to a deviated septum, allergies, or sinus problems. What Are the Effects of. Sleep Apnea? If left untreated, sleep apnea
Medical Care In Our Community Page 1
Don’t Fail Your Child Before School Starts The importance of vision in your child’s learning, behavior Almost 80% of what a child learns in school is presented visually. It stands to reason then, that good vision is essential to learning. Yet studies show only 31% of children between the ages of 6 and 16 have an annual eye exam, according to Dr. Ellen D. Fitzgerald.
Approximately 70% of children younger than six
years, the age at which most vision problems can be treated before permanent damage occurs, have never had an eye exam. “Some 20 million children will go back to school this year with a vision problem that may interfere with their ability to learn while also contributing to disciplinary problems,” Dr. Fitzgerald said. But what about “vision screenings” performed by a school nurse or a pediatrician? Won’t they detect vision problems? Only partially, according to Dr. Krista J. Stapleton. “According to a study by the National Institutes of Health,
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vision-screening methods detected only 40 - 65% of children with vision problems,” Dr. Stapleton said. “Every child should have a comprehensive eye health examination. Even if a child has passed a vision screening, a comprehensive exam can reveal problems that would go undetected in a screening. If a vision problem is detected, your family eye doctor can begin treatment immediately.” Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Stapleton are located at Fitzgerald Family Eyecare 302 Westside Drive in Douglas, GA and are members of Vision Source.
Chiropractors are Well Educated The fact is, educational requirements for today’s chiropractor are among the most stringent of any of the health care professions. Several decades ago the education that chiropractors received was purposely narrow. Without the interest in prescribing medicines or performing surgery, chiropractic education focused on anatomy, the philosophy of natural healing, the wisdom of the body and adjusting techniques. Today’s chiropractor receives a much broader education. In fact, it’s
quite comparable to that received by medical practitioners. Before acceptance to a five-year chiropractic college, prospective chiropractors must complete a minimum of three years of undergraduate work with a heavy emphasis on the basic sciences. This focus on science continues during the first two years of study, emphasizing classroom and laboratory work in anatomy, physiology, public health, microbiology, pathology and biochemistry. Later, the focus is on specialized subjects,
including chiropractic philosophy and practice, along with chiropractic diagnosis and adjusting methods. Since chiropractors don’t prescribe drugs, instead of studying pharmacology and surgery, they receive an even deeper training in anatomy, physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition, diagnosis, X-ray and a variety of adjusting techniques that aren’t taught in any other health care field. Disparaging the educational achievements of today’s chiropractor is an outdated belief from another era. www.chiropractic.org
What is Sleep Apnea? Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain -- and the rest of the body -- may not get enough oxygen. There are two types of sleep apnea: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): The more common of the two forms of apnea, it is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the
throat collapses during sleep. Central sleep apnea: Unlike OSA, the airway is not blocked, but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe, due to instability in the respiratory control center. Am I at Risk for Sleep Apnea? Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, even children. Risk factors for sleep apnea include: being male; being overweight; being over age 40; having a large neck size (17 inches or greater in men and 16 inches or greater in women); having large
tonsils, a large tongue, or a small jaw bone; having a family history of sleep apnea; gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD; and, nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum, allergies, or sinus problems What Are the Effects of Sleep Apnea? If left untreated, sleep apnea can result in a growing number of health problems, including: High blood pressure, Stroke, Heart failure, irregular heart beats, and heart attacks, Diabetes, Depression, Worsening of ADHD, and Headaches. www.webmd.com
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Tift Regional Health System: Providing Quality Care for the Region With a reputation as an innovative provider of quality care, Tift Regional Health System (TRHS) is a growing, not-for-profit hospital system serving 12 counties in South Central Georgia. TRHS offers more than 165 physicians with expertise in over 30 specialties. TRHS provides a wide-range of care, including signature services in surgery, oncology, cardiovascular care, women’s health, neurodiagnostics, geriatric psychiatric care, radiology and more. The Main Campus is Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC), a 181-bed regional referral hospital located in Tifton at 901 East 18th Street. Tift Regional Medical Center’s West Campus, located in Tifton
at 2225 Highway 41 North, is an outpatient facility which houses various diagnostic services and the region’s largest multi-specialty physician practice. Located in Adel, Cook Medical Center is a 60bed acute care facility which includes a 12-bed geriatric psychiatric unit. Cook Medical Center also offers a 95-bed nursing home, Cook Senior Living Center. Tift Regional’s quality recognitions include:
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Leapfrog A Grade in Hospital Safety. The Leapfrog Group awarded TRMC an A grade for its
efforts to keep patients safe from infections, errors and accidents.
category, recognizing the hospital system’s efforts to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs in supply management while maintaining quality patient care.
