Public Health issues

What a difference between two county-based agencies and the services they provide. My continuous follow up on the developments and difference between Central Racine and Western Racine County Health Departments lasted three months.
It spanned two different jurisdictions to gauge opinions and feedback from elected officials on the satisfaction of both departments.

Health and Wellness

Every individual values his or her health in every aspect including management of mental health issues. There were a handful of stories where I came into contact with people battling kidney diseases and eating disorders.

It also helps to have community support to help people cope with losses of loved ones and organizations reaching out to struggling families.

Easing the pain

Patient comfort comes first in The Pavilion's on-site dialysis service

January 15, 2007

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

Dialysis treatments can be a long and painful procedure. The Pavilion of Waukegan hopes to help patients with kidney ailments through more individualized attention. 

"Once a person goes on dialysis, it means they suffer from kidney failure," said Pavilion spokesperson Aaron Shpayher. The only alternative to defeating dialysis would be to receive a kidney transplant. A person can survive for the remainder of his life with one kidney.

The Pavilion has been open for service since 2000 and the program is geared toward individuals who have chronic long-term kidney failure.

"We function more on the focus of chronic situations," said Shpayher, on the difference between the Pavilion and a full service hospital.

The long-term care facility offers several other services to help ease the emotional and physical pain of dialysis, including television entertainment and an in-house beauty and barber services.

"We have a very bright room with a television and radio. We have the ability to provide them a distraction from the pain," Shpayher said.

In addition to leisure recreation activities, they also offer nutritious meals and social settings for patients to interact with one another.

"Because we are a chronic care facility, the traveling and transporting is much easier," said dialysis specialist Monica Wrobleski. "It makes the treatments a lot more comforting and assuring."

In addition, Wrobleski said the staff can give more one-on-one attention to the patients because they are around the patients more than in a traditional hospital.

"The patients have a better familiarity with the staff," Wrobleski said.

Shpayher said the entertainment offered can be a relief to some patients in the Pavilion due to their on-going kidney problems.

However, due to the pain they endure, most choose to attempt to fall asleep.

The Pavilion also offers religious services to individuals who need spiritual guidance to walk them through the obstacles in their lives. With the high volume of individuals on transplant lists for kidneys, patients appreciate spiritual support to help them cope with what looms ahead.

Dialysis treatment involves three treatments per week with the four remaining days off.

"We have success stories from people on dialysis. Some of come in looking very sick and were able to go out into the community after a few weeks in treatment," Shpayher said. "But they still have to undergo the three-day a week treatment."

The process is ongoing because people will need to remain in the treatment until they receive a transplant.

There is a series of medical professionals to assist the patient in every aspect including a nephrology social worker, kidney dietician, patient care technician and biomedical technician. They also provide occupational, speech and physical therapy.

For individuals who have been suffering for a tremendous amount of time, they offer hospice care to help ease the pain.

Positive support

National organization for eating disorders has roots in Highland Park

October 30, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

HIGHLAND PARK - Christine Reh has found a way to turn a past problem into a positive experience, courtesy of a locally founded organization. 

The 21-year-old DePaul University senior is an intern for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, which has provided support for the illness which plagued her 10 years earlier.

"I am currently working on a project where we are replicating a study on the age onset of anorexia, bulimia and any kind of eating disorder," said Reh. "I am a recovering anorexic and a major in psychology and I am going to hopefully go to graduate school and get my PhD to study eating disorders eventually and get into the field and help people who are dealing with eating disorders."

Reh found the organization online at her St. Louis home when she was a high school student and began receiving support from individuals around the country who visited the online chat rooms and forums. She also called into the hotline when she needed assistance.

The hotline allows the organization's volunteers to refer individuals who suffer from eating disorders to more than 1,800 professionals throughout North America and the rest of the world.

"So far it has been a really great experience for me," Reh said, about her internship with ANAD.

Reh said she has been in recovery for two full years and began having symptoms at 11 years old. Through the support of her mother and father in high school, she was able to come to terms with the illness.

"The recovery process didn't really begin until I was old enough to really begin to take control of myself and I wanted to get better," Reh said.

Vivian Hanson Meehan founded the organization when she was a nurse at Highland Park in 1976 when a family member was diagnosed with anorexia.

Due to the lack of resources then available to medical professionals, she sought to verify the severity of illness and prove it had become an epidemic.

Meehan credits former District 10 State Rep. John Porter for assisting the organization with congressional measures such as parity legislation, where health insurance providers can recognize eating disorders and mental illness as a medical issue.

The organization also has participated in congressional hearings regarding the dangers of certain diets and products pertaining to eating disorders.

The former nurse began the organization without any major expectations and seems surprised by the national and worldwide support of the organization.

Meehan started the organization by putting advertisements in the local paper calling out family members who might have a relative with anorexia.

She received a high volume of response from people who have suffered from the illness or who had relatives seeking more information about the illness. Meehan was challenged by a local doctor to find 2,000 people who suffered from anorexia and her efforts eventually turned into the founding of a worldwide organization.

ANAD has organizations in Germany and was once affiliated with a Canada organization until Canadian authorities threatened to take funding away due to being affiliated with an American organization.

Amanda Elliott, 27, is the national coordinator for support groups. The organization has approximately 250 support groups nationwide and receives requests on a daily basis to form new support groups, according to Elliott.

Elliott said she will stay with the organization for as long as it exists due to the amount of support she received when she suffered from the eating disorder.

Compassionate Friends holds healing vigil on Sunday

December 9, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

MILLBURN - The holidays can be a difficult time for a parent to grieve over the death of a child. The Northern Lake County Chapter of Compassionate Friends is working to help parents who have lost a child by holding a candlelight vigil scheduled Sunday at Millburn Congregational Church. 

"My daughter died in 2002 and I have been going to it ever since," said Jenny Selle, leader of the county chapter. The loss of her daughter was tough for the Selle family due to her daughter being her only child.

Selle's daughter, Lila Marie Ruffolo, a Warren Township High School graduate, died at the age of 24 in an auto accident. She was attending the University of Arkansas-Little Rock at the time of her death.

She believes the timing of the vigil is crucial due to Christmas.

"The holidays are a heavy time of the year (for parents who lost their children) and it can be comforting to feel the support," she said.

Compassionate Friends holds monthly meetings to help parents cope with the loss of their child.

"The main thing is these are people who have been through what we have been through," said Selle. "That is the greatest value (of the organization)."

Selle believes the organization provides more support than a professional therapist because everyone involved within the group can assist each other and understand each other better.

The candlelight vigil has taken place annually in the second Sunday of the month since 1997.

Lake County's Compassionate Friends organization was formed in 1984 to support parents, relatives, siblings and grandparents. Selle said 10 to 15 people come to the meetings every month, but more usually participate in the candlelight event with expectations of around 100.

Only two men attend the monthly meetings on a regular basis.

"One of the reasons why I am in Compassionate Friends with my wife is because it is a family thing," said Jenny's husband, Rick. "I just want to let men know it is OK to come in and talk about it."

Rick Selle mentioned the organization also can help keep marriages strong when a family tragedy of losing a child occurs. "It helps keep the marriage together, we must share the grief and we are in this together," he said.

The worldwide non-profit organization holds the vigil at the same time, making it the largest vigil in the world, according to the organization.

Compassionate Friends chose the second Sunday of December because it coincides with National Children's Memorial Day.

Lake Zurich organization and e-Bay reach out to single-parent families

October 16, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

According to the 2002 Illinois census, 38.8 percent of single-mother families lived below the poverty level. Lake Zurich's Carolyn Gable along with a board of directors is looking to bridge the gap to help struggling single mothers and their children succeed in everyday life. Gable was a waitress with seven children. She now owns a $30 million transportation company based in Lake Zurich. 

"I credit good people, a great customer base and a belief in myself that God can put it all together," Gable said.

New Age Transportation began in 1989 when her company earned its first million dollars.

According to Gable, the biggest jump in the business came in 1999 when the revenue doubled from $4 million to $8 million in one year.

"Once she got to a new level of success with her transportation company, she remembered where she came from," said Executive Director Kathy Gregg on why Gable decided to create the "Expect a Miracle" organization. "She felt she needed to give back to the community."

