The Delta Health Alliance—Solutions for a Healthy Tomorrow

Shingles

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:56:22 +0000

‘Shingles’ is a very painful rash usually occurring in middle aged and older adults, although young people sometimes get it, as well. It is caused by the chicken pox virus that the victim had as a child. It lies dormant in the nerve tissue of one’s body for years, then causes a rash along that particular nerve root. The cause for it to breakout again is unknown. Typically the rash is preceded a few days by unexplained pain in that area, then manifests itself with redness and clusters of small blisters along that nerve on one side of the body or other, but not both. A particularly dangerous place to have this is on the face and in one’s eye.

Shingles is not contagious for most people, but those with the rash should avoid pregnant ladies, as sometimes a transmission can occur which can affect the baby.

It is important to know that shingles can be effectively managed in many patients if detected and treated early enough with special antiviral medication. Also, for older patients and especially those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, or kidney failure, a vaccine is available that will help many people avoid a breakout. Those who get shingles after receiving the vaccine will usually have a milder case and probably not have the neuralgia pain that often persists for weeks after the rash heals.

Remember, if you develop a painful rash see you doctor or nurse practitioner as soon as possible. The earlier you begin treatment for it the better of you will be.

Dr. Robert Dale, Jr.

CMO

Delta Health Alliance

Gifts

Rush Mayo — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:30:27 +0000

During this season of gift giving, we must be mindful of toy safety. A child’s developmental stage can help guide us upon the type of present to purchase. For instance, infants explore the world through their mouths so we want to avoid small parts as they are a choking hazard. Toddlers are unsteady on their feet as they are beginning to navigate the world through walking, so we want to avoid sharp objects and ensure that their toys are sturdy.

Toys facilitate learning and development; however, they are no substitute for person to person interaction and engagement. Therefore, parents should be encouraged to play with their children. Also, expensive toys are not necessary. Between the ages of 1 and 2, children initiate pretend play in which one object can stand for another; a banana can easily be a telephone as an example. Children are very imaginative, and that creativity should be encouraged. Additionally, reading books is an excellent way to stimulate children’s learning and brain development and is a great method of bonding between parent and child.

December 2011 Newsletter

Rush Mayo — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:02:04 +0000

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November 2011 Newsletter

Rush Mayo — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:48:52 +0000

Volume 7

November 2011

Greetings Rush Mayo,

Thanksgiving greetings from DHA!

As we approach this holiday season, we want to warmly express appreciation for our project partners and our many supporters. Most of all, we are very thankful for the opportunity to work with and provide services to the men, women, and children who call the Mississippi Delta home. Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Warmest regards,

Karen C. Fox,

President & CEO

IN THIS ISSUE

November is Diabetes Month

GSC is OPEN!!!!!

Introducing….the IPC Street Leaders!

November is National Diabetes Month

November is advertised as National Diabetes Month.

But, for the nearly 26 million children and adults in American living with diabetes, every month is diabetes month. Diabetes is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Recent numbers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paint a disturbing situation of where the nation is, and where we are headed:

Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

Mississippi has the second highest diabetes rate in America!

Diabetes is a serious matter! Many Mississippi Delta residents feel diabetes will not afflict them or that diabetes is contagious or that thin people won’t develop diabetes or that someone gets it from eating too much sugar, and so on. There are many myths about diabetes, but Delta Health Alliance TEAM (Training Education Access Management) Sugar Free project is helping Mississippi Delta residents get the facts and understand diabetes for what it really is: a serious disease that is manageable!

From left to right: TEAM clinical nurse educators Temesa Crawford, Dee Smith, and Cassoyna Lampkin. Next, Karen Stephney is TEAM’s eye camera technician.

The main goal of this project is to improve the health of people with diabetes by providing diabetes education and personal health management throughout a 21 county area in the Delta and North Mississippi. TEAM Sugar Free staff is busting diabetes myths through their free Diabetes U self-management classes taught by three dedicated diabetes nurse educators: Temesa Crawford, Korninthia “Dee” Smith, and Cassoyna Lampkin. These TEAM staff members are helping to get the facts straight, on diabetes management techniques like healthy food choices, portion control, exercise, and taking medications through weekly classes currently held in Batesville, Cleveland, Greenwood, Hollandale, Indianola, and Tunica. Classes will be offered in Greenville beginning January 2012. Residents of Clarksdale can receive diabetes education at Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center Diabetes and Metabolic Clinic, a partner with DHA for the TEAM Sugar Free project.

