Eye Care Consortium wins rural health honor
Black Belt Eye Care Consortium Wins Rural Health Award
Team effort focuses on eye care in Black Belt
Free follow-up eye care clinic in Camden Friday
Governor speaks about eye care
Program boosts sight in Black Belt counties
Governor Riley Praises Efforts that Improved Children’s Access to Eye Care in the Black Belt
Free eye care clinic held at Perry Co. Health Department March 24
Clinics will help Perry County residents see more clearly
Free eye clinic to take place today
Eye exams aim to give Black Belt children clear view of the world
Eye Care Consortium wins rural health honor
The Birmingham News
Saturday April 21, 2007A consortium that provides eye care in Black Belt counties was presented the Rural Volunteer Excellence in Service Award on Friday by the Alabama Rural Health Association. The Black Belt Eye Consortium received the award during the Rural Health Conference, presented by the Institute for Rural Health at the University of Alabama.
The consortium was created in 2005 through the Health Committee of Gov. Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission. It involves eight eye-care organizations that provide clinical services in the 12-county Black Belt Region: Sight Savers of Alabama, the UAB Rural Alabama Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative, Eye Care Alabama, the UAB Department of Ophthalmology, Vision Research Corp., Impact Alabama: FocusFirst, the UAB School of Optometry, and the Alabama Lions Sight Conservation Association.
© 2007 The Birmingham News
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Black Belt Eye Care Consortium Wins Rural Health Award
State of Alabama
For Immediate Release
Friday, April 20, 2007Tuscaloosa- The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium is being awarded the Rural Volunteer Excellence in Service Award by the Alabama Rural Health Association. The award will be presented today at noon at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa. This ceremony will conclude the annual Rural Health Conference, presented by the Institute for Rural Health Research at the University of Alabama
The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium was created in 2005 through the Health
Committee of Governor Bob Riley’s Clack Belt Action Commission. The BBAC Health Committee, Chaired by U.S. Congressman Artur Davis, brought together eight existing eye care organizations in order to collaborate to improve eye care in the twelve county Black Belt region in our state. The Consortium provides screenings, referrals, and follow-up care including eye glasses and eye saving procedures in severe cases.
This innovative consortium is a combined effort of Sight Savers of Alabama, the UAB Rural Alabama Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative, Eye Care Alabama, the UAB Department of Ophthalmology, Vision Research Corporation, Impact Alabama: FocusFirst, the UAB School of Optometry, and the Alabama Lions Sight Conservation Association.
In counties with limited or no access to eye care, the BBECC pulls together and plans an eye clinic, bringing the resources to those who need them the most. Eye care professionals from across Alabama travel to a site in the Black Belt and create a full-service eye care facility to meet the needs of these local citizens.
“The generous and sincere assistance being provided by theses organizations serve as an example of the great things that can be accomplished by combining efforts. This and other important initiatives of the Black Belt Action Commission are going to greatly assist this region in becoming the powerful economic resource that it has the potential to become,” said Dale Quinney, Executive Director of Alabama Rural Health Association.
The Consortium has vision screened over 12,100 Black Belt children with over 1,600 receiving follow-up care and over 270 receiving vision saving treatment. Over 3,000 adults have received vision screenings with over 1,200 receiving follow-up care.
“Almost every single day a child or adult in the Black Belt receives the eye care they need because of the combined efforts of the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium,” said Jeff Haddox, Consortium Co-Chair and President of Sight Savers of Alabama. “The Black Belt Action Commission created by Governor Riley set the stage for this collaboration”.
Team effort focuses on eye care in Black Belt
By Thomas Spencer – News staff writerThe Birmingham News
Tuesday, December 26, 2006FORT DEPOSIT – On a bright December morning at Fort Deposit Elementary School, the 3- and 4- year-olds in the Head Start program are gathered in a darkened classroom. “Today, we are going to take pictures of your eyes,” explains Skye Stewart, a recent Birmingham-Southern College graduate working with FocusFirst, an organization that trains college volunteers to perform eye screenings.
