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Pain, disease workshop set for Long County
0212 Loreatha Jenkins
Coastal Regional Commission spokeswoman Loreatha Jenkins speaks to a group at First Baptist Church of Ludowici about managing chronic pain and disease.

Long County residents on Thursday got a preview of a free chronic pain and disease workshop that will be offered starting this month.
Loreatha Jenkins of the Coastal Regional Commission spoke at the First Baptist Church of Ludowici about the Living Well Coastal Workshop, which will be held in the Long County Library.  
Jenkins said the course is a six-session workshop to educate people on coping with chronic pain and disease.  The workshop is available to the public.
“This free workshop will help you get to feeling better, be in control of your life and help you get to doing the things you want to do in your life,” Jenkins said.
She said the course will show those who have chronic pain and disease how to have more energy, get relief from fatigue and deal with their health issues.  The course will cover 17 topics including exercise and nutrition, stress management, medication usage, depression and how to talk to a doctor.  She said that some examples of people who would benefit from the program include those who have arthritis, diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, cancer, anxiety attacks and heart disease.
Jenkins said that the workshop was developed by the Stanford Center for Research in Patient Education, and is being taught in 19 locations in Georgia, all 50 states and 40 countries.  
Jenkins said that normally the course costs $250 to attend, but that because of a grant, there is no charge.  She said that every person who attends the course will receive a book and CD. She added that for every person who makes at least four of the six sessions, that they will receive a certificate of completion.
Long County Sheriff Craig Nobles, who attended the forum, said, “It was a good presentation, getting some good information out. I think that the class they’re offering would help a lot of folks in our community, and I think we all need to do all we can to support and help our older citizens.”
Five people who attended the forum signed up for the course, including church member Janice Anderson.
“I thought it was very informative and it opened my eyes to some avenues that I did not know existed. I suffer from arthritis, high blood pressure and back pain, and I look forward to attending the workshop and hope to get some relief,” Anderson said.
The workshop will start at 9 a.m. every Tuesday from Feb. 21-March 27 in the library.  For more information or to sign up for the course, call 912-262-2843.

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