In addition to free diabetic education classes, T.E.A.M. offers vision screenings through the Diabetic Retinopathy Screening program which utilizes a special eye camera to detect diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that affects most people with diabetes over time. The eye camera are unique in that eye exams can be conducted in the doctor’s office and the patient’s eyes do not have to be dilated for the exam. Karen Stephney, eye camera technician, works with our partner, University of Tennessee -Hamilton Eye Institute, conducting eye screenings at the following sites: The Greenville Clinic, Indianola Family Medical Group, North Sunflower Medical Clinic, Aaron E Henry Community Health Clinics in Batesville, Clarksdale, and Tunica. Over 300 eye screenings have been provided, to date.

For more information about services provided through T.E.A.M. Sugar Free, please visit Delta Health Alliance’s website, www.deltahealthalliance.org, or contact any of the following project staff:

* Kimberly Massey, T.E.A.M. Project Manager, at kmassey@deltahealthalliance.org or (662)686-7004

* Ashley Tucker, T.E.A.M. Co- Project Manager, at atucker@deltahealthalliance.org or (662)686-7004

* Temesa Crawford, T.E.A.M. Clinical Nurse Educator, at tcrawford@deltahealthalliance.org (Counties – Sharkey, Issaquena, Yazoo, Holmes, Attala, Carroll, Montgomery, Grenada, Leflore, and Sunflower)

* Korninthia “Dee” Smith, T.E.A.M. Clinical Nurse Educator, ksmith@deltahealthalliance.org (Counties – Bolivar, Washington, Humphreys, Tallahatchie, Quitman, Yalobusha, and Warren)

* Cassoyna Lampkin, T.E.A.M. Clinical Nurse Educator, at clampkin@deltahealthalliance.org (Counties – Coahoma, Tunica, Tate, Panola, Lafayette, Marshall, Benton, Tippah, and Union)

Good Samaritan Clinic in Indianola is officially OPEN!

The Good Samaritan Clinic (GSC) of South Sunflower County Hospital held its official grand-opening on November 1, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. at the clinic’s location at 110 E. Baker St., on the SSCH campus.

Good Samaritan Clinic of SSCH staff with patient, Jamel Shelby (front row, left): front row Rhonda Potter, CFNP. Back row: Eddie McClain, Patient Navigator; Angie McClellan, Clinic Assistant; Lula Reece, Community Health Worker; Flora Byrd, LPN; and Shirley Betts, Clinic Manager.

Opening ceremonies began with remarks from featured speakers – Rev. Herron Wilson, Delta Missions; Mayor Steve Rosenthal, City of Indianola; Mr. Jimmy Blessitt, Administrator – South Sunflower County Hospital; Jamel Shelby, patient; and Bobby Dale, M.D., Chief Medical Officer & Vice President of Medical Affairs Delta Health Alliance. Following speakers’ comments, guests toured with the clinic and enjoyed refreshments.

This is the fourth clinic in the Delta sponsored by the Delta Health Alliance. Through a partnership between Delta Health Alliance and South Sunflower County Hospital, the uninsured residents in the area have a quality primary care clinic staffed with healthcare providers devoted to their medical needs. The Indianola clinic, like the other three operating in Greenville, Belzoni, and Greenwood, is modeled after the patient-centered medical home approach to primary care. This approach involves addressing the patient’s needs through a team-approach, with enhanced technology, chronic disease education and care management.

Dr. Robert Dale, the Chief Medical Officer for Delta Health Alliance explained it like this, “Health care reform discussions have brought attention to new and different models of care for clinics. This patient-centered medical home model we are using in Indianola has some promising preliminary results in improving patient outcomes for diabetes and hypertension and other chronic diseases.”

“We anticipate the GSC may provide a much needed level of Continuity of Care for a portion of the uninsured population of our community,” states Jimmy Blessitt, Administrator for South Sunflower County Hospital. “These individuals often utilize the Hospital Emergency Room as their primary source of treatment. A hospital Emergency Room provides acute or urgent episodic care, meaning we treat the condition that the patient presents with at that point in time. Many of these patients really need ongoing care of chronic conditions, as will be provided in the GSC. Hopefully there will be an improvement in the long term health of these patients as a result of having greater access to the appropriate level of care”.

Clinic services for uninsured patients are offered at an affordable rate, based on a sliding scale fee schedule. Jamel Shelby, pictured with Flora Byrd, RN, was one of the first patients to enroll in the clinic, and states, “I get treated so nicely here – I wish I could stay here all the time “. Shelby has developed personal relationship with the staff and feels “like they (the staff) are part of my family.” Laboratory tests are also offered at affordable rates, and patients are assisted in applying for help with prescription medications.

