Ebenezer Medical Outreach will offer general dentistry appointments to the uninsured and Medicaid recipients twice a month, starting Friday.
Huntington-area residents who are uninsured, or insured by West Virginia Medicaid, will have new dental care options starting Friday, Aug. 9.
Ebenezer Medical Outreach will offer general dentistry appointments to the uninsured and Medicaid recipients twice per month at their outreach center at 1448 10th Avenue, Suite 100, Huntington, West Virginia.
While West Virginia Medicaid includes an adult dental benefit, it is not widely accepted by providers. According to a 2023 study, for Medicaid patients, wait times average 95 days for an initial appointment and 44.9 additional days for a treatment visit.
This clinic is made possible through the volunteer efforts of Dr. David Eller, a dentist who served the region for decades until his 2021 retirement, and through the support of Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
West Virginia has a shortage of dentists. A 2022 report from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, a department now split into three separate agencies, found that there were 49 dentists per 100,000 population, well below the national average of 61 per 100,000.
According to that same report, The Burden of Oral Disease in West Virginia, 58 percent of West Virginian adults have seen a dentist in the past year, lower than the national average of 68 percent.
That report found that in 2020, almost six of 10 adults, or 56 percent, of West Virginians over the age of 18 had lost at least one permanent tooth.
The West Virginia Oral Health Coalition found in its 2023 analysis of West Virginia’s dental care accessibility that more than 24 percent of dental practices in West Virginia were not accepting new patient appointments and the ones that were had an average wait time of more than 70 days for the first available appointment.
Only 36.7 percent of dental care sites could offer appointments within 30 days, which falls short of the benchmark goals for Medicaid enrollees. Many states including West Virginia have goals in place for Medicaid enrollees to be seen within 30 days.
In addition to 24 percent of practices not accepting new patients and long wait times for first appointments, data analysis found the average wait time for a second appointment to treat dental decay, like a cavity, was an additional 34.6 days and ranged from 1 to 145 days.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.
Marshall has received a $3.3 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study how genes influence the brain’s response to fentanyl. Understanding that mechanism can help with the development of treatments.
In 2022, fentanyl overdose was the leading cause of death for U.S. adults aged 18 to 45, according to Families Against Fentanyl. Some people are more susceptible to fentanyl addiction than others.
“This alarming statistic highlights the urgent need to understand why some people are more susceptible to fentanyl addiction,” said Price E. Dickson, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and lead investigator of this five-year study. “Identifying how certain genes influence the brain’s response to fentanyl will pave the way for the development of effective treatments, thus addressing a critical public health need.”
Marshall has received a $3.3 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study how genes influence the brain’s response to fentanyl. Understanding that mechanism can help with the development of treatments.
Dickson and his team will use a panel of genetically diverse mice in concert with advanced neurogenomics and neuroscience approaches to discover the genes and brain mechanisms that underlie vulnerability and resistance to fentanyl addiction. Co-investigators Brandon J. Henderson, Ph.D., and Alejandro Q. Nato Jr. Ph.D., both associate professors of biomedical sciences at Marshall University, will bring expertise in neuroscience, bioinformatics and statistical genetics.
Ultimately, this pioneering research may result in the development of novel, more effective addiction treatments and, in so doing, address a critical need in public health.
An R01 research grant is a prestigious funding mechanism through the National Institutes of Health and its affiliated institutes and centers that supports health-related research projects. Securing this highly competitive grant signifies recognition of the project’s scientific merit and its potential impact on advancing medical knowledge and improving public health.
The West Virginia Order of the Eastern Star will support Alzheimer’s research efforts at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, aiming to advance scientific understanding and develop effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
The West Virginia Order of the Eastern Star will support Alzheimer’s research efforts at the Marshall University (MU) Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, aiming to advance scientific understanding and develop effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
The order is an international fraternal organization with 65 chapters and nearly 10,000 members in West Virginia. In October 2022, Teresa Cisco was elected Worthy Grand Matron for West Virginia. She chose to focus on Alzheimer’s research, driven by a deeply personal connection to the cause.
Just a few years before, her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s by a neurologist at Marshall University’s School of Medicine.