The screening is part of an effort coordinated by Gov. Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission to detect, treat, and monitor the visual health of residents in Alabama’s Black Belt, the crescent of Central Alabama counties where poverty rates are high and medical services scarce. Bringing together volunteer groups that had been offering a variety of eye-care services, the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium has screened 12,088 children, and evaluated vision for more than 3,000 adults. The group has provided eye exams, glasses, other vision treatments and follow-up services for 1,569 children, preventing vision loss in 269 children, providing glasses for 1,200 adults for eye care and other health problems, according to consortium co-chair Mary Jean Sanspree. The coordination grew out of frustrations of the local health departments. Children and adults were identified with vision problems, but follow-up care often didn’t happen.
“They were real concerned about our citizens,” said Sanspree, who works with the UAB School of Optometry’s Black Belt outreach program.
The eyes have it
The Birmingham News
Opinions
Tuesday, January 2, 2007THE ISSUE A concerted effort to bring vision screenings and eye care to the Black Belt is a model that should be celebrated – and copied.
Poor vision and other eye conditions can be a serious health issue, not to mention a giant roadblock to adults’ quality of life and children’s capacity for success at school.
While eye problems are less prevalent in Alabama’s poor, rural Black Belt Region, access to care has been less prevalent, and residents there have suffered as a result.
Enter the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium, which grew out of Gov. Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission – a group that seeks to improve the lives of residents in the region in a variety of ways, from health care to jobs.
The consortium brought together a number of volunteer groups that had been working in the area of eye care and coordinated those efforts for maximum results.
The report card is in: Screenings for 12,088 children. Evaluations for 3,000 adults. Follow-up treatment and services for 1,569 children. Preventing 269 of those children from losing their vision. Providing glasses for 1,200 adults. Making referrals for eye care and other health services for more than 1,000 adults.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Bet telling the story better than the numbers are the testimonials about those who have reaped the benefits.
A school nurse in Fort Deposit tells of a boy whose family couldn’t afford the eyeglasses he needed. The consortium provided him a free pair that not only improved his vision, but his grades and conduct as well.
A Uniontown father tells of a vision screening that uncovered problems which could have led to vision loss for his third-grade daughter. With eyeglasses and a patch, “she is doing fine now,” Napoleon Bryant said.
Among those taking part are the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Optometry; FocusFirst, a volunteer group that screens Head Start children; Sight Savers of Alabama; Eye Care Alabama; Vision Research Corp.; Lenscrafters and other eyeglass providers; and Alabama Lions Sight Conservation Association.
Their coordinated effort shows how much-needed health care can be delivered to areas far from population centers and to rural folks who lack transportation to get the care here at home.
It’s a model that’s already been copied by other states in the context of Hurricane Katrina relief. And it’s a model that can, and should, be adapted to more areas of health care here at home.
All in favor? Say eye.
Free follow-up eye care clinic in Camden Friday
The Wilcox Progressive Era
Wednesday, November 1, 2006A free follow-up eye care clinic for about 50 adults and 50 children will take place in Camden on Friday, November 3, at the Wilcox County Health Department. All eye exams are by appointment only and will be between 10a.m. and 3p.m.
Of the hundreds of Wilcox County children and adults previously screened at school, day-cares, and health fairs, these 100 patients were identified as most in need of eye care – many of whom would not receive it without this eye clinic. Members of the Black Belt Eye Consortium including Sight Savers of Alabama, UAB Rural Alabama Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative, and Eye Care Alabama will coordinate eye care services on site. Patients fitted for eyeglasses will receive them a week later through the Lens Crafters Gift of Sight program and the UAB School of Optometry.
“Sight Savers of Alabama will work with doctors from the UAB Department of Ophthalmology to provide children’s eye care. “Children need to see the world with their best possible vision,” stated Jeff Haddox, Sight Savers President and Black Belt Eye Care Consortium Co-Manager, “Otherwise they can’t reach their full potential.”
The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium was formed in 2004, under the leadership of the BBAC Health Committee, in order to ensure a more comprehensive approach to eye care in the Black Belt. The BBECC is an alliance of eight organizations serving the eye care needs of disadvantaged children and adults in the Black Belt. The alliance works together to ensure that patients who fail a vision screening are provided with the appropriate treatment and follow-up services.
Chad Nichols, Project Manager for the Black Belt Action Commission’s Health Committee said “The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium continues to meet the eye care needs of our Black Belt citizens. This collaborative approach to eye care originated through the work of the BBAC Health Committee. This effort serves as a model of what can be accomplished when groups work together to address important issues.”