Since 2009, DHA’s 21st Century Primary Care Model for Chronic Disease project has provided tools, best practice guidelines, and an innovative

Flora Byrd, RN, completes triage procedures with Jamel Shelby, patient.

clinical team to affiliated primary care clinics that agree to transition to a medical home model. Clinical teams, including a nurse practitioner, nurse, patient navigator (social worker) and community health worker, are provided through the agreement with DHA. This team will assist in transitioning the clinic to a “medical home” model, while providing increased access to quality primary care for the working uninsured. A registered dietician will support the Good Samaritan team, along with teams from three additional DHA-affiliated clinics in Humphreys, Sunflower and Washington counties.

For more information about the 21st Century Primary Care Model for Chronic Disease, visit DHA’s website, www.deltahealthalliance.org, or contact Jane Calhoun, Assistant Vice-President of Medical Affairs & Director of 21st Century Clinics at (662)686-7004 or jcalhoun@deltahealthalliance.org

Introducing….the IPC South Gate Street Leaders!

When Delta Health Alliance commissioned the Indianola Promise Community (IPC) to begin placing programs in the South Gate subdivision, staff at IPC immediately recognized that they could be viewed as outsiders. Therefore, in spring of 2010, IPC held a community meeting whereby they enlisted the help of a group who lives in the area and who are familiar with the needs of this particular community. “We knew they had a better grasp on what the community needed,” said IPC research assistant Anthony Powell.”We also knew that we couldn’t do everything on our own, so we asked for their thoughts. We also knew that they would be more welcome in people’s homes.”This group of South Gate volunteers/ residents is formally known as street leaders.

Street leaders for the South Gate Community organization are (left to right) Sara Woods, Tonya Robinson, Joyce Brown, Annie Brooks and Willie Belle Williams. Clarissa Young is not pictured.

Joyce Brown, Tonya Robinson, Sara Woods, Annie Brooks, Willie Belle Williams and Clarissa Young, who are all longtime residents of the neighborhood, provide grassroots support to IPC programs, organize community events and have a vision for restoring South Gate to the vibrant community it was in the 1970s and 1980s. Street leaders meet at each other’s homes four times a month to discuss ways to improve life in the subdivision. Brown, a resident of South Gate for the past 27 years describes the immediate positive impact of Indianola Promise Community’s presence. “People are not like they use to be,” Brown said. “There are not as many fights and we are working towards trying to bring in things that children like doing. We want walking trails, a volleyball court and even a corner store. Right now, we have to walk all the way to Roosevelt Street to go to the store.”

Annie Brooks has lived in South Gate since 1989. She recalled playing softball as a shortstop for the South Gate neighborhood team. She envisions sports in the community as one way to get young males engaged in the community improvement process. “Back when I was growing up one our neighbors named Bennie Parker really got involved with the young men,” Brooks recalled. “He would encourage the young men to play sports as a way to stay off street corners and just hanging out doing nothing.” Brooks would like to see a full baseball facility erected on some of the land left vacant in South Gate from demolished houses.

Tanya Robinson, a mail carrier for the US Postal Service recalls the community coming together in the summer of 2010 to build a Kaboom Park on the grounds of the Bethune Community Center. The way she described the circumstances surrounding the event is the job description of a street leader In a nutshell. “When we organized for the park build, we passed out flyers, met with the residents and discussed ways they could help,” Robinson said. “The idea was to get the neighbors to participate in it. ” Robinson’s vision for the community is to have improved housing because it is the first impression most have of an area. “I want people to think of something positive when they think of South Gate,” she said.

Willie Belle Williams, a resident of South Gate since 1974, agreed by saying that the neighborhood had strict housing covenants and codes of conduct that the residents really adhered to. “I’d like to see those houses that have been burned down or torn down built back up,” Williams said.

Sara Woods is perhaps the youngest of the street leaders but the one who has had the longest affiliation with the South Gate subdivision. She said that her grandmother lived in the area and she has memories of a bustling, productive neighborhood that date back to 1971. “It was really nice back then, but time brings about change,” Wood said. “As kids have gotten older and generations move on, they’ve gotten more violent. There was a time when we could walk from the sock hop at night. We want the community to feel that sense of security that they once felt.” Woods vision for South Gate is to install a community swimming pool to teach swimming which is something that was a given for children of her generation.

