“People say we have a voice, but we need someone to help us have a voice.” — Graniteville resident, sharing thoughts about the 2005 chlorine disaster

Have you ever been stopped at a train crossing and noticed the number of cars carrying hazardous materials and gases? And do you take a deep breath and hope that the train passes without incident?

On the morning of January 6, 2005, I was watching the early news before going to work. A TV reporter from our local station was “in the field” and discussing a chlorine gas disaster in Graniteville, a small mill community not far from Aiken. An improperly lined switch caused a collision between an oncoming train and one that was parked at Avondale Mills at about 2:40 a.m. One of the tank cars carrying about 90 tons of chlorine ruptured in the collision and released about 60 tons of the gas.

The Graniteville disaster is the largest chlorine gas disaster to date in the United States. The impact was devastating. Nine people died, more than 250 were treated at nearby hospitals for exposure to the chlorine and 5,400 community residents within one mile of the accident site were forced to evacuate for about two weeks while Graniteville was decontaminated. About 16 months later, the Avondale Mills plant in Graniteville closed, and the loss of jobs further added to the community’s sense of anguish and loss.

In the initial days and months after the tragedy, Arnold School of Public Health researchers began studying the impact of the disaster on the health of people in the area. One of the most recent studies, the RISE Project (Restoration in Graniteville through Supportive Engagement) has examined the long-term impact of the disaster on the physical and mental health of community residents.

The results of the study, released earlier this month, show that the community developed a sense of closeness after the disaster. Concerns about health and well-being remain, but community residents found a cohesiveness that didn’t exist before, said Dr. Lucy Annang, an Arnold School researcher who is one of the study’s lead investigators.

The RISE project found that even eight years after the disaster people are still having issues with recovery and healing, Annang said.

But without question, the findings of the RISE project will be beneficial for other communities who face disaster.

The voices from Graniteville are being heard.

You’ve read it, heard it, seen it: “50 is the new 30.”

For anyone 50 and over, the phrase sounds good, and Baby Boomers are embracing the mantra as if it were a national slogan. While 50-somethings may be hiding touches of gray with the help of Clairol, L’Oreal and other commercial products, they know that 50 and 50-plus in the 21st century isn’t their parents’ 50.

Advances in health care and a call to become more physically active have helped many aging Americans slow the signs of aging and remain healthy. And good for us!

May is Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate youth and vitality among a population of that is determined to “Unleash the Power of Age.”

Today’s “olders” work longer, volunteer in their communities, remain physically active, take college classes they eschewed in their youth, provide care to grandchildren and make life-changing contributions throughout the world.

I only have to look around me to see evidence of this: A 73-year-old researcher criss-crosses the globe to share his research on physical activity and health. A 75-year-old (and holding) friend volunteers in her church and maintains a schedule that would exhaust most of us. A friend’s Dad who is 81 is still involved in a medical practice.

And a 93-year-old friend of the Arnold School insisted on walking the three-plus blocks to the car that had taken her to lunch. Her sharp wit is evident in her discussion of current events, and despite some vision loss she doesn’t miss a beat!

The Office for the Study of Aging at the Arnold School maintains the most current statistics on aging and health in the Palmetto State. And one thing is certain: The number of active retirees and baby boomers constitutes a significant percentage of our population.

This month, “unleash the power of age,” and keep on moving!

Isla Garraway was working on her doctoral degree in 1994 when she learned that her father, Dr. Michael Garraway, had a diagnosis of an aggressive form of prostate cancer. He lived long enough to walk his daughter down the aisle for her wedding and died in 1999.

Upon learning about her father’s disease, the dedicated daughter shifted her research focus to prostate cancer because she found little scientific literature to turn to for help. She put her heart into her studies, earned her medical and doctoral degrees and today is a a urologist at UCLA and the Greater Los Angeles-VA Medical Center and a research scientist at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC). Though she and her brother Dr. Levi Garraway of Harvard Medical School are working on different sides of the country, they are united in their commitment to find a cure for prostate cancer. Their father, a botany professor at Ohio State University, instilled the love of science in his children, and they are determined to make a difference in a cancer that claims the lives of too many men, including a disproportionate number of African-American men.

