On Friday, March 16, the Department of Health Services commemorated World TB Day by hosting Stop TB – Be Part of the Team, a half day conference for nursing and public health professionals. Hansel F. Asmar, Director/Health Officer, welcomed the 39 professional participants who ventured out in the late spring snow storm.
Tuberculosis (TB), a disease that attacks the lungs, has been around for hundreds of years. Although TB was once the leading cause of death in
America
, today is 100 percent curable and preventable.
Conference attendees had the opportunity to participate in two mini-workshops, Reading TST Arms by Patty August, Case Manager, New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) Global Tuberculosis Institute, and Use of N-95 Masks by Edna Pearlman and Melissa Johnson, Industrial Hygienists/Right-to-Know Program, BCDHS. A variety of displays and posters pertaining to multiple facts about TB were available for viewing. Participants also received a variety of educational materials to be used with patients and other professionals.
L to R: Hansel F. Asmar, BCDHS Director/Health Officer; Lillian Pirog, Nurse Manager, Lattimor Practice, NJMS
Global Tuberculosis Institute; Mark Wolman, Program Manager, Tuberculose Control, NJMS Global Tuberculosis Institute
Mark Wolman, Program Manager, Tuberculosis Control, NJMS Global Tuberculosis Institute, presented Tuberculosis: Global to Local. Participants were updated on the current statistics and demographics of global to local TB. In addition, Lillian Pirog, Nurse Manager of the Lattimor Practice, NJMS Global Tuberculosis Institute, spoke on Fundamentals of Tuberculosis: Nursing in Children and Adolescents. Those present learned the newest techniques for nursing care of children and adolescents with TB.
To learn more about TB or programs available in
Bergen
County
, call the Department of Health Services at 201-634-2676.
