Health Matters 2020

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

2020 HEALTH MATTERS

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HEALTH 2020 MATTERS

s r e tt a M h t l a e Inside Hng immunity and resilience Buildi he pandemic B6 during t ke in o r t s f o s ptom m y s e h t Know dults B7 young a lth a e h y t i n mu ur o How com y t fi e n e B8 centers bnity commu

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

2020 HEALTH MATTERS

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Fighting ba�� together Breast cancer support group members lift each other up through all stages of diagnosis, treatment, recovery Story by Shelbie Goulding I Photos by Micah Green

2020 HEALTH MATTERS

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After joining a faithbased support group, three women with different backgrounds and interests came together with one strong common denominator: breast cancer.

Faith Strong Breasties Support Group in Sumter was a game-changer for these three women.

Each of them is in a different stage in their diagnosis, but they understand what one another is going through because they have been there or are there.

Whether it’s guidance, strength or hope they’re looking for, their Breastie is there for them, and the following women are considered a metavivor (Stage IV Metastatic breast cancer), a thriver (currently going through treatment) and a survivor (in remission) who agreed that crossing paths kept them strong and fighting throughout their journeys.

METAVIVOR

Not only is Tamekia Hunter Ross the creator

when something doesn’t feel right. It was her own body that told her something was wrong the second time around because she felt she aged from 44 to 100 overnight.

“People need to know they have to be their own advocate, ask for certain tests, ask to get an MRI done, ask to have a PET scan done … you don’t need to have a reason for them to those things if you know there’s something wrong,” she said.

Doctors have told her that Stage IV is uncurable, but Ross keeps her faith strong and calls herself a metavivor because she’ll never stop fighting.

According to Ross, the fight is not based on sight but faith, and that’s why she and her fellow thrivers continue to fight every day.

Survivors even fight beyond their diagnosis because it’s never for certain if they’re free of cancer, Ross said. She thought she was free of cancer after her first diagnosis, but it came back

Suzette Porter of the spiritual, faithbased support group, but she’s an advocate for her fellow survivors, thrivers and metavivors.

“A majority of the women in the Sumter, Columbia and Florence area that’s a part of my group, the majority of them are minorities, and minorities have the highest rate of breast cancer as well as the highest death rate,” Ross said.

“Cancer is cancer, but the only difference is that when you are a metavivor, this is ongoing for you. … We are fighting 365 days a year.”

The 46-year-old was diagnosed a second time with Stage IV Metastatic breast cancer about two years ago.

Before she was personally affected by cancer, it was first introduced to her family in the late ‘70s when her grandfather was one of the first Black men to be diagnosed with breast cancer in South Carolina. Ross then lost her three uncles and her own father to cancer in the 2010s.

Eight months after her father passed, she was diagnosed in April 2015 with Stage I DCIS breast cancer.

Ross defined the diagnosis as an emotional shock because she tested to see if the cancer was genetic, but she didn’t carry the family’s cancer gene. She was the 1% that could get it, according to doctors, and she had a lot of health issues playing a part, as well.

“There were so many things that played a factor that increased my chance for the diagnosis,” Ross said. “Women need to know it’s not always genetic. It’s not always a lump in your breast.”

Ross learned over time that things like obesity, birth control and more can damage the body and increase the risks of getting breast cancer.

After getting diagnosed a second time, she learned that women need to understand their bodies and speak up

came back normal, but the pain continued to worsen in her chest. Two weeks later, she had a second test done that revealed the lump was indeed breast cancer.

She underwent several treatments for months that ended up working, but she’s currently undergoing treatments again after the cancer returned 10 months later in her other breast.

“Again, I had to do the chemo first,” Henry said.

“Then I did surgery … radiation … currently I’m still on chemo.”

Henry said the second diagnosis was not new.

She was simply starting over with triple negative cancer, which she said is an aggressive type of breast cancer. The only difference this time around is the support system she has. They have helped her find better medical care, results and a strong sense of faith to keep her fighting.

The mother of three said she has a supportive family behind her throughout her journey,

Tamekia Hunter Ross three years later.

“Just that quick, things can change, and that’s something always in the back of a survivor’s mind,” Ross said.