Dr. Garraway, who was the guest speaker for the sixth annual James E. Clyburn Health Disparities Lecture, said more research is needed to clarify who benefits from prostate cancer screening and early intervention. “The assumption has been that early detection saves lives, but the associated costs related to quality of life that many men with indolent disease are paying is not trivial,” she says.

“We need better studies that represent patients from diverse racial groups/ethnicities, as well as the spectrum of socioeconomic levels. We need to understand the impact of screening among diverse populations, then educate stakeholders (providers, patients, patient advocates, and communities),” she says. “It takes time to have a proper, informative discussion about prostate cancer in the context of an individual’s medical portfolio and personal priorities (related to quality versus quantity of life).”

In addition to having the evidence-based tools to provide accurate information, health care providers and physicians need time and resources to incorporate this shared-decision making model into their practices. “We also need communities to continue to be involved in outreach/education targeting fathers/sons/brothers,” she says.

The sibling scientists discuss their research endeavors constantly. The sister is quick to praise her brother for his “amazing ability to synthesize complex genetic information in order to devise strategies to shut down tumor cells via targeting combinations of oncogenic pathways.”

Her own research is focused on understanding how normal prostate cells are changed by cancer to enable invasion/metastasis. “Because I am on the front line of treating prostate cancer patients in the clinic, I have the privilege of informing patients of clinical trials. Patient participation in clinical trials is an essential component to finding a cure and/or managing this disease appropriately,” she says.

In the past three years, major advances related to the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer (for which there is no cure) have occurred. “Four new drugs are available to treat recurrences and prevent some of the devastating complications that result from the spread of prostate cancer to the bones,” she says.

“It is an absolute privilege to treat patients and perform research in prostate cancer. This disease literally changed the course of my life, and progress toward a cure has become a great passion,” she says. “I hope to convey my perspective on the many factors that are associated with the persistence of disparities in prostate cancer and how a multidisciplinary approach is needed to determine screening/treatment practices and adequately characterize/classify tumor biology.”

Her family’s own devastating experience with prostate cancer is the cornerstone for life’s work. “I feel connected to every patient whom I treat and strive to reduce their pain and suffering to the best of my ability.”

Visit http://www.sph.sc.edu/health_disparities/default.htm to view the lecture.

The statistics are startling to many people:
17 million: The number of children in the United States who are food-insecure, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
1 in 6 of U.S. population: The number of people who are hungry in our nation.
30 percent: The number of U.S. households with seniors reporting that they have had to choose between food and medical care. Some 35 percent have had to choose between food and paying for heat/utilities.
90,000 children and adults: The number of people in South Carolina who are food insecure.
3.5 million: The number of children worldwide who die each year from malnutrition and related causes.

And if you think these numbers are terrible, there are others that are just as bad or worse. Hunger in America is very real, and the impact on families and children is devastating.

Dr. Mariana Chilton of Drexel University was the featured guest speaker this year for the symposium, “Healthy Eating in Context: Bridging Gaps, Linking Communities,” sponsored by the Arnold School’s Center for Research on Nutrition and Health Disparities and USC’s Environment and Sustainability Program.

Director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities, Dr. Chilton delivered a sobering account of hunger in the United States and showcased a program, “Witnesses to Hunger,” that is spreading the message of food insecurity to community, state and national leaders and policymakers.

“Hunger in America is a major public health problem, a silent public health problem,” she said when visiting USC.

In 2008, Dr. Chilton merged her academic experiences in anthropology, epidemiology and folklore to delve into the problem of food insecurity among people living in Philadelphia. Caregivers of young children were given digital cameras to record their experiences with food insecurity. Their photos lay the foundation for Dr. Chilton’s work, which now comprises “Witnesses to Hunger,” which has expanded to Boston, Mass., and Baltimore, Md., and “Children’s HealthWatch,” a study that monitors the health and well-being of children under age 4 in Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore, as well as Little Rock, Ark., and Minneapolis, Minn.

