A pound of cure will give way to an ounce of prevention Thursday as health care, law enforcement and education officials host an expected 2,000 Houston County public and private school eighth-graders at the annual Teen Health Forum in Perry.
The daylong session at the Miller-Murphy-Howard Building of the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter will feature four presentations on topics ranging from "smart decisions" to "dealing with peer pressure."
Eighth grade is a watershed point for many young people, insists Beth Jones, director of community education and services for Houston Healthcare.
The medical complex, Peachbelt Medical Society and Houston County public and private schools are sponsoring the forum.
"That's the time we start seeing young people make health decisions on their own," Jones said. "Things such as smoking, use of alcohol, maybe riding with someone who's been drinking. That's the focus. We talk a lot about how just one decision can affect the rest of your life."
Dr. Harold Katner, chief of infectious diseases and professor of internal medicine at Mercer University, will kick off the program at 9:45 a.m. with information related to AIDs, sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer.
Dr. Jimmy Calloway, executive director of the Georgia Coalition for Physical Activity and Nutrition, will follow with a presentation urging teens to "take responsibility for their health."
"Staying Safe" will be offered by the Houston County district attorney's office and Warner Robins Police Department. The 30-minute session will focus on gangs and teen crime.
Teacher and coach Jason Respert will conclude with a personal account of "dealing with peer pressure" and avoiding alcohol and drug use. Respert, a former high school all-American lineman at Northside High School, was arrested in January 2000 following a recruiting visit to the University of Florida.
He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of simple battery and trespassing and was sentenced to community service and two years of probation. He eventually played football for the University of Tennessee.
Frankie Ross, coordinator of health and physical education for Houston County schools, said the forum is unique in the state of Georgia.
"As far as I know, we're the only school system that does this type of thing," Ross said. "We bring in experts from the outside to give our children life-saving information. Everything at the forum deals with health issues."
Georgia students clearly need the information, according to Jones. Only 71 percent meet prescribed physical activity standards, 17 percent smoke cigarettes and 16 percent of middle schoolers are obese, she said.
"Eighth-graders partake of things that are harmful to them, certainly more that we would like to see," Jones emphasized. "Prevention is better than the cure. So if we can keep kids healthy and encourage them to live a lifestyle that will improve their health, then we will have done a good thing."
Ross said parents remain the most important source of influence for children. "But it's helpful for someone outside the home to say the same things," she noted.
Students look forward to the forum. "They hear about it in the sixth grade," Ross said. "They know it's coming. Hopefully, with the information we will give them, they will make good decisions that could save their lives."
The health and physical education coordinator said parents and other members of the community are welcome to attend.
To contact writer Gene Rector, call 923-3109, extension 239.
