Come out Cartoogechaye School in Macon County for a rabies vaccination clinic. 

The Therapeutic Massage program at Southwestern Community College has opened its learning clinic for the spring semester to allow its first-year students to practice their studies.

The clinic is open to the public, and a 50-minute massage by a student costs $20. Appointments are available on Tuesdays at noon, 1:15 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4 p.m.

To book an appointment, visit massagebook.com or call 828.339.4313. For information about the Therapeutic Massage program, visit southwesterncc.edu.

A free youth fishing clinic will coincide with an Old Time Music Jam 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee.

Learn how to raft guide with a three-day clinic Friday, Oct. 6, through Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County.

The curriculum is suited for everyone from beginners to experienced paddlers seeking to solidify their skill and confidence on the river. Professional instructors from NOC will meet participants at their skill level and ensure they leave with newfound knowledge, technique and confidence.

Cost starts at $550. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Learn more or register at noc.com/courses/learn-to-raft-guide.

The International Friendship Center, the Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers and Vecinos have hosted six weekly Latino COVID-19 vaccine clinics since mid-February, providing vaccines to several hundred of our Latinx neighbors, and plan more clinics in the coming weeks.

It’s not unusual to hear a visiting veterinarian term Cherokee Animal Care Clinic an emergency day clinic, Dr. Robbie McLeod says as she takes a standing lunch break accompanied by a stethoscope, paperwork and a wiggly puppy in for its shots. 

A partnership that could quadruple patient volume and expand medical staffing for the uninsured of Jackson County has been the subject of a flurry of meetings and conversations since The Good Samaritan Clinic of Jackson County announced last week that it’s moving toward a partnership with Hendersonville-based Blue Ridge Health Center.

When someone shows up to a medical clinic, sick and suffering, the hardest words to say can be, “Sorry, but you’ll have to wait three months for an appointment.” 

Dr. Frank VanMiddlesworth is on a mission to bring free medical care to the uninsured in Swain County and improve the overall health of its residents.

Plans are in the works to open a 24-hour emergency clinic at Junaluska Animal Hospital in Waynesville next year, a first for the mountains west of Asheville.