Doc Talks Series
Dear Editor: SEARHC just completed another successful Doc Talks series, a free health-focused speaker series in which SEARHC providers present on relevant health topics to the community. This season, three SEARHC providers presented over the course of September.
Dr. Daniel Sparks, a surgeon new to SEARHC, kicked off the series with an informative presentation on modern ways to address hernia repair using laparoscopy. He reviewed how this surgical approach can result in a faster post-operative recovery time and a lower risk of long-term pain associated with surgical hernia repairs.
Dr. Supriya Mathur, one of SEARHC’s Ear Nose and Throat surgeons, spoke on the topic of ENT care as a way to support learning and school performance in school-aged children. Common ailments such as strep throat, obstructive sleep apnea, environmental allergies, and ear infections were addressed.
To round out the September Doc Talks series, Dr. Janice Sheufelt, medical director of SEARHC’s Primary Care Clinics, spoke on the topic of alcohol and opioid addiction. She offered a new perspective on ways to understand addiction, and she provided the community with education regarding treatments for opioid addiction.
Thank you to Dr. Sparks, Dr. Mathur, and Dr. Sheufelt for providing the Sitka community with access to free, high quality health education.
I’d also like to express gratitude to all of the community members who attended the Doc Talks last month. We appreciate your lively discussion of the topics presented, your thoughtful questions, and your investment in your own health.
A big thanks also goes out to the Sitka Public Library for providing a welcoming environment in which to host the Doc Talks.
Keep an eye out for future Doc Talks, which will be scheduled in 2018. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to learn more about, please call Holly at 966-8938.
Thanks, again, to all who helped to make the recent Doc Talks series a success!
Holly Marban,
SEARHC Health Educator
