Workers Risk Damage from Repetitive Motion
By Jay Sternickle
Article originally appeared in the Life & Times Magazine
Patriot Newspaper, Hinesville, Georgia

When Debra Naill first experienced pain in her hands, while working as a sewing machine operator, she did not think it was unusual. She thought the pain would go away; like the deep aches you get after a hard workout at the gym.

She was new at her job and thought her hands would get stronger as she learned to sew better; repeating the same motions day after day.

But the pain did not go away; it got worse, and Naill's hands got weaker and weaker. After nine months on the job, she was forced to quit—she no longer had the strength in her hands to grip objects. Naill was the victim of a repetitive stress injury.

Violence Tears Families Apart
By Jay Sternickle
Article originally appeared in the Life & Times Magazine
Patriot Newspaper, Hinesville, Georgia

Family violence is one of today's most critical health issues, and it tears away at the very foundation of a marriage leaving an abused spouse with nowhere to turn. But there is help for victims of domestic violence through programs offered by Army Community Services' Family Advocacy Program and local community programs like Tri-County Protective Services.

The Family Advocacy Program works to prevent spouse abuse in its early stages through education and treatment programs.  Tri-County Protective Services runs a shelter for victims of violence who have no choice but to break away from an abusive spouse.  Through these programs victims and abusers alike can rebuild the foundations of their relationships.