Extending a helping hand to the community, South Carolina State University is heading a federally-funded initiative aimed at improving the health prospects of African-American populations in three counties.

"We used state and local health statistics as indicators of the health disparities that we're focusing on," said Associate Professor Donnis K. Zimmerman of the School of Applied Professional Sciences, who is the director of the Rural Health Education and Intervention Development System (RHEIDS)."And along with diabetes, cancer, hypertension and heart disease, we're also addressing obesity in the African-American community. Much of the statistical data indicates that obesity is at the foundation of, or certainly exacerbates, many health problems."

RHEIDS will work with The Center of Excellence for Rural and Minority Health at Voorhees College, Edisto Health District and Orangeburg, Calhoun, Allendale and Bamberg Community Action Agency (OCAB) as network partners to diminish the rates of diabetes, cancer, hypertension and heart disease in African-American communities in the Tri-County area.

RHEIDS provides information to participants on proper nutrition and offers healthful and flavorful dietary alternatives. Teaching healthier methods of food preparation is a key element. SCSU Dining Hall Director Marilyn Scott is the Nutrition Resource Specialist for the program.

"We try to get people to make healthier dietary choices," Zimmerman said. "Mrs. Scott actually prepares the recipes so they can see that they don't have to sacrifice flavor and enjoyment to have a healthy meal. And many of the recipes promote broiling or baking as healthy alternatives to frying, encouraging our participants to reduce the fat in their diets."

RHEIDS also has exercise classes where participants work at their individual fitness levels, moving toward an aerobic regimen. And to better serve the participants in the program, Zimmerman and her staff take the classes to two satellite sites in the community -- Bushy Pond Baptist Church in Norway and Felderville AME Church in Santee.

"We speak at churches and community centers and conduct exercise classes at our two satellite locations," Zimmerman said.

One of the components of the program that is not portable is the medical portion concerning diabetes-related eye disease. As the medical doctor on the project's team, Dr. Monnieque Singleton of Singleton Comprehensive Health Center screens through tele-ophthalmological technology.

"We use a non-mitriatic retinal camera to take pictures of the back of the eye without dilating the pupil, so there's no disturbance to the person's vision," Singleton said. "This is part of an effort to improve the rate at which diabetics are screened and, most importantly, to prevent blindness secondary to diabetes. In the United States the number one cause of blindness is diabetes. So we need to do a much better job of screening diabetics at earlier stages."

The non-mitriatic retinal camera allows Singleton to store the images of patients' eyes so that comparisons can be made from year to year. Unless a problem is detected, the screening is done annually.

"If we find any abnormalities at the time of screening, we send them to the ophthalmologist and some determination is made on how often the patient needs to be seen," Singleton said. "And when we detect a problem, we don't wait a whole year before we screen them again."

Singleton has found the retinal camera to be a valuable tool in impressing patients with the importance of good eye health and good general health.

"The interesting thing is, they get a picture of their eye," Singleton said. "And a picture is worth a thousand words. When I can show them a photograph of what their retinas look like and the damage that has been done because of the diabetes and how it's going to lead to blindness if they don't control their blood sugars, the impact is tremendous. When patients have seen the damage to their eyes, it was a wake-up call."

Through RHEIDS, Singleton is the only local doctor with a non-mitriatic retinal camera, making his the only local office capable of conducting such screening.

As a shining example of the benefits of RHEIDS to the local community, Zimmerman offers 91-year-old Alma Ulmer, who has been participating in the program since its inception in 2003.

"She is always cheerful, vibrant and inspiring," Zimmerman said . "She has proven to be a marvelous role model for the other participants in the program. She attends nearly all the aerobics sessions at the SCSU Wellness Center as well as the nutrition classes. She participates in the chair aerobics portion of the exercise class with a can-do attitude that is a joy to watch and a challenge to imitate."

Mrs. Ulmer has noticed several benefits gained from her participation in RHEIDS, particularly the exercise classes.

"I sleep better and don't have to take so much medication," she said. "My arthritis isn't nearly as bad as it was. I just generally feel better when I'm diligent about my exercise."

For her dedication to the program, Mrs. Ulmer was chosen RHEIDS' first Citizen of the Quarter, a new motivational tool Zimmerman and the staff has developed.

"When we thought about naming a Citizen of the Quarter, we immediately thought of Mrs. Ulmer," Zimmerman said. "She exemplifies the benefits the program can have if the principles are followed. We want to have the effect on all our participants that we've had on Mrs. Ulmer. That's what this project is all about, improving health and empowering people to be conscious participants in their personal well being. This is the first community project to kick off under President Andrew Hugine. He has been and continues to be very supportive of what we're trying to do in the community."

RHEIDS is funded by the Health Resources Administration Division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. For further information on RHEIDS, contact the central office at 536-7070 or 536- 7074.

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