a vegetarian, you can make this pasta with no meat. All the flavors will still accentuate the pasta.

Ingredients:

Shrimp (1 lbs. Fresh)

Tara Levy/ Student Life Editor

Bucatini (1 lbs.)

White Wine

Garlic ( 2 Cloves)

White Onion (¼)

Fresh Rosemary ( 1 Sprig)

Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese (½ cup)

Oregano (1 tsp.)

Crushed Red Pepper

Salt

Directions:

Peel and devein 1 lb of fresh shrimp, removing tails.

Boil water in a medium pot, adding a hefty amount of salt (1 tsp) and olive oil once it boils.

Add 1 lb of pasta stirring regularly to avoid it from sticking. Once water boils again, lower heat to medium, stirring regularly until done.

Crush and sauté 2 cloves of garlic and ¼ of a white onion (diced) in olive oil (approximately 2 minutes) in a large frying pan. Add 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (diced), 1 tsp oregano and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add 1 cup of dry white wine, stir until almost evaporated. Add in shrimp and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes (or until almost all done). Add in 1 cup of dry white wine, stirring for another minute or until shrimp is done.

Mix in cooked pasta. Taste and remove to serving platter.  Mix in ½ cup or more fresh parmesan cheese.

Serve and enjoy.

Description:

An Italian meal, originating from Venice, has become an American favorite among many. This meal, traditionally served cold, complements any meal.  A simple dish with a variety of flavors can transform any meal. This salad is served great as an appetizer before a heavy meal. The light flavors from the lemon and oil garnish the salad without overwhelming your taste buds.

Ingredients:

Paper thin raw beef (1 lbs)

Arugula lettuce

Capers

Shaved Parmesan(¼ lbs)

Tara Levy/ Student Life Editor

Lemon Oil (juice or 2 lemons)

Extra virgin olive oil (4 tbs)

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Before starting the dish, throw the beef in the freezer for about an hour. This will help keep the meat fresh. Eating raw meat that is not chilled could cause you to get sick.

To make it easier, ask your butcher to cut the beef for you at the shop or slice your meat as thin as possible.

Lay a few pieces of the meat flat on your serving plate. You can layer the meat on top depending on how much you would like to add. You want the whole plate to be covered in thin slices of beef.

Then, add however much arugula you want on top of the beef in the center of the plate.

Drizzle the olive oil over the arugula then do the same after with the lemon oil.

Lastly, add a few slices of shaved Parmesan to the top of the dish. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Serve and enjoy.

Ingredients:

Small bowtie pasta (1 box)

Asparagus

Sauteed onions (one small onion)

Garlic (2 cloves)

Cherry tomatoes (1 small 8 oz. container)

Salt

Pepper

Rosemary

Balsamic vinaigrette (¼ cup)

Olive oil (⅛ cup)

White wine (1 cup)

Number of servings: 6

Description:

If you’re looking for a light, nutritious and delicious meal, then you’re in the right place.

Tara Levy/ Student Life editor

This pasta salad offers a variety of flavors that appeal to almost everyone.

This side dish can be served with almost anything at a multitude of events.

It’s a simple, yet appetizing dish that can brighten any meal.

Instructions:

First you saute the onions in olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat until the onions turn translucent.

Then, add garlic and continue to cook for approximately one minute. Steam the asparagus until medium/soft.

Add one sprig of fresh rosemary and white wine.

Stir until halfway evaporated.  Once cooked, cut the asparagus in one inch chunks and then throw away the ends of the asparagus.

Add the asparagus to the pan with the garlic and onions.

Cook all the ingredients together for one minute.

Remove all the ingredients from the pan and put on the side.

Boil your pasta. When the pasta finishes boiling, rinse the pasta with cold water.

Add the pasta back into the pot and include all the ingredients from the first pan.

Add tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

Stir all the ingredients together and add salt and pepper for taste. Serve and enjoy.

Potatoes can come in many shapes and sizes: fried, sautéed, boiled and baked.  These home fries are not just a breakfast item, but a lunch and dinner special, too. This easy-to-prepare meal can be served all year round with any of your favorite dishes.

If you are feeling extra special, you can fry an egg on top of the potatoes in the pan. The egg on

Photos by Tara Levy / Student Life Editor

top will absorb all the extra flavors from the potatoes, creating a flavorful meal.

There are many variations to this dish. Instead of ham, you can add bacon, turkey, chicken or tofu. The paprika and rosemary blend together to enhance the flavor in the onions and peppers.

The potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin B, vitamin C and calcium. In addition, the bell peppers are an even better source of vitamin C. This meal is loaded with both nutritious and tasty value.

If you want to add even more flavor, you can add some red pepper or basil. As for the pepper, you can use either red pepper or yellow pepper, it depends on your preference. When adding the salt and pepper, add according to taste.

