Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, August 24, 2022/Page 2A
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MHMH
continued from page 1A
Dr. Lingo and Mead
ows CEO Matt Hasbrouck
became acquainted when
both of them worked at
Memorial Health in Savan
nah. Hasbrouck, who in
troduced Dr. Lingo to the
need for a neurosurgeon at
Meadows, said, “It was great
to connect with Dr. Lingo
and expand our medical
team. He has built a strong
practice in South Georgia
and is technically gifted and
very personable.”
Dr. Lingo said of his
medical philosophy, “I am a
surgeon by training, but not
everybody needs surgery.
I don’t cut first; I cut last.”
He said there is a joke he
tells his patients: “You go to
Midas expecting a muffler.
When you go to a neurosur
geon, you expect surgery.”
He countered, “The likeli
hood is thatyou are going to
get a recommendation for
brain or spinal surgery, but
the best treatment for a pa
tient might not be surgery.”
He advocated listen
ing to patients and hearing
them out. “They have seen
a lot of doctors before they
see me, and I have to assume
when they see me it is quite
possibly the worst day of
their life. Nobody goes to
see neurosurgeon because
they are having a good day”
Dr. Lingo’s cases range
from chronic to emer
gent—from degenerative
and congenital conditions
to injuries, tumors and hy
drocephalus; but spinal
Ohoopee Library Gets
Digital Literacy Grant
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Ohoopee Re
gional Library System has
been awarded $4,000 to
host a series of digital lit
eracy classes in Jeff Davis,
Montgomery, Tattnall, and
Toombs Counties over the
next 6 months.
The Public Library As
sociation collaborated with
AT&T to provide this digi
tal literacy grant to 160 li
braries in 44 states in an at
tempt to help citizens learn
to navigate the new digital
era. “The mission of librar
ies has always been about
equitable access to infor
mation, literacy, learning,
and culture,” PLA Presi
dent Maria McCauley. “In
the age of COVID-19, this
mission has only become
more vital as libraries have
played a critical role in
keeping communities con
nected and online.”
These classes will
cover an array of topics,
such as computer basics,
internet basics, email mes
saging, and cybersecurity.
The library also hopes to
be able to continue to build
on top of the basic courses
and have in-depth courses
in November and Decem
ber of this year.
Classes will begin first
in Hazlehurst and Glen-
nville in September, then
in Vidalia, Reidsville, and
Mount Vernon in Octo
ber. For more information,
contact your local branch
of the Ohoopee Regional
Library System.
Crossword Puzzle
Solution, page 12A
issues account for 60% to
70% of his practice.
“Most of the surgery
we do for back pain involve
more than just back pain;
they involve some sort of
neurological symptom,
such as nerve compression
or spinal cord compres
sion causing numbness. It
is a misnomer to just say we
treat back pain because we
offer comprehensive care
for the spine,” the doctor
said. Degenerative spinal
issues, which are very com
mon, make up the bulk of
the cases Dr. Lingo treats.
Dr. Lingo is the first
physician in his family. He
said he was always inter
ested in science, which led
to pursing a biology degree
in college. “I was looking
for something exciting,
and I felt like medicine of
fered that.” After he got
into medical school and
witnessed brain surgery, he
was “pulled in.” He met his
future wife, Ashley Shear
man, while at the University
of Georgia in 2005. After
graduating, they served
their residency together in
Tennessee and later moved
back to Georgia. She is now
a pediatrician practicing in
Savannah. The couple has
two daughters, Avery, two
and a half years old, and
Cameron, three and a half
months old.
Considering why he
gravitated to a dual subspe
cialty in cranial and spinal
surgery, Dr. Lingo summa
rized, “It offered tremen
dous variety; obviously,
there is a lot of difference
between the two, but also a
lot of techniques between
the two that overlap. Each
pose their own unique chal
lenges, but being a good spi
nal surgeon can make you
a better brain surgeon, and
vice versa.”
He elaborated, “One of
the beautiful things about
the multi-disciplinary as
pect of these subspecial
ties is working with other
specialists like oncologists
and radiation oncologists.
Dr. Lingo participates in
brain tumor conferences
at Memorial Health once a
month where neurologists
and other specialists discuss
their most complex cases.
