Newspaper Page Text
10A
MARCH 27,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
Surgeon decries lack of
African-Americanorgandonors
B Race is a significant
factor in the success of
organ transplants, yet
blacks are more
reluctant than whites
to participate in organ
donor programs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
(AP) Black people who receive
kidney transplants have a greater
probability of success if the organ
comes from another black person,
aspecialist says, but statistics show
blacks have been more reluctant
to donate than whites.
In about 20 percent of the cases
in which blacks need a kidney or
bone-marrow transplant, it is im
portant that the donor be black to
achieve a successful match, said
Dr. Clive Callender, a transplant
specialist and chairman of the
Howard University Department
of Surgery. The need is related to
genetic similarities particular to
blacks, he said.
Blacks represent 35 percent of
the people who need kidney trans
plants, even though they make up
only 12 percent of the population.
Since 1982, Callender has
worked as founder of MOTTEP,
the Minority Organ Tissue Trans
plant Education Program, at
tempting to create awareness in
the black community about the
need to give organs.
He said he believes MOTTEP’s
efforts are paying off.
In 1982, 95 percent of kidney
recipients at Howard University’s
transplant center in Washington
were black, while 80 percent of the
INTRODUCING
THE PUBLIX BABY CLUB £ 5 |
W i
A : L &géj,«. o
ey YA
| Tb ¥ .
& R e I will soon be a new mother. What can | expect to happen to me and
@? ® my baby during delivery and the first few hours afterwards?
.
Giving birthisone ofthe mostextraordinary experiences ofawoman'slife.
Yetafter all the months of careful preparation and anticipation, the moment
ofbirthis almostneverwhatyouhadexpected. Labor may be easierormore
& physically demanding than you had imagined, or you may have a Caesar
/a ® eansectioninsteadofavaginal delivery. The birthingroomyouwanted may
| notbeavailableandyoumayendupinadelivery roominstead. Fortunately,
i. 2 O these things aren't what makes your child's birth a success. What counts
is that the baby is here at last, and healthy.
Evenif you've seen pictures of newbomns, you're bound to be amazed by
thefirstsightofyourowninfant. Whenheopenshiseyes, they willmeetyours
withcuriosity. All the activity of birth may make himvery alert and responsive
to your touch, voice and warmth. Take advantage of this attentiveness,
whichmay lastfor the first few hours. Stroke him, talk to him, and look closely
atthis child you've created. Youmay be surprised atyour baby's skin color,
size and shape immediately after birth.
Afteryou are givenafew moments withyour newborn, he willbe driedand
wrapped in a blanket. Depending on the hospital's routine, he may also be
weighed, measured and receive medication before leaving the delivery
room. All newborns are slightly low in vitamin K, which is necessary for
normal blood-clotting, so they are given an injection of this to prevent
excessive bleeding. They are also susceptible to eye infections contracted
while passing through the birth canal. To prevent infection, your baby will
be given antibiotic eyedrops or silver nitrate ointment, either immediately
after delivery or later, in the nursery.
Both you and your new baby will receive matching wrist labels bearing
your name and other identifying details before leaving the delivery room.
Many hospitals also footprint newbormns as an added precaution.
Information provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics, from the book,
Caring for Your Baby and Young Child.
Expect a lot from PUBLIX. Is there a baby in your house—or in your future? g
Join the PUBLIX Baby Club and you can start expecting ;
all kinds of wonderful things. all for FREE! .
When it comes to babies, PUBLIX delivers. -
Where shopping is a pleasure SUPER
{ - people who need kidney transplants,
: Qwvgth'hey mge Uponw :
donors were white.
Today, he said, about 45 percent
of donors whose kidneys are given
to Howard patients are black, com
pared with 55 percent who are
white.
Still, the problem is substantial.
In Kentucky, he said, about 20
percent of blacks consent to do
nate organs, compared with 50
percent to 70 percent of whites.
A study of kidney patientsin the
Southeast found that 70 percent
of people on dialysis were black,
while only 10 percent of donors
were black, he said.
Callender was in Kentucky last
week delivering the message to
blacks that donating organsisboth
aresponsibility and a gift. Hespoke
to a group of YMCA Black Achiev
ers gathered at Louisville Central
High School and met with clergy
and doctors.
The issue hit close to home for
Butler Traditional High School
Jjunior Jayme Johnson, who said
his uncle died of a kidney problem.
He said the death caused him to
talk to his parents about signing
up tobecome an organ donor when
he turns 18.
Through his contact with thou
sands of people, Callender said, he
has discovered several reasons
blacks have been reluctant to do
nate organs.
Livingßetter
Among those are religious con
cernsabout havinga complete body
when entering heaven.
Teasing thie students, he asked:
“You think St. Peter is going to
say, ‘You don’t have kidneys, you
can’t comein’? Or, ‘You only have
one kidney, you only get one
wing’?”
In addition to religious issues,
some blacks distrust the medical
establishment or feel they weren’t
treated fairly duringlife and don’t
want their organs to end up in a
white person’s body.
Callender also spoke to the stu
dents about perseverance and how
his faith in God propelled him
-~ \Lend
§i&‘nafid.
through a life filled with adversity.
Orphaned when his mother died
shortly after giving birth to him
andatwinbrother, Callender faced
another crisis when his stepmother
was committed to a mental insti
tution a few years later.
