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Riggins family campaigning to
restrict sales of ephedra products

[NOV. 16, 2002]  Kevin and Debbie Riggins have a mission.

They don’t want to see another family go through what they have. Their only son, Sean, died of a heart attack Sept. 3 after taking a product that contained ephedra.

"I don’t want to see another family deal with what we’ve had to deal with. We’ve had way too many kids in this town die," Kevin Riggins said.

The 16-year-old wrestler and football player had evidently been taking the over-the-counter herbal product to pump up his energy for an upcoming football game. His father feels sure Sean had no idea the pills would do him any harm. He was an athlete who took care of his body, he didn’t smoke, and no other drugs were found in his blood or urine.

It wouldn’t have been hard for Sean, or for any other young person, to get the herbal stimulant. The pills are on sale at gas stations and convenience stores all over town at prices youngsters can easily pay — $1.29 or even 99 cents — the cost of a can of pop.

Sean’s parents and Logan County Coroner Charles Fricke have already made a trip to Washington, D.C., at the request of Sen. Dick Durbin, to testify before a Senate subcommittee that oversees regulation of drugs. Durbin wants a federal crackdown on ephedra sales.

Although he would be glad to see changes in federal laws regulating the stimulant, right now Kevin Riggins is concentrating on the local level. He wants to get the colorful, tempting, highly advertised pills out of the hands of the youngsters of Logan County.

To do that, he is building a coalition of local organizations and agencies, going to meetings to explain the dangers of these pills, and displaying an assortment of ephedrine products sold over the counter.

The pills have intriguing names — Black Ice, Go Go Go Juice, Energy to Burn, Stacker II, Super Stingers, Ultra Energy Now and the kind Sean took, Yellow Jackets. Some of them contain more than ephedra. Black Ice has three stimulants: ephedra, caffeine and synepherine. Most packets contain three pills, although some have more.

Advertising claims say they boost your energy, enhance your performance and cause you to lose weight fast.

In very small print, some pill packages carry the words, "Not to be sold to those 17 and under," but there is no law in Illinois that penalizes those who do sell to minors. Some states, such as Texas, New Hampshire and Florida, do have such laws, Riggins said.

Because they are considered herbal supplements and not drugs, the Food and Drug Administration has no authority to regulate these products. There is no check on the quality or quantity of their contents; one capsule could contain two or three times as much ephedra as the next. And anyone of any age can buy them — as many packages as they want.

Young people buy them to get pumped up for an athletic event, to get a "buzz" or a "rush," to lose weight, or just to feel more energetic. Many see them as a "safe" alternative to street drugs. Truck drivers use them to stay awake on a long haul, Riggins said.

Sean’s friends have told his parents about the way students use the drugs, taking them before athletic events, often spiking them with high caffeine drinks. Riggins doesn’t think these young people had any idea that the attractive, available, affordable pills could be truly dangerous.

"Sean’s friends won’t touch this stuff again," he said. But he knows other kids will. His mission right now is to limit the access young people have to the drug here in Lincoln.

"I don’t think you should be able to buy these in a gas station," he said at a meeting Thursday in the Lincoln Safety Complex. "We want this out of areas kids frequent. We want to see strict penalties for vendors who sell these products to kids under 18."

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[Photo by Joan Crabb]
[(From left) Kristi Lessen of Logan-Mason Mental Health, Kevin Riggins, Marcia Greenslate of the Lincoln Park District and Marcia Dowling of the Logan County Health Department examine ephedra products.]

He said he and his wife have talked to all the gas stations in town, asking them to put the pills behind the counter, but so far only one, Illico, has cooperated. The rest say they can’t do anything without talking to the head office.

He agrees with Kristi Lessen of Logan-Mason Mental Health, one of those at the meeting, that the pills should be sold only at pharmacies and should be kept behind the counter so buyers have to ask for it.

Riggins is working to get the cooperation of local groups in his campaign to make ephedra harder for youngsters to get hold of. Thursday he met with representatives of the Logan County Health Department, Logan-Mason Mental Health, the Park District, the Healthy Communities Partnership and Police Chief Rich Montcalm.

One group, the Healthy Communities Partnership/Healthcare Committee of the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce, has already voted to support the creation of an ordinance that limits the access of herbal ephedra products to minors.

Riggins plans to appear before the Lincoln City Council and the Logan County Board to see whether ordinances can be passed to limit the sale of the drug. He will also meet with church groups, civic organizations, law enforcement personnel, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Family Medical and other doctors, coaches, and other school officials.

"I’ll talk to anybody who wants to listen," he said.

He is also circulating petitions for local residents to sign.

He’s getting in touch with state officials, as well. Thursday he was on his way to Springfield to talk to state Sen. Larry Bomke. He has already spoken with state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington and says Brady has started looking into what can be done to regulate the drugs at the state level.

He wants national organizations, as well as local ones, to give him a statement of their official position on ephedra. He’s writing to prestigious health care groups such as the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical School to get their positions on the drug’s health hazards.

Riggins’ employer, Bridgestone-Firestone of Normal, and the union that represents its workers, United Steel Workers of America, are both helping him get the word out through letter-writing campaigns and newsletters.

