Obici Hospital will sponsor a clinical aromatherapy course, beginning Saturday, under the instruction of its internationally recognized creator, British registered nurse Jane Buckle.

&uot;Aromatherapy for Health Professionals&uot; will be taught in six weekend &uot;modules&uot; spread over one year. Students who successfully complete the course and an exam will become certified clinical aromatherapy practitioners.

According to its proponents, clinical aromatherapy acts as a complement to traditional medicine by promoting, for example, relaxation, stress relief, pain management and infection control.

&uot;Aromatherapy for Health Professionals&uot; is endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Association. Obici will host the only course to be offered on the East Coast in the coming year.

Buckle has an MA in clinical aromatherapy, a PhD in health management, and is a post-doctoral fellow in complementary and alternative medicine at the Center for Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of two books and the developer of a method of structured touch called the &uot;m&uot; technique.

Interested students may take any or all of the modules at a cost of $300 each. The first module will take place Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Obici. For enrollment and other information, call Lisa Story, RN, 934-4174.

Independently owned Obici Hospital and its parent, Obici Health System, offer the people of western Tidewater and northeastern North Carolina the latest in health care close to home. In a stunning and soothing building with every square inch devoted to healing, the Suffolk facility continues to honor the legacy of Amedeo Obici, who founded the hospital in memory of his wife, Louise.

As part of that legacy, in 2001, Obici became the first hospital in Hampton Roads to affiliate with a prestigious national network of holistic health-care providers called Planetree. Belonging to Planetree, in effect, formalizes Obici’s long tradition of caring for patients physically, emotionally and spiritually.

A 138-bed community hospital, Obici is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.

and offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient treatment and services.

Obici Health System’s mission is &uot;To provide health services that improve the quality of health in our community.&uot; The system’s Planetree motto is, &uot;Everyone who works for Obici Health System is a caregiver. Our care is guided by viewing everything we do through the eyes of the patient.&uot;