Published: March 22, 2008 10:31 pm         

Changes announced for Thrive magazine

Health care issues have become increasingly complex. Medical terminology can be mind-boggling. Health care consumers often find it difficult to talk with their doctors about an illness, a prescribed medication or some type of procedure they need to undergo.

With this in mind, The Register-Herald is pleased to announce major changes to Thrive, a health issues magazine which is provided free on a bi-monthly basis to doctors’ offices and health clinics throughout the region.

Thrive is filled with articles based on interviews with local health care professionals and is written in laymen’s terms.

“We are a local newspaper organization committed to serving the needs of southern West Virginia,” Beckley Newspapers Publisher and General Manager Frank D. Wood said. “Thrive is a great example of a free product which will assist the community when it comes to the process of informing them about important health care issues and trends.”

Beckley Newspapers is teaming up with The Bluefield Daily Telegraph and The Princeton Times on this project to make it a true regional magazine.

Bev Davis, senior editor at The Register-Herald, and Tammie Toler, editor and general manager of The Princeton Times, will provide the stories for Thrive. Both are award-winning journalists.

“Based on feedback we received from numerous people directly involved with the health care industry, we have taken a much more aggressive and issue-oriented approach to our editorial content so that it serves the needs of our readers,” Beckley Newspapers executive editor Carl “Butch” Antolini said. “Bev Davis, our consulting editor, has a vast array of knowledge when it comes to health-related topics, and she will provide some wonderful local perspective. Ditto for Tammie Toler. To have someone of her caliber as a part of the team is a real plus and important part of the effort.”

The information in Thrive is not intended to be a substitute for one-on-one communication between doctors and patients, but rather to equip patients with a greater understanding of medical issues.

The newest issue of Thrive, which focuses on osteoporosis and arthritis, has been distributed and is now available. Ask your health care provider for your free copy.