Newspapers / InterCom (Durham, N.C.) / June 3, 1977, edition 1 / Page 3
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3 'Every Service' to Disabled ARTIST WITH A NEEDLE—PauVme Carden, former nurse clinician in the Urology Clinic, displays her talents in afghans and crewel-work pictures throughout her home. She is one of about 100 Duke employees who are receiving disability benefits from the university. (Photo bylna Fried) (Continued from page 1) The plan also will contribute to a retirement contract for anyone covered by either of Duke's retirement plans at the time of disability. In addition, Duke will pay the entire life insurance premium if the employee has been eiuoUed in the group life insurance program. Duke will continue to pay the employer's portion of the premium on Blue Cross-Blue Shield. Personal Interest "The personal interest shown has been most meaningful," Carden said. Both she and Ernest Pratt, 63, had praise for Green's coordination of benefits. "She's a wonderful person," Pratt said. "She helps me with everything and always tells me if I have any problems to come to her." Cancer Answers Feature a Personal Touch By William Erwin So you've read the latest cancer story and you want to know how it affects you. What do you do next? North Carolinians can dial the toll-free number of the Duke Cancer Information Service — area code 800 672-0943. The service reached its first birthday and its 7,867th call May 20. "We provide a personal touch," says Dr. Diane McGrath, director of the service at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. Saccharine and Laetrile Dozens of callers have asked about saccharin, the artificial sweetener linked in one study to bladder cancer, and about laetrile, the so-called cancer remedy that's never been proven scientifically to work. "Some people just want to know what cancer is and how they can detect it as early as possible," McGrath said. Staff members and trained volunteers give physician-approved answers to almost any question about cancer, she said. They staff the phones from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. At other times, a caller can leave his name and telephone number and will get a call back the next working day. Money Back A person can even dial the toU-free number from a phone booth. "And you get your 20 cents back," McGrath said. Callers in the Durham area can dial 286-2266, Those in surrounding states can call area code 919 286-2266. Calls from outside North Carolina are not toll-free. One of 17 cancer information offices financed by the National Cancer Institute, the service at Duke works closely with the American Cancer Society and other groups concerned with health. Of all the topics callers asked about in the service's first year, thyroid cancer generated the most interest. More than 2,000 people called about this cancer, which accounts for only one per cent of all new cancer cases in the U.S. each year. Thyroid Alert The flood of calls about such a rare disease shows how people wake up when a national health issue becomes a local one, McGrath said. "The state medical society brought this one home," she said. "They weren't up there in Washington; they were in Raleigh and they were talking about North Carolinians." The North Carolina Medical Society issued a "thyroid alert" January 17. Widely reported in newspapers and on local TV news programs, the society's statement warned people who had gotten X-ray treatments for non-cancerous head and neck conditions that they have a higher than normal risk for thyroid cancer. These former patients were urged to call their physicians or the Duke Cancer Information Service. Try Again As many as 351 people a day did call the service over the next two weeks. More than half of those dialing the toll-free number in January couldn't get through on their first try. The thyroid alert pointed up one advantage of having people give information over the phone, McGrath said. Some telephone health information services use tapes. During the alert, she said, callers phoned because "they wanted to know, 'Does this really apply to me?' They expected we would give them a solution to their worries, and we did." People answering the phones can meet other needs that tapes can't, the director said. People, Not Tapes "We can provide practical assistance for personal problems related to cancer," she said. "We can help with complicated cases of financial hardship. We can tell people about support groups in their own community." Now that the service is on solid footing, McGrath said she wants to speak more often to community groups, especially black groups. "I want to tell them about the kinds of cancer for which blacks have a high risk," she said. "I want them to know how important early detection of cancer is and I want to tell them where they can get free or low-cost cancer check-ups close to home." Before