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Magic comes to central Illinois

[NOV. 20, 2002]  Arguably one of the greatest basketball players ever came to central Illinois last night, and he didn’t take even one shot — at least not with a basketball. Ervin "Magic" Johnson, of both Los Angeles Laker and Michigan State fame, was in Bloomington on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University. Johnson was the featured speaker for their annual AIDS awareness week, and he got right to the point.

In front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Shirk Center, Magic indicated that he had been at both ends of the spectrum as a spokesman on HIV and AIDS issues. He indicated that he’s been good for the issues because of his high profile but also shared that he’s been bad for the issues when you consider how well he’s doing some 11 years after contracting the HIV virus.

People with the disease or those who might get it think that they will be as fortunate and blessed as I have been through these 11 years, he told the crowd; however, the virus reacts differently in every single person. People are dying every day!

[Photos by Jeff Mayfield]

Johnson encouraged the students in attendance to talk to their partner, parents, pastors or other role models to discuss ways that they might protect themselves. "Obviously," he said, "the safest sex is no sex."

He also gave out several facts during his presentation, such as the statistics that African-Americans make up13 percent of the U.S. population but account for 37 percent of all known AIDS cases. Magic exclaimed that these numbers must be brought down.

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Magic’s foundation has produced $20 million to help people with AIDS, and other monies have gone for a host of educational programs. Currently Johnson is a major entrepreneur, owning theaters, Starbucks coffeehouses, Fatburger hamburger joints (mostly located in several inner cities), and he is a co-owner and vice president of the Lakers.

He says that he is doing great healthwise by taking three pills every morning and three pills every evening along with an extensive workout regiment. But he is keenly aware that that could all change in an instant. He went on to say, "The only change for me is uncertainty."

The LDN was on hand and spotted former Lincoln and Clinton great Josh Rich in the crowd. Also, many former Lincoln and Logan County residents who now attend IWU or ISU were among the throng packed in, hanging on every word.

[Jeff Mayfield]

Health care, economic
development linked

[NOV. 18, 2002]  URBANA — The health care sector can make a significant contribution to the economy of a rural Illinois county, according to a University of Illinois Extension consumer and health economics specialist who recently authored an article on the topic.

"Health Care and the Local Economic Vitality of a Rural Illinois County" by Paul McNamara, an assistant professor in the Departmesnt of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, appears in the latest edition of the Illinois Rural Policy Digest. It is available online at http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.
edu/policy/digest/digest.html.  [Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader for PDF file.]

McNamara and David Hancock recently studied the impact of the health care sector on the economy of DeWitt County, using health and economic databases, interviews with local leaders from government, economic development and health care, and an input-output model of the local economy. The study was one in a series conducted by the Illinois Rural Health Workshop, a joint program of U of I Extension and the Illinois Area Health Education Consortium.

"We found that health care directly contributes $12.98 million to DeWitt County incomes," said McNamara. "However, secondary effects from the health care sector generate an additional $3.13 million in income, leading to a total contribution of the sector of $16.11 million."

Located between Decatur and Bloomington, DeWitt County had a population of

16,798 in 2000 but has experienced a slower population growth (1.7 percent) than the state average of 8.6 percent. It also has a greater proportion of its population aged 65 and older (15.9 percent) than the 12.1 percent state average. During the 1990s, DeWitt County experienced a 7.8 percent decline in non-farm employment, while the state as a whole saw that category grow by 15 percent.

"In 1999, the health care system generated 611 jobs directly from employment in hospitals, doctors’ offices, nursing homes and other health care services in DeWitt County," said McNamara. "However, when we measure the secondary impact of economic activity in the DeWitt County health care system through the effects of supplier firms and health care employee spending, we estimate the total employment effect of health care to be 748 jobs."

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The health care sector faces some challenges in the DeWitt County economy. One problem stems from the difficulty encountered by some local residents who work outside the county and receive health insurance from their employers in using DeWitt County providers. Interviews also revealed that there are mixed perceptions about health care on the part of some residents.

"While nearly all residents with exposure to the hospital (Dr. John Warner Hospital in Clinton) had a favorable impression of the services delivered, some residents were unaware of services available locally," said McNamara. "In addition, some members of the local health care sector were not aware of what services were available locally.

"Another issue identified from our interviews with local leaders was the lack of awareness of how local health care can contribute to the local economy and contribute to future economic development efforts."

Having completed similar surveys in other rural Illinois communities, McNamara said he is convinced there is a strong connection between health care and economic development.

"Our research and that of others emphasizes the potential for economic gains if health care and local economic development can partner together on issues of shared interest, such as work force development programs, tapping into economic development financing for expansion of local health care services, and advocacy on health care issues that affect the business climate," McNamara said.

"We believe that addressing the issues identified in our study will further increase the contribution of the local health care sector to the DeWitt County economy and the quality of life of its residents."

[U of I news release]

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."

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.

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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 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]

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

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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