"Both the company and the union are helping out. This is an issue that transcends labor and management, Democrats and Republicans," he said. "It’s about people. It’s about kids."

Experts agree that products containing ephedra can be dangerous. A 1994 FDA advisory says reactions can include everything from mild effects such as nervousness, dizziness, gastrointestinal distress and headache to severe and life-threatening events such as heart attacks, hepatitis, stroke, seizures and psychosis.

There have been 33 deaths in the U.S. military, causing all four branches to ban the supplements. At least 81 deaths nationally have been attributed to ephedrine. The American Medical Association would like to see it regulated. During the five-hour testimony before the Senate subcommittee last month, doctors and other experts testified about the dangers of these products, Riggins said.

In spite of these expert opinions, Riggins knows changing the laws, either state or federal, will be a long, hard fight.

"The companies that make these pills have billions of dollars. I’m lucky to have $25 in my wallet."

But he’s encouraged to keep up the fight by, among other things, letters he’s received from students at Lincoln Community High School. One girl wrote:

"I ask you, please make Yellow Jackets illegal before more teens and adults get killed from them."

[Joan Crabb]

CICBC blood drives help ALMH patients

[NOV. 13, 2002]  Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, after a long-standing agreement to purchase blood and blood products from the American Red Cross, made a decision to purchase blood and blood products from Central Illinois Community Blood Center of Springfield. CICBC is the sole supplier for ALMH, Hopedale Medical Complex, St. John’s, Springfield Memorial, Doctor’s Hospital of Springfield and seven other central Illinois health care providers.

ALMH, in contracting with CICBC, realized a $30,000 annual savings without sacrificing the quality of blood and blood products. This arrangement makes it possible to pass along savings to the patient.

The blood and blood products supplied by CICBC are collected from the areas in which the hospitals operate. This arrangement affords area residents an opportunity to support ALMH directly when donating blood rather than have their blood and blood products disseminated nationwide.

We in central Illinois are fortunate to have extensive medical facilities available locally. However, with these facilities comes the responsibility of providing the needed blood supply to support the patients in the hospitals.

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Each community in the coalition is encouraged to have community members donate blood to the CICBC. The only way the plan will work is for our community to do our share of giving blood in our area.

The CICBC is in need of more donors, volunteers and good ambassadors to spread the word in our community.

If interested as a volunteer or a blood donor, or if you desire more information, you may call Central Illinois Community Blood Center at 753-1530 or fax (217) 753-8116. The local representative for CICBC is Terry Bell.

The next blood drive will be at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. It’s about life.

[Shirley M. Helton, CICBC board member]

[OCT. 29, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD — On Friday Gov. George Ryan announced grants totaling $6.3 million for a statewide program offering free or reduced-cost mammograms and other women’s health care services.

"This funding provides health care resources for women who need help the most," Gov. Ryan said. "Through these grants, we expect to serve 17,000 women this year who otherwise might not be able to afford breast and cervical cancer screening. These routine procedures can substantially improve a woman’s chances of surviving life-threatening diseases."

The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program — the IBCCP — began in 1995 in DuPage, Lake and Peoria counties and was expanded statewide by Gov. Ryan in 1999. This year’s funding allows IBCCP to fund two additional agencies — ACCESS Community Health Network in Chicago and Cook County and the Madison County Health Department — to better serve women in those areas. There are now 25 local health departments and health care agencies across the state that work with 900 local health care providers to deliver the program’s services.

Administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the IBCCP is funded through a combination of state and federal funds — $2 million from the state and $4.3 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The screening program targets women 35 to 64 years of age and older who have limited incomes and are either uninsured or underinsured. To be eligible, individuals must have an income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level: $17,720 a year for a single-person household. Screenings include clinical breast exams and mammograms (40 to 64 years) and pelvic exams and Pap smears (35 to 64 years of age).

Women who are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer through IBCCP and who meet eligibility requirements can receive treatment benefits through the Medical Assistance Program administered by the Illinois Department of Public Aid. Since the treatment benefits first became available on July 1, 2001, about 250 women have received breast cancer treatment at little or no cost.

"This program has made it possible for women who may not have been able to afford care for breast or cervical cancer to receive not only diagnosis information but also treatment," said Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, and more than 2,000 women in Illinois are expected to die this year from breast cancer. In addition, an average of 700 women a year in Illinois learn they have invasive cervical cancer, and 230 die annually from the disease.

It is recommended that all women perform a monthly breast self-examination and receive an annual clinical breast examination; women 40 years of age and older also should have a yearly mammogram.

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Women should check with their primary care provider about how frequently they should receive a Pap smear. Recommendations are based on clinical findings, history of risk factors and appropriate standards of care.

For information about obtaining a free screening through the program, individuals should contact the Illinois Department of Public Health at (888) 522-1282 for voice callers or (217) 557-3326 by fax.

Below is a list of agencies receiving the grants.