The street leaders met on Monday, September 26 at Joyce Brown’s home to plan their Community Festival and to plan activities for fall and winter holiday seasons. The idea is to continue to reach additional residents with the Indianola Promise Community message, but more importantly, assist a neighborhood in realizing what it wants to become. “The community festival is a start,” Brooks said. “There are just a few of us who are street leaders so we need events like this to get more views from the neighborhood about what we need.”

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University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy & DHA…A Winning Combination!

Rush Mayo — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:52:06 +0000

DELTA HEALTH ALLIANCE November 17, 2011

STONEVILLE, MISSISSIPPI

Contact: Karen Fox

Delta Health Alliance President and CEO

662-686-7004

kfox@deltahealthalliance.org

University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy & Delta Health Alliance

A Winning Combination!

(Stoneville, MS) – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and the Delta Health Alliance (DHA) are partners in an ambitious project to reshape the way patients interact with their pharmacists. The Delta Pharmacy Patient Care Management Project (Delta Pharmacy Project) focuses on residents in the medically underserved Mississippi Delta who suffer from chronic illnesses such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes. The goal is to improve the health of these patients by helping them learn more about their specific diseases and the drugs they are taking to treat those diseases. The program, along with the School’s other community-based projects in the Mississippi Delta, recently received recognition from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy with the 2011-12 AACP Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award.

According to Dr. Leigh Ann Ross, associate dean of clinical affairs and chair of Pharmacy Practice, the award is given to schools that commit to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice, and research. “We are fortunate to have a truly gifted team working on these projects,” said Dr. Ross. “They are committed to helping others, and this award is a reflection of their hard work over the last few years. This recognition is given for transformative service, and this is achieved only through successful partnerships in the region. Delta Health Alliance has been an extraordinary partner, providing vision and support for the Delta Pharmacy Project and other initiatives.”

Oxford resident Jane Cross, Pharm D , works with patients enrolled in the Medication Therapy Management program in Batesville, Charleston, and Clarksdale.

The Delta Pharmacy Project expands the role of the pharmacist by offering Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services in community pharmacies, provider clinics, and employer-based settings. This allows pharmacists to spend more time with patients educating them about their health condition, the safe and effective use of their medication, and how to get the desired health benefits at the lowest possible costs. A participating pharmacist partners with a patient to conduct a complete review of all medications, ensuring that all medications are being used appropriately. According to Dr. Karen Fox, President & CEO of Delta Health Alliance, “Pharmacists have an important role to play on the healthcare team and enhancing their role is helpful in addressing chronic disease and medication outcomes. We are encouraged by the results of the program and are hoping to see the program expand to other health concerns.”

Pharmacist Meagan Minor conducts a routine screening as part of the specialized care patients receive in this program.

The School of Pharmacy projects serve ten counties (Coahoma, Desoto, Holmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Panola, Sharkey, Tallahatchie, Washington, and Yazoo) and include 11 community pharmacies, 7 provider clinics and 1 employer-based program. As of the first of November, more than 1,500 patients are enrolled in the projects.

For more information about the Delta Pharmacy Patient Care Management Project or Delta Health Alliance, go to http://www.deltahealthalliance.org/projects/access/delta-pharmacy-patient-care-management. For more information about the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, visit http://www.pharmacy.olemiss.edu/ or http://www.pharmd.org/delta/.

Underactive Thyroid = Hypothroidism

Rush Mayo — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:29:53 +0000

Think of the thyroid as the thermostat for your body.

If your home [or body] was set at 50 degrees, you would be tired, cold, gain weight easily, sleep a lot have dry skin, constipation and a slow heart rate. You would want to wear extra sweaters and clothes, extra socks, and curl up on your couch/bed and not move.

That is an underactive thyroid, called HYPOTHYROIDISM.

Unfortunately, each symptom mentioned above is totally nonspecific. There are a lot of reasons to be tired, a lot of reasons to gain weight which have nothing to do with the thyroid.

If your thyroid is under-working [hypothyroid], a part of your brain called the pituitary gland tastes these low levels of thyroid hormone [called free T4] and makes an extra hormone called thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH] to push your thyroid to work better. So, the best test to determine if you have an underactive thyroid is to measure a TSH in a blood test. If it is elevated, taking a pill every day will help get your metabolism back on track. If your TSH is normal, you do not have hypothyroidism.

There are other types of thyroid problems a person can have including hyperthyroidism [overactive thyroid], goiter [enlarged thyroid], thyroid nodule [bump on the thyroid] and thyroiditis [inflammation of the thyroid].

