Dedication Ceremony Agenda for May 27, 2005
- 08:30 AM – 09:30 AM Tour of JVN Imaging Equipment
- 09:30 AM – 10:00 AM Formal presentation of equipment capabilities
- 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Demonstration of Imaging
ELKO, NV – Diabetes is a large and growing problem in Indian country. Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that eventually
occurs in all people with diabetes and has become the most common cause of blindness among adults. Blindness from diabetic
retinopathy can be prevented with laser treatments, but all too often the opportunity for this is missed. The Southern Bands
Clinic in Elko, Nevada has gotten new technology to help their patients avoid blindness due to diabetes. This remarkable new
equipment will provide early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and detect patients who need retinal laser treatments, the only
established treatment for this eye disease.
Diabetic retinopathy usually leads to blindness without warning. Because of this, people with diabetes must get an eye
examination every year to be certain that this condition doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, half of all Native American patients
fail to get this evaluation, and some go on to blindness because the disease is missed until too late to treat. Telemedicine
is a new electronic way to bring high quality and timely health care to places where it may not be available. This system uses
special digital cameras, computers, and electronic networks to detect disease and send the information electronically to
doctors that may be many miles away. The Joslin Vision Network (JVN) is a telemedicine system specialized for diabetic
retinopathy. JVN, developed by the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, MA, will be delivered to the Southern Bands Clinic on
May 27. Following a ceremony that will include a blessing of the equipment, Tribal Chairman Hugh Stevens will be the first
person to be imaged. This is the first installation of the JVN in Nevada and was made possible by the cooperative efforts of
the tribe and the Indian Health Service. Mr. Don Davis, Director of the Phoenix Area IHS said, “This advanced technology
installed at the Southern Bands Clinic is only the first of several installations that will occur in Nevada. These systems
will come at no cost to the clinics and will be supported by the eye doctors at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center to prevent
blindness due to diabetes.”
The JVN consists of a state of the art retinal camera that obtains an image of the retina without dilating eye drops. (figure above)
The image is sent to the Phoenix Indian Medical Center where specially trained eye doctors evaluate the images and return a
report on diabetic retinopathy and needed treatment. (figure above)
This technology has been showcased at several national meetings and has gathered the attention of organized health care
delivery programs across the country. Studies conducted at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center show that the JVN can improve
diabetic eye care and treatment over 50%. Mr. Davis, quoting these studies, further commented, “It is expected that carefully
placed installations of this system can produce similar results in Nevada, and prevent blindness due to diabetes in Indian
country.”
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