Ingredients:

– 4 medium potatoes

– 1 small red onion

– 1 bell pepper

– 1/4 lb. of honey-baked ham

– Salt

– Pepper

– 1 tsp. Rosemary

– 1 tsp. Paprika

– Vegetable oil

Directions:

1) Wash, peel and thinly dice the potatoes.

2) Sauté the potatoes in vegetable oil over medium high heat for approximately 20 minutes.

3) Sprinkle the potatoes with the paprika and rosemary to give a light coating for color and taste.

4) Dice the onion very finely and add to potatoes after cooking the potatoes for 10 minutes. Then add the chopped bell pepper.

5) Cook all the ingredients together for another 5 minutes then add the ham.

6) Continue to sauté stirring occasionally until everything turns brown

7) Add salt and pepper once they are done.

8) Serve and enjoy.

Mylynda Gill, a Keene State College student, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November of 2014.

Every day, on top of fighting the brain tumor,  Gill struggles to maintain good grades, hold a steady job and provide financial support for her family.

According to the American Brain Tumor Association, nearly 70,000 new cases of primary brain tumors will be diagnosed this year.

She said she has taken five years to finish her two degrees in English and Psychology. She plans on graduating in the spring of 2016.

“I was on the phone with my boyfriend and all of the sudden I was repeating words and I couldn’t form the next words; I thought I was having a stroke. He rushed over here and brought me to the [emergency room],” Gill said.

According to Gill, the emergency room diagnosed what she was experiencing as a panic attack, but she knew there was more to the story than that. Gill said she went to her doctor who referred her to a neurologist. From there, he recommended that she have an MRI. From there, they were able to see it was not a panic attack; it was in fact a tumor. She was then recommended to Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center to see a neurosurgeon for follow-up exams.

“At this point we do not know if [the tumor] is actually [cancerous] or if it is benign. [My doctor] is optimistic that it is a benign tumor, unfortunately though I have had another recent MRI and the tumor is still growing at this point in time,” Gill said.

According to Gill, because the tumor is growing she needs to have it removed. If she hadn’t already scheduled a surgery for October, doctors said she would have been in surgery by August of 2015.

“My first reaction was I was surprised, but I wasn’t surprised. My mom is also diagnosed with two benign tumors. Luckily, she does not need to have her’s operated on because they haven’t grown in quite some time,” Gill said.

Gill said when she got the news she was in denial.

She couldn’t imagine something like this happening to her. She called her mom and it wasn’t until then when the both of them started to cry.

“At that point I was only twenty-one years old [when I was diagnosed]. I am now twenty-two years, but it’s not something you think of. You hear about children having cancer, you hear about older people having cancer, but you don’t really hear of that many people our age being diagnosed with tumors or cancer,” Gill said.

Gill said that because of her financial state, she and her family were struggling to stay afloat.

Raven Gill, KSC alumni and twin sister to Mylynda Gill, started a “Gofundme” account in order to help her sister raise money for her surgery. In addition to raising money, she created a Facebook page dedicated to spreading awareness in the community about her sister’s tumor.

Mylynda Gill said she used to work four part-time jobs in order to pay all of her bills. Now that she can’t work as much she has had to cut back to 10 to 15 hour work weeks instead of her usual 30 to 40 hour work weeks.

Mylynda Gill said it would be even worse financially after the surgery since she won’t be allowed to work at all.

“I just wanted to make sure that not only are my bills going to be taken care of, but I still live with my mom and my younger sister and I just want to make sure they are financially stable as well. I don’t want to be the cause for us to get evicted or to not have food on the table,” Mylynda Gill said.

Mylynda Gill said she hates asking people for help and she especially hates asking people for money. She said

Raven Gill / contributed photo

she realizes there are people in the world who have it worse off than her; however, now she realizes that she is no longer financially capable of not asking for money.

“It was getting to a point where we didn’t have heat for a month and my landlord was refusing to fix it. My mom was getting over a thousand dollars in electricity bills and we can barely get food on the table,” Mylynda Gill said. According to Raven Gill, she wanted to help her family and Mylynda out as much as possible.

“The main reason I wanted to do it was to give her some emotional support in the beginning. Also, I wanted to fundraise money mainly because we come from a single mom family and finances are extremely tight and unfortunately our health insurance isn’t always the best. Our parents went through a pretty bad divorce and the best way our dad gets back at our mom is by not paying our health insurance. It comes and it goes and when they try to cover something like a brain surgery, we need extra funds, especially because she’s not going to be working and the bills still have to get paid,” Raven Gill said.

Raven Gill continued, “The main reason why I started the Facebook page was just so that she could have support from the community. I just wanted her to feel like there are people there who care and who support her. We’ve always had each other, but I also wanted other people to understand at KSC to truly appreciate what they have because things could be a lot more difficult.”