The Governor’s Black Belt Action Commission was created by Executive Order and is charged with working to improve the quality of life in Alabama’s Black Belt. With over 300 members, the Health Committee is the largest of 13 committees forming the Black Belt Action Commission.
For more information, or to volunteer your services, please contact
Amity Fountain at 205-942-2627 extension 206.
Log on to www.blackbeltaction.org for more information on the Governor’s Black Belt Action Commission. Those wishing to volunteer their time and services may do so at the above web site or by calling 334-353-1540 in Montgomery, or toll free 1-866-468-2323 outside the area.
Great work, but more needed
The Selma Times – Journal
Serving Selma and the Black Belt Since 1827
Monday November 6, 2006Gov. Bob Riley will be in Demopolis today to celebrate the two year anniversary of hi Black Belt Action Commission. Officials will discuss the accomplishments of the 13 subcommittees of the commission. With support from State Sen. Hank Sanders and U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, Riley started the Black Belt Action Commission in 2004 by an Executive Order. The Commission’s goal is certainly an attainable one – to work toward substantive solutions that will improve the quality of life in Alabama’s Black Belt. The subcommittees deal with the areas of manufacturing, health care, education, skills training and infrastructure needs.
Earlier this year, Riley was in Selma to discuss the progress of the Commission’s Black Belt Eye Care Consortium. More than 12,000 children in the Black Belt have received free vision screenings and all those who have failed the initial screenings, 1,569 children received eyeglasses and other follow-up care and 269 received treatment that saved their vision.
The commission also worked to install computer labs in seven schools and successfully applied for 40 free computers that were donated to the schools. While the Black Belt Action Commission has accomplished much in its two years, local residents see that more work needs to be done. Today’s swing through the state should be about more than just an election year campaign. Riley should listen to residents and hear what those needs are. If he does go back into office for another four years, Black Belt residents should expect much more progress.
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The Cleburne News Online
Campaign 2006
08-10-2006More than 12,000 children in Alabama’s Black Belt have received free vision screenings and all those who failed initial screening were provided follow-up care thanks to organizations working together under Governor Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission. The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium provided vision screenings to 12,088 children. After the initial screenings, 1,569 children received eyeglasses and other follow-up eye care and 269 received treatment that saved their vision. Governor Riley and members of the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium visited Selma-Dallas County Public Library on Monday to review the accomplishments of their work.
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Governor speaks about eye careThe Selma Times
Serving Selma and The Black Belt Since 1827
Wednesday August 9, 2006Gov. Bob Riley made a trek into the heart of the Black Belt on Monday afternoon to bring the message of improved eye care. Two years ago, Riley created the Black Belt Action Commission to help improve the state of the people within the Black Belt Area.
“When we kicked this off a couple of years ago, we started talking about having a committee not to study the problem,” said Riley. “We called it an action commission because we wanted to be able to do things and get things accomplished.” One of the things that the BBAC has gotten accomplished is improved eye care within the Black Belt area.
According to a press release issued by Riley’s office, more than 12,000 children have received free vision screening and with the help of Sight Savers of Alabama, all of those who failed their screenings were provided follow up screenings.
“We brought volunteers together, coordinated their efforts and through these new collaborations and partnerships,” said Riley, “We’ve measurably improved people’s lives. It’s more proof that positive change is happening today in the Black Belt. These children received they eye care they needed but didn’t have access to and now stand a better chance at succeeding in school and throughout their lives.” Along with the 12,000 screenings, the BBAC also provided vision screenings to 12,088 children and then 1,569 received follow-up screening and glasses.
“What we’ve done with these screenings have been absolutely amazing,” said Riley. “A lot of these things are items that could cause the child to lose their eye-sight.” More over, 269 of those screened had the opportunity to receive treatment that literally saved their vision.
“You want to get test scores up in school,” said Riley. “You can’t when you can’t see the blackboard.” Collin McDaniel is an example of that. McDaniel is a six-year-old that had degenerative eye disorder corrected and fixed thanks to the efforts of the BBAC. “I can see out of my glasses now,” said McDaniel at Monday’s press conference.
