FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, March 18, 2009

CONTACT:
Cindy Hickey, 330-489-1212
cindy.hickey@cantonmercy.org

Mercy Sponsors Free Medicare Options Event In April
Marketing Event Will Feature Advantage Plan Representatives and Mercy's Medicare Counselor

Canton, Ohio: Mercy Medical Center Senior Friends is sponsoring a free Medicare Options Event on Tues., April 7, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Mercy Medical Office Building Auditorium.

This marketing event will begin with a Medicare overview by Mercy's Medicare counselor Terri Gursky. Guests may also compare the cost, coverage and convenience of several Medicare Advantage Plans in one location. No reservations are required.

Representatives from the following Medicare Advantage Plans will be on site: AARP Medicare Complete, Advantra Freedom, Health Plan – HomeTown Region, Humana, Medical Mutual and SecureHorizons.

Additional Medicare Options Events are slated for Tues., May 5, and Tues., June 9.

Medicare's annual coordination election period runs from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31. During that time, individuals can select a Medicare Advantage Plan, which provides "one-stop shopping" for all Medicare benefits. 

"In Stark County alone, there are 49 different Medicare Part D plans to pick from," says Gursky, who also offers one-on-one Medicare discussions by appointment. "Mercy's Medicare Options Event allows individuals to explore their choices and ask questions before making a selection."

For more information about the Mercy Medicare Options Event – or to set up a one-on-one session with the hospital's Medicare counselor – call the Mercy Healthcare Connection at 330-489-1333 or 1-800-223-8662.

Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville, North Canton, Plain Township and Tuscarawas County. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay.