blue water woman--spring 2016--B

lue water
woman of the year
sushma reddy, m.d., fort gratiot township
passionate
about the
population
by Patti Samar
Sushma Reddy, M.D. has spent her entire career trying to work herself
out of a job.
Reddy, an endocrinologist with seemingly endless energy, has dedicated
her medical career to not only caring for those who are sick, but also to
preventing illness in the first place.
And while many physicians encourage patients to live healthier lifestyles,
Reddy is passionate about preventing one of the fastest growing diseases of
this century: diabetes. And she doesn’t want to just impact the patients she
sees; she wants to change the culture of the entire community.
“I’m very passionate about kids and obesity,” said Reddy. “They didn’t
ask to be that way. We are somehow failing these kids. We know that 70 to
80 percent of obese teenagers will be obese as adults.
“If you can change that culture of a community and focus on prevention,
you will have healthier communities.”
And Reddy has done more than her part to change the culture of the
Blue Water Area, even if it means changing it one patient at a time. As
a result of her professional and volunteer efforts to make this a healthier
community, Reddy has been named Blue Water Woman of the Year. She
was nominated by Annette Mercatante, M.D., the public health officer and
medical director for the St. Clair County Health Department.
Through both her private practice over the past 20-plus years and in her
more recent position as the director of population health at Lake Huron
Medical Center, Reddy has seen too many children and adults struggling
with the health consequences of obesity. She knew she needed to help
children understand the importance of physical activity so in 2009, Reddy
worked with Port Huron’s Cleveland Elementary School – where many
students are considered “at-risk” due to a number of factors – to put
together a pilot program to help students become both physically healthier
and better readers. Teachers had noted that during the summer months,
many students did not have access to books and therefore their reading
skills suffered.
The Walk for Summer Reading program was sponsored by the St. Clair
County Medical Society Foundation. Students participated in school-wide
walking activities for at least eight weeks during the school year. The more
they walked, the more they “earned” books to take home and read during
the summer months. The program was a hit.
Not only did reading and physical activity participation improve, but
classroom behavior improved, as well. “We noticed as these kids were
walking their attention spans were improving in the classroom,” said
Reddy.
Since then, the program has grown to include 24 elementary schools and
a number of other fitness related activities have sprouted from its roots,
including walk-a-thons, running clubs and walking clubs. In 2012, Reddy
received an award from the Michigan Department of Community Health
as a “Hometown Health Hero” for her work with the Walk for Summer
Reading program.
Reddy is also sympathetic to the plight of adults who struggle with obesity.
Through her involvement with the Community Services Coordinating Body
of St. Clair County – a group of representatives from health and human service
agencies across the county – she founded the Healthy Lifestyles Workgroup so
that multiple agencies can work together to build a local environment that makes
it easier for people to be active and healthy.
Reddy noted that she has been fortunate as she has proceeded throughout
her career in that she has received a lot of support from others. “I have a
wonderful and supportive family and friends and I’m blessed with good
health. And my husband is very supportive. It takes team work. It’s great to
have someone supportive that way.”
In her nomination, Mercatante noted that not only does Reddy make
time for her family and to volunteer in the community at large, but she has
been instrumental in organizing a group of women physicians in the area
for mutual support and networking.
“I think women physicians have unique needs,” said Reddy. “We love our
careers, but at work, we’re dealing with people’s lives. But I really think that
women need to support each other no matter what you do for a living.”
spring 2016 BlueWaterWoman.com 5