CT and MRI technolo
gy are integral components
in the kinds of surgery Dr.
Lingo performs. “We use
this technology almost like
a GPS to navigate the pre
cise placement of spinal in
strumentation and for deep
brain tumors.” He is excited
about what is on the hori
zon for enhancing the effec
tiveness of spinal and brain
surgery.
Academic level facili
ties like Memorial Health
are investing in new tech
nology to enhance neuro-
oncological care. Memorial
Health has purchased a cut
ting edge 3T MRI and in the
planning stages to imple
ment it in early 2023.
“Most MRIs are 1.5
Teslas. The 3T will enable
surgeons to obtain more
information about the pa
tient’s brain during sur
gery,” Dr. Lingo explained.
This means that surgeons,
through inter-operative
neurological monitoring,
can localize and map spe-
Toombs
continued from page 1A
by almost 7 mils to make up
for that funding lost, which
would make the rate have to
be 20 mils.”
According to Waller,
these equalization funds are
issued by the state to ensure
that the smaller rural school
systems have equal fund
ing with the larger systems
within the state and are im
perative to the continued
success of the school sys
tem. Waller also shared that
it is the equalization funds
that have allowed Toombs
County Schools to develop
a plethora of program op
tions for students, such as
the Heavy Machinery Path
way, Information and Tech
nology Pathway, and more.
Yet, because the school
cific areas of the brain in
order to not only efficiently
remove tumors but to avoid
damaging areas of the brain
responsible for language
and movement. Last month,
doctors at Memorial Health
successfully performed the
first “awake” brain proce
dure during which they
constantly monitored the
patient’s language abilities
during the surgery.
“Essentially, this tech
nology allows us to do our
job better, to take out more
tumor and cause less harm.
Now, instead of Instead of
going to Emory or Mayo for
this type of surgery, patients
can go to Savannah,” Dr.
Lingo said.
The techniques Dr.
Lingo brings to Meadows
offer a minimally invasive
approach with smaller inci
sions and quicker recovery.
“Just from the stand
point of being the first neu
rosurgeon to practice here,
I believe my practice will
offer a different technical
approach to spinal patholo-
gly and offer alternatives for
patients with degenerative
problems. It will open doors
and make it easier for those
system is above the deter
mined rollback rate, it is
forced to address the issue
in the language of a tax in
crease. However, this new
millage rate does not pro
pose a uniform tax increase
- only those property own
ers who had their properties
reassessed this year will see
a tax increase from this new
millage rate. This increase
on reassessed properties is
equivalent to an increase of
$27.92 per year or $2.33 per
month for properties with a
$100,000 value. Those who
did not have their proper
ties reassessed will even see
a decrease in taxes, as the
issue stems from inflation
within society, according to
Waller.
“Unfortunately, the
rollback millage rate has
dropped below that 14 mil
threshold that we cannot
with more common issues,”
Dr. Lingo said.
For complex cases Dr.
Lingo may not be able to
treat locally, his practice will
facilitate access to neurosur
gical consultative services
at Memorial Health. He
emphasized that initial con
sultation and postoperative
follow-ups can be handled
in Vidalia. That is also the
case for post-operative care
in trauma cases.
Having a neurosurgical
practice in Vidalia will in
crease the quality of care for
residents, Dr. Lingo noted.
“The longer a person has a
particular health condition
— and most are progressive
— and the longer they wait
for treatment, the more dif
ficult they are to treat.”
Hasbrouck agreed.
‘Keeping care close to
home’ has been my mantra
since the day I got here. We
have been striving at Mead
ows to offer the top core
medical services with ac
cess to subspecialties. Hav
ing the opportunity to sync
up with Dr. Lingo and the
Tumor Board at Memorial
Health will create a positive
impact in this community.”
drop below. This is infla
tionary growth we are ex
periencing, we could have
dropped the millage rate to
14 mils, but if the inflation
improves a year from now,
we would have to increase
the millage rate substan
tially,” he commented. “We
do not want to inflict that
on our taxpayers, so we are
trying to take incremental
steps to help property own-
ers.