After moving in with an aunt
who took him to church nearly
every day, he decided at age 7 tobe
a medical missionary. When he
was 15, however, he contracted
tuberculosis, which he suffered
from for 1 1/2 years. |
During his first year of college,
he earned a 1.8 grade-point aver
age, leading a counselor to suggest
Lie abandon his dream of being a
doctor.
Ultimately, he said, he finished
first in his class in a medical school
in Tennessee and worked in Africa
before becoming a transplant sur
geon at Howard.
“Obstacles are the
steppingstones tosuccess,” he told
the students. “It’s hard to have
success if you haven’t had ob
stacles.” |
rgic ‘
lg e ,\2:? o ' ‘
&o d ":Nim
W *’\ ’?‘?}4«,
¥ R Lol
e %&‘&R“g «*s‘%;‘fi g - : .:‘.,‘
E 5 ity
L%, ?':‘-,_;.\v:f ¢ ; :
‘ kK ‘q e /
‘ - B ¢ '
e o&> ."“ o -
Ly iy, o R
§ “"{t *a’:f:x " - ?lk" .
Ne E S i '
b »x,,la Pb 7 g . : ¥’ 4
e"'%‘ S « St o
& TR RO :- X g ’
o%i "G @ 0 'r] i(' N o
P¢ L i "_f‘ Pl & M
a 4 b A M .
. N " B ;’.M‘-‘ -
31)0“ ad: i o : “ -
‘ . * o’( h-{ J,‘,‘ 4 : % ’¢ ‘ 1,
Herbal Therapy ""+ < 0
y- iy , -
from a Johrel .
e
. ractinioner i
y %\3s&‘; -&smfl""‘ ® i & . weester mm “
: s Ws TR y School of Medi
w . .* R, 'JMY m h
A™ . A i “truths an with the
“v‘:i\‘»‘g%fi :i ‘ 3Q‘v»:.,)m‘ )Hi- A, %
.:-, v* 3 { L“"‘Z : e» E #
[
Are hospitals hazardous
to your health?
New study finds 18 percent of
patients experience serious errors
CHICAGO
There are more errors made
in the care of hospital patients
than previously thought accord
ing to arecently released study
published in the British medi
cal journal Lancet.
The researchers found that
errors occurred in the care of
more than 45 percent of the
1,047 patients studied. Eigh
teen percent of those patients
experienced serious complica
tions ranging from temporary
physical disaßility todeath. The
highest proportion (29 percent)
occurred not in surgery, but in
the post-op monitoring and daily
care.
“We undertook the study to
increase understanding of the
frequency and extent of medical
errors as a way of preventing
them,” according to the study’s
lead author, Professor Lori B.
Andrews of Chicago-Kent Col
lege of Law and the American
Bar Foundation.
Unlike many studies of such
occurrences, which are based
on after-the-fact analyses of
medical records and certain pro
cedures, this study was con
ducted by specially trained ob
servers who spent nine months
on two surgical intensive care
units and a surgical floor of a
large, urban teaching hospital
affiliated with a university
medical school.
The researchers obtained un
precedented access to the be
hind-the-scenes meetings of doc
Call 724-7867 to subscribe
tors and nursesin an elite teach
ing hospital. They followed doc
tors on their rounds, attended
clinical meetings and listened
to nurses’ change of shift re
ports. Medical records, proce
dures and legal complaints were
reviewed, but were not the pri
mary sources of information.
Health care providers identi
fied causes of more than half
the errors. Individuals’ mis
takes accounted for 38 percent;
16 percent were due to poor in
teraction/miscommunication
between staff; and 10 percent
were caused by administrative
shortcomings, such as failure
to provide necessary equipment
or to arrange adequate staffing.
“Programs to reduce errorsin
medical care typically concen
trate on improving individual
performance,” said Andrews. “A
broader approach is needed
since one in four errors was due
tointeractive or administrative
causes.
“The study also challenges the
portrayer of patients as over
litigious,” she said. “Nearly 18
percent of patients experienced
serious medical errors in their
treatment. However, only 1.2
percent of patients made a claim
for compensation.”
The study found a greater rate
of adverse events for sicker pa
tients and those with long hos
pital stays. The likelihood of
experiencing an adverse event
increased about six percent for
each day of the hospital stay.
AR T R 0 G RO N B i
L e T D
LTI el S ke R
bor e xf’«. Sore s3O S Lk R
RAReAR ol S RR Sl R R
SRS R e e b
Had §}§? o %;,‘ Wi e
SR RT S RT TR e RRN
(o " ,;_3\‘4 G _,“ig’l-,’e S R OUR B *fg(
el S e s N e T e
ekt e ST S e A R
B e e ol &“}
PSR % ARk SRR
S SR e
fa )gsq\«:;{ SELTC g Ve
s:.;,h shiand S G 0 LR R
!3’ 3’ L 4 &S GO o @ s
AN
gs# i e
}‘ Ly
g )
N e S S .3 A 5
g e ok KR
: e bR R
TR & ;y.‘g"z W 8 ~!_‘"“ Gl e
b B ‘: .’ oL -
1 s »
‘ ¥
P
b e
s
5 -
- :,‘
ey S
4;‘7 g
® )
g "
.
- .
& W April 26, 1997 |
’ 5
R,
o ¢
¢ 10am-2pm |
. Whiskeyßoad =
] ".’\ i
F Alm’ s-C
--. I SISOO Admission |
..r.' : ‘.
k. Tickets may be
i
; p
¥ COLOURETC. 1
. 137 Laurens - WVe
ke A e L
e LgM s.co m §id
B T s 5 A A
B g e e o