“There’s the mental and emotional part of it that you never get over.”

Now, she does treatment every three weeks to keep the cancer stabilized, but she does it all with a positive attitude and a smile on her face for her fellow Breasties who have been her “day ones” since she started the faith-based support group.

Ross’s husband and two children have always been by her side, but she said her girls are an asset that keep her going especially strong in this journey.

“They cannot understand or relate to everything I’m going through,” Ross said about her family. “But my Breasties can, and my Breasties have been my rock when I need to vent.”

From radiation treatments and side effects to chemotherapy and pains, having another breast cancer thriver, survivor or metavivor by your side is key to making it through the battle, Ross said.

“Even though we all have different journeys, the one thing we have in common is something we never thought we’d ever hear,” Ross said. “It’s the doctor telling us we were diagnosed with breast cancer. That’s our common denominator that brings us together.”

THRIVER

From one diagnosis to another, 52-year-old Rachel Davis Henry has been fighting her breast cancer battle since 2017.

After a trip to the emergency room three years ago, doctors couldn’t tell Henry whether it was breast cancer. They only said she had a lump in her right breast that needed to be checked out by her primary care doctor.

Henry then had a mammogram done that

but Henry said they can only help with so much.

It is her Breasties who cheer her on with each step she takes through the treatments, pain and hardship.

“Without having the spiritual being of being able to mentally deal with this, you’re not going to make it,” Henry said. “It’s hard, period, but knowing you have the support behind you and you’ve got somebody there that has been through it and can walk with you and take you through it, it is very helpful.”

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

SURVIVOR

Though her journey was short, Suzette Porter had a difficult road to recovery in less than a year.

The 43-year-old rung the bell on Oct. 16 after completing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation in a span of 10 months; and all during a pandemic.

“It was definitely a journey,” Porter said.

“I found a lump myself November of last year, and I have been back and forth to a few doctors. I wasn’t happy with what I was being told.”

Doctors kept telling her it was a cyst, but Porter knew her body was telling her something else was wrong. It wasn’t until she asked someone to drain it that doctors conducted a biopsy, which showed it was more than a cyst.

“They found that my tumor was incased around two cysts,” Porter said.

The single mother of two started doing treatments in Sumter, but

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a monitor and talked with her family, friends and Breasties virtually throughout the year. Her support group members even dropped off necessities for her family when she was stuck in isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Dealing with COVID and making sure our precautions were up and that we were good traveling back and forth from doctor appointments, it was rough, but I think they made it easy for me,” Porter said. “Once we got in a routine, it was fine.”

Porter considered the process rough but a blessing. She met many people along the way who guided her down the right path, and her support system had her back every day until she rang that victory bell.

“I know I would not have been able to do any of this without them,” Porter said. “I thank God every day. I don’t know how I made it through this, and I look at other people’s situations and I

Rachel Davis Henry her recovery or finances weren’t going well. It wasn’t until Porter discovered the local faithbased support group when she started seeing results in her recovery, even with the support not being in person.

“It was very difficult.

You have a support system, but you still couldn’t interact with people that much,” Porter said.

“Because my immune system was really weak, I couldn’t have people come around.”

Porter said she spent most of her time speaking with caretakers on

dare not complain about anything when they’re going through far more than what I could have imagined.”

Porter said she’ll never complain about a bad day again because she thinks that would be dishonoring others still going through treatments or diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer.

“If I do get a pain or I do get an ache or I’m not feeling good, I look at the ones who keep a smile on their face,” Porter said.

“They do this on a regular basis.”

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2020 HEALTH MATTERS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

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2020 HEALTH MATTERS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020

THE SUMTER ITEM

7 do’s and don’ts to help build immunity and resilience during the pandemic

BY LESLIE JUSTICE, DNP, PMHCNS-BC, CARN-AP, APRN Director of Behavioral Health Counseling Services, Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist Tandem Health According to the chair of the American Psychiatric Association Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic categorized differently than a tornado, hurricane or episode of mass violence. All of these events are distressing, but the pandemic is unique, and people are experiencing JUSTICE it in different ways. Many people feel unsafe and uncertain, stressed, and this makes it more difficult to make plans for the future.

