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Homebuyer Education Class shows financial steps to ownership
WEIRTON – The CHANGE Inc. Homebuyer Education Course, a comprehensive look at the financial steps to home ownership and management, will be offered 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Mary H. Weir Public Library in Weirton.
“This class is for anyone of any age, background or income level who is interested in purchasing a home,” explained Joy Reese, the Housing Counseling Program Manager at CHANGE, Inc. “Even if you’ve owned a home before.”
Participants must pre-register by Aug. 12. Applications can be downloaded from the CHANGE Inc. website (www.changeinc.org) or picked up, locally, at the CHANGE Inc. offices, located at 3158 West St., Weirton.
Applications require a credit report that is less than 60 days old with a credit score acceptable to submit with completed application. Order credit reports at www.annualcreditreport.com. CHANGE Inc. also ca help provide the necessary credit reports with a credit score; credit report fees are $19.06 for a single report and $26.12 for a joint report.
Those interested in taking this class, but perhaps with questions, may contact Reese at 304-797-7733 ext. 1405.
Participants learn how to evaluate what a lender requires to make a home loan, make sure their credit scores accurately reflect their current status, and take a look at line-by-line budgeting. In addition to home selection and maintenance, the class addresses how to handle any issues that may cause trouble in making loan payments, and discusses how to prevent foreclosure.
“We look at things like ‘net’ versus ‘gross’ and ‘need’ versus ‘want,'” Reese added. “We also teach people how to read their credit reports, contest anything that is inaccurate, or settle outstanding accounts.”
Participants leave the class with handouts that include useful tips and worksheets, as well as clearly defined next steps and goals for their individual home ownership process.
“We want to help you get the best financing available to you, and we can stay engaged and even follow up with participants,” Reese said.
Salem Medical Center receives accreditation for Orthopaedic Care
SALEM – Salem Regional Medical Center (SRMC) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its Orthopaedic Knee and Hip Replacements program.
A release states SRMC achieved these by “demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for quality and safety in disease-specific care. SRMC’s comprehensive hip and knee replacement program has had tremendous success in providing patients with an excellent experience as well as improved outcomes.”
“When SRMC opened its Orthopaedic Bone and Joint Center last fall, it represented one more step toward enhancing the orthopaedic services we provide to our patients,” said Anita Hackstedde, M.D., SRMC’s president/CEO. “Since that time, we have been working with our orthopaedic surgeons and a multi-disciplinary team to achieve the goal of obtaining Joint Commission certification for our hip and knee replacement program as a reflection of the excellent care we provide to our orthopaedic patients.”
To achieve certification, SRMC underwent a rigorous on-site review on June 10, 2016; which included evaluation of the processes and patient care experiences for those having hip and knee replacements performed at the medical center. A Joint Commission expert determined that SRMC was in compliance with the standards of care specific to the needs of orthopaedic patients and their families, including program leadership, performance improvement, patient care delivery, self-care management and clinical information systems.
“Achieving Joint Commission certification for our total joint replacement program is a major accomplishment in demonstrating excellence in the care we provide,” Hackstedde added. “Certification is a voluntary process, and SRMC chose to make a significant investment in enhancing our processes to achieve excellent patient outcomes. Disease-specific certification for joint replacement demonstrates our commitment to a higher standard of patient care and service.”
For more information, visit SRMC’s website at www.salemregional.com.