Greenville Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 26) from the pros Wellness by heAther brAnnon, m.d. We Are More Than Body Parts W omen’s health is more than a PAP smear and a mammogram. Medical care is moving away from “body parts” medicine to a holistic, life span approach. And that is good news for women. For decades, many women have relied solely on an OB-GYN for primary medical care. It seemed to make sense. Women need an annual PAP smear, most will require an obstetrician and all are headed toward menopause. But today, the medical community and increasing numbers of women are rethinking the wisdom of this model of care that places primary care exclusively in the hands of an OB-GYN. Relying solely upon an OB-GYN flies in the face of facts. The reality is that the leading causes of death for women are heart disease, cancer and stroke. The reality is that the growth in increasingly dangerous and interrelated health threats of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stress requires a doctor with broader training and expertise. We only get one body. Proper prevention, screening, counseling and treatment of diseases over an entire life span is critically important. Having a physician you know and trust who knows about the whole of you and is trained to treat the whole of you may be the very best medicine. n Heather Brannon is a family care physician with Premier Family Medicine, a division of St. Francis Health System. education by with The riley Institute erin mercer The Global economy: How Can South Carolina Students Compete? n recent decades, the Upstate of South Carolina has seen drastic changes in the nature of industry that supports the area. The textile industry, once the major staple of the South Carolina economy, has suffered and jobs have dwindled. However, the Upstate economy continues to grow and change with the attraction of industries such as BMW, I-CAR and Michelin. And South Carolina must endeavor to attract more industries of this type. But attracting new industries could hinge on whether the state, particularly the products of its education system, is able to compete in today’s global economy. The ability of South Carolina’s public schools to adequately prepare students for success in a global economy is in question. How, then, do we effectively redesign public schools to prepare a larger number of students to graduate, succeed in college or career training and compete in the global marketplace? With the help of a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Center for Education Policy and Leadership of the Riley Institute at Furman University sought answers to this question through a comprehensive, non-partisan study involving residents throughout the state. i Between May 2005 and November 2006, the Riley Institute project team spent more than 3,000 hours meeting with nearly 800 South Carolinians to gather their opinions on various issues involving public education. The team met with groups of businessmen and women, teachers at all levels, school district superintendents, parents, school board members, school principals and students from every county in the state. From these meetings emerged nine key action areas or themes that garnered consensus among the stakeholders. One of those themes was Preparing students for a Global Economy. Below is a list of recommendations related to this subject area. The paper can be found in its entirety at www. rileyinstitute.org/cepl. Below are the top strategies provided to address the task of preparing students for a global economy: • Create a system by which students don’t move beyond third grade without reading and writing fluently. • Focus on active, engaged learning techniques that include hands-on learning, group work and working in teams. • Integrate technology throughout the curriculum and provide effective training on the use of technology. • Institute a more rigorous curriculum to help prepare students for the next level of schooling or training. • Fully implement and fund the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA), which includes exposure to career exploration at an early age and career clusters in high school. 26 Greenville MaGazine | april 2008 http://www.rileyinstitute.org/cepl http://www.rileyinstitute.org/cepl http://www.rileyinstitute.org/cepl
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