“My mother, Melissa D. Cisco, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019 by a neurologist at Marshall University’s School of Medicine,” Cisco said. “I watched this strong, intelligent woman’s mind slowly deteriorate due to the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Witnessing its profound impact on patients and their families, I felt compelled to contribute to finding a cure, and Marshall University was the natural choice.”
The decision to support Marshall University was also influenced by a deep family connection, as Cisco, her mother, her aunt and her niece are all alumni.
The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine is engaged in various research initiatives to address Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including the Institute for Excellence in Prescribing for Elders with Dementia, which focuses on innovative therapies and appropriate prescribing techniques. Translational research aims to identify dementia biomarkers for better diagnosis and new treatments.
Through collaborations with the Marshall University colleges of liberal arts and arts and media, the medical school is also exploring the effects of art therapy on cognitive decline. Clinically, the Susan Edwards Drake Memory Assessment Clinic, the Marshall Center for Healthy Aging and Hanshaw Geriatric Center all provide comprehensive treatment and support for dementia patients at Marshall Health, with additional memory evaluations available through neurology and psychiatry.
“Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can be particularly trying because they affect a patient’s sense of self,” said Lynne J. Goebel, M.D., professor of medicine and geriatrics at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “Not only are these disorders challenging for patients, but they can place significant strain on caregivers. Everyone knows someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia and knows how damaging the disease can be. My own mother passed away from Alzheimer’s three years ago, and it’s devastating to watch your loved one lose their memories and become a different person. This endowment will open doors to new research in dementia at Marshall — research that I hope will benefit the millions of people suffering from this disease and their caregivers.”
Many West Virginia adults find themselves in the difficult position of caring for their children and looking after their parents at the same time. Conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s are problems, but so are mobility and safety issues at home.
Many West Virginia adults find themselves in the difficult position of caring for their children and looking after their parents at the same time. Conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are problems, but so are mobility and safety issues at home. It can be stress-inducing and make many people wonder if there is any help available and where to get it.
News Director Eric Douglas has found himself in the same position and wondered the same things. This is the first installment in a new interview series titled “Getting Into Their Reality: Caring For Aging Parents.” We’ll talk with experts about what people need to know as they get older, or when helping aging parents.
Dr. Lynne Goebel is a professor of internal medicine and geriatrics at Marshall University. She works at the Hanshaw Geriatric Center. She spoke with Douglas to explain what is going on inside the brain.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Douglas: Help me understand what’s going on in somebody’s mind or what’s happening in Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Courtesy Marshall University Joan. C. Edwards School of Medicine
Dr. Lynne Goebel is a Marshall Health physician who specializes in geriatric medicine. She is also a professor for the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.
Goebel: From a pathologic point of view, I can tell you that 20 years before someone develops symptoms, they have stuff going on in their brain. You’re already developing these amyloid plaques in the brain. Usually, someone will start noticing that they’re having some trouble with their short-term memory, and they may still be functioning well. That’s what we call mild cognitive impairment and it’s a precursor, sometimes, to full blown dementia.
That stage lasts about five years, where someone has some problems, they know they have trouble, but they’re still able to get it together. And they use lists and other things, their smartphones, to help them keep on track and function well. Then they have trouble functioning. So, they may not be able to use the telephone. And they may be trying to use their remote control for their TV as a telephone. So, there’s some strange things that happen and they may forget to pay their bills.
Douglas: You mentioned the amyloid plaque. So, this is a layer or a plaque that’s forming within the brain that’s causing the brain to misfire effectively.
Goebel: Then there’s the next stage where you have actual buildup of protein inside the neurons in the nerve cells. This particular protein is toxic, and it kills the cells. As the disease progresses, you’re going to have death of these nerve cells, and that’s where people lose function, and they lose memories.
Douglas: The plaque is the first stage, then this protein build up is kind of a secondary stage. That’s really where the trouble sets in.
Goebel: We’re still finding out exactly what causes this disease. Initially we thought, “If we get rid of this plaque, then we would be able to cure this disease.” Well, some of the drugs that are out there, that they’re still studying, are targeting that but we’re not seeing the results we’d hoped for in people with early-stage disease. We may be seeing stabilization, but we still need to do more study on that kind of drug. And the side effects of those medicines can be worrisome, like swelling of the brain or micro hemorrhages.
