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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MARCH 31.2022
Scoliosis referrals up after COVID halted screenings
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
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The Pickens Junior High
School gym was a flurry of
activity on Wednesday,
March 24 as 7th and 8th
graders came in waves to be
screened for scoliosis, a con
dition that creates an abnor
mal curvature of the spine.
And according to the
school’s nurse, referrals were
up drastically this year be
cause of previous COVID re
strictions.
“We weren’t allowed to
do screenings the last two
school years, and this high
number is the result of that,”
said PJHS nurse Pat Lee,
R.N. “These are the kids we
missed. Most of the referrals
came from the 8th graders.”
In total, 514 PJHS stu
dents were screened last
week. Of those, 141 - or over
27 percent - received refer
rals. Those referrals will be
sent to the health department
and also to parents, who will
be encouraged to take their
children to the doctor for fur
ther evaluation and observa
tion. These numbers don’t
include the 146 students who
have not been screened yet
for a variety of reasons. Lee
said the school will work
with the health department
and set up another time in the
near future for their screen
ings.
The National Scoliosis
Foundation’s statistics show
that, “Scoliosis...affects two
to three percent of the popu
lation, or an estimated 7 mil
lion people in the United
States. Most are diagnosed
with scoliosis between the
ages of 10 and 15.”
“This is the age when their
Student John Allen gets his ears checked, and was able
to see what nurses and doctors see on a screen. The Good
Samaritan Health & Wellness Center demonstration also
shows students what it’s like to be in a virtual telehealth visit
where nurses at schools can communicate with off-site doc
tors.
spines are changing a lot,”
Lee said. “It’s good to detect
early so it can be managed.”
According to NSF, un
treated scoliosis can “cause
chronic back pain, impact
heart and lung function and
take a toll on self-esteem,”
but that, fortunately, “most
curvatures are minor and re
quire only that patients are
monitored by their doctors.”
The American Academy
of Orthopaedic Surgeons es
timates that one-quarter of
children with spinal curves
require medical attention.
Treatment can include physi
cal therapy, a back brace, and
in the most extreme cases,
surgery.
The health fair event in
cluded a variety of local med
ical services, volunteer high
schoolers, and other busi
nesses who set up booths and
provided information and
demonstrations while kids
waited for their turn. Princi
pal Chad Flatt called four
girls and four boys up at a
time, then the students were
separated by gender and sent
back to a private area to be
screened individually.
Among the vendors and
volunteers on site were Good
Samaritan Health & Wellness
Center, which demonstrated
telehealth visits and exam
ined student’s ears ; Pickens
Urgent Care, which now pro
vides mobile medical serv
ices through the schools and
spoke about vaping; repre
sentatives and nurses from
the North Georgia Health
District; an eye check-up sta
tion managed by Reinhardt
University students; a germ
station; Community Bank of
Pickens County, whose rep
resentative taught kids how
to write checks and make de
posits; as well as the school’s
science departments and
school administrators. Many
vendors brought snacks and
other items for kids to take
home.
PJHS students are called to a table before being sent back to a private area to be
screened individually and for scoliosis.
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April is Child Abuse Prevention month
“Growing a Better
Tomorrow for All
Children, Together”
North Georgia Family
Partners (NGFP) along with
Prevent Child Abuse (PCA)
Georgia recognizes the im
portance of community-
based support for all children
and families during National
Child Abuse Prevention
(CAP) Month in April.
The theme of this year’s
awareness and impact cam
paign is “Growing a Better
Tomorrow for All Children,
Together.” April 2022 marks
the third year CAP Month oc
curs during the COVID-19
pandemic. The risk to our na
tion’s children for experienc
ing child abuse and neglect in
times of extreme stress and
uncertainty remains high.
COVID-19 adds stress that
can overload parents and
caregivers, such as loss of
employment, loss of income
due to lack of paid leave, the
necessity of new child care
and schooling arrangements,
and food insecurity.
“Now more than ever, we
need to band together in col
lective ways that help our
families and children thrive.
Too often, our society thinks
of raising healthy children as
a parent or caregiver’s re
sponsibility alone,” said Jen
nifer Stein, PCA Georgia’s
Director, “In reality, we all
benefit when groups of peo
ple work together to collec
tively care for children.”
“Research shows that pos
itive childhood experiences
grow thriving families and
communities,” explained Dr.
Melissa Merrick, president
and CEO of Prevent Child
Abuse America. “This is the
moment to build a child and
family well-being system
that propels families to grow
and thrive together.”
PCA Georgia recom
mends the following ways
that people everywhere can
dig in and help raise aware
ness and impact virtually dur
ing this year’s CAP Month:
• Wear blue on April
15th, Wear Blue Day, to
show support for children
and families. Include the
#WearBlueDay2022 hashtag
and @northgeorgiafamily-
partners in your posts.
• Raise awareness on the
importance of child well
being and family health
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through physical and well
ness activities! Register for
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lyWC.
nity. For more ways to get in
volved in CAP Month and
our local community, please
visit www.northgeorgiafam-
ilypartners.org.
• Join your regions ef
forts to implement Geor
gia’s Child Abuse and
Neglect Prevention Plan
that includes ways individu
als, communities, workplaces
and others can get involved.
• Take a training on pre
venting, recognizing, and
responding to child abuse
using the Darkness to Light:
Stewards of Children, Man
dated Reporter Training,
Connections Matter, or
Strengthening Families’ Pro
tective Factors. NGFP can
give you more information
on any of these by calling our
office at 706-253-6488
• Share the Find Help
Georgia, www.Find-
HelpGA.org, online resource
hub with families. Users can
search online or talk to
trained professionals who
will connect them with sup
portive programs in their
area. We all share a responsi
bility for the physical, emo
tional, and mental well-being
of children and their families.
North Georgia Family Part
ners and PCA Georgia en
courages everyone in the
state to do what they love this
April and help ensure great
childhoods in their commu-
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