What started out as a yearly traditional garage sale turned into a worldwide fund-raising effort, courtesy of online auction giant ebay.com.

"She was all for it. We had a garage sale at her house and previewed (the items)," Gregg said.

For the first five years, the organization held garage sales to fund activities for youth in poverty. Then Gregg and Gable's board of directors presented Gable with an idea of an e-Bay store. This September, the first week the sale went virtual, the online e-Bay fund-raiser raised $1,000.

The "Expect a Miracle" Foundation aims to reach out to single mothers who cannot afford to send their children to extra-curricular activities such as ballet lessons, choir workshops and athletic programs.

Since the foundation began in 2001, they have sponsored $200 for each child in the program to participate in athletics.

"When we told a mother of eight kids they could play football, she literally broke down in tears at the Lake Zurich Park District," Gregg said. "Her kids spent all of their lives on the sidelines watching their friends play football."

The organization has touched the lives of 1,000 other single-parent families across the United States.

The "Expect a Miracle" organization donated 52 percent of its proceeds to the inner city of Chicago last year.

In addition, the foundation also has funded a $25,000 summer camp for inner-city children every year since its inception.

"We are reaching quite a cross-section of people," said Gregg, who is still collecting demographic data on diversity.

Gable said the roadblock of the organization is more money is going out than coming in.

Despite the majority of the recipients being single mothers, single or widowed fathers also have been helped by the organization.

A 15-year-old Stevenson High School student and aspiring musical theatre major in college was able to receive funding to attend a trip to New York with her choir class.

"Going to New York will definitely be the best experience because of all the opportunities to perform there," said the recipient in the letter to the organization. "I really enjoy singing and I am looking forward to singing in many places in New York."

A mother of a 12-year-old tae kwon do student wrote a letter of thanks to the organization for funding her son's advancement through a program at a fitness club.

"He will be in the program for three years and is so happy and excited that he can now take belt promotion tests," the mother wrote. "It has been difficult financially for us to afford extra-curricular activities for (him)."

The single mother also indicated in the letter that her son aspires to be a scientist or doctor when he attends college.

In order to apply for a grant from the organization, or for information on making a donation, call (847) 545-1157 or go to www.expectamiraclefoundation.com.

Arts and Lifestyle

Reporting on local human interest stories centered around unique subject matter can be a challenging task but  conducting research allows for better preparation.

Through my new experience as a news reporter early in the internship in Waukegan after working in sports for five years, adding feature writing makes for a strange twist. And utilizing all the resources I could get my hands on resulted in thorough reporting.

Helps to understand all elements to a story before arriving to interview involved individuals.

Going global

Works by artists from developing countries are showcased at 10,000 Villages

GRAYSLAKE -- In an effort to expose the Grayslake community to different cultures, 10,000 Villages opened its doors to a new set of cultural displays of expression. 

"It was a huge success, it was packed," said store manager Susan Barg on the opening weekend. "We were the top store. We were told we had the top sales of any 10,000 Villages grand opening sale." 

The weekend started in grand style with various cultural experiences designed for individuals of all ages.

"We are hoping that they understand the mission of our store," said store manager Susan Barg. "We are a nonprofit retail store. Our hope is to educate the community on our mission."

The store allows artisans from various countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to have a source of income for their artwork.

"The reason for us is to allow them (the artists) to remain in their countries and lead a productive life," said Barg.

Barg said the company slogan should be "shopping with a purpose" because it benefits the artisans directly. 

The money received by the artisans will help them build and grow their communities from within.

The fair trade organization began the grand opening weekend with an origami workshop designed to target individuals of all ages and then had a performance from an all-women drumming ensemble. Diamana Diya played traditional music from Guinea and West Africa.

The Sunday entertainment featured local musician Andy Young with his hammered dulcimer, wooden flute and tin whistle to convey a musical experience from several countries.

The store will utilize local talent initially but could look for international talent as the store grows.

"We are going to have special events periodically throughout the year, especially during the holidays," Barg said.

The weather was not friendly to outdoor entertainment during the opening, so the entertainment was moved inside. The store manager said it could be considered a good thing because it brought people into the store to look at the artists' work.

