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4 - The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, October 21, 2009
HEALTH AND COMMUNITY NEWS
How Not to Get the Flu
This Season
The goal of this column and
the goal of the Health
Restoration 101 programs
are to help to maximize your
chances of living a longer,
healthier life. Our programs
are simple, comprehensive,
well documented and easy to
follow. Don’t let old habits
rob you of your life. We’ve
created - A New Formula
For Health Success !
by Carolyn Guilford, CNC
Flu Vaccines is not the
only way to help prevent the
flu. Many persons are skepti
cal about getting vaccines.
So here is what you need to
know to increase your
chances of staying healthy
this winter.
The easiest and simplest
way is to wash your hands
more often. Wet your hands
and work up a good lather
using soap and warm water.
Rubbing your hands togeth
er vigorously and scrubbing
all areas. Washing for at
least 20 -30 seconds. Sing
the “Happy Birthday” song 2
times while washing. The
scrubbing bubbles action is
what actually removes
germs and dirt, so they can
be rinsed away. Use regular
soap, not the antibacterial
soaps which has been found
to contribute to a new and
growing problem of antibiot
ic resistance.
Carolyn Guilford
Learn not to touch your
eyes, nose or mouth with
your fingers but use a tissue
or even your shirt-tale.
Many times germs are spread
when we touch our face after
touching common surfaces,
and even casual hand shak
ing. And some germs can
live as long as two hours or
more on some surfaces.
Remember, if you get a
cough or the sniffles, to
cover your mouth and nose
when coughing and sneez
ing. Use a tissue and throw it
away, then wash your hands.
It may seem like a lot of
trouble, but it’s worth it not
to spread the germs to family
and friends.
Viruses that infect the
nose, throat and lungs cause
the flu, and other illnesses.
The flu usually spreads from
person to person as droplets
from the cough or sneeze
move through the air and are
deposited on the mouth or
nose of other persons. So,
always cover your cough and
sneeze with a tissue or some
thing. Then, wash your
hands, and do it every time
you cough or sneeze.
Correct and consistent
hand washing can prevent
the spread of the flu and
many other very serious dis
ease processes, including
shingles, hepatitis A, strep
tococcus, E. coli, typhoid,
staphylococcal organisms,
and the common cold.
Remember, these germs
can be spread by direct and
indirect contact from con
taminated hands to foods and
to surfaces like tables, chairs,
and toys. Casual person to
person contact, and by hand
to mouth, eyes or nose con
tact. So wash those hands
and carry lots of tissue, and
be safe and germ free for the
winter season.
If you want to know
more about how to create a
healthy diet and lifestyle, or
any health issue, call or
write: Carolyn Guilford
Remember, Health is Wealth.
Health Restoration 101
www.Healthrestorationl 01 .c
oni
PO. Box 2814,
Savannah, GA 31402
Blue Cross and Blue Shield to Provide
First Dollar Coverage of H1N1 Vaccine
for All Members
Each year, influenza
causes illness, hospitaliza
tions and deaths, and severely
strains the health care deliv
ery system.
This year, seasonal flu is
complicated by the emer
gence and rapid spread of the
H1N1 virus. In an effort to
ensure that individuals and
their families can take the
appropriate actions to help
protect themselves against the
H1N1 virus, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Georgia (BCB-
SGA) will cover the adminis
tration of the H1N1 vaccine
without co-pay or deductible
for all of its members. BCBS-
GA is also are encouraging
self-insured employers to
cover the cost of the vaccina
tion for their employees.
“At BCBSGA, our prior
ity is to ensure that our actions
and communications support
public health,” said Dr. Bob
McCormack, BCBSGA med
ical director. “Our goal is to
keep our members as healthy
as possible. We are committed
to working with the CDC and
HHS on an information cam
paign to ensure that members
and the public are vaccinated
to prevent H1N1, and if they
develop H1N1 flu, they are
treated effectively and appro
priately.”
Since a significant pro
portion of the vaccine is likely
to be administered through
non-traditional providers such
as pharmacies, retail clinics
and public health clinics,
BCBSGA is currently work
ing to complete agreements
with these providers to
increase access to the H1N1
vaccine. In addition, the
antiviral medications Tamiflu
and Relenza will move to an
economical tier in plan formu
laries.
The CDC has recom
mended that certain popula
tions receive the 2009 H1N1
vaccine when it becomes
available.
Initial prioritization
includes pregnant women,
people who live with or care
for children younger than six
months of age, children and
young adults from 6 months to
24 years old, and people from
25 through 64 years old if they
have chronic medical condi
tions that increase their risk of
complications from influenza
infection.
THE SAVANNAH TRIBUNE
1805 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Savannah, Georgia 31401
Ph. (912) 233-6128 Fax (912) 233-6140
www.savannahtribune.com
Published By
Savannah Tribune, Inc.
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Vice President/Advertising Director
tanya@savannahtribune.com
Marius L. Davis
Managing Editor
sharon@savannahtribune.com
Horacio J. Allen
Graphic Designer
Rachelle J. Gregory
Staff Writer
Frederick D.Gregory
Staff Writer
Walter Moore
Sports Writer
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ten permission of the publisher.