ACCESS Community Health Network, $148,000

Adams County Health Department, $148,000

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, $277,500

Chicago Department of Public Health, $740,000

Cook County Department of Public Health, $296,000

DuPage County Health Department, $259,000

Fulton County Health Department, $138,750

Kankakee County Health Department, $222,000

Knox County Health Department, $101,750

Lake County Health Department, $370,000

LaSalle County Health Department, $148,000

Livingston County Health Department, $83,250

Logan County Health Department, $370,000

Madison County Health Department, $185,000

Montgomery County Health Department, $240,500

Peoria City/County Health Department, $203,500

Rock Island County Health Department, $305,250

Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital (Mattoon), $212,750

Southern Seven Health Department, $120,250

St. Clair County Health Department, $222,000

St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Inc. (Centralia and Mount Vernon), $629,000

Stephenson County Health Department, $222,000

Tazewell County Health Department, $111,000

Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley (Aurora), $222,000

Winnebago County Health Department, $305,250

Total: $6,280,750

[Illinois Government News Network
press release]

[OCT. 15, 2002]  Headlines from the past year reflect a growing youth problem in Logan County. Teenagers injured or killed in alcohol- and drug-related incidents have reached an all-time high. It has brought sorrow to many, brought some to their knees, and has the community as a whole searching for answers.

Concerned parents and community leaders are looking for the means and methods to eliminate teenage alcohol and drug consumption, and to curb the consumption of harmful over-the-counter drugs used for recreational and performance purposes. While many have expressed this same concern, there are currently no real "answers" in this quest.

Kristin Lessen and the staff from Logan-Mason Mental Health, a division of Mental Health Centers of Central Illinois, think that attitudes about drinking and drug use lead the way, and want to gather information which might prove this theory and provide a long-term means of treating this growing threat.

She wants you to TAKE THE SURVEY! Just 20 questions about what your attitude is about drugs and alcohol. Please participate. It could make a real difference.

[Jim Youngquist]

Health Matters

A monthly feature from  Logan County Health Department

[Click here for "Let’s talk turkey -- safe turkey"]

Health Department offers
flu shots for the public

[OCT. 9, 2002]  Logan County Health Department has flu and pneumonia immunizations available now. Flu and pneumonia shots can be obtained at the Health Department, 109 Third St., on a walk-in basis during normal business hours, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 pm. Please arrive by 4:15 p.m.

The Mobile Medical Van will also have flu and pneumonia immunizations available at all regularly scheduled times of operation in all 14 communities.

It is recommended that the flu vaccination be received by the end of November.

The cost for flu and pneumonia vaccine is $16 per shot. Medicare will pay for both shots. All clients are asked to have their Medicare cards with them when coming to get flu or pneumonia shots.

Influenza is caused by a virus that spreads from people infected to the nose or throat of others. Influenza can cause fever, cough, chills, sore throat, headache, muscle aches in people of any age.

However, people at risk for getting serious cases of influenza are people 65 years of age or older, residents of long-term care facilities, anyone with serious long-term health problems, people with weakened immune system, and health care workers coming in close contact with people at risk of serious influenza.

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People who have had a serious allergic reaction to eggs or previous dose of influenza vaccine, and people with a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome should consult with a doctor before getting the influenza vaccination.

Pneumonia vaccine protects against pneumococcal pneumonia, a serious lung infection. Symptoms of pneumonia include fever, aches, fatigue, chest pain, cough and confusion. People 65 years of age and older should receive the pneumococcal immunization. Re-vaccination of people at highest risk for serious pneumococcal infection is recommended only once, after five years have elapsed.

For further information, please contact the Logan County Health Department at (217) 735-2317.

[News release]

Red Cross

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus links

LDN articles

• Local authorities watching WNV

Federal websites

• CDC WNV home page

State websites

• State WNV website

• Protect your home against mosquitoes
• State surveillance site
• Logan County surveillance site

Honors & Awards

Announcements

Immanuel Lutheran Church hosts blood drive

[NOV. 7, 2002]  Immanuel Lutheran Church will host a blood drive with the Central Illinois Community Blood Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 3 until 6:30 p.m.

Central Illinois Community Blood Center provides all of the blood and blood products for 12 area hospitals, including those in Lincoln, Hopedale and Springfield. CICBC is a community-based blood center whose mission is to provide a safe and adequate blood supply for patients in local hospitals in a cost-effective manner. No other organization provides blood in these hospitals.

Patients in these hospitals are your friends, neighbors, and family members, and they depend on healthy community members for the lifesaving blood they need. Less than 5 percent of the population donates blood for the other 95 percent. Please help save lives in your community by donating blood to your community blood center.

You may donate blood if you are at least 17 years old (16 years old with a signed permission slip from parent or guardian), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health. There is no upper age limit. You need only be in good health and have a picture ID or two other forms of ID. Please remember that as a blood donor, you are truly saving lives.

Please donate blood… It’s about life.

[CICBC press release]

The Rural Health Partnership has announced the schedule for its mobile health unit for 2002.

For more information on the mobile health unit schedule and services, contact Dayle Eldredge at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 409.

Community resource list

This family resource list to save and use is provided by the Healthy Communities Partnership and the Healthy Families Task Force, 732-2161, Ext. 409.         

(updated 2-15-02)

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