Health & Wellness
ealthbeat
House
new grant
The Hospital Hospitality House of Winston-Salem
an additional S 50 ,000 grant from The
Foundation for its capital campaign,
grant will be used to help build the Josh and
Reynolds Hospital Guest House for which we
currently raising money," said Melinda
executive director of the Hospital
House
said the new grant is provided by the
W. and Alice Rose Alspaugh Memorial Rinds
TNvin City Hospital Funds. As a result, the
will have naming rights for two of the
family rooms The Foundation gave a $50,000
year to help support the start-bjp salary for the
director's position.
Hospital Guest House is a non-profit organiza
board of directors is comprised of represen
ftom Forsyth Medical Center, Wake Forest
Baptist Medical Center and from the local
Its mission is to provid^ affordable lodg
a caring environment for referred adult patients
their caregivers) who travel to Winston-Salem
treatment
who are in Winston-Salem for pro
treatment, as well as about 400 families of inpa
at the hospitals, require lodging each night,
of these families find themselves camping out in
rooms, hallways and their cars. Family mem
in the Kate B . Reynolds Hospice Home
a place to stay as well. The Hospital Guest
to build a 24-guest-room "home away
to help alleviate this need for comfortable
ile lodging.
IcT's Mayfield-Clarke elected
I speech/ hearing group
, A3. Mayfield-Clarke, associate professor and
director of Speech/Language Pathology &
r and Speech Communication Studies at North
Agricultural and Technical State University,
Clarke
was elected a reltow of .
American Speech-Language
Hearing Association. The fel
lowship is one of the highest
forms of recognition and dis
tinction given by ASHA of an
individual's accomplishments,
and is a public declaration of the
person's outstanding profes
sional achievements and career
accomplishments. Individuals
elected to an ASHA Fellowship
will be formally recognized *
Convention awards ceremony, Nov. 21 in
April, Mayfield-Clarke escorted Hadiya
JSpeech/Language Pathology student (Class
1 Hill for a visit during the National Black
|H ^Language-Hearing (NBASLH)
'Day.
program
,000 grant
tuation grant of almost $800 JOOO will enable
rity of North Carolina at Greensboro to odu
1 nurses who can research and address
_ across the state and the nation.
grant from the Health Resources and
ion provides $254,774 per year
three years. The PhD Nursing ]
state, will continue to focus on i
in minorities, women, children i
i and on increasing the diversity among s
: minorities account for almost a third i
, and 93 percent of the
i are considered medically undenerved.
? rates for HIV /AIDS, heart disease,
cancer and diabetes rank above the i
i program now boasts about 30
I age from young adult to middle .
African Americans. Hispanics and
"" percent of students come from it
1 areas, making it more likely that t
to work in those areas after g
: graduated in the spring, and
5 to graduate
IC one of nation's
wired hospitals
& Health Networks magazine has beet
! Forest University Baptist Medical Cente
n's "Most Wired" hospitals.
; in the July issue, released last week, ai
i of the 20Q^ Most Wired Survey am
|4Study.
! of the survey is to promote the \
ition technology (IT) in
operational excellence. Medical
evaluated on improved outcomes
a, risk-adjusted mortality
f measures through the use of IT.
t Wired hospitals and health
by the Most Wired Survey, <
capitals & Health Networks
the American Hospital
w the nation's hospitals use
r quality, customer service, j
? processes and workforce i
; Health Networks conducted I
i with Accenture, Mci
lotlege of Healthcare
[Executives
Arthritis Foundation will
honor Wake Coach Grobe
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Wake Forest University
Football Coach Jim Grobe will
receive the Triad Carolinas Chapter
of the Arthritis Foundation 2008
Lifetime Achievement Award next
week.
Grobe will be honored Friday,
Aug. 1 during a 6:30 p.m. banquet
at Bermuda Run Country Club.
The Lifetime Achievement Award
dinner raises funds for research
into the causes of and cures for
arthritis and supports educational
programs of the Triad Carolinas
Chapter of the Arthritis
Foundation.
The foundation says that Grobe
is being honored for his outstand
ing professional achievements,
leadership qualities and his long
term commitment to Wake Forest
and to the community.
Foundation representatives said
that having Coach Grobe as this
year's honoree has generated con
siderable excitement. Jerry Long,
the honorary chairman of this
year's award dinner, said "The
Triad Carolinas Chapter of the
Arthritis Foundation is honored
that Coach Grobe has joined our
efforts to help our volunteers raise
much-needed funding for the work
of the Foundation. The initial
response to the advance invitations
has been excellent. We encourage
those interested in participating to
call as soon as possible to reserve
their tables at the dinner."
Last year, the National Arthritis
Foundation and the Carolinas
Chapter awarded more than $ 1 mil
lion in research grants to various
medical centers in North and South
Carolina, including Wake Forest
University Health Sciences.
Michael Pulitzer - who is co
chairing the event with Butch
Fegram, Edwin Welch and Jeff
Young - said that there is a great
WFU Photo
Coach Grobe will be honored for community service efforts .
need to fund research on arthritis.
"As a founding chairman of the
Foundation's Piedmont Triad chap
ter, I have a personal connection
through my daughter, who suffers
from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
We are most thankful to Coach
Grobe for helping to raise money
for research and create awareness
of arthritis."
Past recipients of the Lifetime
Achievement Award include Mayor
Allen Joines, Dick Janeway, Vic
Flow, Tom Hearn, Scott
Livengood, Jerry Long, Paul Wiles,
John Allison and U.S. Sen. Richard
Burr.