Joint Commission Top Performer. The Joint Commission named TRMC a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for attaining and sustaining excellence for heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. The hospital scored 95 percent or above across all reported accountability measures.
Women’s Choice Award. The Women’s Choice Award announced in May 2016 that Tift Regional Medical Center has been named one of American’s Best Hospitals for both breast health and orthopedic care. Tift Regional Medical Center was selected based on the hospital’s comprehensive services in these two areas as well as publically-available Medicare quality and patient satisfaction measures. The Women’s Choice Award is a national organization which seeks to empower women to make smart consumer healthcare choices, integrating clinical excellence and patient experience in its determination.
Two Top 10 Georgia Hospitals. Georgia Trend magazine announced in its December 2015 issue that TRMC is a top 10 Georgia mediumsized hospital for the fourth year-in-a-row. Cook Medical Center was ranked no. 10. Georgia Trend used Medicare’s publicly available data on quality indicators and patient satisfaction to determine the rankings. Vizient Awards. In May 2016, Vizient MidSouth presented TRHS with three different quality awards, including the Performance Excellence Award which recognized Tift Regional Health System’s high results in fiscal responsibility/ operations, clinical excellence and innovation. Vizient MidSouth based the award on key quality metrics as compared to peer hospitals. Based in Atlanta, Vizient MidSouth is a membership alliance of 18 healthcare systems, 71 hospitals and five affiliate hospitals which help members deliver cost-effective care through collective purchasing, data sharing and the exchange of best practices. Vizient MidSouth also recognized TRHS with the Collaborative Top Performer Award for its efforts to enhance care provided to patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). TRHS also received an excellence award in supply chain management from Vizient MidSouth’s parent organization, Vizient, Inc., based in Dallas. TRHS won the award in the PriceLYNX Health Care Organization Index
Visit www.tiftregional.com or www.facebook.com/ TiftRegionalMedicaCenter for more information or call 229-382-7120 or toll free 800-648-1935.
Information in this guide has been gathered from local health professionals and professional medical association websites. Page 5
A Sports Prep Primer
By Jessica Courson, NP In sports, as in life, preparation is everything. What you do before taking the field makes all the difference once the whistle blows. Nutrition, study, rest, conditioning, practice — they are all secrets to success on the field. Here are some pointers for preparing your child for the upcoming sports season. To prepare physically, get them started at least four weeks early with pre-season workouts or conditioning classes. Walking into the first day of practice without having run a lap around the block is asking for trouble. Out of shape may mean out of
contention when it comes to making the team, not to mention an increased risk of injury. Also, make sure you arrange a sports physical with a local physician or healthcare provider. A thorough check-up is essential — and usually required — before kicking off a new season. The doctor can also make sure any prior injuries have sufficiently healed. Urgent Care clinics like AppleCare are particularly well suited for sports physicals because of the type of medical care provided and no appointment is needed. We are running a special of $19.99 for these sport physicals. But sports preparation is more than just physical. Your child’s best performance demands proper equipment. Inadequate or ill-fitting equipment or gear can result in injury. Kids can easily outgrow uniforms, helmets, shoes, pads and more in six months time, placing constant demands on the
need for new equipment. It’s also a good idea to arrange a preseason meeting with your child’s coach. This provides an opportunity to discuss any changes from last season and/ or what they expect for the upcoming one. And if the coach is new, it’s an opportunity to get to know them and to ask important questions, such as their concussion management policy. Finally, be sure to talk with your child about balancing sports, schoolwork and social life. Sometimes the combination can get pretty taxing, so it’s good to keep an eye on them to make sure they haven’t taken on too much. They probably won’t be the first to admit being overwhelmed, so it’s up to you as a parent to be there for them. Start honing a successful sports season early to help keep the athletes in your household injury- and stress-free.
About the Author: Douglas, Ga. native Jessica Courson is a Family Nurse Practitioner at AppleCare Immediate Care. She holds a masters degree in Nursing from South University.