Today, the “Witnesses to Hunger” program relies on the real experts to inform policymakers and community leaders about their challenges and to advocate for changes to end hunger and poverty.

The Arnold School’s Center on Nutrition and Health Disparities has about 60 affiliated scholars who study many issues related to diet and nutrition, including food insecurity.

The importance of the work to end hunger that is being done by scholars, public health professionals, community programs, governmental agencies, health care providers and others is critical. As one of the real-life witnesses to hunger said, “There is nothing on this earth sadder than not being able to feed your child.”

Visit http://www.centerforhungerfreecommunities.org/ to learn more about the Center for Hunger-Free Communities.

For information on the Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, visit http://nutritioncenter.sph.sc.edu/.

There are too many witnesses to hunger.

A study by Arnold School researcher Dr. Roger Newman-Norlund continues to interest the national media.

Dr. Newman-Norlund was interviewed Wednesday, Feb. 19, on the CBS Morning Show by Charlie Rose and Gail King about his study that compared brain scans of a group of 12 Democrats and Republicans prior to the 2012 election.

And the differences between the individuals who consider themselves to be in one party or the other may be more difficult to explain than we surmised. That’s because the brains of self-identified Democrats and Republicans are hard-wired differently and may be naturally inclined to hold varying, if not opposing, perceptions and values. The study, which analyzed MRI scans of 24 USC students, builds on existing research in the emerging field of political neuroscience.

In the interview, Dr. Newman-Norland said, “Generally speaking, Democrats tend to value the connections they have with their friends and with the world, so think Facebook and the world around you.

“And Republicans tend to place more value on the social connections they have with their family and the nation.”

To know more, visit http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57570230/politically-predetermined-your-brain-on-politics.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the Arnold School is honoring Dr. Elaine Frank during this week’s South Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Convention at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

Dr. Frank, who led the department from 1999 – 2012, is retiring, but she leaves a remarkable legacy on her field of study, the department, the Arnold School and USC. She is well-known for her research on traumatic brain injury, neurogenic language disorders, Huntington’s Disease and dementia and language. And she also leaves a legacy of developing new scholars in the field of communication sciences and on the education of speech-language pathologists and audiologists who are working throughout our state and nation.

The department is one of the largest in the Southeast and has a reputation of quality graduates. Few departments on our campus — or those of other universities throughout the nation — have this claim: 100 percent placement of graduates!

I got to know Dr. Frank when I came to work at USC more than 20 years ago. I’ve seen the department grow, including the establishment of its cochlear implant program for childrena and adults who have profound hearing loss. I’ve seen the important research and outreach programs that serve people who have had strokes and children who stutter or need assistance with speech development.

Dr. Frank, who joined the faculty of USC’s Arnold School of Public Health in 1991 as an assistant professor, served as chair of the department from 1999 – 2012. She is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has served the Arnold School, the University and professional organizations in leadership positions. And like so many other women, she has juggled work responsibilities with the roles of wife, mother and grandmother. I feel weary thinking of all that she has done and continues to do!

This year, 12 faculty members from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, including the department’s new chair Dr. Kenn Apel, are presenting their research at the conference, which is attracting nearly 1,000 speech-language pathologists and audiologists from South Carolina and the Southeast — and, no doubt, many of these are Carolina graduates.

Dr. Frank will be missed by many, but her remarkable influence will be felt for many years to come.

She has expressed her desire to spent time traveling with her husband Dr. Robert Frank and to continue her hobby in geneaology. And what she doesn’t know is that I’m likely to be giving her a call, too, because both of us have found ancestors on the Mayflower.

Enjoy your new-found freedom, Dr. Frank, but don’t forget us!

My Dad is 88 years old today.

This birthday is bittersweet. Last year on December 10, my Dad was driving, ambulatory (though moving around with a walker) and still living alone at home. He attended church, was a volunteer with the community fire department, took water aerobics classes and worked out regularly at the gym, though I suspect that he was engaged more in conversation than in fitness. I knew that his memory was failing, but he could still regale us with stories about growing up during the Great Depression and his colorful family and their adventures.

