Health Connect South Radio Archives

Health Connect South Radio on Midtown Business RadioX Spotlights the Sharing Spaces Program – Business RadioX

December 28, 2015 by angishields

ATLANTA, GA–(Marketwired – December 28, 2015) – On December 16, 2015, Health Connect South Radio welcomed to the studio Wende Parker with the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health and Mark Anderson with the Cobb County School District. Host CW Hall sat down with these guests to learn more about Sharing Spaces and Power Up for 30, programs under the Cobb 2020 Initiative.

The Cobb 2020 initiative, created and implemented by the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health under the direction of Dr. Jack Kennedy, aims to address a number of public health concerns that erode level of health and quality of life for many of the over 850,000 resident who live there. The Sharing Spaces program and Power Up for 30 program both aim to facilitate more physical activity among student-aged populations.

Childhood obesity is rising among young people at alarming rates. According to the American Heart Association, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. And excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood.

Wende Parker serves as the District Director of Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention for the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health. Parker works closely with Mark Anderson, Supervisor, Health & Physical Education with the Cobb County School District, to manage the Sharing Spaces and Power Up for 30 programs.

“The Sharing Spaces program seeks to partner with community organizations that have playgrounds, gyms, tracks and trails, giving area residents access to these resources, particularly young people,” explained Parker. “In this way, the community will see declines in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and others, and students enjoy academic performance upticks to boot.”

To learn more about these Cobb 2020 Initiative programs, listen to the entire interview on Health Connect South Radio.

About Health Connect South:

The mission of Health Connect South is to serve the health community as a sustainable platform for regional health collaborations. Through our collective work, we seek to broadly define and advance the Southeast’s role in the future of health. Serving as a gateway between health industry silos, we seek to provide unique and meaningful partnership opportunities in health. We will advance our mission by bringing together top-tier health leaders and innovators across disciplines to engage each other in collaborative conversations focused on meeting identified health needs through leveraging supporting ideas and institutions. Join host CW Hall every Tuesday at 9am Eastern to listen LIVE to Health Connect South RADIO.

About Business RadioX®:

Business RadioX® interviews dozens of innovative entrepreneurs and successful leaders each week. Its mission is to help local businesses Get the Word Out about the important work they’re doing for their market, their community, and their profession. With a pro-business slant and a long-form interview format, guests don’t have to worry about being ambushed or talking in “sound bites.” Guests have enough time to tell their whole story and to share their insights and experience without interruptions. Business RadioX® hosts are business professionals interviewing their peers, drilling down on the critical issues, and delivering practical information to an engaged business audience. Business topics that are frequently covered include: Law, Finance, Healthcare, Technology, Trade Shows, B2B Marketing, Venture Capital, Training and Development and other issues impacting the business community. For more information, visit: https://businessradiox.com.

KSU BrainLab

December 22, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

KSU BrainLab

00:00 /

KSU BrainLab

On this week’s episode we sat down with Steve Krontz, Director of Innovation at the KSU BrainLab, located in the Coles College of Business. They’re doing some remarkable work, using brain activity studies to analyze how individuals react to a logo, or a flavor, or a host of business-related stimuli. Additionally, Steve and his team have been developing technology that will enable thought-to-text and thought-to-command capabilities.

This means they will be able to empower individuals who have neurologic problems that inhibit muscular control/activity such that they are rendered unable to speak or communicate. With this soon-available technology, persons dealing with such problems will be able to interact with their environment and their caregivers.

Steve explained how the KSU BrainLab at Coles College of Business partners with businesses small and large to help them answer important questions that help them be more effective in their work. The college is actively seeking companies who are looking to address important questions with their help.

The KSU BrainLab at Coles College of Business website describes their work this way, “Part science lab and part technology incubator, at the BrainLab we work to align computer technology with the human neurological system. Through our research we create meaningful applications for brain-computer interfaces by studying how users respond to and control brain-based devices.”

It is rewarding to help bring awareness to innovative initiatives like the KSU BrainLab at Coles College of Business. I was surprised to learn that, as Steve explained, the ability to use thought to communicate as well as to interact with our environment is potentially less than 10 years away. Such technology could clearly have an extensive impact on a wide range of healthcare patients as well as business.