"It was really emotional for our volunteers that helped the artisans," Barg said.

Barg encourages local talent to contact the store if they have any special musical talent they can offer.

"They can certainly contact us if they have something to offer," Barg said in regards to local talent.

The grand opening weekend ended with a workshop on table-setting design and how to add an artistic touch to the dinner table.

The Grayslake store is the fifth to open in the state of Illinois; there are some 70 stores open nationwide.

"We buy all of our products from the artisans in other countries and pay them for their services," Barg said.

Barg said the major feature of the store is its offerings of unique handcrafts and artwork not sold in general national retail stores.

The organization stresses fair trade with its artisans.

According to the corporate Web site, fair trade is a partnership "based on dialogue, mutual understanding, respect and direct contact between ourselves and our artisan partners in developing countries."

With the opening of the new store, Barg hopes to form relationships with artists from the developing countries it serves.

You'll be a-mazed

Farm offers a fun and educational experience among the cornstalks

October 12, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

GURNEE - The Kroll's Corn Maze is back. After a sluggish spring and summer season in 2005 when drought forced them to shut down the maze, the Kroll family has re-opened its corn maze. The Krolls purchased the land in rural Waukegan in 1986 and the farm began as a gardening place for Ruthann. 

It eventually evolved into a farm with goats, chickens and other animals in addition to the two major crops: pumpkins and corn.

The Krolls started the farm to provide educational opportunities for families and schools in the Waukegan and surrounding areas of Lake County.

After Randy Kroll retires after the 2007-08 school year as a physical education teacher at Highland Middle School, there will be more opportinities for the family farm to grow.

According to Ruthann Kroll, the biggest challenge is to diversify the curriculum for students of all age groups, ranging from pre-kindergarten to the high school level.

According to Ruthann, the major difference between the Kroll farm and other farms is that they schedule one educational group at a time in order to provide more individualized attention to the group.

Waukegan resident Kirk Burns and his family decided to come to the corn maze when they made their annual Friday night family drive around the city and saw a sign leading them to the farm.

"I thought it was pretty cool to be walking around the corn maze for the first time," Burns said. "It was a challenge to go through it. (Our family) got through it; it took us about 45 minutes."

"This is a better environment than some of the larger scale farms," Burns said. "They (Kroll's) are friendlier and willing to talk to you and explain things to you."

The educational theme for 2006 is soybeans. There are signs posted throughout various checkpoints in the maze with facts and figures about soybeans.

Liz Cozzi, of Lake Villa, visited the farm twice before. She brought her two daughters to experience the animals.

"I think they like running around with the animals here," Cozzi said. "Last year we took a hay ride and the year before I got some great apples. I was really happy with the apples, they were delicious."

Grayslake resident Laura Juarez took her seven month old son Adam to the farm to give him his first Halloween experience and his first pumpkin.

The Krolls began collecting animals when the oldest Kroll son, Tyler, brought some chicken eggs home from school. A neighbor offered the Kroll's an incubator to help hatch the chicken eggs to begin the raising chickens. The family's only daughter, Carly, took pride in raising the chickens and became the family's animal expert..

"The goats came along because my neighbors had goats; we would always see the goats," Randy said. "The neighbors said, 'Why don't you take a goat for your kids, wouldn't it be cute to have a goat?'"

According to Randy, the goats are compared to "puppy dogs" and family members walk them around the farm every day.

Ruthann said her secret wish is to have horses. She would eventually like to raise horses once Randy retires from teaching.

The Krolls' farming lifestyle was a major shift from where Randy began his childhood as a Chicago native. He moved to Libertyville when he was 13. Both Randy and Ruthann graduated from Libertyville High School.

"It was my wife that took interest at first. We got this land and she did all this research," Randy Kroll said, "And then pumpkins started doing well, so we decided to sell them."

The Kroll's three children have different areas of expertise which contribute to the farm education experience.

According to Ruthann, Tyler, who is a freshman at Carthage College, is the "master of the maze" and knows where all of the checkpoints are. Dylan, 14, is considered to be the multi-faceted person of the farm and can be counted on to be the organizer.