Riley also pointed out that over 3,000 adults have been through and had free eye screenings. Of those that were screened, 1,200 of them received follow-up eye care. “The BBAC has provided us a framework where we can come together,” said Jeff Haddox of Sight Savers of Alabama. “Everyone knows that there has been poor access to medical care in the Black Belt, but that is changing.” The BBAC brought together the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium which is comprised of Sight Savers of Alabama, UAB Rural Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative, Eye Care Alabama, UAB Department of Ophthalmology, Vision Research Corporation, Impact Alabama, UAB School of Optometry and Alabama Lions Sight Conservation Association. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that Alabama Department of Education has been funding Sight Savers as well as the Monday Morning Quarterback Club from Birmingham,” said Haddox. Prior to the establishment of the BBAC in 2004, several existing organizations provided vision screenings , referrals and treatment but because of their efforts were not coordinated, some work was duplicated while many children were left unserved. The eight groups banded together and now these groups work close closely to coordinate their schedules to ensure that each child who fails an eye exam receives quick follow-up care and treatment. While each of the eight organizations were represented by a spokesperson or a group of people, one organization was not – the City of Selma. Dallas County Commissioner and Probate Judge candidate Kim Ballard was on hand for the event while no representatives from the City of Selma were present.
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Program boosts sight in Black Belt counties
Montgomery Advertiser
August 8, 2006
www.Mongomeryadvertiser.comSelma – Collin McDaniel, 6, wore a patch over his right eye, but he could see a lot better through his “weak” left eye Monday. Collin’s relatives couldn’t afford an expensive eye exam for him, but he got it as part of a free screening program. Gov. Bob Riley said it was an example of better things to come in Alabama’s poorest region.
“How do you like your new glasses? Riley asked the boy, who lives with his grandmother in Plantersville just north of Selma. “I can see out of them now,” Collin said. “This is great,” Riley responded. “This is what it’s all about.”
Collin and Riley came to the Selma – Dallas County Library on Monday to call attention to the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium. The program has provided vision screenings to more than 12,000 children and 40,000 adults in the past two years. Collin was one of 1,569 children who received eyeglasses as a result of the screenings conducted throughout the Black Belt.
“I never had a clue about what was wrong with his eye,” Janice Posey said of her grandson. “I do know we couldn’t have afforded tests or glasses.” Posey said that she learned that Collin suffered from Myopia, or nearsightedness. She said she would have been unable to pay for an eye examination or eye glasses to help him. “All Collin could see out of his left eye was a blur,” she said. “Now he can see much better, thanks to the help he has gotten.” Posey said Collin won’t have to wear the patch over his “strong” eye when he goes to J.E .Terry Elementary School on Thursday, but he will wear it on weekends. She said the patch has helped improve the strength of Collin’s weaker left eye by forcing it to “work harder” because the right eye is covered. “I was told that if the tests hadn’t been done, Collin might have had real serious problems by the time he was 10,” she said.
Eye–care officials from throughout the state joined Riley to laud the Black Belt Action Commission, which the governor created shortly after he took office in 2003. The organization has been active in numerous programs to help improve the quality of life in the poor area, and Riley said eye-care project is just one of them. “A lot of times we don’t get a second chance to make a difference is someone’s life,” he said. Thanks we have worked and we are going to make a difference in a lot of kids’ lives.”
Governor Riley Praises Efforts that Improved Children’s Access to Eye Care in the Black Belt
Office of the Governor
Bob Riley
August 7, 2006
http://www.governor.alabama.govSELMA – More than 12,000 children in Alabama’s Black Belt have received free vision screening s and all those who failed the initial screening were provided follow-up eye care thanks to organizations working together under Governor Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission. The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium provided vision screenings to 12,008 children. After the initial screenings, 1,569 children received eyeglasses and other follow-up eye care and 269 received treatment that saved their vision. Governor Riley and members of the Black Belt Consortium visited the Selma – Dallas County Public Library on Monday to review the accomplishments of their work. On of the children, six-year-old Collin McDonald participated in Monday’s event at the library. His vision screenings revealed the need for eyeglasses and further follow-up care, which he has received.
“This is exactly what I envisioned when I created the Black Belt Action Commission,” said Governor Riley. “We brought together, coordinated their efforts, and through these new collaborations and partnerships, we’ve measurably improved people’s lives. It’s more proof that positive change is happening today in the Black Belt. These children received the eye care that they needed but didn’t have access to, and now they stand a better chance at succeeding in school and throughout their lives.”