The Toombs County
Board of Education will
hold a series of three pub
lic hearings regarding the
proposed millage rate on
Thursday, August 25, at 5
p.m., and Thursday, Sep
tember 1, at 11 a.m. and 6
p.m. All of these meetings
will occur in the Board
Room at Toombs County
High School.
GREATER VIDALIA® CHAMBER
2022 BUSINESS AND
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
CLUES ACROSS
1. One point north of due west
4. Indigenous peoples of northern
Scandinavia
9. Popular Califomia/Nevada lake
14. Go quickly
15. Fatty acid in soaps
16. Brand of fuel stations
17. State of fuss
18. Romance novelist
20. Members of a household
22. Asserts to be the case
23. Type of infection
24. With metal inlays
28. Chinese philosophic principle
29. Early multimedia
30. Employee stock ownership plan
31. He investigated Clinton
administration
33. Shells
37. Six
38. Snakelike fish
CLUES DOWN
1. Hits
2. Bathroom accessory
3. Young
4. Beef cattles
5. It’s often in soap
6. For each
7. Innermost membrane
enveloping the brain
8. A way to leave
9. Emaciation
10. Punish with a fine
11. Steeds
12. Having eight
13. Greek goddess of the dawn
19. Mature reproductive cells
21. Armadillo species
24. Ancient country in what is now
Romania
25. Extreme greed
26. Stars
27. Poems
39. Capital of Kenya
41. Influential group (abbr.)
42. Used to chop
43. It comes as a case
44. Challenges
46. Small amounts
49. The Golden State
50. Peyton’s little brother
51. For walking in Alaska
55. Buddhist honorific titles
58. Lively ballroom dance
59. Capital of Albania
60. Late night host
64. Draw from
65. A way to utilise
66. One who is not native Hawaiian
67. A power to perceive
68. Bulky
69. Horse mackerels
70. Proclaim out loud
31. Places to sit
32. One from the Lone Star State
34. Small rails
35. One quintillion bytes (abbr.)
36. Where coaches work
40. Indicates position
41. Mammals
45. Resembling a wing
47. Beliefs
48. Hindu male religious teachers
52. Mischievously
53. Where athletes want to end up (abbr.)
54. Large, deep-bodied fish
56. Homed squash bug genus
57. Excessively sentimental
59. Shared verbally
60. You can put it on toast
61. Data mining methodology (abbr.)
62. Resinlike substance secreted by
certain insects
63. Mauna , Hawaiian volcano
TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL
SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
Vidalia First Baptist Church
PRESENTED BY
Vidalia
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Rennie Curran, Brookwood High School Alum and former Linebacker for the Georgia BuLLdogs from 2007-2009, wiLL
serve as the keynote speaker for The Summit Conference. Curran, whiLe at the University of Georgia, was a three
time All-American Team MVP, Butkus Award finalist and permanent team captain, He finished his Bulldog career as
one of the greatest linebackers in the history of the program and has recently been inducted into the Gwinnett
County Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia vs. Florida Hall of Fame, and UGA 40 Under 40 class of 2020. In 2010, Curran
entered the NFL Draft. He played with the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Bucs, Edmonton Eskimos and the BC lions.
He is now a keynote speaker, author, and personal development coach. He speaks to Fortune 500 companies,
associations, sport teams, schools, and non-profit organizations on topics such as Leadership, team-building,
overcoming adversity, and high performance. Curran obtained his Bachelors in Business Administration from the
University of Georgia and his coaching certification from the Life Purpose Institute. He has been featured on ESPN,
The Huffington Post, USA Today, and Fox Sports. Curran has a heart for the community and is honored to speak at the
Chambers Summit!
'£cz^ /
Dr. Melissa Furman is not your typical “academic." She has served as the Assistant Dean and Professor at the Hull
CoLLege of Business at Augusta University for 10+ years, but her passion for career, Leadership, and organizational
development inspired her to Launch Career Potential, a consulting, training, and coaching organization. Her expertise
includes generational diversity, unconscious bias, leadership success, and emotional intelligence. She brings her
background in higher education- particularly business, counseling, and psychology- to the conversation to help
individuals and organizations achieve success.
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