Today, my Dad – who worked for the U.S. Public Health Service before becoming a dentist — is completely bedridden, unable to do anything for himself. He has dementia, and he has good days and bad days in terms of his memory. He couldn’t come home for Thanksgiving, nor will he be able to spend Christmas with us.

Although his health was declining, the pace advanced when he developed heart problems during the first night of a cruise in January – the folly of which I will not discuss here. He spent more than 10 days at a hospital in Miami, and my sister and I flew to be with him and stayed through two surgeries.

Since January, he has had three more extended hospital stays. He went from recuperating at home after the hospitalization in Miami to moving to an assisted living facility. But a fall in May led to his move to the nursing home.

My sister and I are fortunate that he can afford to stay at a facility where he is receiving good care.

But for many elderly people throughout the United States, their fate is more uncertain, as an article in this month’s AARP Bulletin for South Carolina highlights. Many elderly adults end up in situations where they are being neglected or taken advantage of by family members or others. The Department of Social Services is the responsible agency for removing vulnerable adults, no matter their age, from living conditions that pose health or safety risks.

Since 2011, the Vulnerable Adult Guardian ad Litem program, administered through the Arnold School’s Office for the Study of Aging, has provided advocates who go to the court proceedings that determine whether the vulnerable adult can go back to the life they had with their caregiver, can live independently or should live somewhere else, perhaps with another family member or in a residential home.

This pilot program is in 15 counties in South Carolina, but will be discontinued in June 2013 if funding is not continued.

Maria Patton, the S.C. Vulnerable Adult Guardian ad Litem director, said the program is valuable because of the advocacy work that is done on behalf of each individual. “Each case is different, and the guardian is able to understand each person’s specific needs and advocate for him or her.”

The need for this service will grow because people are living longer. “As people live into their 80s and 90s, they become even more vulnerable. Their risk for dementia or other illnesses increases, and their need for care increases. This program has helped many people and their families already, and it will become more critical as our population ages.”

Families are torn with the care they can provide, and even those with the best intentions may not be able to provide all the care that a loved one requires.

When my Dad’s health problems became so great that he could no longer live in an assisted living facility, it was the doctors who told us that he would have to go to a nursing home. Even before his decline, I asked Dad what he would want us to do if he could no longer take care of himself. I knew that the dementia probably would worsen. “I will not go to a nursing home. And you can’t make me,” he said, though he offered no solutions, either.

Families need to talk about their loved ones’ health matters and plans, even involving them when they can. But when the situations become more desperate, the S.C Vulnerable Adult Guardian ad Litem program is providing a vital service that we have not had in our state. It is a great example of the outreach that the Arnold School is doing throughout South Carolina, and it would be a shame to lose this lifeline for adults.

Visit http://bit.ly/AARP-SC-guardian to learn more about the program and the Arnold School’s involvement.

It was a story this past week that shocked people across the United States: Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins and then committed suicide in the parking lot of the team’s practice facility.

The couple had a daughter Zoey, 3 months old, who is now in the care of a grandmother.

The deaths have sparked new talks on topics ranging from relationship violence to the problem of guns in our society. There are no easy answers or solutions to these problems.

This week, Kansas City Chiefs officials acknowledged that the couple had problems. The organization said it had arranged for counseling for the couple. But in such an emotionally-charged situation, can coouple’s counseling work?

Dr. Deborah Billings of the Arnold School of Public Health said the high-profile case brings attention to the domestic abuse and violence, a national and international public health problem. Dr. Billings, who studies relationship violence, expressed the sentiment of many advocates for battered women: Couples’ counseling rarely works. “Domestic violence is about power and control. Thie problems cannot be resolved through conversation.”

Although every relationship is different and has its own dynamics, keeping the individuals safe usually requires the woman leaving the home. Steps have to be taken to protect her, and even then there are no guarantees. Too many women have been killed in places outside their homes, including work sites or the homes of other family members.

