The annual University of Michigan football academy for women is open for registration.

U-M football coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff volunteer to lead the academy to benefit U-M's Comprehensive Cancer Center. Coaching staff and some players also sign autographs during the academy.

The event, which is a fundraiser for the center's Patient and Family Support Services, is meant to teach women U-M football "secrets" through running offense, defense, passing, blocking and kicking drills.

Those interested can participate as little or as much as they want to, according to a release.

Registration for the event is $100. Participants are asked to raise an additional $100 or more to support the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.

To register or learn more information about the event, visit www.mcancer.org/wfa, e-mail Doreen McGuire at doreenmc@umich.edu or call 734-998-6895.

Availability is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dedication at eye center planned

A dedication ceremony will be held to celebrate the opening of the University of Michigan Health System's Brehm-Kellogg Complex on April 23.

The facility is planned to foster new discoveries in diabetes research and advanced eye care research.

The event will feature speaker Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute. The expanded $132 million Kellogg Eye Center opened in March at 1000 Wall Street in Ann Arbor.

The event will take place at 3 p.m. on April 23. For more information visit, call 734-763-8122.

Rise in disabilities among older middle-aged Americans

There has been a significant rise in the proportion of older middle-aged Americans who have disabilities severe enough to require help in daily personal care activities like getting out of bed, according to a recent University of Michigan study.

At the same time, researchers found a drop in the number of disabilities in Americans ages 65 and older, according to the study conducted by U-M researchers and the RAND Corporation.

The reason for the disabilities in individuals from 50 to 64 isn't clear, but many of those reporting disabilities say they are due to health problems that began in their 30s and 40s, according to a release.

"Although the overall rate of needing help with personal care among this group remains very low - less than 2 percent - this rise in disability is reason for concern," Linda Martin, the study's lead author and a senior fellow at RAND, a nonprofit research organization, said in a statement.

It's concerning about future trends for those 65 and older and the personal and societal costs that will accompany them, she said.

The study was published in the April 6 edition of the journal Health Affairs.

Alternative routes needed to reach U-M

This month through October, U-M is warning patients and visitors about construction that could impact their ability to get to the hospital using typical routes.

Construction at Geddes Road and US-23 to create new roundabout intersections will slow travel to the health system. U-M is suggesting those traveling to the main medical campus at U-M take alternative routes.

Those routes include:

• US-23 south to Plymouth Road at exit 41.
• US-23 north to Washtenaw Ave./BR-23 at exit 37B toward Ann Arbor.

For more information, visit: http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/maps.shtml

To get information about a local health event or announcement mentioned in the Monday health briefs, contact reporter Tina Reed at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.