Jackson Free Press

Every season, wine and spirits store Livingston Cellars (Town of Livingston, 1150 Old Cedars Lane, Suite B, Flora, 601-879-3671) holds a wine-tasting event. For this season, Mitchell Earrey, the store's general manager and resident sommelier, planned a special New Year's Eve-themed event on Friday, Dec. 30. Rather than traditional wines, the 2016 winter tasting will feature a selection of sparkling wines from around the world.

The sparkling wine most people are likely familiar with, Champagne, is named for the Champagne region of France, where it is made. However, Livingston's tasting will also feature sparkling wines that visitors may be trying for the first time, such as cava from Spain, prosecco from Italy and several others that Earrey is keeping a surprise until the event.

Livingston's Winter 2016 Wine Tasting is from 3 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 30. The event is free, but anyone interested in attending must RSVP to the Facebook event. Only people age 21 and older can attend. For more information, visit livingstoncellarsms.com.

NewCare MD Opening in Madison

NewCare MD (129 Fountains Blvd., Suite 101, Madison), a new direct primary-care clinic, will open for business on Jan. 3, 2017.

A direct primary-care facility is different from other clinics because patients pay for care directly through a monthly fee, rather than through funds from a third party such as an insurance company or the government. As a result, member patients can see their primary-care physician as often as they need to every month with no co-pay or deductible, and physicians can spend more time with individual patients.

"A major benefit of this model is that it removes third-party payers so a patient can have a more direct relationship with their physician," Amy Hervey, Newcare MD's chief operating officer, told the Jackson Free Press. "Insurance companies don't dictate fees or the type of care a patient can receive from their physician, and patients have access whenever they need it.

"The membership model allows our physicians to limit their patient panel because we don't need thousands of people coming through the clinic at all times to keep running. Our two physicians at this clinic will have 1,200 patients each at most that can join up, while the average is 2,500 to 3,500 patients per doctor elsewhere, which is the reason for hours-long waits and five-minute visits from the actual doctor. Here, you can go straight to the exam room after coming in, and the doctor will see you, and you can have 30 minutes to spend with your physician rather than having a rushed visit."

Dr. John Vanderloo will be the clinic's first physician, leaving his current position as the assistant professor of the Department of Family Medicine for the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine on Dec. 31. Dr. Micah Walker, who is currently finishing his residency at UMMC, will join as the second physician in July 2017. NewCare plans to open four more clinics throughout the metro Jackson area in 2017, though details are still pending.

NewCare will also be able to dispense prescriptions in-clinic at cost, which Hervey says will make for lower prices for medications with no need to go to a pharmacy or elsewhere. Some patients can save more on their prescriptions than the price of membership, she says, especially for those with ongoing conditions like high blood pressure that require monthly prescriptions.

Monthly membership is $30 per month for ages 18 and under, $60 per month for ages 19 to 50, and $75 per month for patients age 51 and over. NewCare also offers a family plan that covers two adults and two dependent children for $150 per month. Family memberships for families with four or more children cap at $180 per month. Memberships are still available, and the registration fee is $25 for individuals and $100 for families.

New members who mention Jackson Free Press when signing up will have their registration fee waived.

For more information or to register for a membership, call 601-238-3921, email [email protected] or visit newcaremd.com.

Belhaven Receives Donation for Engineering Program

Belhaven University recently received a $750,000 donation from Wirt and Linda Yerger for the engineering program at the Belhaven School of Science and Mathematics. The donation will provide start-up costs for a new dual-degree program with the University of Mississippi School of Engineering, promote STEM-related studies and fund scholarships for top-performing freshmen accepted into the engineering program.

The partnership between Belhaven and the University of Mississippi began in 2015. Fifteen freshmen entered the program for the current fall semester, and applications are open for next year's class. Through the program, students can study at Belhaven their first three years to complete requirements for their science core and liberal arts, and may then enroll in an upper-level engineering curriculum at UM for an additional two years of study. With all requirements met, students will receive a bachelor's degree from Belhaven in mathematics or chemistry and a bachelor's degree from UM in engineering.

For more information, call 601-968-5940 or visit belhaven.edu.