A. Camille James
Education Writer
Zyon D. Smiley
Staff Writer
SSU Students Support Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
Gamma Upsilon members, AKA Sorority, Inc., and participants pose for a photo
during Thursday’s candlelight vigil.
By Bianca N. Rainwater,
Tribune Intern, Savannah
State University
The Gamma Upsilon
chapter of Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Inc. celebrat
ed Breast Cancer Awareness
Month with four days of
events, Oct. 12 to Oct. 15,
for the campus and surround
ing community.
The chapter held a can
dlelight vigil in honor of
those affected by breast can
cer. Denisicia Scott, chapter
member, opened the program
with a poem written in
remembrance of those who
succumbed to breast cancer.
Attendants participated in a
moment of silence and a
short walk around Felix
Alexis circle with candles.
“The entire week has been a
success. We [the chapter]
have all learned a lot and
hope the student body has
also,” said Scott as she
thanked participants for their
support.
The chapter began the
week with a breast cancer
awareness forum where
attendants were educated on
the risks and effects of breast
cancer. Guest speaker, Julia
Johnson spoke about how
breast cancer also greatly
affects family members.
The next two days were
fundraising events. The
organization sold wristbands
in the student center and
passed out information cards
with facts and statistics about
breast cancer. The events
showcased the importance of
the fight against breast can
cer and highlighted the high
statistics of how blacks are
affected, said Sierra Blake,
sophomore participant.
According to the
American Cancer Society,
black women are 67 percent
more likely to die from
breast cancer than their white
counterparts. There are now
about 2.5 million breast can
cer survivors in the United
States and support of the
cause continues to grow.
Information about preven
tion and treatment can be
found at www.Cancer.org
Supplies .continued from page 1
even more meaningful dur
ing these difficult economic
times.
“There are many chil
dren who do not have sup
plies or uniforms and this
will be such a great help,”
she said. The dynamic edu
cator said that when she
meets the parents of her stu
dents, she lets them know
that when they walk through
Gadsden's doors, they
become her children.
Now, with the extra
uniforms, book bags and
other supplies, she will have
another method of showing
the children and parents just
how much she cares about
them. Dr. Jones also told the
Carver representatives about
the free Gadsden's Gourmet
Grab and Go Breakfast
where each student eats a
nutritious breakfast every
morning before class. She
said the program is very suc
cessful.
Dr. Jones and Ms.
Bernice Wall, school coun
selor, began distributing the
supplies to the students
immediately after the presen
tation.
Carver State Bank has
been a partner with Gadsden
for almost 30 years. The
bank supports many of the
school's programs and spe
cial projects. For example,
the bank has sponsored and
helped build the Gadsden
float for the annual Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day Parade,
provided financial literacy
classes for students, parents
and teachers, as well as a tai
lored saving program for the
students. The students have
presented many holiday con
certs at the bank and made
educational field trips to the
bank's main office at 701
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard, which is only
three blocks from the school.
Sherrie Williams, an
Assistant Vice President at
Carver, is a Gadsden School
Council Member and coordi
nator of the bank's partner
ship program with Gadsden.
Carver State Bank is a
state-chartered, FDIC-
insured, commercial bank.
Established in 1927, Carver
is the oldest commercial
bank headquarted in
Savannah.
The Carver State Bank
Employees Association was
organized in the late 1970s to
give the bank's employees an
entity through which they
can enjoy group activities,
participate in community
organizations, celebrate their
individual achievements, and
support local charities.
Celebration of Hope to Raise Funds for
Children with Cancer
The fourth annual
Celebration of Hope wine
tasting and auction will be
held on Friday, October 23,
from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the
First City Club, 32 Bull
Street. Funds raised at the
event will benefit families
with children in the hematol
ogy/oncology program at the
George and Marie Backus
Children's Hospital at
Memorial University
Medical Center.
More than 75 specialty
wines will be available for
tasting. There will also be
live music by the band
Savannah Avenue and live
and silent auctions with a
variety of fine items up for
bid. Tickets are $75 per per
son. To purchase tickets or
for more information, please
call 912-350-8194 or visit
memorialhealth.com/kid-
shope/celebrationofhope.htm
Backus Children's
Hospital works with the
Curtis and Elizabeth
Anderson Cancer Institute at
Memorial University
Medical Center to provide
the region's only pediatric
and adolescent
hematology/oncology pro
gram.
Memorial University
Medical Center (MUMC) is
a two-state healthcare organ
ization serving a 3 5-county
area in southeast Georgia
and southern South Carolina.
The system includes its
flagship hospital, a 530-bed
tertiary medical center;
Memorial primary and spe
cialty care physician net
works; a major medical edu
cation program; business and
industry services; and
NurseOne, a 24-hour call
center.
Memorial University
Medical Center has been
named a Distinguished
Hospital by J.D. Power and
Associates four years in a
row for providing an out
standing patient experience.
Visit our Web site at
www.memorialhealth.com.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month