Douglas: Is there any “Aha” moment that this person has Alzheimer’s? Is there a test for this? Is there any way to know definitively early on?
Goebel: Right now it is diagnosed clinically. You’ll go to a specialist, which could be either a geriatrician or a psychiatrist or a neurologist. And that would be the kind of doctor that would do this specialized testing. We do memory tests, and we also look at the patient and see how they’re functioning, because the functioning part is also key to making a diagnosis of actual dementia, as opposed to that mild cognitive impairment.
As far as an actual diagnosis, we’re getting close. There’s a lot of study going on right now about biomarkers. Your doctor could do a spinal tap and send that fluid off and they can say that you possibly have Alzheimer’s disease based on that. And then there’s a scan, called an amyloid PET scan, but your normal doctor can’t get this kind of scan. You can only get it if you’re in a study. On the Alzheimer’s disease website, they do have a study going on called the New Idea Study where you could possibly get this kind of scan. And there’s a doctor in West Virginia, who is participating in that study.
Douglas: Does it help to have that kind of diagnosis? I mean, even if you found out 20 years before the significant onset, we don’t really have any medications to treat it, there’s no surgery to remove it.
Goebel: They did a study where they did this amyloid PET scan on people, and we found out that they had probable Alzheimer’s disease based on that scan. We did treat them differently. We gave them more medications, families were able to plan better for the future, and I think it did make a difference in those patients. I think it is a good thing to try to get that diagnosis made. Now as far as disease modifying treatments, we don’t have that right now, but I think it’s in the near future.
Douglas: You say near as in five years or 15?
Goebel: Maybe even two to five years. I think we’re going to have something we can offer people. I’m hopeful at least.
Douglas: Let’s talk about caregivers for a moment. What do families and caregivers need to know?
Goebel: I always recommend the Alzheimer’s disease association. They have an 800 number that is 24 hours. So if you have a crisis situation, you can call and talk to someone who can possibly help you right at that moment. They also have a wonderful website with all kinds of very important information on there.
Depending on the stage of the patient, they can help with a variety of things, such as in the early stages. You want to do some planning and make sure you have all your legal paperwork and power of attorney in place, and also make plans for yourself as far as being able to say what you want to happen in the event that things get worse.
Later on, there’s other stages of disease, where you’re dealing with communication issues. And the caregivers really need training on that because we know that medication for behaviors is not great. In fact, certain medications can increase the risk of death in people with dementia. So we try to get caregivers to take training and to learn how to get around certain behaviors.
For instance, if a patient is not wanting to take a bath, which happens very regularly, how can you deal with this in a way to get the patient to do it, but that’s not going to be horrible for everyone? There’s a lot of training out there for caregivers.
The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University has been awarded a new residency program, set to begin next summer.
Marshall’s School of Medicine announced Wednesday its accreditation for a new neurology residency training program.
Neurologists study and treat brain and nervous system disorders ranging from strokes to Alzheimer’s disease.
Marshall’s four-year program will accept three residents per year, for a total of 12 when it reaches its capacity. The program begins July 1, 2018.
The addition makes the ninth accredited residency program at the Joan C. Edwards School, which also offers seven fellowships.
Chairman of the school’s Department of Neurology Paul Ferguson said the new program will help increase access to critical care.
“By creating a neurology residency program, we will not only increase the number of providers within the greater tri-state area, but also improve the likelihood that our trainees will move from here into underserved areas of our state following the completion of their training,” Ferguson said.
Neurology residents will see patients at Marshall Neurology, Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and the Huntington VA Medical Center.
Marshall University plans to buy a building in Huntington and use it for the medical school.
The Huntington Municipal Development Authority owns the 48,000-square-foot Douglass Centre. The building already houses several entities, including the Ebenezer Medical Outreach program.
Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine dean Joseph Shapiro tells The Herald-Dispatch that the university will continue the Ebenezer program.
He says there are no concrete plans for using the building. The medical school will look at its needs and the building’s current tenants.
The building formerly was Douglass High School, which served Huntington’s black students before schools were integrated in 1961.
Marshall plans to acquire the building for $780,000.
