Paper Tigers

photo via press kit at papertigersmovie.com

Last night I had the opportunity to screen the new documentary Paper Tigers. Directed by Jamie Redford, this film delves into the lives of several students at Lincoln High, Walla Walla's alternative high school. In the last five years, the school has shifted to a model of non-punitive discipline structure that works with a trauma-informed staff and administration who are armed with research about Adverse Childhood Experience(s) (ACEs) and the affect that living in an environment of chronic stress and compound trauma has on the brains of children. It followed several students over the course of a year, graduating in 2013. It is astounding to me the differences that have been the result of this pardigm shift over such a short period of time. Watch the trailer by clicking here.

Coming from a child welfare background, it was already a subject that was interesting to me, and I've been a bit of a docu-junkie lately watching almost every documentary available on Netflix revolving around our penal system, drug wars, food insecurity, substance abuse, immigration...all of which seem to tie back into generational poverty and stress. As one documentary ends and I go to choose the next, I find myself thinking about all of the social implications, but then not sure of concrete ways I could apply what I've just seen to my own environment. After finishing last night, it was almost more overwhelming because it is my environment that I just spend the last two hours watching. I lay in bed with my mind turning over ideas and thinking about the kids and teachers in the film (Hey! She went to bootcamp with me; hey! I know her!).

So, back to what we can do. Immediately. Without special training. Be kind to each face you see walking around town. Give grace freely and without patronism, even when you know a person, you don't know all that they struggle with. Know someone that works at Lincoln? Support them. They're willingly taking on an enormous emotional load by working with a high-risk student body. You can love the kids and your work, but it still takes a toll. Donate to the attached Health Center- they have a wishlist with items as easy as picking up an extra box of band-aids or granola bars the next time you go grocery shopping. They also have an extensive list of volunteer opportunities for everything from spring cleaning at the clinic to stuffing envelopes for mailers to volunteering your time as a healthcare provider or mental health professional. I hope that the list of ways we can support only grows from here.

The only misgiving I had about it was that a lot of the shots were of the most barren parts of town (empty railroad tracks, highway underpasses, etc). I totally understand why this was done from a theatric/cinematic standpoint, but I felt like in order to get a full picture of the community, it's almost more dramatic to see the stark contrast between wealth and poverty in this little town, and that they all exist within blocks of each other, often within the same block. It makes the work that Lincoln High is doing so well even more important.

If you didn't get a chance to attend the screening (both showings were sold out), I know that there are several people interested in organizing screenings and I hope to take on organizing one for later this fall. After a few months, it will be released to the educational sector and then in Spring of 2016, it will be released for individual purchase on platforms like iTunes and Amazon. There is so much to be said about this topic and the film that I can't even seem to gather my thoughts. It's a great conversation starter, and I know it will result in more schools in the nation making a shift to this model where they can. I hope that in our community it raises awareness, and support of, the amazing things that can result from tireless educators, counselors, law enforcement and healthcare providers who are a source of unwavering support and stability to the kids who need it the very most.

Mr. Sporleder, Lincoln's principal, has since retired and is working with the Children's Resilience Initiative 'Resilience Trumps Aces' and travels for speaking engagements and education throughout the country. The results from Lincoln's implementation of the trauma-aware protocols have gained national attention.

During the Q & A last night, Mr. Redford said that Paper Tigers' follow-up Resilience is in the works, and it sounds like it'll be another good one to watch.

HPV Digene Test

Nobody looks forward to their annual exam. Well, I guess I should say most people don't, and nobody that I know. However, it is something that I've diligently penciled in and RSVP'd yes to each year since turning 18. Now that I'm in the 30+ age bracket, I fall smack in the category of women who are urged to advocate for their own health by requesting the digene HPV test in addition to their regular pap smear. Since 1943, when Dr. Papinacolaou (you always wondered why it was called a pap, right?) developed it, pap smears have helped with early detection and treatment of cervical cancer dropping it from the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women, to the fifteenth.

