Maria Parham Urology Open House
— courtesy Maria Parham Health
(Maria Parham Health is a paying advertising client of WIZS.)
Vance Shelter Needs Supplies
The Vance County Animal Shelter is in need of supplies. If you are attending “Dog Walk For Veterans” on Saturday, or not, you can still stop by, check out the shelter, see about volunteering and drop of supplies.
For more about “Dog Walk For Veterans” — click here.
Frankie Nobles, the chief animal control officer for Vance County, told WIZS News the shelter’s wish list of needed items includes: fleece blankets; dog/puppy beds; rubber/plastic chew toys; non-clumping cat litter; kitten food (small bites); milk replacer for kittens/puppies; laundry detergent; blue dawn dish soap; kitchen trash bags; flea/tick meds, sprays; gallon ziploc bags; XL dog crates; and bleach.
Granville Chamber Has New Website
— press release
GRANVILLE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF NEW WEBSITE – WWW.GRANVILLE-CHAMBER.COM
The Granville County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors announces that their new website, www.granville-chamber.com has just been launched. This project has spanned several months of research and planning by Chamber volunteers and staff. Cecilia Wheeler/Dean of VGCC’s South Campus and Chamber Board member, along with Melanie Diehl/Melanie and Company, spearheaded this project, working with the Chamber staff and the website designer.
The sponsorship of Chamber members made this project a reality. Gold sponsors are CertainTeed and Wake Electric Membership Corporation. Silver sponsors are Century 21/Hancock Properties, Duke Energy, Floyd Management and Realty, Granville County Tourism Development Authority, VanNess Chevrolet and Winters’ Storage.
The website is designed to provide easy-to-obtain information about Chamber members and their services, as well as information about Granville County. The website has also included a few guest posts from https://serpninja.io/guest-posts/ to retain the SEO of the website. The Membership tab lists member benefits, joining information, volunteer opportunities, etc. The Chamber’s recent “Granville Today” publication is available to download via the website. There is easy access about Leadership Granville and the John Penn Citizen of the Year information and nomination form. Visitors’ information contains business, relocation, utilities, maps, civic groups, places of worship, government offices and other county sites. There’s event and activity information. And, of course, there’s information about Chamber member businesses.
In early 2018, the Chamber will be offering several training opportunities for Chamber members to learn details of all of the perks to take advantage of with the new website.
Affordable Care Act Enrollment Has Started
— press release from Legal Aid of North Carolina
Enrollment for 2018 Affordable Care Act coverage starts Nov. 1
Financial help and in-person enrollment help still available for NC consumers; Shortened enrollment period ends Dec. 15
RALEIGH • Oct. 31, 2017 – Tomorrow, Nov. 1, is the start of the Affordable Care Act’s fifth – and shortest – open-enrollment period. Consumers will have until midnight on Dec. 15 – just 45 days, which is half the length of past enrollment periods – to enroll in 2018 coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplace <https://www.healthcare.gov>.
Due to the shortened enrollment period and general confusion surrounding the Affordable Care Act – a Kaiser Family Foundation study<https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/kaiser-health-tracking-poll-october-2017-experiences-of-the-non-group-marketplace-enrollees/> found that many consumers do not know the dates for the 2018 enrollment period – it is more important than ever for North Carolina consumers to know that they can rely on an experienced, fully funded<https://www.legalaidnc.org/Pages/about-us/news/Navigator-Grant-2018.aspx> corps of Marketplace navigators to provide them with free, local, in-person enrollment help all across the state.
Consumers can schedule a navigator meeting by visiting ncnavigator.net<https://www.ncnavigator.net> or calling 1-855-733-3711 (toll-free). They can also attend one of the free enrollment events that will be held around the state throughout open enrollment (see the events listing on ncnavigator.net<https://www.ncnavigator.net/>).
Here are some other important facts for consumers to know:
* The Affordable Care Act is still the law, and Americans must be enrolled in health insurance in 2018 to avoid paying a fine.
* Subsidies to help consumers pay their monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs – copays and deductibles – are still available. Nine in 10 North Carolinians who enrolled in the last open enrollment period received some financial help to cover their premium costs.
