Adding some greenery and florals to your indoor living space is a wonderful idea until your cat decides to eat a leaf or two. If your feline companion has a tendency to nibble on things, it’s important to bring plants into your home that are completely safe and non-toxic. The no-fuss houseplants seen below are non-toxic for dogs as well, so you can rest assured that your whole household will not be at risk. A bonus: indoor flora is a great mood booster and helps to clean and purify the air. more

Join Friends of Princeton Open Space at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve for planting sessions! Volunteers will work under the guidance of Natural Resources and Stewardship Director Anna Corichi to plant 5,000+ herbaceous plugs in the Forest Restoration site. Native wildflowers, grasses, and ferns have been selected to provide quality habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, as well as to withstand tough site pressures such as those posed by white-tailed deer and invasive species. The plantings will also help to protect local water quality by filtering and slowing runoff before it enters Mountain Brook. more

Outdoor space provides a great refuge in the warmer months. A place to unwind, decompress, and forget about general stress for a little while; however, these green spaces can also become host to an unwanted mosquito habitat. Many species of mosquitoes use containers of water as egg-deposit sites, but really any hot, humid environment can lead to unwelcome infestation. The following plants actually act as natural mosquito deterrents, largely due to the smell and essential oils contained in the plants. more

It’s January, the time of year when many people find themselves a bit house cooped, which can lead to the increased spread of flu and COVID-19. Turns out, the symptoms for both viruses look and feel very similar. more

The winter series returns to Franklin Avenue in Princeton

The Princeton Farmers Market has announced that its Winter Market Series returns on Thursday, December 3. The market will remain outdoors for the foreseeable future, providing ample space for social distancing. Shoppers are required to wear masks at all times, and practice adequate social distancing while waiting in lines and perusing the vendors. more

Don’t let the quarantine keep you from all of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions! Join Trinity Church in Princeton for the 13^thannual Trinity Turkey Trot. This year’s race will be virtual, which means that friends and family from around the country can participate. One hundred percent of proceeds from this year’s race will go to charities that work on behalf of food, housing, and youth support services in central New Jersey. more

The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey invites runners and walkers to the upcoming Virtual 5K and Fun 1 Mile Run/Walk on November 7.

Did you know that New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, yet hunger is a daily occurrence for many members of the community? Hunger and food scarcity may strike one of your child’s classmates, a coworker, an elderly neighbor, and people in your own family. The realities of COVID-19 have resulted in lost jobs, lost wages, and often, an inability to provide for oneself. All proceeds of the Soles for Harvest race will benefit programs dedicated to fighting hunger in New Jersey. more

Join the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (HOSR) virtually on October 18-24, 2020. Compete on your favorite indoor rowing machine or body of water by self-submitting times and distances traveled during October 18-23. Live racing will be held on October 24. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the famed Philadelphia race that typically draw rowers from around the world. Registration is now open on Regatta Central (https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/?job_id=6266). more

Full-Service Health and Fertility Company Increases Access in the Northeast

Kindbody, a fast-growing health and fertility company, recently announced the opening of a new clinic in Princeton at 16 Chambers Street. With the new opening, Kindbody continues to fulfill its mission of reimagining fertility care by delivering an exceptional patient experience that is accessible and affordable for all.  more

Beth Fitzgerald, head of Fitzgerald Life Coaching at 259 Nassau Street in Princeton, is a certified life coach, certified John Maxwell Coach, Master ETF Practitioner, international speaker, and trainer. She believes that coaching is the act of empowering the individual to harness their goals, dreams, and aspirations. more

Alzheimer’s New Jersey’s Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s is scheduled to take place at Educational Testing Service’s Princeton campus on Sunday, October 11, 2020. One hundred percent of money raised will support New Jersey individuals and families. Participants can choose to walk virtually or in-person at 660 Rosedale Road. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event and the walk will begin at 10 a.m. Festivities include refreshments, music, and door prizes. Parking is available on site. Register online in advance at https://alznj.akaraisin.com/ui/walkalznj2020 and choose from one of five walks: Point Pleasant Beach (September 26), Liberty State Park in Jersey City (October 3), Princeton (October 11), Morristown (October 18), and/or Paramus (October 25). more

