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Public health heroes
During this Thanksgiving time, there are some special people who deserve our thanks — our North Carolina public health heroes. The N.C. Public Health Association, a statewide organization with over 750 members, marked Nov. 19 as Public Health Thank You Day.

All too often we are unfamiliar with our public health professionals who work every day to keep us healthy. These unsung heroes work to keep our water and air clean, and our families healthy through research, services and public policy actions such as seat belt and clean indoor air laws.

During major disasters, public health officers are on the job making sure our health and safety is a top priority. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit, workers were testing drinking water and administering vaccinations. In the aftermath of 9/11, they were checking for contaminants and issued clean-up guidelines at the World Trade Center. This summer, at the bridge collapse in Minnesota, they facilitated rescue and safety measures.

Wayne Raynor
President, N.C. Public Health Association
Raleigh

Service personnel
I firmly believe that we should give thanks to all those people who help us — protect us, assist us, make our lives better, help those less fortunate, etc. And in giving thanks, I think it is very nice that we think about our service people overseas. But please help me understand why we do not have the same sense of gratitude for the service people here in our own country who protect and help us — people such as firefighters, police officers, social workers, nurses, doctors, counselors, therapists, security personnel, teachers, etc. All of these people help our nation.

Help me understand why the only ones being thought of are our military personnel. Remember, each one of them volunteered, just like the firefighters, police, teachers, etc.

Keep all of them in your thoughts and prayers.
Linda Tuday
Cary

Family caregivers
Family caregivers provide the majority of the long-term care received by people with disabilities and those of all ages needing help with an activity of daily living.

A recent AARP study estimates the economic value of family caregiving in North Carolina at $10.7 billion — more than total state spending on Medicaid. Caregiver contributions often delay or prevent more costly nursing home care and help the state budget, but they come at a high cost.

Most family caregivers are women who work. They must take time off to care for their loved ones, and they face lower wages, reduced job security, loss of employment benefits like health insurance, lower retirement savings and lower Social Security earning. The caregivers are also more likely to suffer chronic health conditions and incur medical debt than non-caregivers.

In North Carolina, AARP is advocating increased state funding for home- and community-based services, which provide respite and assistance to caregivers, as well as for a few days of mandated, paid sick leave for working caregivers to use to help care for their family members.

November is Family Caregiving Month, and many families’ Thanksgiving gatherings highlighted the need for increased support for caregivers.
Bob Garner
Associate State Director, AARP North Carolina
Raleigh

Gov. Easley on inspections
Thanks to Gov. Mike Easley and The News & Observer for shedding light on the North Carolina Home Inspection Licensing Board’s recent attempt to restrict home inspectors in the state from including safety issues on the report summary, the section used for negotiating repairs.

The proponents have coined the “facts only” term to promote their position, but the term is at best misleading, muddies the water and is best described as a “bait and switch” ploy, because the results of this change would not help the home buyer, only the Realtor or the builder sell the house.

As home inspectors we are providing an unbiased report on the properties’ condition with safety issues being an important part of the report. A missing handrail is a safety issue regardless of when the house was built — that is a fact.

The real estate professional’s job is to explain to a client how his offer-to- purchase contract applies to the home inspection report and that some items may not be negotiable, especially on an older home. That will help clients make a decision before putting earnest money on the table.

William Delamar
President, Residential Consulting, Inc.
Raleigh

Our senators and congressman
It may be the middle of November, but it isn’t too early for all of us in Perquimans County to open an early Christmas present delivered to us not from the North Pole, but from Washington. And unlike the gifts from Santa, this package from Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole and Congressman G.K. Butterfield can be opened every day of the year.

They have introduced legislation to study the Perquimans River for possible designation as a National Wild and Scenic River. To those of us who enjoy the river on a regular basis, such a question is a no-brainer, but its the first step in process towards protecting this treasure in our own backyards forever. If you’ve never been here, its really worth the trip.

Eventually preserving the river does more than just protect the wildlife, it protects us all. A healthy river can help power a thriving community and its economy. People from all over can come to the Perquimans River to fish, camp, kayak or any number of other activities. And before they leave, they have to sleep, eat and shop. They’ll leave that money behind for us. The river can be an economic engine. It deserves our attention.

Burr, Dole and Butterfield deserve a pat on the back. Join me in thanking them for this wonderful present.

Sue Weimar
Perquimans County commissioner
Hertford

Rep. Brad Miller
Compliments to Rep. Brad Miller for seeing a problem that we can do something about as a country and taking action to fix it! Rep. Miller recently decided to co-sponsor the Global Child Survival Act, which authorizes funding for programs that contribute to the elimination of the 9.7 million preventable deaths of children each year. Despite the fact that 95 percent of Americans believe that child survival is an important problem facing the world, funding for immunizations, vitamin A and other activities that keep children alive has decreased in real dollars since 1997.

While much has been done concerning AIDS and malaria, these programs only account for 11 percent of all child deaths. The principle killers of young children are things like pneumonia, which is treatable with a course of inexpensive antibiotics, and dehydration from diarrhea which can be prevented with a simple six-cent sugar-salt solution.

Miller’s decision to invest in child health is a compassionate and smart response in a world where poor health creates conditions that deter peace and foments instability. Americans have called for a new approach to dealing with an increasingly hostile world, and I hope that other elected officials will learn from Miller’s bold action.

Thomas Davis
Lewisville

N&O reporter and photographers
I commend your staff for the wonderful job on the Nov. 11 story “Ian’s Peace.” Martha Quillin, Travis Long and Juli Leonard were spectacular during the process of creating the tribute to my son. Not only was the project of highest quality, but they truly entered in — as much concerned for my personal journey of grief as they were interested in procuring a story.

The article and video are treasured gifts, but equally cherished will be the memory of these three compassionate people who have been an integral component to my healing. When they accompanied me to the quarry, they just let me be what I needed to be — let the words come, but also allowed the silence. It felt like a sacred time. I realize there were others who invested in the birth of this gift to my family and me. I sincerely offer my gratitude to those individuals as well.

Some aspects of humanity disenchanted Ian. Yet, there are so many stories of how he used this frustration as a catalyst to make a difference. In his laid back, brilliant way, he pointed us to a better moment, or simply made us smile. May we all be so deliberately invested.

Shawn Bailey
Chapel Hill

Helpers of children
Thank you for your Oct. 22 article about the new clinic at Duke dedicated to meeting the needs of brain cancer survivors. Knowing that more people survive cancer diagnoses gives hope to us all.

As the article notes, children face particular challenges, watching peers mark life’s milestones as they remain dependent on parents, often into adulthood. A local nonprofit, Health, Hoops & Hope (referred to as H3 for short and formerly known as Hoop Dreams), strives to give sick children their childhood back. H3’s mission is to bring joy and self-confidence to children with serious medical conditions through free social and recreational activities, including basketball, personal training and trips to local sporting events and museums.

These children face numerous emotional and physical stresses. H3 gives them the opportunity to develop socially and physically through athletic training and social activities in an environment that is medically sound and safe. We provide individual attention to each participant, and our activities facilitate social and emotional growth that helps children develop life skills such as self-reliance and team building.

Our program also includes siblings of the sick child, as these children also face numerous challenges. We welcome new participants to our program.

Lisa Brachman
Executive director, H3
Chapel Hill