For information about individ
ual tickets or corporate table spon
sorships, call Charlie Grubb at
336-785-2272.
Can Stopping Drinking,
Stop Your Happiness?
UNC study links depression with
complete sobriety
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Scientific evidence has long suggested that moderate
in mice may represent depression in humans and appears
to be linked to a diminished capacity of the brain to form
new neurons. "Thus, people who drink moderate alcohol
socially, or for potential health benefits, may experience
negative mood or diminished cognitive abilities due to a
loss of the brain's ability to form new neurons," he said.
drinking offers some protection
against heart disease, certain
types of stroke and some forms
of cancer.
But new research shows
that stopping drinking - includ
ing at moderate levels - may
lead to health problems includ
ing depression and a reduced
capacity of the brain to produce
new neurons, a process called
neurogenesis.
The findings from the
Bowles Center for Alcohol
"Studies at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill
appear online in the journal.
iNeuropsycnopnarmacoiogy.
"Our research in an animal model establishes a causal
link between abstinence from alcohol drinking and
depression," said study senior author Clyde W. Hodge,
Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and pharmacology in the
UNC School of Medicine. "In mice that voluntarily
drank alcohol for 28 days, depression-like behavior was
evident 14 days after termination of alcohol drinking.
This suggests that people who stop drinking may experi
ence negative mood states days or weeks after the alco
hol has cleared their systems."
According to the researcher, the negative mood state
of alcohol-related depression with which we can begin to
fully understand the neurobiology underlying co-occur
ring alcoholism and depression, and thereby develop suc
cessful treatment options. At this point it appears that
blunted neurogenesis may underlie the effects of absti
nence from alcohol drinking on mood, but understanding
the mechanisms by which this occurs is a key challenge
for future research."
The research was supported by grants from the
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (a
component of the National Institutes of Health) and by
the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies.
But the study also found
that treatment with an anti
depressant drug during 14
days of abstinence prevent
ed the development of
depression and restored the
capability of the brain to
produce new cells.
"Treatment with antide
pressant drugs may help
people who suffer from
both alcoholism and depres
sion by restoring the brain's
ability to form new neu
rons," Hodge said.
"Moreover, this research
provides an animal model
I Staying Safe Around Water
Already it is time for summer,
and many families are preparing
to enjoy sunny days on North
Carolina's beaches, lakes and
pools. Unfortunately, sometimes
these happy occa
of 30 percent higher than the rate
of whites, and African American
children [age 14 and younger]
have a fatal drowning rate of
more than three times the rate of
white children.
aiuii:* iuiii uagll
because of an acci
dent in the water,
particularly if
someone drowns.
According to the
Centers for Disease
Control (CDC)
there were 3,582
fatal, unintentional
drownings in the
What are the
risk factors for
unintentional
drowning?
According
to the CDC, the
major risk fac
tors for children
are lack of
supervision and
United States (US), which means
approximately 10 deaths a day!
TTie CDC also tells us that one
out of every four drowning vic
tims are children aged 14 years or
younger; it is estimated that for
every child that dies, four receive
emergency care for water-related
injuries. African Americans of all
ages suffer a fatal drowning rate
lack of harriers (such as pool
fencing or locked bathroom
doors). According to the national
Safe Kids Campaign, a study
revealed that many parents who
say they are supervising their
children while swimming are not
putting their full attention on the
Sec Water nitty on All
Alisa Evans Debnam
CAHNC
names its
new leader
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
6
Alisa Evans Debnam is the
new executive director of the
Chapel Hill-based Council for
Allied Health in North Carolina
(CAHNC), which represents
more than 20.000 allied health
professionals from 29 profes
sions. o
She began work July 1 , fol
lowing the retirement of Dr.
David E. Yoder. the former head
of the agency.
Debnam most recently
served as the dean of health pro
grams at Fayette ville Technical
Community College, where she
was responsible for managing
sixteen programs. She served as
a member and president of the
board of Trustees of Cape Fear
Valley Health Systems Inc., from
1997 to 2003, during which time
the hospital experienced a major
transition from a public hospitaJ
to a private, not-for-profit health
system. Debnam has also
worked with the Robeson and
Cumberland County Schools in
the coordination and manage
ment of the comprehensive
school health program and health
curriculum and served as a
health author/consultant for
McMillan/McGraw-Hill
Publishers.
Debnam says her top priori
ties are continuing to build
stronger partnerships with health
associations, institutions and
agencies, and working toward
securing stable financial
resources to support the
Councils' vision, mission and
goals.
"I value the CAHNC's long
term commitment and high qual
ity work and am thrilled and
honored to have been selected as
the CAHNC's executive director
and pleased to have the opportu
nity to work with the Executive
Committee, staff and stakehold
ers across the state of North
Carolina in achieving the
Councils goals," says Debnam.
"The challenges which lie ahead
for the healthcare industry are
significant and the CAHNC will
play an important role in ensur
ing that North Carolina has a
well prepared and well distrib
uted workforce." ?
Debnam is married to Hank
Debnam. and they have two
daughters, Deidra. 19, and
Diana, 9.
The Council was established
in 1991 by allied health practi
tioners, educators and employers
who were concerned about
chronic allied health workforce
shortages.
Talk to Action
Photo by Marilyn HumphrieV PRN*w?Fotn/AIDS Action Committee
Massachusetts black state elected officials announce their plans get
tested for HIV/AIDS to bring attention to the devastation the disease
has brought to black communities in their state and throughout the
entire nation.
i