Special Guest:

Steve Krontz, Director Innovation, KSU BrainLab, Coles College of Business

BBA, Marketing, Kennesaw State University, Michael J. Coles College of Business
Founder, Krontz Media LLC
Executive Director/Solutions Architect, Big Eyed Fish Creative Consulting

Sharing Spaces Program

December 16, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Sharing Spaces Program

00:00 /

Cobb2020 — Wende Parker talks Sharing Spaces

Sharing Spaces Program

On this week’s episode we focused on how the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health is working to reduce rates of childhood obesity. The Sharing Spaces program and Power Up for 30 program both aim to facilitate more physical activity among our student-aged populations.

Childhood obesity is rising among our young people at alarming rates. The American Heart Association’s website explains: “Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. And excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood.”

On this week’s episode we focused on two more programs that are part of the Cobb 2020 initiative. Created and implemented by the Cobb Douglas Department of Public Health under the direction of Dr. Jack Kennedy, aims to address a number of public health concerns that erode level of health and quality of life for many of the over 850,000 resident who live there.

One key area of focus is childhood obesity among student aged residents of Cobb and Douglas Counties. Among the 29 public health programs that make up the Cobb2020 initiative are the Power Up for 30 and the Sharing Spaces programs. These are programs focused on getting young students moving more throughout their school day and beyond.

I sat down with District Director for Chronic Disease and Injury, Wende Parker, and Mark Anderson, Supervisor for Health and Phys Ed for the Cobb Co School District to learn more about how these programs work and the resources they’re hoping to identify in the community.

The sharing spaces program seeks to partner with community organizations that have playgrounds, gyms, tracks, and trails, giving area residents access to these resources, particularly young people.

In this way, the community will see declines in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and others, and students enjoy academic performance upticks to boot.

Special Guests:

Wende Parker, District Director of Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention, Cobb-Douglas Dept. of Public Health

BS Exercise Science, Community Health, University of Southern Mississippi
Previous Program Manager, Child Fatality Review, Eastern GA, State of Georgia Office of the Child Advocate

Mark Anderson, Supervisor, Health & Physical Education, Cobb County School District

AirWatch by VM Ware

December 4, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

AirWatch by VM Ware

00:00 /

AirWatch by VM Ware

On this week’s episode we sat down with Aamir Siddiqi, the Executive Director for Enterprise Sales, Healthcare, for AirWatch by VM Ware. AirWatch is known as an industry leader and innovator in the mobile enterprise security and services space.

The rise and evolution of mobile devices as business tools has been both a boon and a bane for enterprises. While on one hand, they serve as efficient tools that facilitate work flow, collaboration, and productivity, they also create significant security risks for the business.

When you add the additional layer of sensitivity and compliance requirements for handling patient health information, this risk is of high importance to address in the healthcare arena.

With their well-known expertise in mobile security coupled with their recent acquisition by VM Ware, AirWatch plays a large role in helping healthcare organizations, both acute and sub-acute, take advantage of mobile tech’s efficiencies while protecting data across all devices on the network.

Special Guest:

Aamir Siddiqi, Executive Director of Enterprise Sales, Healthcare at AirWatch by VM Ware

BA, Management and Economics, University of Toronto at Scarborough
Previous National Sales Manager, Ultrasound IT Americas, GE Healthcare
Former Senior Business Consultant, CDC Software
Previous Director, Sales Engineering, Raindance

Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

October 26, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

00:00 /

Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

We sat down with medical oncologist/hematologist, Dr. Brion Randolph, of Cancer Treatment Centers of America stopped by to talk about the impacts of genomics, precision medicine, and big data in oncology. Dr. Randolph serves as the Chief Hematologist for the Cancer Treatment Centers facility located in Newnan, GA.

Randolph explained how genomics, or the study of DNA material of cancer cells to identify mutations that serve as “drivers” for their tumor cells. The information gained is used to find the genetic information that turns these cancer cells on and off. In some cases this data can reveal factors about the tumor cells that can be used when deciding what medication the physician should prescribe. Often, this genetic data can indicate that another medicine that was originally used to treat another form of cancer in another region of the body could be effective for this particular patient’s case.