Pick your distance, your pace, and your race. The NJ Virtual Challenge is an at-home race series that enables runners, walkers, and outdoor enthusiasts to log some serious miles and earn a race medal and T-shirt in the process. You will have 62 days (from May 15 to July 15) to complete the total miles from the event you choose.  more

Penn Medicine Princeton Health will be holding the following free yoga classes virtually via Blue Jeans platform where you can participate from the comfort and safety of your home.  more

Image Source: Yoga Vida

Simple yoga practice is a great way to begin or take a break during the day. These online services are particularly useful now, as social distancing requires normally active people to forgo their favorite fitness studios and gyms.  more

Together we run. Together we can make a difference. 

HiTOPS Princeton Half Marathon is moving forward with its October 25, 2020 scheduled race event. Organizers note that they will continue to follow safety recommendations associated with the COVID-19 virus, and all race participants will have the opportunity to defer to 2021 if they so choose.  more

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, has released a guide to answer frequently asked questions regarding the intersection between coronavirus (COVID-19), and people affected by mental illness, their caregivers, and loved ones.  more

By Taylor Smith

Community Options, Inc. invites runners, walkers, and rollers (baby strollers and wheelchairs) to help raise funds to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities at the annual Cupid’s Chase.

The Cupid’s Chase 5K on Saturday, February 8 at the Princeton Shopping Center will raise funds to support people with disabilities in Mercer County. To register, visit cupidschase.org. more

Dr. Richard Besser, head of New Jersey’s Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is making a difference

By Wendy Greenberg | Photo courtesy of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and head of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), has volunteered in a clinic in every place he has lived.

Seeing children once a week at the Henry J. Austin Center in Trenton brings health inequity into focus. There, in Trenton, the life expectancy for children is 73 years. In Princeton, the life expectancy for the same-age child is 87 years.

The clinic grants a window, he said, “into the lives of children, many of whom have profound barriers to health, children growing up in very different circumstances than the children in my hometown of Princeton.”

At a New York City health center, Besser met a grandmother who knows her grandchildren needs daily physical exercise, but was concerned about the safety of playing outdoors. He met a youngster whose asthma attacks were triggered by environmental contaminants in the family’s apartment. At the Trenton clinic, he met a mother of a son with significant developmental disabilities who has been waiting two years for services that would help him.  more

“…improving the value of care in the United States is one of the biggest challenges our health care system faces. We also face challenges in providing care in a way that is equitable and that addresses other drivers of health, including social factors.”

Executive Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI)

By Donald Gilpin | Photos by Hoag Levins

Rachel Werner, M.D., Ph.D., took over last May as the first female and the first physician-economist executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI). She is a professor of both medicine at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, and health care management at the Wharton School; a member of the National Academy of Medicine; and a practicing physician at Philadelphia’s Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center. 

Werner came to Penn in 1994 after graduating from Macalester College in Minnesota. She earned her M.D. in 1998 and her Ph.D. in health economics in 2004. She joined the Penn faculty in 2005 as an assistant professor of medicine and an LDI senior fellow. A longtime member of LDI’s executive committee, Werner has played an important role in expanding LDI data services and was director of the LDI health economics data analyst pool that provides LDI fellows with statistical analysts. more

By Taylor Smith

 Dogs and cats are typically considered “senior” when they reach 7 years of age. Depending on individual health, older pets may require more frequent exams to monitor any changes in health status. more

By Taylor Smith

Dr. Beverly Friedlander has been practicing the art of plastic surgery for over 25 years. Her new facility has been completely redesigned to offer patrons a serene, expansive setting that is inviting, restorative, and relaxing. more