Do you have Sinusitis? Sinusitis is an inflammation, or swelling, of the tissue lining the sinuses. Normally, sinuses are filled with air. But when they become blocked and filled with fluid, germs (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) can grow and cause an infection. Conditions that can cause sinus blockage include the common cold, allergic rhinitis (swelling of the lining of the nose), nasal polyps (small growths in that lining), or a deviated septum (a shift in the nasal cavity). Types of Sinusitis They include: Acute. Cold-like symptoms such as a runny, stuffy nose and facial pain that start suddenly and don’t go away after 10 to 14 days. It usually lasts 4 weeks or less. Subacute. Sinus inflammation lasting 4 to 8 weeks. Chronic. Inflammation symptoms that last 8 weeks or longer. Recurrent. Several attacks within a year. www.webmd.com
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Q
&A
What are varicose veins? A vein is a blood vessel that carries blood low in oxygen content from the body to the lungs and heart. It is a normal part of the circulatory system. Veins can bulge with pools of blood when they fail to circulate the blood properly. These visible and bulging veins, called varicose veins, are often associated with symptoms such as tired, heavy, or aching limbs. In severe cases, varicose
veins can rupture, or open sores (called “ulcers”) can form on the skin. Varicose veins are most common in the legs and thighs. What are spider veins? Small “spider veins” also can appear on the skins surface. These may look like short, fine lines, “starburst” clusters, or a web-like maze. Spider veins are most common in the thighs, ankles, and feet. They may also appear on the face. Who gets varicose and spider veins? Varicose and spider veins can occur in men or women of any age, but most frequently affect women of childbearing
years and older. Family history can also increase the tendency to develop varicose and spider veins. What causes varicose and spider veins? The causes of varicose and spider veins are not entirely understood. In some instances, the absence or weakness of valves in the veins, which prevent the backward flow of blood away from the heart, may cause the poor circulation. In other cases, weaknesses in the vein walls may cause the pooling of the blood. Less commonly, varicose veins are caused by such diseases as phlebitis (inflammation of the veins) or congenital abnormalities of the
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veins. Venous disease is generally progressive and cannot be prevented entirely. However, in some cases, wearing support hosiery and maintaining normal weight and regular exercise may be beneficial. For many people, even a short walk can be quite painful. Problems with veins can cause aching or cramping pain, tiredness, restlessness, burning, throbbing, tingling, or heaviness in the legs. If you are suffering from leg discomfort, call Douglas Vascular Center today to schedule an appointment.
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Did you know?
The History of Hospitals in Coffee County Douglas and Coffee County grew rapidly during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Trained medical care had been limited to the efforts of Dr. Jefferson Wilcox and Dr. William Sibbett who arrived in Coffee County in the late 1800’s in the wake of the typhoid epidemic. Before that, families had to make do with home remedies and the occasional “herb doctor.” According to local history, one of the earliest settlers to Coffee County was Dr. John Barber, who resided in Douglas for 18 years and opened Coffee County’s first hospital, albeit a temporary one, in 1862, in his home to combat an outbreak of small pox. In 1908, Dr. Charles Roberts and Dr. Will Sibbett organized the effort that would build and open the Douglas Surgical Institute. The Infirmary opened in 1909 in the building now used as the Courthouse Annex. At a cost of $18,000 funding was raised by prominent citizens including Dr. Roberts, Dr. Welchel, Dr. Terrell, Mr. B.H. Tanner and Mr. John Marshall Ashley. The infirmary opened with 30 beds and a staff of two nurses. The infirmary closed its doors in 1916 leaving Douglas without a hospital. By 1932, the Douglas Public Health Department was recognized by the state for a vigorous health campaign that all but wiped out typhoid fever, malaria and diphtheria in the areas which included Coffee, Jeff Davis, Bacon and Atkinson counties. In February of 1932, two nurses, Mrs. Carolyn Bailey of Athens and Miss Francis
Lance of Blairsville, remodeled a home on the corner of Madison and Jefferson (now the sight of Becky’s Antiques). The LanceBailey Clinic, sometimes called the Douglas Hospital opened March 1932. The small medical clinic continued for a couple of years and paved the way for the first real hospital in Coffee County. In 1934 the City of Douglas represented by Mayor Lonnie Pope and Dr. W.L. Hall donated land on East Ward Street for construction of the new Douglas Hospital. The building was constructed by R.N. McEachren of Valdosta, a former Douglas resident who had built the Ashley-Slater home. (This building later housed the public library and the Board of Education and currently serves as the Alternative School). At a final cost of $30,000, the facility opened in June 1935. Within one decade this hospital became overcrowded and needed expansion. In 1946, recognizing a need for expanded hospital facilities, a new Hospital Commission was created with representation through the county. Within days the commission became the Coffee County Hospital Authority and began to seek federal funds through the recently passed Hill-Burton Act that required local matching funds. The bonds issue, requesting taxpayers provide local matching funds, was placed on the ballot in June of 1949 where it passed overwhelmingly. The Authority membership at this time included representation from Coffee County: Luther Roberts, Lonnie A. Pope, Steve Davis, and Page 9
N.E. Holton, who would be named chairman, and from the City of Douglas representation: Dan G. Clough, Marvin J. Williams, Charles Anderson, Emmett Roberts and Andrew Tanner. The new facility located on West Ward Street would be a three-story, 60 bed structure. The construction completed in 1953 at a cost of almost one million dollars. The ribbon cutting was held October 11, 1953 with Herman Talmadge as the keynote speaker. Gov. Talmadge dedicated the building by saying, “It is not only one of the most beautiful, but also the most modern and best equipped hospitals in the country.” He added, “Your hospital here shows what is possible with cooperation.” In the spring of 1994 the hospital Authority voted to restructure Coffee Regional by forming a community based, non-profit corporation. As then Authority Chairman Norman Fletcher stated, “The new nonprofit corporate structure will allow the hospital to be financially self-sufficient and be legally independent from the county thus protecting the taxpayers from future liability for the hospital.” The Authority included Chairman: Norman Fletcher, Vice-chair: Arthur Johnson, Tullis Allen, Krishnan Chalam, M.D., Farrell Harper, Jon Lott, and Voncile Mille. The vision of this group was the catalyst for the construction of the new Medical Center. More information and pictures at www.coffeeregional.org
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Healthy smile, healthy you! Regular dentist visits can do more than keep your smile attractive – they can also tell dentists a lot about your overall health, including whether or not you may be at risk for chronic disease. New research suggests that the health of your mouth mirrors the condition of your body as a whole. For example, when your mouth is healthy, chances are your overall health is good, too. On the other hand, if you have poor oral health, you may have other health problems. Research also shows that good oral health may actually prevent certain diseases from occurring. Gum disease and health complications According to the Academy of General Dentistry, there is a relationship between gum (periodontal) disease and health complications such as a stroke and heart disease. Women with gum disease also show higher incidences of preterm, low birth-weight babies. Other research shows that more than 90% of all systemic diseases (diseases involving many organs or the whole body) have oral manifestations, including swollen gums, mouth ulcers, dry mouth and excessive gum problems. Such diseases include: Diabetes, Leukemia, Oral
cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Heart disease, and Kidney disease. Since most people have regular oral examinations, their dentist may be the first health care provider to diagnose a health problem in its early stages. Poor oral health can lead to problems If you don’t take care of your teeth and gums, your poor oral hygiene can actually lead to other health problems, including: Oral and facial pain. According to the Office of the Surgeon General, this pain may be largely due to infection of the gums that support the teeth and can lead to tooth loss. Gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease, and advanced gum disease affect more than 75% of the U.S. population. Problems with the heart and other major organs. Mouth infections can affect major organs. For example, the heart and heart valves can become inflamed by bacterial endocarditis, a condition that affects people with heart disease or anyone with damaged heart tissue. Digestion problems. Digestion begins with physical and chemical processes in the mouth, and problems here can lead to intestinal failure, irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive disorders.
What you can do Seeing a dentist regularly helps to keep your mouth in top shape and allows your dentist to watch for developments that may point to other health issues. A dental exam can also detect poor nutrition and hygiene, growth and development problems and improper jaw alignment. Provide your dentist with a complete medical history and inform him or her of any recent health developments, even if they seem unrelated to your oral health. At home, you can practice good oral hygiene: Brush twice a day for at
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least two minutes, using fluoridated toothpaste. Floss daily to remove plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. Eat a healthy diet to provide the nutrients necessary (vitamins A and C, in particular) to prevent gum disease. Avoid cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, which are known to contribute to gum disease and oral cancer. Visit the dentist regularly for cleanings and exams. This is one of the most effective ways to detect the early signs of gum disease. Information reprinted from www.deltaldentalins.com
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