We also discussed how oncology is advancing in its use of big data, enabling multiple centers and research studies to leverage results from around the community to advance their work and/or discover trends or commonalities. Dr. Randolph also explained how we still have a distance to go before we have a broad acceptance and participation in big data as organizations seek to protect and leverage their discoveries and results.

Special Guest:

Dr. Brion Randolph, Chief Medical Hematologist, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, GA

MS, Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee
Doctor of Medicine, University of South Carolina College of Medicine
Residency, Baylor University College of Medicine
Fellowship, Baylor University College of Medicine
Board Certified, Internal Medicine and Hematology and Oncology

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

October 16, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

00:00 /

healthcare technology — Lou Malice, Sam Zamarippa, Jay Shaffer, Tommy Cunningham

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

We sat down with experts from two Atlanta area health technology companies, Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs. Joining us in studio were Lou Malice, Sam Zamarippa, and Tommy Cunningham. Intent Solutions is a start-up that is developing a device aimed at improving compliance with prescribed medication regimens, as well as helping to improve likelihood the intended person has access to the medicine.

In its early phase of development, Intent Solutions has positioned itself to be an effective tool for pharmaceutical research studies. In these studies, it is vital that participants adhere to the prescribed medication regimen in order to obtain the most effective and accurate test results.

The Intent Solutions device has a secure chamber that contains the pills for the particular prescription. Called “TAD” (standing for “take as directed”), the device utilizes fingerprint technology to identify the user before dispensing medication. Additionally, the TAD device is able to connect with the patient’s mobile device (and the prescribing entity) to share updates on efforts to access medication by unauthorized users, whether medication was dispensed, and it can send the patient reminders, prompting them to take their medication.

In this way, the TAD device facilitates medication research by improving compliance with the schedule the medication was intended to be taken on.

NFANT Labs has developed a device that uses sensors that can give a care giver visual feedback on a monitor regarding a NICU baby’s sucking patterns while feeding, a task that for many premies is challenging. Until now, the only way a practitioner could assess the sucking strength and patterns was to literally use a finger in the infant’s mouth.

The difficulty these young babies face is often related to a weak tongue, ineffective tongue movements, and uncoordinated swallowing timing. This predisposes them to consuming inadequate calories as well as creating the risk for aspiration pneumonia, both of which can lead to additional length of stay and even mortality.

The NFANT Labs monitor fits between the nipple and the bottle used to feed the child. It has a sensor that detects the up and down motion of the tongue, as well as negative pressure being generated by the suckling infant. It converts the data to wave forms on a monitor that the care giver can follow, allowing them to slow or pause feeding to allow the child to “catch up” with dispensed milk or to re-position them them to assess whether it leads to a more effective sucking pattern.

Special Guests:

Lou Malice, CEO of Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

Sam Zamarippa, VP of Strategy and Business Development, Intent Solutions

Tommy Cunningham, Co-founder of NFANT Labs

Georgia Dental Association

October 8, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Georgia Dental Association

00:00 /

Oral Health — Becky Weinman, Evis Babo, and Tom Broderick talk oral health

Georgia Dental Association

On this week’s episode we featured president of the Georgia Dental Association and practicing Savannah orthodontist, Tom Broderick, along with members, Evis Babo and Becky Weinman, both Atlanta-based general dentists.

We discussed the mission of the Georgia Dental Association, along with various initiatives the association is working on to foster oral health for Georgians such as the Mission of Mercy. With this program, members of the association from around the state join forces to contribute their time and resources to provide free dental care to citizens who are economically-challenged but that are in need of dental care.

As our guests described, in many cases these patients are able to get smiles restored with dentures or other procedures that allow them to more successfully apply for jobs they might not have been able to before. We also talked about how the association members are engaging providers in elderly residential and care facilities to teach them how to better meet basic preventive care needs.