Prior to the establishment of the Governor’s Black Belt Action Commission in 2004, several existing organizations proved vision screenings, referrals and treatment, but because their efforts were not coordinated, some work was duplicated while many children were left unserved. Eight such organizations came together under the Governor’s Black Belt Eye Care Consortium. Now, these groups work closely together to coordinate their schedules and ensure that each child who fails an eye exam receives quick follow-up care and, if necessary, is given free eyeglasses or even free eye surgery in cases where vision loss would be permanent. In addition to providing eye care for children in the Black Belt, the consortium has also vision-screened 3,000 Black Belt residents and provided free follow-up eye care to 1,200 of them.
Governor Riley praised the eight organizations that make up the Eye Care Consortium, as well as U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, who chairs the Black Belt Commission’s health care committee and helped coordinate the consortium’s work. “I’ve spoken with the leaders of these organizations and we’re making the Eye Care Consortium a permanent presence in the Black Belt,” said Governor Riley. “The work they’re doing is so important. They’ve already had a long-term impact, and now they will provide a permanent community service to the Black Belt.”
The eight organizations that make up the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium are:
Sight Savers of Alabama
UAB Rural Alabama Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative
Eye Care Alabama
UAB Department of Ophthalmology
Vision Research Corporation
Impact Alabama
UAB School of Optometry
Alabama Lions Sight Conservation Association
Free eye care clinic held at Perry Co. Health Department March 24
The Perry County Herald
Thursday, March 30, 2006A free eye care clinic for 80 adults and children took place in Marion Friday March 24 at the Perry County Health Dept. All exams were by appointment only, taking place between 9:a.m. and 3p.m.
Over 1,200 Perry County children and adults previously screened at schools, day cares, and health fairs, these 80 patients were identified as most in need of follow-up eye care treatment. All patients will receive appropriate treatment on the day of the clinic and the children will be provided any additional follow-up services by Sight Savers of Alabama. Adults will receive any needed follow-up care services through EyeCare Alabama and UAB Vision Science Research Center Rural Alabama Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative.
Children’s eye care will be provided by one of the few Pediatric Ophthalmologists in Alabama, Dr. Marty Cogen, as well as the Chairman of the UAB Dept. of Ophthalmology, Dr. Lanning Kline.
Adult eye care will be provided by Dr. Won Kim, President of the Alabama Academy of Ophthalmology and Dr. Kent Daum, Associate Professor at the UAB School of Optometry. A Lens Crafters Optical Technician was on site to fit eyeglasses.
The eye care services are provided as a joint effort of Sight Savers of Alabama, EyeCare Alabama, RADGI, UAB School of Optometry, and UAB Dept. of Ophthalmology as part of the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium and Gov. Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission.
“Eye clinics are an important follow-up step to screenings performed in this part of the state,” said Jeff Haddox, President of Sight Savers of Alabama. “Basically, some children and adults in this area are unable to reach the eye care that they need. When this happens on a large scale, members of the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium and other organizations pull together to bring the eye care to them,” he explained.
Clinics will help Perry County residents see more clearly
The Demopolis Times
Monday March 27, 2006
http://www.demopolistimes.comRecently, over 1,200 Perry County citizens were screened at several different events, where 80 were found to need follow-up treatments. Today, help is on the way. A free follow up eye clinic will take place from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. today at the Perry County Health Department to give them appropriate treatment through EyeCare Alabama and UAB Vision Science Research Center Rural Alabama Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative in partnership with the Black Belt Action Commission’s Health Committee.
The program, Project Manager of the BBAC Health Committee Chad Nichols said, was just a way of helping the people identified during the clinics to get the help they need. “About 75 percent of the people they are following up with had problems,” Nichols said. “During the follow-up, they can provide them with glasses, or in extreme cases, they can suggest ways for them to get surgery for free.”
Many times in the Black Belt, people go without the proper eye care they need because their financial situation, or lack of doctors. Jeff Haddox, President and Founder of Sight Savers of Alabama, said they planned to bring the care and supplies they need to the people of Perry County. “Eye clinics are an important follow-up to screenings performed in this part of the state,” Haddox said.
“Basically, some children and adults in this area are unable to reach the eye care they need. When this happens on a large scale, members of the Black Belt Eye Consortium and other organizations pull together to bring the eye are to them.”
