H1N1 Hysteria

Remember H5N1 (Avian Flu) or SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) or how about even MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)?

What do all three of those diseases have in common? Well they were all over-hyped by the media and subsequently dropped when the bigger, better story came along.

Currently there are no confirmed cases of H1N1 (Swine Influenza) in Georgia, but think about the repercussions an over-hyped story could play on a small town.

Now not to discredit the intelligence or ability to discern truth from fiction of a smaller city, but Hart County is home to a large older population—one of the groups most at risk for suffering complications from influenza.

The 2007-2008 Flu Season

These are the facts. There have been deaths associated with the swine flu. No one in the United States has died from swine influenza. In fact, most of the people in the US who have had confirmed cases of the influenza recovered without severe complications or hospitalization.

There are confirmed cases in Canada and there have been deaths in Mexico, where the coverage first started. At last count there were 6 confirmed cases in Canada.

The United States has reported 68 cases. How has this number jumped from 20 to 68? Because doctors are looking for it.

Swine influenza does not present symptoms atypical of any other influenza strain. Swine flu is being treated like Paris Hilton all of the coverage none of the depth.

How do journalists decide what’s newsworthy, and what can be made newsworthy? I don’t feel that swine flu is a newsworthy story. It’s not Mad Cow disease.

Swine flu is the natural progression of influenza. With several strains floating around globally at any given time always mutating and always affecting people, I don’t understand why this strain is getting the headlines.

People die from influenza every year. In 2004 when the US was short on vaccines the nation went into a mad panic. The year we had more than enough vaccines, the flu got no more than a blip on the radar.

I remember an old saying, “And this too shall pass.” Video on my opinion of H1N1 on CNN iReport

Cold Calls

So I am not so sure if it is the best method of conducting interviews but for me I have gotten use to it. I expect everyone to be on their P’s and Q’s and ready to talk at all times. Most of the time I am successful, but it’s usually because I know exactly what questions I want to ask.

Is it fair that I am catching someone off guard?

I think so, sometimes you need to hear exactly what’s coming off the top of their head because giving a professional time to polish and compose their message is the best way to get a skewed version of the truth I think.

What I won’t use cold calls for is to obtain statistical information. If I don’t have the numbers in front of me I won’t ask them on the first call. If they are willing to send me documentation or get it to me at a later time I will accept that, but people can be dyslexic with numbers and so they say 100 when they meant 100,000.

It happens; I do it all the time.

I will verify statistics that I have acquired on my own, and that usually seems to work out well.

The reason I like cold calls the most is because it gets the interview over and done with and helps me finish the article quickly.

Traveling to Hart County from Athens is a time-consuming process, and if I’m not guaranteed an interview it can be the most maddening thing ever.

I made an appointment with the nurse manager at the ER and the day of the interview she called, cancelled, and pushed it back two weeks.

When I simply just walked into the ER and asked to speak to people. Not only was I able to speak with the nurse manager, but I was able to speak with a couple nurses on duty.

So for now I will stick to cold calls and impromptu visits for the late-breaking story and quick news quip.

It may not be the fairest, but it’s effective.

Investing in Youth

Hart Youth Development Resource Association or HYDRA is a government funded program in Hart County, Ga. HYDRA gives the youth of Hart County an outlet for positive activities and educational growth.

There are no charges for the services that HYDRA offers they offer recreational activities like Tae Kwan Do, mentoring, and various after school programs to help you move in the right direction.

HYDRA was one of several programs in Hart County that receive severe budget cuts after being deemed a non-core county function.

The high school in Hart County has seen an increase in graduation rates due to an investment in graduation coaches. That says to me that an investment in the youth at an even younger level will have even greater reprecussions for the future of Hart County youth.

The website states that it runs monday thru friday from 10am-6pm with the exception of Wednesday, but the website has not be recently updated and those hours are probably significantly shorter.

Police and Courts are important and budgets are small. How do these groups cope with less funds?

The Color of Health

Facts and figures show that being African-American is a detriment to the overall health and well-being of a person.

Blacks are more susceptible to HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a number of several other diseases.

While other races and minorities also have various diseases that they are more vulnerable too. Caucasians have more access to health care and health options than minorities.

How do we overcome health disparities and give everyone an equal opportunity to survive and thrive in one of the most powerful nations in the world.

CDC has outlined its objectives in a plan called Healthy People 2010 (http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/About/disparities.htm). The goal is to eliminate health disparities that exist.

Plenty of information is available on the CDC website.