From June 20–24, according to a web-based study, 5,470 adults age 18 and older in the United States were given questionnaires to survey and assess whether they had symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorders as well as a scale that surveyed trauma and stress disorder symptoms. They also were asked if they had increased substance use or thoughts of suicide as a way to cope with emotions related to the stress of the pandemic and 40.9% reported symptoms of at least one adverse mental health condition that included depression, anxiety and increased used of substances. One out of four respondents reported trauma symptoms and stress-related disorders to include posttraumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder and acute stress disorder related to the pandemic. The percentage of those who reported suicidal thoughts was higher among those people age 18-24, minority groups, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers. When compared to similar surveys conducted in 2019, the occurrence of anxiety symptoms was three times higher in 2020 and depression was four times higher. Collaborating researchers from several universities in Australia and the United States conducted this study.

Researchers point out that as the pandemic continues and disasters such as the financial crisis, social unrest and people who had less access to resources before the pandemic, people will have more stress as these disasters collide. Friends, family, health care workers, first responders and fellow Sumterites, there are things we can do to help get us through this crisis. Leaders must emerge. Not just elected officials or high public offices or anyone with an official title.

How: The

Be the leader in your community or circle of friends. Here are seven “do’s and don’ts” to help us build immunity (the body’s ability to fight off bacteria and viruses) and resilience (the capacity to quickly recover from difficulties).

DO’S

1. Choose your words carefully and mindfully.

2. Model kindness and acknowledge the feelings that others have of what they are experiencing.

3. Wash your hands frequently, and honor social distancing recommendations.

4. Wear a mask, keep your mask clean, wash it frequently, and change disposable masks once that are soiled.

5. Eat a healthy diet to include balanced amounts of proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.

6. Practice good sleep hygiene. Stress and depression are known to slow down and lower the immune system.

7. Exercise regularly. Try walking in the sun outdoors at least 30 minutes per day to reduce stress and improve the immune system’s regulation.

DON’TS

1. Do not stay indoors during quarantine or social distancing. Outdoor activities have taken a hit during the pandemic, which has led to limited exposure to the sun. Frequent use of hand sanitizers and masks can allow you to step out of your home.

2. Do not smoke, vape or consume tobacco products. Yes, this does include chewing tobacco and dipping snuff or smokeless tobacco products. Smoking is known to impair the immune system. Health experts have reported that smokers are at a high risk for COVID-19 infections. Now is the perfect time to quit. 1-800-SCQuitNow (call for free help quitting).

3. Do not go to work if you do not feel well. Give yourself time to recover completely.

4. Drink water, not alcohol. Being hydrated is essential for strong immunity, concentration and fighting fatigue. It also helps move mucus that restricts germs from spreading into healthy cells. Alcohol consumption can decrease immunity as the gut regulates how and if we digest and absorb nutrients from what we eat.

5. Do not avoid getting health care because of fear of going to medical offices or places for diagnostics. Continue preventive healt care measures.

6. Do not skip your flu shot.

7. Do not spend your free time with excessive social media and 24/7 news. This can affect your sleep, increase stress and raise cortisol levels that affect immunity.

germs spread & what handwashing can do to prevent it importance of handwashing was never more apparent than in 2020. As the world spent much of 2020 confronting the COVID-19 virus, public health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Public Health Agency of Canada noted the importance of handwashing. There’s no denying the role that clean hands can play in stopping the spread of various illnesses, including respiratory viruses like COVID-19. But what exactly is the relationship between clean hands and germs? According to the CDC, germs can spread from other people and surfaces when people: • touch their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; • prepare and/or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands; • touch contaminated surfaces or objects; and • blow their noses, cough or sneeze into their hands and then touch other people’s hands or common objects before washing their hands.

While the CDC acknowledges that COVID-19 is believed to spread less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces than it does through close contact with infected persons, it’s still possible to get the virus in this way. So it’s vital that people wash their hands after touching potentially contaminated surfaces, such as grocery carts, door handles at restaurants or stores or other surfaces that may have been touched by infected persons.

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AS STROKE RATES RISE AMONG YOUNGER ADULTS,

nearly 1 in 3 don’t know symptoms

BY AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Almost 30% of adults younger than 45 don’t know the five most common symptoms of a stroke, according to new research. At the same time, stroke is on the rise in that age group.

Each year, 10% to 15% of the nearly 795,000 people in the United States who have a stroke are between the ages of 18 and 45. And despite a decline in the general population, stroke rates – and hospitalizations for it – have increased by more than 40% among younger adults in the past several decades.

“While the medical community has made significant improvements to reduce the severity and complications of strokes with early interventions, these efforts are of limited value if patients do not recognize stroke symptoms,” study author Dr. Khurram Nasir said in a news release. He is chief of the division of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center in Texas. “Time is critical for treating stroke.

The earlier people recognize symptoms, the better their chances are to reduce long-term disability from stroke.”

In the new study published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, Nasir and his colleagues analyzed answers to a 2017 National Health Interview Survey from 9,844 people under age 45. Statistically, that represents 107.2 million younger adults in the U.S. population.

The survey asked several questions about stroke, including identifying five of the most common stroke symptoms, which were noted as: • Numbness of face/arm/ leg; • Confusion/trouble speaking; • Difficulty walking/dizziness/loss of balance; • Trouble seeing in one/ both eyes; and • Severe headache.

The researchers found about 3% of respondents, representing nearly 3 million younger adults, were not aware of any stroke symptom, and about 29% were not able to identify all five telltale signs.

Compared to non-Hispanic white people and those born in the U.S., Hispanic adults and adults not born in the U.S. were about twice as likely to be unaware of any of the common stroke symptoms. The survey also showed people with a high school diploma or lower education level were nearly three times as likely to be unaware of any stroke symptom compared to their young adult counterparts with higher education levels.

Respondents answered “yes” or “no” when asked if something was a common stroke symptom, which led to an overestimation of actual awareness rates, according to the authors.

Nasir said the findings

shed light on people and communities who already experience a disproportionate burden of stroke and heart disease risk factors, as well as reduced access to health care services.

“We hope that highlighting the continued impact of current health disparities may advance focused public health strategies and educational initiatives to increase awareness of and appropriate response to stroke symptoms,” he said.

The researchers also found that nearly 3% of young adults surveyed would not contact emergency medical services if they saw someone experiencing what they thought were stroke symptoms.

“That finding could be a matter of life and death,” Dr. Mitchell Elkind, an attending neurologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia

University Irving Medical Center in New York City, said in the news release.

He was not involved in the new study. “Calling 911 is critical because trained EMS personnel can start the care protocol en route to the hospital and have specialized teams standing by, ready at the hospital to administer the most appropriate treatment immediately.”

Elkind is president of the AHA, which promotes remembering the warning signs of a stroke through the acronym FAST: “F” for face drooping; “A” for arm weakness; “S” for speech difficulty; and “T” for time to call 911.

“With proper, timely medical attention, stroke is largely treatable,” Elkind

said. “The faster you are treated, the more likely you are to minimize the longterm effects of a stroke and even prevent death.”

If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart. org.

American Heart Association News covers heart disease, stroke and related health issues. Not all views expressed in American Heart Association News stories reflect the official position of the American Heart Association.

Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from

these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to the American Heart Association News.

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HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This does not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately.

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How community health centers benefit your community

BY HOLLY CHASE Director of Community Development, Tandem Health

Community Health Centers (CHCs), or Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), are consumer-driven and patient-centered organizations that serve as a comprehensive and costeffective primary health care option for America‘s most medically underserved communities. CHCs are nonprofit and assist patients who are confronted with financial, geographic, language, cultural and other barriers.

CHCs provide high-quality, affordable primary and preventive health care and often provide pharmaceutical and behavioral health services, as well.

CHCs increase access to health care and provide integrated services based on the unique needs of the communities they serve. Located in areas where care is needed, they improve access to care for millions of Americans regardless of the patient’s insurance status or inability to pay. Currently, over 1,400 health centers deliver care at over 14,500 sites in every state and territory.