One of the few Pediatric Ophthalmologist in Alabama, Dr. Marty Cogen, as well as the chairman of the UAB Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Lanning Kline, will provide children’s eye care. Adult eye care will be provided by Dr. Won Kim, president of the Alabama Academy of Ophthalmology and Dr. Kent Daum, associate professor at the UAB School of Optometry. A Lens Crafters Optical Technician will be onsite to fit eye glasses.
The follow up clinic, Nichols said, shows what can happen when the commission and health organizations work together. “The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium is the perfect model to illustrate the purpose of the work of the Health Committee,” Nichols said. “This new partnership between eye care organizations was a direct result of the work of the BBAC with the goal of ensuring that Black Belt citizens receive comprehensive eye care including screening, follow-up care, and treatment.” For more information on today’s clinic, call Haddox at (205-276-8174.
Copyright © Demopolis Times. All rights reserved.
A Boone Newspapers Inc. publication.
Free eye clinic to take place today
The Selma Times – Journal
MARION – A free eye care clinic for 8- adults and children will take place in Perry County today at the Health Department. All exams are by appointment only and will be between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Of over 1,200 Perry County children and adults previously screened at schools, daycares, and health fairs, these 80 patients were identified as most in need of follow-up eye care treatment. All patients will receive appropriate treatment on the day of the clinic and children will be provided with any additional follow-up services by Sight Savers of Alabama. Adults will receive any needed follow-up services through EyeCare Alabama and UAB Vision Science Research Diabetes and Glaucoma Initiative (RADGI).
Children’s eye care will be provided by one of the few Pediatric Ophthalmologist in Alabama, Dr. Marty Cogen, as well as the chairman of the UAB Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Lanning Kline. Adult eye care will be provided by Dr. Won Kim, President of the Alabama Academy of Ophthalmology and Dr. Kent Daum, Associate Professor at the UAB School of Optometry. A Lens Crafters Optical technician will be onsite to fit eye glasses.
The eye care services are provided as a joint effort of Sight Savers of Alabama, EyeCare Alabama, RADGI, UAB School of Optometry, and UAB Department of Ophthalmology as part of the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium and Governor Riley’s Black Belt Action Committee (BBAC).
“Eye Clinics are an important follow-up step to screenings performed in this part of the state,” said Jeff Haddox, president and founder of Sight Savers of Alabama. “Basically, some children and adults in this area are unable to reach the eye care they need. When this happens on a large scale, members of the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium and other organizations pull together to bring the eye care to them,” he said.
Chad Nichols, Project Manager of the BBAC health Committee said, “the Black Belt Eye Care Consortium is the perfect model to illustrate the purpose of the work of the Health Committee. This new partnership between eye care organizations was a direct result of the work the BBAC with the goal of ensuring that Black Belt citizens receive comprehensive eye care including screening, follow-up care, and treatment. I am extremely pleased that these eighty Perry County residents will no receive the access to the follow-up care that they deserve.” The Black Belt Eye Care Consortium (BBECC) was formed under the leadership of the BBAC Health Committee in order to ensure a more comprehensive approach to eye care in the Black Belt.
For more information on the eye clinic in Marion, please contact Haddox at 205-276-8174. Log onto www.blackbeltaction..org for more information on the Governor’s Black Belt Action Commission. Those wishing to volunteer their time and services may do so at the above web site or by calling 334-353-1540 in Montgomery, or toll free 1-866-468-2323 outside the area.
Eye exams aim to give Black Belt children clear view of the world
By Bob Johnson, Associated Press Writer
Anniston Star
07-10-2005MOSSES – Chiquetta Raby was worried about her son’s vision. She had gotten a notice from his school that 9-year-old Jalen was having trouble seeing the blackboard and might need glasses. A single mother, Raby had no idea how she could afford an eye exam and possibly glasses, but she knew she had to something. “He’s an A student and I don’t want his vision to be a problem for him in school,” Raby said this week as her son received a vision screening at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church Christian Academy in Mosses in rural Lowndes County.
Seventeen children, mostly preschoolers, received the free screening Wednesday as part of a program to check the vision of children from low-income families. The eye exams have become part of Gov. Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission, and initiative to improve the quality of life in mostly poor, rural areas of west and central Alabama, many with majority black populations. The vision screenings are being provided in a region that includes counties with no hospital and no emergency health care after 5 p.m.