In addition to the support from her sister, her boyfriend Kalidor Meader, is also a huge help to Mylynda Gill.

“For the most part [I try to]  just be there. Try to be like emotional support and physical support when she needs it. We try to go out and [do] fun things. I try to keep her happy or her mind aloof, off of the subject. We take dance classes, when we can afford it. She says it keeps her happy so I try to do it as often as possible,” Meader said.

Mylynda Gill said she was reluctant at first to tell people before she had all the information. “A lot of people have been supportive and reached out. So far I have not [received] any negative feedback about it. It’s important for me though, to get the word out to students that things can happen and they shouldn’t take life for granted,” Mylynda Gill said.

Raven Gill said she tries her best to help her sister out in times of need. “I call her everyday to check up on her. I have also been doing my best to send money home that way she doesn’t have to work as hard,” Raven Gill said.

Raven Gill said she wants to be there for her sister, but it’s hard because she lives so far away. Luckily, she said she will be there for the surgery. However, she will have to leave the week after. “Not being there for her when she’s having a bad day is a little difficult, but that’s where Skype comes in handy,” Raven Gill said.

According to Mylynda Gill, it’s a struggle for the whole family living with this brain tumor. As supportive as everyone is, the tumor still has a huge impact on their daily lives.

Mylynda Gill said, “Struggling to get through this past semester was really hard for me.”

Raven Gill said she is personally affected by her sister’s brain tumor. “Being her twin sister I most likely need to get checked myself and I haven’t done so yet. She is literally the other half of my soul and being my twin sister and it’s very scary that this is happening to her because I can’t imagine a world without her. The risks are scary, too. The procedure is very safe, but still it’s a very scary situation. I’m always thinking about her. I always wonder if she’s having a good day or a bad day, I always wonder what she’s thinking about. I always worry about her and make sure she is doing what she needs to do,” Raven Gill said.

Raven Gill said she wanted the people at KSC to know the struggles her sister has and how despite those troubles, she pushes through everyday and fights her hardest.

“I know that finals are coming up and I know that’s difficult, but there’s someone on campus who has a brain tumor and she’s still trying to do her finals and she is still working part-time so she can still get the same college education as everyone else. I just want people to appreciate life for what it is. Even though everyone is in college and it’s supposed to be the best time of our lives, things happen and it’s happening to someone in the community,” Raven Gill said.

According to Mylynda Gill’s brain surgery prep & recovery Facebook page, she has touched the lives of so many people in the Keene community.

“It’s surprising because I think I generally am I loner. I only have a few close friends and I have my family, which has always been a strong unit for me, but it’s not until I’ve been getting all this feedback of people reaching out to me saying ‘look let me know if I can do anything’ that I realized how many people I’ve actually touched,” Mylynda Gill said.

Mylynda Gill continued, “Everyone’s been really supportive and I’ve tried to do a lot for my community ever since I was little, whether it was community service or volunteering here on campus. Sometimes you don’t realize how many people you touch or know until something like this happens and that your life does make an impact and it does make a difference in other people’s lives.”

Mylynda Gill said she is thankful for all the support she receives and glad to be an inspiration for others. Her inspiration is what helped her through this journey. “My inspiration really has just been coming from the support from my family and probably also my grandmother. She passed away from leukemia. Unfortunately, I was really young [when it happened] so I don’t have that many memories of her, but I know she was a really strong person. [I] try to remind myself that she fought until the end and I need to fight until the end, too. [I] need to keep living my life as though it is not affecting me, but being realistic of what I can do at the same time,” Mylynda Gill said. Mylynda Gill’s mom, Jennifer Berg, worries about her daughter all the time, but knows she is a brave young woman.

“For the time being all I can do is comfort her. I try to be her cheerleader and have a lighthearted, humorous attitude with it,” Berg said. Berg is very optimistic that her daughter will do well with the surgery. She said that you have to make the best of a bad situation and count your blessings.

“You’ve got to laugh or you’ll cry and we would much rather laugh and support each other through this,” Berg said.

Mylynda Gill is trying to share her story with as many people in the community as she can. She said if she could talk to someone else in her position she would tell them to appreciate their life and take nothing for granted.

“You have to address it, you have to realize your limits and you need to not push your limits. In this case, when you’re not one-hundred percent healthy, you could end up causing more serious damage [for]good so it’s hard. It’s understandable, just keep doing as much as you can keep doing, but know your limits and know it is okay to say ‘okay I can’t come in today’ or ‘I have a migraine. I need to stay in bed today.’ And that is okay, people will understand. It’s your life, you need to make sure that you are able to keep living it for several years to come,” Mylynda Gill said.

