By 2015, federal regulations will require everyone to have electronic health records (EHR).

The work required to reach this goal is expected to create a high demand in several types of health information technology (HIT) professionals.

To meet this demand, Dyersburg State Community College is offering an intensive non-degree education program free of charge to prepare people for these jobs.

Those who complete the six-month training program will be able to work with the new federal electronic health records requirements. 

Participants will learn about quality and efficiency benefits that will be needed in keeping electronic medical records, and along with new standards privacy and security of medical information.

Upon completion, participants will have both a medical and an HIT body of knowledge and can sit for a newly developed National Competency Exam.

In addition, those who complete the program through Dyersburg State wil

Registration is now open for the 2011 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend races to be held Saturday, Dec. 3.

Participants can register online at www.stjudemarathon.org for any of the four races: St. Jude Memphis Marathon, St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon, the Memphis Grizzlies House 5K and the St. Jude Memphis Family Race and Kids Marathon.

Late last week, new county health rankings came down from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, and it isn’t good news for the Mid-South. Shelby County ranks 82 out of the 95 counties in Tennessee when it comes to the percentage of obese residents. 

In Shelby County, 34% of people? are obese. In Crittenden County, it’s 35%. In DeSoto County, it’s 32%, but in Tunica and Quitman Counties, it reaches up to 42%. Throughout our area (including Missouri), there isn’t a single county that falls below 30% obesity.  That means at least one out of every three people in our community is obese.