Good Samaritan Clinic of South Sunflower County Hospital

Rush Mayo — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:45:35 +0000

November 2011

Rush Mayo — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:58:36 +0000

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Fireplace Safety

Rush Mayo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:54:16 +0000

Fireplace and Home Fire Safety

More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the fire risks when heating with wood and solid fuels.

Heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Often these fires are due to creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes. All home heating systems require regular maintenance to function safely and efficiently.

Fireplaces regularly build up creosote in their chimneys. They need to be cleaned out frequently and chimneys should be inspected for obstructions and cracks to prevent deadly chimney and roof fires. Check to make sure the damper is open before starting any fire. Never burn trash, paper or green wood in your fireplace. These materials cause heavy creosote buildup and are difficult to control. Use a screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and big enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks. Don’t wear loose-fitting clothes near any open flame. Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving the house or going to bed. Store cooled ashes in a tightly sealed metal container outside the home.

Finally, having a working smoke alarm dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire. And remember to practice a home escape plan frequently with your family.

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to practice the following fire safety steps to keep those home fires safely burning. Remember, fire safety is your personal responsibility …Fire Stops With You!

Keep Fireplaces and Wood Stoves Clean

Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials.
Leave glass doors open while burning a fire. Leaving the doors open ensures that the fire receives enough air to ensure complete combustion and keeps creosote from building up in the chimney.
Close glass doors when the fire is out to keep air from the chimney opening from getting into the room. Most glass fireplace doors have a metal mesh screen which should be closed when the glass doors are open. This mesh screen helps keep embers from getting out of the fireplace area.
Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces that do not have a glass fireplace door.
Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures.
Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces. Otherwise you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire.
Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves.

Safely Burn Fuels

Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.
Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup.
Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke.
Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in your fireplace or wood stove.
When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate.
Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
Soak hot ashes in water and place them in a metal container outside your home.

Protect the Outside of Your Home

Stack firewood outdoors at least 30 feet away from your home.
Keep the roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris.
Cover the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester.
Remove branches hanging above the chimney, flues or vents.

Protect the Inside of Your Home

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and inside and outside of sleeping areas. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Consider installing the new long life smoke alarms.
Provide proper venting systems for all heating equipment.
Extend all vent pipes at least three feet above the roof.

Wood Stoves

Wood stoves cause over 4,000 residential fires every year. Carefully follow the manufacturer’s installation and maintenance instructions. Look for solid construction, such as plate steel or cast iron metal. Check for cracks and inspect legs, hinges and door seals for smooth joints and seams. Use only seasoned wood for fuel, not green wood, artificial logs, or trash. Inspect and clean your pipes and chimneys annually and check monthly for damage or obstructions. Be sure to keep combustible objects at least three feet away from your wood stove.

Electric Space Heaters

Buy only heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Check to make sure it has a thermostat control mechanism, and will switch off automatically if the heater falls over. Heaters are not dryers or tables; don’t dry clothes or store objects on top of your heater. Space heaters need space; keep combustibles at least three feet away from each heater. Always unplug your electric space heater when not in use.

Kerosene Heaters

Buy only heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and check with your local fire department on the legality of kerosene heater use in your community. Never fill your heater with gasoline or camp stove fuel; both flare-up easily. Only use crystal clear K-1 kerosene. Never overfill any portable heater. Use the kerosene heater in a well ventilated room.

Video

More Tips and Fire Safety

Here are more tips on fire safety. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/fire_sfy.html

*http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/heating/fireplace.shtm

*http://www.usfa.fema.gov/mobile/safety/heating.shtm

Flu Season

Rush Mayo — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:41:44 +0000

Flu season is around the corner! It’s time to get a flu shot! Do not be afraid of them, as in spite of what you may hear from others, they DO NOT cause the flu. Occasionally someone may not feel quite normal for a day or two afterward, but that is nothing compared to the flu. Every year hospital ERs and doctors’ offices are inundated with people who have neglected to get flu shots.

Nearly all people should get a flu shot, but especially the very young and the elderly. The Center for Disease Control recommends them for children 6 months and older, and recent studies have shown a large decrease in flu in vaccinated children. They are especially important if your child in Day Care or other child care facility where viruses spread rapidly.

Also, elderly folks over 60 years of age, and especially those with heart disease, chronic lung disease, and diabetes, are at risk for serious or even fatal illness from the flu.

Since we cannot know when the flu epidemic will hit, you should get a flu shot now and plan to get a second one in January.

Dr. Robert Dale, Jr.

CMO

Delta Health Alliance