Mylynda Gill said this whole experience has been really eye opening for her. She said being so young when she was diagnosed was one of the worst parts.

“Not knowing if it’s cancer, if it’s benign, what’s going to happen, how am I going to recover, am I going to able to recover, am I going to come out of the surgery okay – there are risks involved with any surgery, especially brain surgery, so just ‘am I going to wake up afterwards?’ is one of the big questions for me,” Mylynda Gill said.

Mylynda Gill said she wants people not to regret their lives. She said she wants people to wake up everyday excited for the next.

“We may be young still, but you want to live each day like it is your last. It’s the truth. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll wake up, not feel well and go to the doctors and think it’s nothing and find out it’s worse,” Mylynda Gill said.

Mylynda Gill continued, “for me, it’s just trying to keep living my life and trying to keep finding ways to live and deal with the stresses that not only this impacts on me but as well as the other stresses in life, like my lease that will be ending in September.”

Mylynda Gill said she hopes she is well enough after her surgery so she can find work in order to afford housing. She said she fears having to live on the streets if she cannot financially support herself.

“If I had to say anything to anyone it would be just don’t take your life for granted, don’t make decisions that you’ll regret, but also live your life where you have a plan set for tomorrow in case you do get to wake up. It’s good to plan for your future, but it’s also good to make sure you have a past that you are proud of. You want to wake up saying ‘yesterday was a great day. Let’s make today even better‘,” Mylynda Gill said.

If her surgery goes well, Mylynda Gill says she plans to intern at Dartmouth College next spring semester working with their archives. She said she eventually plans on attending graduate school after that.

“Those are my optimistic plans if everything goes well, but I also have to be realistic about the situation. If the tumor does end up to be cancer then I probably will be going through more treatments and I will have to go from there to determine if I will be back in school the next fall or not. I’m trying to remain optimistic, Netflix for a month or two and then back on my feet and hopefully working three or four jobs again and what not,” Mylynda Gill said.

Tara Levy can be conatacted at tlevy@kscequinox.com

Cheshire Medical Center and The Center for Health and Wellness at Keene State College are both trying out a new organizational method called team-based care.

Sandie Phipps, senior director of development and communications at Cheshire Medical Center, oversees the staff at the clinic that participates in team-based care.

“It’s been a very successful model and given the challenges heading into the future of the shortage of primary care physicians, I see this continuing,” Phipps said.

Team-based care is a growing idea that has received feedback from both patients and staff.

“We’ve actually had positive feedback from patients and for many years we’ve had nurse practitioners . . . Who have had panels of patients as well as the primary care physicians, so I think as we’ve actually expanded this we’ve had very positive feedback,” Phipps said. Phipps said that the Medical Center has close to 100 team members caring for family medicine patients and it’s predicted that by the year 2020 there will be 47,000 fewer primary care physicians.

“We actually were able to help exceed the national standard and improve the number of patients who have their hypertension under control and we were one of nine national organizations nationally last year to receive an award. It’s called the Million Hearts Award from the Centers for Disease Control and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare cervices,” Phipps said.

Like Cheshire, The Center for Health and Wellness at Keene State College uses similar methods of team-based care to improve patient care and administrative stress.

“We had a significant increase in usage of the services, so in the fall we had twenty-percent more people coming for service than we’ve had in the past. That made the current operating procedure evidently inadequate,” Director for Center of Health and Wellness at KSC, Christine Burke said.

Susan Nelson, a nurse at KSC, said the new system was much needed because the old system was hard for both the students and the nurses. Students would not make an appointment, they would just walk right in. This caused an influx of students and not enough time or providers to help each student.

“It has made a huge difference. I think that it has made the clinic run more smoothly in that they work is more equitable across everybody opposed to the old way it used to be,” Nelson said.

Before, students could walk in and be triaged — but it was never actually a walk-in clinic. Now, there is a set block of two hours a day, alternating between morning and afternoon, making their team-based care approach more effective. The Center for Health and Wellness offers a variety of services, but is limited to short work hours. Different from the Center for Health and Wellness, the Medical Clinic is open all day.

“The problem is that most students don’t have a primary care in the office so they cant really be seen by the clinic at the Medical Center. They can only be seen by the emergency room,” Burke said.

Keene State College created their form of team-based care to avoid such problems. The Center for Health and Wellness is now designed to see and treat as many patients as possible now, whereas before, the Center for Health and Wellness had limited time and doctors available. Both the clinic at Cheshire and The Center for Health and Wellness has seen improvements in patient care and administrative care.

“So, you know, we’re working on it constantly. It’s always a work in progress when you start something new to see what’s working well, what isn’t working well, and its assessment, which goes along with the whole college philosophy,” Nelson said.

Tara Levy can be contacted at tlevy@kscequinox.com