A couple of years ago, the Leader held several “listening events” where we sought feedback from readers to find out what was important to them and what type of reporting they would like to see more of.
Much of the feedback we received was that people wanted to hear more about health topics.
With a recent grant from the Jefferson Foundation, the Leader has been able to devote the resources into making that community desire into a reality.
This month, we are kicking off our “Health” section, which will cover a wide variety of health-related topics. I have been deputized by our editor to spearhead the reporting on this exciting new section.
If you’re from Crystal City or Herculaneum, you’re probably familiar with my byline by now since those towns have been the main part of my beat for more than three years. But if you’re not familiar with my reporting, then let me say, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you!”
I don’t have any professional healthcare experience, but it’s something I’m personally interested in and I often research in my spare time. Plus, I’ve watched both seasons of “The Pitt,” so I feel like I’m practically a med student at this point... Just kidding!
To bring real expertise to the health section, I will be interviewing many types of local health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, counselors, advocates and more.
Don’t worry, I don’t plan on just doing “disease of the month”-type reporting, although there will be some of that. At the Leader, we not only want to share information about physical health, mental health and preventative care, but also other health-based topics including fitness and nutrition.
We also want to cover topics like medical misinformation to help you wade through the noise and find out what’s true from a local source you can trust.
We plan on having a calendar of upcoming health-related events, such as support groups, blood drives and health screenings, to help you stay on top of what’s going on in Jefferson County.
We also plan to have regular columns written by local healthcare professionals sharing their expertise in their own words.
In addition, we plan to find out more about health-based topics with in-person learning.
For example, in early July, most of the Leader staff participated in a non-certification safety training class at the Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District (JPAD) led by Kenny Strathmann, chief operations officer for JPAD. The training included hands-on CPR and AED training with mannequins, NARCAN training and choking response training.
As the mother of a young child, my biggest fear is an emergency situation happening to my son, such as a choking incident. I was eager to learn more about how to help him if the unthinkable should happen.
Strathmann started the training with some advice to keep a cool head during an emergency.
“You can cry afterwards. If it’s your kid, you probably will. But in the crisis, it’s time to work.”
Strathmann simply describing what a child looks like while choking brought a tear to my eye, so that was advice I definitely needed to hear.
After the two-hour class, I felt more equipped with information about lifesaving measures that could potentially be the difference between life or death, although I hope a situation like that is never a part of my reality.
Strathmann also provided additional information that I found concerning, such as that the American Heart Association found that women in public are significantly less likely to receive bystander CPR than men, which leads to lower cardiac arrest survival rates in women.
This can stem from a lack of knowledge when people are unsure where to place their hands or worry about having to remove clothing, despite proper hand placement being on the center of the sternum for both men and women and does not require removing clothing.
Bystanders sometimes hesitate to act fearing that touching a woman’s chest could be seen as inappropriate or they are uncomfortable touching the victim’s chest. Others worry about being sued for injury despite being covered by the Good Samaritan Act.
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. Simply providing education can dispel fears and myths, and save women’s lives. Research shows that the gender gap in CPR treatment disappears when 911 dispatchers talk callers through the process. Also, the gender disparity in cardiac arrest survival rates vanishes in the home where family members are the most common responders. When education is provided and unnecessary fear is removed, more people survive which, to us, sounds like a pretty good idea.
This is the kind of information we want to make sure that our readers know. We want you to know accurate medical information so you can make the best decisions for yourself, your family and maybe even a stranger in need. An informed person is an empowered person!
Here’s where we need you, the readers. We know your health is important to you. Help us to deliver the information you want most.
We’re looking for recommendations for topics that you’d like to see covered. What burning questions do you have about health-related topics? What health rumors have you heard that concern you? No topic is too embarrassing to address. If it matters to you, it matters to us.
Send your suggestions and questions to me at goldielowe@myleaderpaper.com.
Future health reporting may be found at www.myleaderpaper.com/news/health/