CITIZEN Est. 1988 Covering Snellville, Lawrenceville, Grayson, Loganville
Vol. 30 No. 7
Going to the park page 4
.COM
So u t h
gwinnett FREE
MAY 2018
www.gwinnettcitizen.com
Joint Efforts—Eastside’s Joint Destinations Gets Visit From Golfer Fred Funk By Tiffany Brix GwinenttCitizen.com
200 years of Snellville history page 11
Getting older is a pain, and that pain seems to start earlier and earlier for more people. Chronic pain is the quickest way to lose your quality of life. Some chronic pain is challenging to address, but other sources of pain are more apparent and have clear options for those who suffer to get their lives back. Knee and hip replacements are among those clear options. Whether you are a professional athlete like Fred Funk, wanting to play with your grandkids, or merely want to walk through the grocery store without shooting pain, a complete joint replacement could be a viable option to make that come true. Fred Funk Shares His Experience
Fred Funk’s experience is an example of waiting too long to undergo knee Photo By Emmett Clower replacement surgery, and he will admit that. While in town for the Mitsubishi Fred Funk sharing his story and words of encouragement with knee and hip replacement patients at Eastside’s Joint
See JOINT on Page 24
Checking under hood page 18
Healthcare in the 1980’s Teenage Stress, Anxiety & Depression and Beyond By Carol Wood CEO, Total Learning Concepts
Good luck girls! page 29
Citizen Connection Picture Perfect Road Runner Health & wellness
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Georgia Gwinnett College
By Katie Hart Smith GwinnettCitizen.com
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Destination. Therapy begins several hours after surgery.
On April 11, 2018, I had the honor of participating on Georgia Gwinnett College’s School of Health Sciences panel discussion titled, “Healthcare in the 80’s and Beyond,” at the Button Gwinnett Day Celebration. Fellow panelists included Dr. Lloyd Hofer, Medical Director of Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale Public Health, Dr. Greg Lang, Executive Director, Good Samaritan Clinic, and Pamela Garland, Chief Nursing Officer, Gwinnett Medical Center. After the session, attendees shared how much
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they appreciated the information and were enlightened. Passionate about healthcare, past, present, and future, I’ll relay just a few of my observations, thoughts, and provide a high-level overview of the evolution of healthcare in our community and country. Gwinnett County is the second largest county in Georgia by population. According to the U.S. Census in 1980, the population was 167,000. In 2017, the county’s population exploded to 920,000 residents. This is an increase of 753,000 people in thirty-seven years - an estimated average of approximately
See HEALTH on page 34
With final exams and the end of the school year approaching, stress is real for many students! As an educational professional, I have consulted and worked with many teenage students who are trying to cope with stress and anxiety. I am saddened each time to learn about their struggles and feel propelled to help. Teenagers are not immune from stress and anxiety. Just because they are young and somewhat carefree, they still face stress from outside factors and from within themselves. If not controlled, their stress and anxiety may turn into depression. I believe that teenagers may be more prone to anxiety and depression because they do not understand what they are feeling and have likely not been taught any significant coping skills yet. These feelings are new for them, unlike for most adults as we have worked through these feelings throughout our life experiences. Therefore, it is important that as adults in their lives; whether we are their parent, teacher, coach, relative, or neighbor; we pay attention to their behaviors, know when to recognize there is a problem and then take steps to help them get these feelings
Carol Wood
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under control. Eventually, if anxiety and stress are not brought under control and managed in a young person’s life, he or she may succumb to depression. What causes this anxiety and how can it be lessened? Following are a few answers that I have learned throughout my career as a teacher and educational consultant. There are two ways that anxiety can be triggered; externally and internally. External anxiety is caused by something real in a student’s life;
See
TEENS on page 33