The News Argus - Page 10
HEALTH WATCH
Black Organ Donations
A Question of Giving
BY TRACI TIERA A. KING
Slaff Wriler
‘There are a number of reasons why
Blacks are in greater need of kidney
transplants than Whites,” explained by
Baptist Hospitals’ Procurement
Transplant Coordinator. “Black
Americans suffer from hypertension and
renal failure four times more than
Whites.”
Sharon Haney, a 1979 Winston-
Salem State graduate, who majored in
Nursing, takes every opportunity
available to speak to members of the
Triads’ African American community on
the importance of becoming an organ
and/or tissue donor.
“Lack of awareness and information
about the need for organ donations is
sometimes contrary to religious
teachings,” she said. “An overall distrust
of the medical community and the
disfiguration of the body if the organs are
donated are two other concerns.”
Carolina LifeCare, is a hospital
based organ procurement organization
affiliated with North Carolina Baptist
Hospital Inc. It serves 39 hospitals in the
western part of state. It has formed a
committee of black health professionals
to develop strategies that will encourage
African Americans to donate organs and
tissues.
According to Haney, our country,
and the particularly the black community
face a tremendous shortage of donated
organs and tissues. There are currently
over 32,000 Americans waiting for
transplant and 9,000 of those are African
American. As a member of the black
community Haney also feels a obligation
to help Blacks to lead healthier and more
productive life styles.
Acording to recent statistics African-
Americans are 17 times more prone to
develop Hypertension (high blood
pressure). There are over 20,000
African -Americans that are in need of
transplants.
If you would like further information
on becoming a organ and tissue donor
contact
Carolina LifeCare at 1-800-833-
3002.
Are You Watching What
You Are Eating?
BY LYNN NEAL
Slaff Wriler
Most Americans don’t think about
their cholesterol level. We just eat what
we want whenever we want without
thinking about the long term affects of
the food on our bodies.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found
in all animal tissues. It’s utilized in the
production of certain hormones including
some sex cells. It is produced mainly by
liver cells and enters the body in food
particularly from butter, eggs, fatty
meats, shellfish and organ meats such as
liver and brains.
Although the body needs some
cholesterol, too much could cause certain
diseases particularly Arteriosclerosis,
which is the hardening, thickening and
loss of elasticity of the walls of the
arteries.
According to Dr. Preston Clark, an
internal specialist at Greensboro’s
Endorcrinology and Diabetes Centers
says, “all adults should eat foods that are
low in cholesterol to reduce the risk of
heart attacks and strokes and have their
cholesterol checked regularly,”
Hospice of W-S Needs More
African-American Volunteers
BY MARGARET ROSS
Staff Writer
Hospice, which offers a special kind
of caring, is a specialized health care
system that improves the quality of life
for people with limited life expectancy
and t.heir families through a specialized
health-care system.
It serves patients from infants to 100
-years -old. It also provides important
social, psychological, emotional, and
spiritual support for the patients and their
families. The Hospice team includes the
patient’s physician, nurses, certified
nursing assistants, social workers,
volunteers and chaplains.
Hospice ca'e is most often provided
in the comfort of patient’s homes, but
Hospice services are also available to
individuals residing in long-term care
facilities.
There are currently 1,529 operating
hospices in the U.S. Hospice of
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, Inc., was
^e first Hospice in the state to provide
Hospi-e care. Th-s year, Hospice of
Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County is
celebrating their 15th anniversary.
“Hospice wants to be more involved
in the community and have the
community more involved with us,” said
Geraldine Smith, Hospice volunteer
coordinator. "Hospice has many
volunteer opportunities that are open to
the public."
The Grief Counseling Center is
available to anyone in the community.
The center offers one-on-one counseling
and conducts more than a dozen types of
ongoing grief counseling groups and
workshops. The Grief Counseling Center
offers a lending library of grief-related
books, videos and audio tapes, for
children and adults.
“Volunteers are the heart of the
agency and that is what sets Hospice apart
from other health care agencies,” said
Emmalee Hughes, manager of Volunteer
Services. Hospice volunteering is a
wonderful opportunity for people to gain
personal satisfaction by helping others.
Volunteer opportunities in this unit
include special events, speaker’s bureau,
office, newsletter and patient care.
Hospice also has a student internship
Many people often wonder what else
can they do to help lower their cholestrol.
Aerobic exercise can have a positive
effect on your weight, your general well -
being and your blood levels of LDL
cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and
U-iglyceride. Consuming large amounts
of carbohydrates right before exercising
can stimulate the release of insulin by
your body, which decreases its ability to
use free fatty acids as energy sources
from fatty tissues.
LDL carries most of the cholesterol
in your blood and is often called the
“bad” cholesterol because high levels of
LDL lead to the buildup of cholesterol
in you arteries. HDL type cholesterol is
considered “good” because unlike the
other types, high levels of HDL may
actually provide protection against heart
attacks and strokes. Generally, high
levels of cholesterol are harmful.
program. Students can do their
internships in social work, grief
counseling, chaplaincy, volunteer services
and nursing. Flexible schedules and a
variety of learning programs makes a
Hospice internship ideal, especially for
students with limited time but a desire for
intense, practical experience in their field
of study. It is a golden opportunity for for
medical students to see a different
perspective of medicine.
Hospice has a special need for
African-American volunteers of all ages.
Thirty percent of Hospice’s patients are
African-American and only eight percent
of the volunteers are African-Americans.
Mrs. Sadie Daniels, retired WSSU
registrar, currently serves as a Hospice
volunteer. Dr. Pauline Fulton, associate
professor of English, currently serves on
the Board of Directors of Hospice of
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. Dr.
Valerie Saddler, News Argus advisor and
Mass Communications Department
faculty member, was a member of its
Board of Directors lor six years.
Heart Attacks
Can Be A
Slow Process
BY DE’ANDREA BURGESS
Slaff wriler
A heart attack is a slow process
that can go on for years without causing
any symptoms. Fatty deposits build up
along the inner walls of the arteries to
the heart. The artery channels are
coated and are gradually narrowed. The
fatty buildup reduces the flow of blood
from the artery to an area of the heart
muscle. When the blood flow stops due
to an obstruction, a heart attack results.
According to the American Heart
and Lung Association, everyone can
reduce their risk of heart attack. Heart
attack can be slowed by decreasing
coronary risk factors. High blood
pressure, high blood cholesterol levels
and cigarette smoking are important risk
factors of heart attack. Obesity and lack
of regular exercise also can work to
your disadvantage. Most of these risk
factors, however, can be corrected to
reduce your risk of heart attack.
Preventing heart attack is the best
way to deal with the problem. It’s never
too late to change habits that could
harm your heart. This means having
regular medical checkups and following
your doctor’s advice about coronary
risk factors, treating high blood
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