Jeff Haddox, president and founder of the nonprofit agency Sight Savers of Alabama, said children who fail the screenings are referred to his organization, which works with a network of eye care professionals to provide free eye exams, glasses and other services, including surgery, if needed. The exams themselves are performed by another nonprofit group, FocusFirst, which uses high-tech camera equipment to take pictures of the children’s eyes. Those pictures are then analyzed by Vision Care Corp., which can determine if a child is nearsighted, farsighted or has lazy eye or cataracts or other conditions.
The executive director of FocusFirst, Lucy Jones, said in the past year volunteers, mostly college students, have screened 4,486 children and found 605, or 13.5 percent, who needed follow-up care. “We learn through sight. If the children can’t see, they can’t learn,” said Narah Cano, executive director of the Ark of Love, a nonprofit organization that operates various programs in Lowndes County, including day care. “A lot of kids are not diagnosed until they start to school and start to fail.” One of the day care teachers, 21-year-old Kimberly Grant of Mosses, said children and their parents often don’t realize that they can’t see properly. “I remember when I first got my eyes checked. I was in the third grade before I realized I couldn’t see the board,” Grant said.
The screening involved the lights being turned off in a room and the children putting their chins on a device that held their heads still while the photos of their eyes were taken. Some little ones, like 15-month-old Alesha Coleman, sat in a teacher’s lap while FocusFirst volunteers Josh Payne, Brandi Law and Rachel McWhorter encouraged the toddlers to look at a red light on the camera.
Haddox said the camera is an effective way to detect vision problems in children who are too young to be able to read an eye chart. “You can do this vision screening on a totally nonverbal kid – one that’s too young to speak or handicapped,” Haddox said. He said many of the screenings are done at a preschool facilities. “There are abnormalities that occur when a child is young that, if not corrected by the age of 7, become hard or impossible to correct,” Haddox said. “If you correct problems early, when children start school and their vision is good, they do not get behind because of a medical condition right off the bat.”
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Black Belt Commission making progress in area
The Thomasville Times
December 8, 2005When Governor Bob Riley created the Black Belt Action Commission in August 2004, he said he didn’t want the group to study problems in the Black Belt but work to solve them. The Governor also said he would bring the group together a year later to review its accomplishments. Recently, after two hours of presentations about the commission’s achievements, Governor Riley said he wants other regions of the state to look to the commission as a model for what volunteers can do to improve their communities. “Here we brought 700 local volunteers together and focused on one goal: making life better for people in the Black Belt. By virtually any measurement, they’ve met with tremendous success and gotten results. We can take this commission and use it as a model all across the state to help other areas,” said Governor Riley.
The Black Belt is a band of largely rural counties stretching across the south-central part of the state. It has long been characterized by high rates of poverty, illiteracy and economic stagnation. Governor Riley was joined by the commission’s co-chairs, State Treasurer Kay Ivey and Senator Hank Sanders, along with the executive committee of the commission, including Congressman Artur Davis. Each enthusiastically praised the commission and the immeasurable improvements that have taken place in the 12 counties the commission has worked to improve. Among those improvements reviewed on Tuesday were:
Unemployment rate in the 12 counties averaged 9.9 percent when the commission was formed. A year later, the employment rate in those counties averaged 7.2 percent.
New Jobs and Industry: New and expanding businesses created more than 1,300 jobs in the 12 Black Belt counties. Combined, these businesses invested almost $100 million in the region.
Literacy: Reading scores for the fourth graders rose by an average of 10 percent during the last year in the Black Belt counties and by and average of 13 percent for eighth graders.
School Progress: The percentage of schools in the Black Belt meeting their Adequate Yearly Progress standards rose from 53 percent to 82 percent.
Dropout Rate Goals: 83 percent of schools in the Black Belt met or exceeded their goals for dropout prevention, and increase of 23 percent.
Computers in Schools: The Commission worked to install computer labs in seven schools and have successfully applied for 40 free computers that were donated to the schools by the federal government. Plans are for each of the schools systems in the Black Belt to have computer labs.
Vision Screening: Through the creation of an eye care consortium, more than 3,000 children in the 12 counties received vision screening services. Follow-up services were provided to the 446 children who failed their initial vision screening. Free eyeglasses were given to the 230 children who needed them to correct their vision. More than 3,000 adults were screened for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy at free health fairs in the Black Belt. Follow-up eye care is being given to these screening participants who need it.
