Health providers target diabetes on W.S.

By Chanice Johnson and Jennine Taberski
BengalNews Reporters
          The growth of the refugee population on the West Side might be fueling the growth of an epidemic of diabetes, a University at Buffalo researcher says.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million children and adults in the United States, which entail 8.3 % of the population, have diabetes.

Dr. Linda S. Kahn, a medical anthropologist from the University of Buffalo Family Medicine, chose to study individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds to see how different people perceive and are affected by the condition. She worked with  Jericho Road Family Practice, a faith-based clinical organization that provides direct primary care to a diverse population, to study  34 individuals diagnosed with diabetes. 

Dr. Linda Kahn, on the impact of diabetes research:

According to Kahn, people come to Jericho Road, with various symptoms and are unaware that they are even suffering from diabetes until they are tested. 

“Depending on the country of origin or the camps they lived in, some of these refugees usually did not receive preventative care,” said Kahn. “Many of the patients were surprised or shocked because they didn’t know they were living with the condition.”

Some of the patients suffered from uncontrolled diabetes because they were not being treated properly for their conditions. Others did not even have opportunities to seek medical attention in their native countries.

“There was such disconnect because the people didn’t actually know what was happening to their bodies or blood sugars when they ate carbohydrates,” said Kahn.
 Once the refugees come to the United States, they are faced with a health-care system iin which docotrs dont' have time to deliver diabetes education, Kahn said.

“With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, more people are being covered for healthcare, but there is a shortage of doctors,” said Kahn. “There is just not enough time to go around and doctors have less time to educate.”

To address the situation, the University at Buffalo Family Medicine along with the Primary Care Research Institute was awarded a two-year grant from the New York State Health Foundation to train two minority professions from the Buffalo community to become certified diabetes educators.

Two women from varying backgrounds were selected to be trained as certified diabetes educators. As part of their rigorous training, they both sacrificed their jobs and incomes in order to learn how to educate the community.

Rona D’Aniello, Certified Diabetes Educator of the Year and University at Buffalo Family Medicine Diabetes Education Program Coordinator, played a major role in the education of these women and prepared both of them in less than a year to take their certification exams. 

Upon completion of their training, Jericho Road hired these women at both the East and West Side locations in order to address the needs of patients dealing with the diabetes. When patients visit with their doctor, the doctor will give the diagnosis and then suggest talking to the diabetes educators in order to gain additional information and treatment for the condition.

According to D’Aniello, with the help of the program and certified diabetes education, many refugees from the West Side will have new knowledge and perspectives of the disease.

“Many of these refugees who come to America aren’t even aware of what diabetes are and with this program they can now be educated on how to cope and learn different ways to take care of their health as it pertains to diabetes,” said D’Aniello.

According to Eric Budin, Director of Partner Development at Jericho Road Family Practice, having diabetes educators at the practice has created a proactive relationship between the practice and the patients because those living with diabetes can now be informed and properly treated for the condition.  

           “By having a team of professions on board including diabetes educators, we have been able to create an all-around holistic health care center that we believe has made a difference within the community” said Budin. Edited by Mhairi Moorhead

Keep the flu away with a shot in the arm

Pharmacist Mike Rossi

By Max Borsuk and Maria Yankova

BengalNews Reporters

With flu season in full swing, various locations on the West Side are offering the flu shot.

Even though flu activity last year was low, the timing of the flu is very unpredictable and can vary from season to season, therefore people should get vaccinated as soon as possible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 “We get an early start just so people are prepared before it really starts to become a big deal,” said Rick Thompson, a technician at Rite Aid at 291 W. Ferry St.“ The biggest is between October and November. That’s usually when most people get flu shots. The numbers go down usually after Thanksgiving.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, flu shots should be given to everyone, starting with infants at least six months of age. There are certain groups, which are at a higher risk of getting the influenza virus than others. Some of those groups are pregnant women, people 65 years or older, and people who have medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, and lung and heart disease.

According to Mike Rossi, a pharmacist at Rite Aid, everyone should get vaccinated.

