By Jo McCulty President Karen Holbrook receives the Director's Award from Arthur Dean, left, chairman and CEO of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, and Gary Tester, director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, at the Annual Ohio Prevention Education Conference Dec. 15 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Columbus.

Holbrook recognized for alcohol, drug prevention efforts

President Karen Holbrook was presented with the Director's Award for courageous leadership in alcohol and other drug prevention Dec. 15 at the Annual Ohio Prevention Education Conference at the Adam's Mark Hotel.

Coordinated by the Ohio Resource Network for Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities, and funded by the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS), the conference is intended to raise awareness of available resources, facilitate best practices, provide opportunities for networking and renew the spirit of prevention. This year's theme was "Prevention: On The Right Track."

The award, which is given to an individual not in the field for their major contributions to alcohol and drug prevention, was bestowed upon Holbrook for "her willingness and courage to direct changes on The Ohio State University campus that will positively impact the environment for all who work, study and live in the OSU area," said Gary Tester, director of ODADAS, during the presentation. "The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services and Ohio's prevention community understand the commitment necessary to make what may be unpopular decisions for the well-being and safety of young people. We applaud Dr. Holbrook's outstanding leadership in this effort."

Law enforcement officials discuss crime trends at conference

By SHANNON WINGARD, Media Relations

Discussing crime trends on college campuses and sharing best practices are just two reasons why approximately 40 law enforcement officials gathered at Ohio State's campus Dec. 7-9.

The 25th annual University Police Chiefs and Public Safety Directors Conference included attendees from Big Ten universities and the University of Notre Dame. Members of the Columbus Division of Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, who support public safety operations on campus, were invited to attend the three-day event.

Vernon Baisden, director of Ohio State's Department of Public Safety, said learning from the experiences of other law enforcement officials is an important aspect of the conference. Crime prevention initiatives and community policing philosophies are among the discussions that took place.

"We were pleased to host the event," Baisden said. "It serves as a great opportunity to review best practices and to discuss public safety issues that confront large colleges and universities."

The conference included sessions on celebratory rioting and modifications to police deployment tactics.

Police deployment tactics were discussed during a presentation on changes to "field force" procedures, when a police squad is deployed to a situation and each member has a certain responsibility, including crowd control, said acting University Police Chief John Petry.

"The conference is a nice opportunity to have a professional exchange of ideas and to learn from others on the best ways to handle situations on campus," Petry said.

A highlight of the conference was a presentation by two members of the Cleveland Police Department's SWAT team, who discussed capturing a lone gunman at Case Western Reserve University last May. The SWAT team members gave a briefing about working an "active shooter" case and offered their lessons-learned to the law enforcement officials.

Sgt. Eric Wolfe directed the SWAT team's operation inside Case Western's business school on May 9. When he and Officer James Gnew described the incident, the attendees learned about ways to prepare for such an occurrence and how to handle it if one arises. The incident left one student dead and two wounded.

The conference participants also learned how the multiple police forces (Cleveland Police Department, University Circle Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office and Case Western Reserve security personnel) worked together to successfully apprehend the suspect and to help more than 90 people leave the business school safely.

Cmdr. Suzanne Curmode, who works for the Columbus Division of Police in the University District area, says it is important to network with University Police and to learn more about issues affecting college campuses.

"Obviously, it is important to keep an ongoing relationship with university police," Curmode said. "It is helpful to get contacts, to talk to people and to share information."

'Cat-friendly' home can reduce health, holiday stressers for indoor cats

By MELISSA LAMB PEALE, Veterinary Medicine Communications

Are you stressing about the upcoming holidays? Chances are your cat is, too. Disruptions such as visiting family and friends, and moving furniture to accommodate out-of-town guests are drastic changes in routine that can stress even the most serene of felines.

Cats have a natural "fight-or-flight" response to such stressful events. But cats with feline bladder disease, or interstitial cystitis (IC) -- characterized by frequent urination, pain, blood in urine and "accidents" outside of the litter box -- have a problem with their nervous system and, unlike normal felines, often react abnormally to such events.

New research by Tony Buffington, professor of veterinary medicine and a specialist in feline urinary disorders in Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine, shows that IC can be avoided or reduced if cat owners create a cat-friendly environment in the home. Routine feeding times, regular play and safe perches are just a few basic steps indoor cat owners can take to prevent, reduce and manage their cat's uncontrolled urination, he said.