QIAGEN has designed the first FDA-approved test that can detect high risk, namely cancer-causing, forms of HPV. By requesting the test to be performed, you're not subjecting yourself to an extra scrape, or more pinches, because the lab is able to use the same sample collected for your pap test. Most offices don't routinely order the HPV test unless a pap comes back with an inconclusive result, so it's up to you to request that it be ordered no matter the pap result for 'extra piece of mind.'

As with any test or procedure you have performed, it's important to check with your insurance company so that you can find out if the test is covered under your plan, if you'll have to pay part of the cost, and if that cost is worth it to you to have a more complete understanding of what your risk for developing cervical cancer may be.

Having personal experience with people in my life who are having to face much bigger decisions after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, I feel that it's important to get the word out to women. Look at the website, arm yourself with information so that when you talk to your healthcare provider, you can make a joint decision that's in your best interest. The HPV Test website is a wealth of information, and is available in several languages.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the QIAGEN digene HPV test. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Tea for You

Yesterday, President Obama signed into law what most think will be a good first step toward overhauling the largest and most expensive institution in our nation; health care. What seems to most (and when I say most, I'm saying it because health care reform was a major platform upon which Obama got elected by the majority of Americans) to be a positive step toward taking care of our own, has been under harsh scrutiny and has endured a lot of false propaganda by it's opponents.

I would say that the vast majority of those that support health care reform would freely admit that this is not a perfect first step, but it is the best step that could be taken right now. Do we need tort reform? Absolutely. Should we look at starting to cover only evidence-based procedures? Maybe. Should we take the hardest look at the devastatingly huge amount of money that we spend on end-of-life care by coming to terms with our fear of the idea of losing a loved one? Probably. But, all of those things will take a long time, overcoming social mores and the pressure that family members feel to make a 'good' decision, or to prolong the inevitable. I'm proud of this first step, and I look forward to the progress that can be made from it.

Click here to see a very abbreviated list of some of the benefits we can expect to see from the health-care bill. I like that it cites its sources for each reason...although number 7 is not cited, so I'm inclined to believe it's a looser number.

I thought this video was interesting, keeping in mind that it was obviously edited; but since it was edited to my own political slant I, of course, like it. Even though it will take a good chunk of an afternoon, I've decided that I will sit and read the whole bill so that I do understand...I would hate to feel as unprepared to defend my position as these folks obviously were if put on the spot.

Pish Posh

Yesterday, I finally started to feel like this whole residency thing would eventually come to a close. While J spent some time with the big wigs at his first hospital tour, I got to look at homes with a realtor and start to envision H and Charlie playing in the large, fenced back yards with our potential dog, sleeping in bunk-beds in a bedroom overlooking said yard and slurping cereal in the breakfast nook.

We were treated to a fantastic dinner at a beautiful winery filled with laughter and ease, then drove to a gorgeous restored historic hotel; where I’m currently sitting on a plush King-sized bed in the hotel’s cushy robe while J sweats away another morning of interviews.  And if that wasn’t enough, there was a huge wine and cheese basket filled with local decadence and a personal touch.

I think this is something to which I’d like to become accustomed…

Speaking of...

Kicking the habit. Yesterday when I was making sure that I hadn't been duped again by J and his friend Ty about the origins of 'cold turkey' and 'kick the habit' (I learned the hard way when they burst out laughing as I repeated the fun party fact they'd shared with me to a crowd of people that Carson Daily was a Navy SEAL in Desert Storm...or not), I found this interesting article from 2004 about a surgical procedure being performed in China that is reported to 'erase the memory' of drug use and it's enticement from the mind of chronic users. How do they do this, you may be asking yourself? Oh, they drill a hole in their head. No, they're not drilling into the patient's brain, but they drill a hole in the skull that's 1 cm in diameter. There was only one hospital in China performing the procedure to the tune of about $4,000 US dollars using an encephalic stabilizer that they'd imported from the US for $34.88 million.

I wasn't able to find any further information, or answers to the questions people posed in the comments, and the information is over 5 years old, so who knows if they even perform it anymore. At the time of the article's publication, there had been 18 surgeries carried out, with only one of the patient's relapsing. It is thought that the patient's relapse was due to social pressures after they reunited with their prior circle of friends.

I guess the research and development team on this one took the term 'I need it like I need a hole in my head' a little too literally, eh?