“If we get everyone immunized, there’d be less sickness,” Rossi said.

An alternative to the flu vaccination is a nasal spray intended for children as young as two and up to the age of 49. The price of the flu shot and the nasal spray is $29.99 but it’s covered under most insurances.

“There’s really no excuse not to get it,” said Rossi.

Rick Thompson, on the process of getting a flu shot:

According to the New York State Department of Health, the 2012-2013 flu shot will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus, and the H1N1 virus. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop and provide protection against the flu.

Children aged six months through eight years who have never been vaccinated need to get two doses of vaccine, spaced at least four weeks apart, according to the New York State Department of Health.

People with the flu virus may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick.

“The first symptoms are fever, cough, and overall feeling bad,” said Rossi. “You don’t want to  get the flu. It’s ugly.”

Rossi stressed thorough hand washing and using hand gel as prevention techniques against the influenza virus.

Other West Side locations that offer flu shots are the Buffalo Psychiatric Center at 400 Forest Ave. Rite Aid at 284 Connecticut St.  and Jericho Family Practice at 184 Barton St.

“The more people that get it, the less likely it is to spread,” said Thompson. Edited by Lakisha Forde

Policy in action to reduce air pollution

By Joe Losito and Mhairi Moorhead
BengalNews Reporters

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority as well as the Department of Environmental Conservation have worked together to enforce a new law regarding the idling policy.

The goal of the policy is to cut down the level of emissions by limiting the amount of time that drivers at the Peace Bridge can idle their engines.

“Basically it does not allow any cars or trucks to idle in the U.S. plaza or at secondary parking areas,” said Matthew Davison, spokesman for the Peace Bridge Authority.

According to the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, a community-based organization that informs residents on how to prevent and reduce pollution, the five-minute idling policy has gone unnoticed to drivers at the Peace Bridge and the idling of trucks still remains a problem for the air quality on the West Side.

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority said that they put up signs in the plaza to notify drivers that there is no idling allowed and have also put up information on their website.

“Most folks are already compliant, and don’t want to idle their vehicles anyways for gas reasons,” said Davison. “People are pretty good when they get here, once they see the signs. I’m hopeful they will just turn off their cars and trucks.”

However, the new policy has forced some truck drivers to idle on West Side dead-end streets instead of waiting at the Peace Bridge.

“A lot of the time, the backup at the bridge is too long so they don’t want to wait so they just pull off and idle,” said Soto. “It is mandated by the government for them to only drive 12 hours and then they have to take a break and the closest break is all the way in Cheektowaga. So if they can’t drive there they just come to these streets and take a nap.”

A 2011 study conducted by Dr. Lwebuga-Mukasas, professor of Medicine at the University of Buffalo found that nearly 45 percent of West Side households reported at least one case of chronic respiratory illness or asthma.

“The challenge,” said Erin Heaney, director of the Clean Air Coalition, “is that even people who have medical degrees are not being schooled in the public health stuff that we know.” 

Natasha Soto and Erin Heaney,  Clean Air Coalition 


The Clean Air Coalition has worked together with the Department of Environmental Conservation to set up air quality monitors throughout Western New York in order to monitor the air quality in highly polluted areas.  

“We think that people shouldn’t get sick because of where they live,” said Heaney.

The state also plans to expand the Peace Bridge plaza, which would create more room for cars and trucks that are waiting, as well as decreasing the traffic at the border. The plan to expand is underway as the state has already purchased the Episcopal Home on the corner of Busti Avenue and Rhode Island Street.

Along the streets close to the projected expansion area are signs on the front lawns of people who either support the expansion or are against it. This illustrates the tension in the area in regards to the positives and negatives of this proposal.

The increase in noise and pollution levels poses a threat to the area that could cause property values to decrease. However, more jobs would be created for the construction of the project.  

The air quality study is currently ongoing in the area. It is questioned whether the winter season will change the amount of drivers idling due to the decreasing temperatures. Edited by Jennine Taberski