CHCs serve as the medical and health care home for more than 30 million people nationwide – including 14 million people in poverty, 9 million children, 1.5 million homeless and over 400,000 veterans. In South Carolina, CHCs served over 410,000 South Carolinians in 2018 at 200 healthcare sites. The cost of care for these patients ranks among the lowest, and the inappropriate use of emergency rooms is reduced, which save taxpayer dollars.

National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is celebrating over 50 years of success in healthcare delivery across the US. Health centers started as a pilot project during President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. Today, they have compiled a significant record of success.

Health centers:

• Reduce health care costs and produce savings – on average, health centers save 24% per Medicaid patient when compared to other providers; • Increase access to timely primary care, helping to reduce costly, avoidable emergency department (ED) visits and hospital stays.

Treat patients for a fraction of the average cost of one emergency room visit; • Improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities among vulnerable populations; • Deliver a broad array of primary and preventive care services, including screening, diagnosis and management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, heart and lung disease, depression, cancer, substance use and HIV/AIDS; • Serve more than one in five Medicaid beneficiaries for less than 2% of the national Medicaid budget; and • Offer numerous enabling services such as transportation, translation, case management and health education in order to ensure their patients are receiving the care they need.

Another key to health centers’ accomplishments is patient involvement in

service delivery. Governing boards – the majority of whose members must be patients according to grant requirements – manage health center operations. Board members serve as community representatives and make decisions on services provided. Active patient management of health centers assures responsiveness to local needs and helps guarantee that health centers improve the quality of life for millions through improved access, cost-effective and high-quality care, reduction of health disparities, effective management of chronic illnesses and improved birth outcomes.

Health centers not only deliver good, quality care but also serve as critical economic engines helping to power local economies.

Community owned and operated businesses, health centers employ over 235,000 at about 14,000 health care sites across the nation. Every $1 in federal investment generates $5.13 in economic activity across South Carolina. In total, health centers in South Carolina deliver $855 million in economic activity.

In addition to primary care services, which contribute to a healthier local workforce, health centers provide a comprehensive range of services that promote economic and workforce development in the community and make a significant contribution to

the economic viability and growth in the community.

Local CHC Impact - Tandem Health, a local Community Health Center in Sumter County

Tandem Health provides comprehensive primary and preventive healthcare and social services to medically underserved individuals and families in Sumter County regardless of their ability to pay. Its patients not only get the care they need, but they are treated as individuals, with dignity and respect. This is what health care should be. The center’s mission is Tandem Health is a community-owned organization dedicated to building healthy communities by providing quality health care that is affordable and accessible with compassion and dignity for all people.

Tandem Health provides health care for patients of all ages and serves over 17,000 patients in Sumter County and the surrounding communities at five patient care sites.

At the main site at 1278 North Lafayette Drive, services offered include adult medicine, behavioral health and counseling and immunology. Tandem Health offers an on-site pharmacy with a convenient drive-through window. In addition to primary care services, Tandem Health provides a compre

hensive range of enabling services that promote access to care, well-being and economic and workforce development in the community, such as case management, diabetes education, substance use disorder, transportation, translators, medication assistance programs and more.

The largest patient care site is located at 370 S. Pike West. Tandem Health Obstetrics & Gynecology and Tandem Health Pediatrics are available at this site, as well as a second pharmacy.

This site offers full service

obstetrics, gynecology and midwifery care for women in all stages of life. Pediatric care for babies, toddlers, children and adolescents is also available at this site.

Tandem Health Family Medicine is located at 25 E. Clark St. in the Pinewood community. This site offers primary and pediatric care and serves over 1,200 patients in Pinewood.

Tandem Health Dental is located at 1105 N. Lafayette Drive, Suite C. The addition of dental services allows the center to expand the services offered to the patients and provide quality dental care for children and adults in a warm and friendly environment.

Tandem Health Family Medicine Sumter is located at 319 N. Main St. The residents in the family medicine residency program care for patients of all ages. The Family Medicine Residency Program is a collaboration with Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital, the UofSC School of Medicine and Tandem Health and was established in the fall of 2019.

For more information on Tandem Health and the services provided locally, please call (803)-774-4500 or visit www.tandemhealthsc.org.

If you live outside of Sumter County and would like to find a CHC in your area visit www.scphca.org or www. nachc.org.

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