Dialysis: The commission initiated a change in public health regulations that now allows dialysis clinics to placed anywhere in the state, regardless of their proximity to a hospital. Since 1975, regulations required all dialysis clinics to be within 10 miles of a hospital. The outdated regulation put a tremendous burden on dialysis patients in the Black Belt and in other rural areas of the state, forcing them to travel great distances several times a week for treatment.
State’s First Medical Reserve Corps: The commission established the first two Medical Reserve Corps coordinates the skill of practicing and retired physicians, nurses and other health professionals who volunteer to address their community’s ongoing public health needs and to help their community during large – scale emergency situations.
Kid One Transport: The commission applied for and received a private foundation grant of $150,000 to help expand Kid One Transportation system into the Black Belt. This service provides free transportation to and from doctors’ offices for pregnant women and children under 19. During the first seven months of 2005, Kid One Transport provided almost 2,500 trips to doctors in the Black Belt.
Preventing Teen Pregnancy: The commission partnered with the Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy to expand programs in the Black Belt.
Industrial Development: Commission members helped create the first industrial park in Wilcox County with the help of Alabama Power, which is also working with the commission to finance the construction of a new speculative building at the Craig Industrial Park located in Selma.
Job Training: Focused Industry Training programs have been established in each Black Belt county. No tuition or fees are required to enroll in this 10-week job preparation effort, which provides 400 hours of training in a workplace environment to job seekers.
Tourism: The commission pursued tourism promotions, including the planned Black Belt Nature and Birding Trail which will have information kiosks throughout the area to boost the number of tourists visiting the Black Belt. In addition, the commission worked with the Alabama – Tombigbee Regional Commission and the University of Alabama to create the Black Belt Treasures Gallery in Camden, where items and products produced in the Black Belt are sold.
Family Asset Building: The commission created a new effort to help families in the Black Belt build wealth to purchase a home, start a small business or continue their education. The commission applied for and received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to initiate Individual Development Accounts in the region. Today the program is helping 85 families in the Black Belt saver $6,000 each.
Plan gives Black Belt children free eye exams
The Birmingham News
2005MOSSES – Chiquitta Raby was worried about her son’s vision. She had gotten a notice from his school that 9-year-old Jalen was having trouble seeing the blackboard and might need glasses. A single mother, Raby had no idea how she could afford an eye exam and possibly glasses, but she knew she had to do something. “He’s an A student and I don’t want his vision to be a problem for him in school,” Raby said this week as her son received a vision screening at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church Christian Academy in rural Lowndes County.
Seventeen children, mostly preschoolers, received the free screening Wednesday as part of a program to check the vision of children from low-income families. The eye exams have become part of Gov. Bob Riley’s Black Belt Action Commission, an initiative to improve the quality of life in mostly poor, rural areas’ of west and central Alabama, many with majority black populations.
Jeff Haddox, president and founder of the nonprofit agency Sight Savers of Alabama, said children who fail the screenings are referred to his organization which works with a network of professionals to provide free eye exams, glasses and other services, including surgery, if needed. The exams themselves are performed by another nonprofit group, FocusFirst, which uses high-tech camera equipment to take pictures of the children’s eyes. Those pictures are then analyzed by Vision Care Corp., which can determine if a child is nearsighted, farsighted or has lazy eye or cataracts or other conditions.
The executive director of FocusFirst, Lucy Jones, said in the past year, volunteers, mostly college students, have screened 4,486 children and found 605, or 13.5 percent, who needed follow-up care. “We learn through sight. If the children can’t see, they can’t learn,” said Narah Cano, executive director of the Ark of Love, a nonprofit organization that operates various programs in Lowndes County, including day care. “A lot of kids are not diagnosed until they start to school and start to fail.” One of the day care teachers, 21-year-old Kimberly Grant of Mosses, said children and their parents don’t realize that they can’t see properly.
The screening involved the lights being turned off in a room and the children putting their chins on a device that held their heads still while the photos of their eye were taken. Some little ones, like 15-month-old Alesha Coleman, sat in a teacher’s lap while FocusFirst volunteers Josh Payne, Brandi McWhorter encouraged the toddlers to look at a red light on the camera. Haddox said the camera is an effective way to detect vision problems in children who are too young to be able to read an eye chart.