"We may not realize how sensitive our cat is to something as simple as moving furniture around the room or having company over for dinner," Buffington said. "Cats are creatures of habit and they depend on us to keep their surroundings stable and safe."

Cat owners can enrich the home with a number of simple steps, such as establishing a regular feeding routine, creating a safe and quiet place for food and water bowls, cleaning the litter box daily, and creating a high perch that allows the cat to look out a window. Other tips are available on the Indoor Cat Initiative site at www.nssvet.org/ici.

Buffington's study, "Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Disease Risk of Indoor Cats," examined 61 cases of indoor cats with IC in single and multiple cat households in January 2003. After six months of environmental enrichment, 12 of the 13 cats living in single cat households were symptom free; among the 48 cats in multiple cat households, 40 have been symptom free. The usual rate of recurrence during this time was 40 to 65 percent.

Bridget Nelson's cat, Steeler, was a part of the OSU study. Nelson noticed Steeler urinating on the floor about the time of events surrounding the birth of her son, which included a flooring renovation and family visits to her suburban Pittsburgh home. She followed the Indoor Cat Initiative's guidelines, including creating a quiet place for Steeler's food bowl, moving the litter box away from the furnace, and giving him 15 minutes of petting each day.

"I found that paying attention to him at the same time each day really helped," Nelson said. She noted Steeler has had only two "accidents" since she made the changes. "I believe that this will be a problem that we will have for the rest of Steeler's life," she said. "With a busy work week, commuting and raising a toddler, it will happen. But the things that I learned and changed have had a dramatic impact on our life. His, too!"

Interstitial cystitis afflicts approximately 1.5 percent of cats who are seen by veterinarians. In two out of three cases, the cause of these symptoms is not known, Buffington said. However, stress seems to trigger IC episodes. IC also naturally occurs in humans, whose symptoms generally include pelvic pain and urinary frequency and urgency.

"Cat owners may take these behaviors as signs that their cat is angry with them, but cats are not spiteful," Buffington added. "Their reaction is actually a plea for help. Unresolved, the disorder can worsen, with many cats being put to sleep in the veterinarian's office or sadly, in many cases, in animal shelters, where anxious owners abandon them."

According to veterinary researchers, three million indoor cats are turned over each year to animal shelters by frustrated owners unable to cope with their cat's urinary problems. Medications can help, but generally only after environmental enrichment has occurred.

The study's findings offer hope for cat owners dealing with uncontrolled accidents, Buffington said, particularly considering the number of U.S. cat-owning households. According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 73 million pet cats in some 35 million households nationwide.

Staff transplant recipient to ride in Rose Parade

By MARILYN PONGONIS, Lifeline of Ohio

The Buckeye football team won't be in Pasadena this year, but Ohio State will be represented at the 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1.

Ryan Zinn, a technology licensing associate in the Office of Research, will be one of 22 individuals riding on the "Symphony of Life" float.

Ryan Zinn

The first-of-its-kind float will promote the need for life-saving organ and tissue donation and will feature transplant recipients, donor family members and living donors walking together across a 50-foot garden bridge. The float will illustrate the inspiring, life-transforming connection between organ and tissue donors, their families and transplant recipients.

Zinn received a heart transplant 15 years ago at the age of 15 and went on to graduate from Ohio State with a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1996 and a M.S. in industrial systems engineering in 1998. Proud to be selected as a floatrider, Zinn says he sees it as an opportunity to better educate the nation about the severe shortage of life-saving organs for transplant and the power everyone has to save lives through donation.

"But most importantly, the greatest honor will be showing the world the amazing impact that donors and their families have on so many people," he said. "I would not even be alive to do this if not for the gift of a stranger and his family who, in the midst of their loss, thought of helping others. They are the real heroes who will be riding in my heart that day."

The "Symphony of Life" float is sponsored by the Coalition on Donation and more than 50 partners across the nation, including Lifeline of Ohio in Columbus, who nominated Zinn as a floatrider.

Among the other riders on the float will be: Chris Klug, liver recipient and Olympic bronze medalist at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games; and Kenneth Moritsugu, a donor father and husband and the deputy surgeon general of the United States.

To place your name in the Ohio Donor Registry, or to learn more about donation, visit www.lifelineofohio.org.

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