“This goes beyond the traditional disagreements among partners. Women living in volatile relationships need to find a secure place to live. Either she leaves, or he leaves, and gets to a safe place,” Dr. Billings said.

The deaths of a talented NFL player and a young mother give us the opportunity to end the silence about domestic abuse and to realize that education and prevention are key to halting violence.

This is not the first time that an NFL player has been involved in an act of domestic violence. Sadly, it probably won’t be the last. Closer to home, South Carolina ranks 2nd in the number of women killed by men. Most women who were klled by their partners, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, husbands or ex-husbands or estranged husbands, were killed by handguns. The Palmetto State is all too familiar with this problem.

But the visibility of these deaths gives a powerful organization an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other women and their families. A campaign against domestic abuse from the NFL could have an impact not only on adults but also on young people who experience relationship violence. Putting an end to the public health crisis will require many people on many levels.

It’s time to end the silence. It’s time to take action.

For one man, it was simply the right thing to do. But the story of his compassion has gone viral and is reminding all of us about the simple joy of giving.

On Nov. 14, a cold night in New York’s Time Square, NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo saw a homeless man without shoes or socks. He knelt down, talked to the man and learned that he had nothing for his feet. He didn’t suggest that the man find a homeless shelter. He didn’t tell him to move off the sidewalk. DePrimo went into a nearby store, bought a pair of boots and some socks for the homeless man, who has yet to be identified. The sales clerk offered DePrimo his own employee discount. Jennifer Foster of Arizona, whose own father was a police officer, took the photograph, sent it to the NYPD — and the rest is news and holiday history.

DePrimo’s story has touched hearts throughout the United States and is a gentle reminder that even the simplest gifts really are much more.

Over the years, faculty, staff and students have generously reached out to the Midlands community to help people in need. And It’s not too late to participate in an annual tradition that has made a difference in the lives of numerous families.

This year, the Arnold School is helping a family of six — a 2-year-old boy; girls, ages 6, 8 and 11; a 28-year-old femaie, and a male, age 36. We don’t know their specific story. What connects them to us is their need at a time when most of us will celebrate the season without want or hardship.

An extraordinary holiday for this family is simple: You can donate a gift (new), gift cards and/or cash. Items are being collected in the Office of Student Services (HESC 112) through Friday, Dec. 7.

Simply provide gift receipts and a note describing selected recipient (i.e. male, age 2, shirt). Gifts do not have to be wrapped upon delivery. Elves from the Dean’s Student Advisory Council will wrap gifts — and said elves will appreciate all contributions of extra wrapping supplies.

To sign up to contribute a specific gift, visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B094FAFAF28A75-asph.

And the DSAC elves are seeking holiday helpers on Friday, Dec. 7, from 1 – 5 p.m. Join them in the Dean’s conference room of HESC to put your wrapping skills to use.

Underneath the paper, tape and bow is joy and a reminder to that, as Officer DePrimo said, “some people have it worse.”

Over the river and through the woods … If you’re traveling during the holidays, pack the hand sanitizer.

And not just because it’s cold and flu season.

For travelers taking to the air throughout the holiday season, your seat mate could be Serratia Plymuthica. Or Brevundimonas diminuth or Enterobacter asburiae. Klebsiella might be near your hand on the tray table.

These are not passengers with exotic names. These are the names of bacteria found on two airplanes when a reporter from a CBS-TV affiliate serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area took random swabs of seats, tray tables and doors. Some of these are found in our gut. Need we say more? Klebsiella is associated with several diseases, particularly pneumonia, and some scientists fear it could become the next “superbug.”

I know that if we really thought about the germs all around us that we probably would appear as crazed as the late millionaire Howard Hughes whose obsession with germs is legendary. But you don’t have to be obsessed or irrational to realize that bacteria and viruses are traveling alongside you wherever you go. And some of them would be unwelcome anywhere!

So, pack the hats and gloves and gifts. But put the hand sanitizer in your pocket and purse! And don’t forget to use it. It could be your best health friend this holiday season.

Visit http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/11/19/cbs-11-investigates-how-dirty-is-your-plane/ to read more about your seat “mates.”