The panel explained the importance of each of us establishing a “dental home” where we go for regular preventive care and assessment (ideally 2x per year). The reason for this, as Becky described, is that cavities and some other problems can develop and progress a great deal in a year’s time. By identifying and treating developing problems quickly, the treatment needed to correct these issues is typically very easy and comparatively inexpensive compared to advanced measures such as crowns or extractions.

Weinman, Babo, and Broderick also shared information about the fact that dentists utilize these regular visits to assess the patient for problems such as oral cancer, diabetes, and other health problems that have signs that can be seen in the mouth. In this way, the patient gains another provider who can help catch serious developing health problems and seek treatment while there is an opportunity to reverse them or treat them more easily.

Special Guests:

Tom Broderick, DDS, President of Georgia Dental Association

Evis Babo, DMD, of Peachtree Smile Center

Becky Weinman, DDS, of Buckhead Dental Associates

Telehealth

October 1, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Telehealth

00:00 / 00:58:51

Telehealth

This week we sat down with Adrian Davis, CEO of MyIdealDoctor, a telehealth company. Adrian shared how he had spent the early years of his career in health technology and equipment sales and distribution. With the passage of the ACA he and several of his associates saw an opportunity to help meet a need for access to medical care, taking advantage of technology.

They launched the company to begin to help patients to be able to speak directly with a physician from wherever they are using phone, smart phone/mobile device, or via a computer connection. Their initial focus has been upon episodic patient needs centered around non-emergent complaints such as respiratory infections, minor cuts, sore throats, etc.

In many cases the physician is able to use the camera on the device, along with interview, to make a diagnosis and prescribe medication to treat the problem. Additionally, if the patient’s complaint is too severe or worrisome to be able to handle the problem remotely, they make recommendations to seek care in a nearby urgent care center or emergency department.

In this way MyIdealDoctor is able to have an impact on the volume of patients being seen in the urgent care and more importantly, in the emergency rooms, allowing them to focus on more acutely-ill patients.

The company has focused their initial service model on corporate health, providing their care model to businesses offering the service as a component of their employee health plans. MyIdealDoctor will be providing their service to the general population soon.

Special Guest:

Adrian Davis, CEO/ Co-founder of MyIdealDoctor

BS, Microbiology, University of Georgia
Co-founder/Partner, United Medical Enterprises
Previous GI/Ultrasound Territory Manager, Philips
Former IV Therapy Territory Manager, Baxter Healthcare

Health Connect South Radio on Midtown Business RadioX Spotlights Cobb2020 – Business RadioX

October 1, 2015 by angishields

ATLANTA, GA–(Marketwired – October 01, 2015) – On September 9, 2015, Health Connect South Radio welcomed to the studio Dr. Jack Kennedy and Lisa Crossman with the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health and Becky Shipley with the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. Host CW Hall sat down with these guests to learn about the Cobb2020 health initiative.

The Cobb2020 Partnership is a partnership of community organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles and the delivery of essential health services in Cobb County. As a health initiative coordinated through the Cobb-Douglas Department of Public Health, this far-reaching effort aims to improve the health of this region that hosts over 800,000 residents across a number of health and lifestyle markers such as smoking, obesity, access to primary care, and many more.

Through a strategic process called Mobilizing Action Through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP), Cobb2020 has assessed the current health status of the County and is developing a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) that will help create significant changes in building a healthier community.

“The overall goal is to implement strategic changes throughout Cobb County over the next five years,” explained Dr. Kennedy. “These changes will build a foundation for reducing and preventing chronic disease such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer by promoting healthy lifestyles and better access to health and prevention services for the community.”

Some of the highlights of programs implemented by the CHIP include three new Farm Fresh Markets that opened in the Spring of 2014 in a food desert in Austell, GA, and several Cobb2020 partners established regular mini-markets onsite for their employees and clients. Additionally, a no-smoking ordinance for parks and cemeteries in the City of Kennesaw passed in June 2014. A new Childhood Obesity Grant was obtained from Healthcare Georgia to support work on joint use agreements and work with school wellness councils. And Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb, a Cobb2020 partner, was approved as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) bringing more resources to improve access to health services.

To learn more about the Cobb2020 program, listen to the entire interview on Health Connect South Radio.

About Health Connect South:

About Business RadioX®: