http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120826/NEWS04/708269881
The Fit-N-Fun Fair hosted by Lewis County Public Health in Lowville, NY is a great health intervention activity in Lewis County. It provides a fun way for kids and their families to learn about eating healthy and leading active lives. By surrounding these topics with the excitement of a fair, kids and their families are more apt to learn about the important aspects of healthy living. Prevention at this early stage in life is imperative for an overall decrease in sickness and injury. Knowing how to take care of one's body from the get-go prevents children from being sucked into the obesity endemic with its associated diabetes and cardiovascular issues. It also helps children stay more protected from trauma, the number one cause of death in this age group. I think this fair is an excellent idea and should be a part of every community.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120930/OPINION02/709309959
As Lewis County General Hospital struggles like many other rural hospitals to stay afloat, they are looking to cut costs wherever possible. Obviously cutting costs in a hospital setting is never easy, but in the setting of a municipal hospital, these decisions have the added advantage/disadvantage of the public's close scrutiny and voting power to effect these decisions. In an attempt to cut costs, LCGH has recently considered terminating its contract with a local group of ER physicians and bringing in an outside group. The community has responded with adamant disproval. This article exemplifies the type of community response regarding the desire to keep the local ER physician group and the resistance to outsiders. Health care attorney Ann Phillip asks: "Will they live in your community or commute? Will they have a vested interest in the local people and hospital?" In a small, rural community, these are valid concerns, as so much of medicine is centered around the patient physician relationship. This relationship is very unique in rural areas, where interaction with the local physicians spans beyond the hospital. These are our neighbors, our fellow church-goers, our golfing partners, etc. Ann Phillips argues, "The ER physicians in place are skilled, dedicated and local. They have established relationships with their peers and patients. They have made their livelihood amongst you, for you and serve you well." It is this relationship with their physicians, and the trust that it engenders, that the community doesn't want to lose.
As Lewis County General Hospital struggles like many other rural hospitals to stay afloat, they are looking to cut costs wherever possible. Obviously cutting costs in a hospital setting is never easy, but in the setting of a municipal hospital, these decisions have the added advantage/disadvantage of the public's close scrutiny and voting power to effect these decisions. In an attempt to cut costs, LCGH has recently considered terminating its contract with a local group of ER physicians and bringing in an outside group. The community has responded with adamant disproval. This article exemplifies the type of community response regarding the desire to keep the local ER physician group and the resistance to outsiders. Health care attorney Ann Phillip asks: "Will they live in your community or commute? Will they have a vested interest in the local people and hospital?" In a small, rural community, these are valid concerns, as so much of medicine is centered around the patient physician relationship. This relationship is very unique in rural areas, where interaction with the local physicians spans beyond the hospital. These are our neighbors, our fellow church-goers, our golfing partners, etc. Ann Phillips argues, "The ER physicians in place are skilled, dedicated and local. They have established relationships with their peers and patients. They have made their livelihood amongst you, for you and serve you well." It is this relationship with their physicians, and the trust that it engenders, that the community doesn't want to lose.
Monday, October 8, 2012
http://www.mountainviewprevention.org/programs.htm
Mountain View Prevention Services, Inc. is a phenomenal substance abuse prevention resource in Lewis County, NY. One of their main focuses is to provide educational initiatives to prevent substance abuse. They are widely involved in the community and in the schools, educating children, teens, and adults. Among a long list of programs they provide, is the S.U.P.E.R.Ed. Program, or Schools Using Prevention Education Resources Program. This program is aimed at K-5 students and provides a comprehensive curriculum on alcohol and substance abuse, safety, decision making, and self esteem. The intent of this program is to inform students at a young age of the hazards of substance and alcohol abuse, and to advise them how to make good, safe decisions when confronted with drugs and alcohol in the future.
Mountain View Prevention Services, Inc. is a phenomenal substance abuse prevention resource in Lewis County, NY. One of their main focuses is to provide educational initiatives to prevent substance abuse. They are widely involved in the community and in the schools, educating children, teens, and adults. Among a long list of programs they provide, is the S.U.P.E.R.Ed. Program, or Schools Using Prevention Education Resources Program. This program is aimed at K-5 students and provides a comprehensive curriculum on alcohol and substance abuse, safety, decision making, and self esteem. The intent of this program is to inform students at a young age of the hazards of substance and alcohol abuse, and to advise them how to make good, safe decisions when confronted with drugs and alcohol in the future.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-02-26/news/0102260223_1_newton-falls-paper-mill-falls-hotel
This article addresses an issue related to occupational-related illness concerning mental health. While this article focuses on the Newton Falls Paper Mill, it also mentions the Lyons Falls Pulp and Paper mill located in Lewis County. I believe that this article embodies the aura of ghost towns left behind by fallen paper mills and hints at the aftermath that unemployed mill workers are forced to face. As far as the Lyons Falls Pulp and Paper mill is concerned, 192 workers lost their jobs. This not only represents 192 workers, but, 192 families. In a small Lewis County community, 192 families make up a significant portion of the community. While the workers were forced to face unemployment that they neither anticipated, deserved, nor had any control over, their families also felt the burden. Without other feasible employment opportunities in the community, or county for that matter, these families were forced to pick up and leave. Parents and kids were forced to leave the familiarity of their homes, school, family and friends to find employment elsewhere- likely in other states- leaving behind ghosts of the booming town that once was. Such a drastic change is very likely to result in mental illness in not only the workers and their families, but also in the community members remaining behind. Even those not involved with the paper mill itself were forced to live in its empty wake. Depression is the main condition that comes to mind in this circumstance.
This article addresses an issue related to occupational-related illness concerning mental health. While this article focuses on the Newton Falls Paper Mill, it also mentions the Lyons Falls Pulp and Paper mill located in Lewis County. I believe that this article embodies the aura of ghost towns left behind by fallen paper mills and hints at the aftermath that unemployed mill workers are forced to face. As far as the Lyons Falls Pulp and Paper mill is concerned, 192 workers lost their jobs. This not only represents 192 workers, but, 192 families. In a small Lewis County community, 192 families make up a significant portion of the community. While the workers were forced to face unemployment that they neither anticipated, deserved, nor had any control over, their families also felt the burden. Without other feasible employment opportunities in the community, or county for that matter, these families were forced to pick up and leave. Parents and kids were forced to leave the familiarity of their homes, school, family and friends to find employment elsewhere- likely in other states- leaving behind ghosts of the booming town that once was. Such a drastic change is very likely to result in mental illness in not only the workers and their families, but also in the community members remaining behind. Even those not involved with the paper mill itself were forced to live in its empty wake. Depression is the main condition that comes to mind in this circumstance.
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