ACC Conference

Upon arriving at the American College Of Cardiologists conference at 8 am on Monday, I felt that I had entered an alternate world. I was like being at the boat show my dad use to always get so excited about, but instead of boats, tobacco ads and people in faded jeans, there were well dressed doctors and all sorts of devices that shocked you. I navigated my way through flocks of doctors in the enormous building to the late-breaking clinical trials session. I inconspicuously sat down and began to try to make heads and tails of what was being discussed. Thanks to Dr. Murrow and a little bit of preparation, I was able to follow the presentations, which, I thought to my surprise, were pretty interesting. I was able to pick out which issues I thought were most relevant to North GA, and eager to make it down to the press conference.

The novelty of the press conference was exciting. I had never been to one before, and I liked the energy and buzz. I caught glimpses of my possible future - somewhat frightening. All in all, it seemed like a pretty good gig for those asking pointed questions and hacking away at laptops.

Hanging around reporters is always interesting. If you talk to several in a day, you pick up on the differences in their technique and style of reporting. As with the "When Veterans Come Home" conference that I attended at the beginning of the semester, I found the reporters to be open and encouraging in talking with us novices. Of course I became a little anxious when one told me that she had just worked a 20 hour day, but I guess that's just what you have to do.

I was very impressed by the grandiosity of the conference, especially the product expo. These people are, after all, responsible for our central life-serving mechanism. I was very entertained by people connected to various wires writhing and convulsing on a table and being watched by curious onlooking cardiologists. I hoped I would never have to be hooked up to one of those.

Although I was a little overwhelmed, I found the conference to be a very conducive atmosphere for an aspiring journalist. The docs were eager to talk about their research and expected to be interviewed. In the commotion of the press conference, I found it easy to forget my gumshoe inhibitions and walk up to someone, stick a recorder in their face and start asking questions. That's what everyone else was doing.

I was most interested in the quality of care talks and posters. That seems to be most applicable to my county and audience. If you are not well educated about heart disease and prevention, all of the stents and statins are unlikely to help you very much.

Even after one day, I began to feel a little credibility. Like Woody Allen said, "80% of life is just showing up." Well, I guess there is this article I have to turn in too.

Continuing on the Jackson County Beat

I recently attended a community meeting in Jefferson regarding the expansion of the Dahlberg electrical power plant. A memo was sent out by Greenlaw, a Georgia environmental law group, stating that the environmental impact of the construction of four new turbines at the Dahlberg site was underestimated in the original assessment. Pollutants such as formaldehyde and NOx released by electrical power plants often have serious effects on the health of people who live near the plants.

I went to the meeting expecting a heated debate with concerned citizens, but it was actually quite calm and not very well attended. Several people commented that they were in favor of the proposed expansion because of the positive impact it would have on the struggling local economy. A representative from Southern Company stated that the construction phase would create around 150 jobs, and that when completed, the addition will require 2 or 3 full-time workers. I learned something interesting, which is that small power plants like these only run about 13 days per year. I am wondering why, if that is the case, that the facility needs four new turbines.

Only one person spoke of their concern about the health and environmental repercussions of the power plant. So either the Greenlaw memo overstates the public's concern, or the people just did not show up.

It was an interesting interviewing experience because the people from the EPA and the media relations representative from Southern Company were eager to talk. The Southern Power rep was quick to state that the company pays 1.9 million dollars per year in taxes to the county. He also said that people were more concerned about jobs than the consequences of the power plant. I began to wonder if I was being manipulated a bit. He actually called what I was doing "advocacy journalism".

Hopefully I can untangle this for my next story. It is well documented that power plants do lead to enduring health consequences for the communities that live near them.

First Week on the Job

Trying to figure out the mechanics of a county health system is a hard job. There are many different layers and issues. Like many of the counties that we discussed in class, Jackson residents seem to head to Athens to get much of their health care.

Th county is not very diverse as far as race. The extension agent said plainly, "Jackson is very white." However, there are disparities in health indicators and health care among the minority groups. The diversity lies in the geography and economy. Jefferson, the county seat, is small and surrounded by horse farms, cattle land and small poultry farms. The towns closer to I-85 have a different feel. More suburbanized. Wanda Mcklocklin, the 4-H director, told me that many kids from areas like Brasselton didn't even know of Jefferson. They are more tied in with the Atlanta suburban economy.

A big obvious issue seems to be teen pregnancy. She told me, mistakenly according to stats, that Jackson had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state. Although not true according to fact, it is high and is something on the mind of the public. They also have a very high drop-out rate, which is probably connected to teen pregnancy. I will be attending a meeting on Thursday by a group called Parent Connection, and will hopefully learn more about this and hear some first-hand accounts. I read several journal articles talking about the success of early prevention programs in preventing high-risk behavior such as teen pregnancy. Jackson does not have an early prevention program called Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP). I will be interested to find out what the schools are doing.