Dearborn County Hospital’s Physical Therapy Department is planning two separate pumpkin contests this year with prizes for each site’s winners.

Initiated in 2002, the pumpkin contest was created to call attention to October being both National Physical Therapy Month and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Since the competition’s inception, DCH has donated more than $8,700 to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer awareness and research.  For every pumpkin entered, DCH donates $10 to the ACS. 

This year’s first contest will be held on Wednesday, October 14, at DCH Harrison Outpatient Diagnostic Center & Physical Therapy, located on the third floor of the Cincinnatus Center, 1100 Harrison Avenue, in Harrison.  Entries to this site’s contest will be accepted on Tuesday, October 13, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, October 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Judging will take place on that Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

A second contest follows a week later, on Wednesday, October 21, in the hospital’s Physical Therapy Department, 600 Wilson Creek Road, Lawrenceburg.  Entries will be accepted on Tuesday, October 20, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, October 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Judging will take place on that Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

First prizes for each division will be awarded at each facility.  Entries at both locations will be accepted in the following divisions:

• second grade and younger

• third through 10^th grade

• high school juniors and seniors and adults.

“Over the past seven years we’ve seen the entries grow both more elaborate and more numerous, which demonstrates both the creativity of our clients and the public’s desire to help a worthy cause,” stated Ed Brush, MSPT/ATC, DCH Physical Therapy Director. 

In conjunction with the contests, the Physical Therapy Department is hosting two open houses.  The Harrison Physical Therapy facility will be open to the public on October 14 from 1:30 to 6:00 p.m., while the hospital’s PT Department will be open from 1:30 to 6:00 p.m. on October 21.  Guests will be able to view the pumpkins on display while enjoying refreshments.  All children who stop by the open houses will go home with a goody bag.

In addition to the DCH physical therapy staff, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists will be at the open houses to explain the Screening Breast MRI Clinical Trial currently being conducted at Dearborn County Hospital.  Through this project, DCH is creating and implementing a scientific clinical research study to determine if screening breast MRI is more accurate than screening mammography for the early detection of breast cancer.  This is the first known clinical study of its kind in the world.

“Dearborn County Hospital opened its Harrison physical therapy facility in October 2007.  It offers many of the same rehabilitative services as our main location in Lawrenceburg,” added Ben Huber, MPT, DCH Physical Therapist.  “The open house is a way for the public to celebrate the facility’s second birthday and to learn more about its wide range of physical therapy services.”

After the pumpkin judging concludes, contestants may take their pumpkins home in time for Halloween.  Harrison entries may be picked up on Wednesday, October 14, between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. and on Thursday, October 15, between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  Lawrenceburg entries will be available for pickup from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, or from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 22.  All unclaimed pumpkins will be donated to area nursing and group homes.