going on disability, Pratt worked at E>uke for 44 years, most recently in housekeeping in the Nanaline H. Duke Building. Green emphasized that anyone with an illness or injury that may be disabling should contact her at 684-6086 (Room 160, Bell Building) after six weeks. Avoid Delay "It takes about two months for the application to be processed, so this will allow benefits to start without further delay as soon as the four-month waiting period is over," she said. A supervisor may contact her if an employee might be eligible, she said. "Some supervisors are just a tremendous help to their employees." The Employee Relations Office also notifies Green if a person applies for a medical leave because of a disabling illness or injury. Sometimes an employee must take a short unpaid medical leave because the accumulated sick days and vacation days will not cover the entire four-month waiting period. Green said. The new sick leave accumulation policy provides that an employee can accumulate up to 88 working days which would cover the waiting period until disability benefits are approved. Duke LPN Heads State Group By Dorothy McNeil President, Duke LPN Organization Elizabeth Jones, licensed practical nurse (LPN) in the Medical Outpatient Clinic, was re-elected president of the North Carolina LPN Association at the 30th convention in Asheville, May 5-7. Ernestine Turner, Third East, was elected to the executive board. At 1 a.m. Thursday, May 5,34 tired and sleepy ladies boarded a chartered bus for Asheville. All but five of these LPNs were employees at the medical center. Movin' On The theme for the convention was "Movin' On." Howard Lee, secretary of economic and natural resources, was the keynote speaker. He stated that poverty must go and health care must be upgraded. "If a man is ignorant, that can be remedied by offering education," he said. "If a man is living in poverty, we can remedy that by providing a standard of living and reasonable funds. But if a person is unhealthy, he can do nothing about his poverty or ignorance." Thursday's workshop on "Drug Abuse and Psychotropic Drugs" was broken down into subtopics: "The Use and Abuse of Drugs," Benzene Users Need Physical Exams A temporary emergency standard controlling the use of benzene has been adopted by OSHA, and the medical center is taking appropriate steps to comply with these standards. "All employees whose jobs expose them to benzene need physical examinations," according to Marshall Fowler, fire and safety coordinator. "The exams will be given by Employee Health Service, and scheduled through my office." Fowler also said that it will be best to substitute other chemicals wherever possible. When this cannot be done, all regulations must be complied with, and monitoring equipment will be necessary. He has requested that all clinical chairmen contact the Medical Center Safety Office no later than Monday, June 6, and provide the names of all employees and locations involved in the use of benzene. For further information, contact Fowler at 684-5697. "Behavioral Toxicity," "Evaluation of the Threat of Suicide" and "The Nurse and the Depressed Patient." Work Together In the presidential address on Friday, Jones stated, "We as LPNs are 'movin' on' but must accomplish much more before we can rest. We must stick together and not be like the conceited football player, who thought he was the entire football team until he was asked by the coach if he needed someone to pass him the ball." Students from all over the state were well-represented at "Student Day" on Friday. The program included business sessions and election of new officers. Saturday was filled with other workshops on legislature, films and other business sessions. Entertainment was provided by the Mountain Cloggers, Frank Boydston, comedian, and the Howard Hanger Trio. Christine Best, Reed Ward, won the new member prize. She will have her association fee paid for one year. Convention Delegates Thanks again to the nursing office for sponsoring the delegates to the convention: Clara Harris, Sims, and Dorothy McNeil, IV Team. Others attending the convention were Doris Alston, Third East; Lois Arrington, Howland; Mary Bradley, Cushing; Carrie Brooks, Matas Intensive Care Unit; Gladys Cole, private duty; Mary Davis. Howland; and Sallie Davis, Osier. Also, Lucille Harris, radiation therapy, Thressa Harris, Nott; Ethel Hopkins, IV Team; Althea Inghram, IV Team; Geraldine Lunsford, Duke West I; Alease Mack, Hanes; and Shirley McCuUen, Third West. Also, Juanita Miller, Prevost; Phyllis Nuchurch, Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit; Katie Royster, Strudwick; Mary Saunders, Holmes Intensive Care Unit; Catharine Scott, Sims; Jessie Smith, rotating clinic duty; Nellie Taylor, Osien Pauline Throckmorton, Urology Clinic; and Eleanor Van Hook, Howland.
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