* Consumer subsidies go up or down along with premium rates, so most consumers should not feel the premium increase in their wallet.
* Consumers who already have Marketplace coverage should come back to review the new plans available for 2018, rather than automatically re-enrolling. New plans and prices are available, so consumers should make sure they are enrolled in the best plan for their family’s medical needs and budget.
* All plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace cover comprehensive care, including doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, emergency services, hospitalization, preventive and rehabilitative care, and more.
”The most important message for consumers is: do not delay!” Jennifer Simmons, director of the NC Navigator Consortium, said. “Given the shortened enrollment period, it’s more important than ever for consumers to act now. If you have questions or don’t know where to start, our navigators are here for you. Visit our website or call us as soon as possible.”
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TNH Foundation’s Grant Awards Top $1 Million
— press release
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation’s Grant Awards Top $1 Million
By Val Short,
Executive Director
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation has achieved a new milestone with the recent approval by the Board of Directors of $300,000 in grant awards to local organizations in the Foundation’s fifth grant cycle. The 2017 grant awards raises the total funds awarded by the Foundation to $1.1 million, since the Foundation began grantmaking in 2013. The 2017 grant awards were presented at a reception on October 12.
“The Foundation’s mission is to invest in grant projects and programs that will improve health in our region,” said Val Short, executive director for the Foundation. “The 2017 grant awards will fund projects that focus on community health and healthy lifestyles throughout our four-county region. Our hope is that these grant awards will result in improved health and healthier outcomes for children and adults in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties.”
Most of the 2017 grant projects focus on chronic disease management and prevention, success in school, and substance use disorders. The TNHF grantees will provide a broad range of approaches to improving health– from programs that develop fitness and self-esteem in teens, to enabling access to primary care for homeless men, to teaching social skills and relationship boundaries for the developmentally disabled, to teaching water safety skills to Vance County second graders. “For all of our grant programs, health and wellness are at the heart of the work they will do,” said Short.
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation has established five major funding priorities that include, Chronic Disease Prevention, Nutrition and Physical Fitness, Success in School—as it relates to health and fitness, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and Reproductive Health.
A list of the grant recipients and their projects for 2017-18 includes:
• Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central NC – SMART Girls Outdoors – a health, fitness, and self-enhancement program for girls ages 8-16, which is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable adolescent girls to develop their full potential; program will partner with YMCA’s Girls on the Run.
• Community Partners of Hope – Health Interventions – a coordination of access to primary care, behavioral health, and dental services for 40 homeless men served by Hope House and the Emergency Shelter; skills for self-management of chronic illnesses will be taught to all participants.
• Community Workforce Solutions, Inc. – Healthy Boundaries – Safe Living – using the Circles curriculum to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities navigate social situations, learn healthy relationship boundaries, and to recognize and react appropriately to sexual abuse or exploitation.
• Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start – Teens Fit for Life – the existing Adolescent Parenting Program will expand to include a Nutrition & Fitness component in partnership with the YMCA and Cooperative Extension.
• Franklin County Health Department – MIT Care for a Healthier Franklin County – staff training to implement evidence-based practices of motivational interviewing, integrated behavioral and physical care, and trauma-Informed practice to improve patient-provider engagement and improve health in the priority areas of heart disease and obesity.
• Granville-Vance Public Health – 1)Improving Child Health & Academic Achievement in Vance County – collection and analysis of baseline anthropometric data in at least 7 elementary schools to be used to pilot child health and obesity prevention project in at least one elementary school; 2)Improving Birth Outcomes in Granville & Vance counties – expanding the evidenced-based Centering Pregnancy program to Vance County; provides prenatal care and learning activities to address and improve high rates of infant mortality and significant disparities in birth outcomes.
• Henderson Family YMCA – 1) Girls on the Run/STRIDE – a self-esteem, self- respect and healthy lifestyles program for girls & boys culminating in a 5k run/walk at the end of each semester; 2) Safety Around Water – teaches water safety and drowning prevention skills to 2nd graders in Vance County.
• NC Med Assist – Free Pharmacy Program & Over-the-Counter Giveaways – provides free medications and support for low income and uninsured individuals in the Triangle North Region. In addition two over-the-counter medicine giveaways will be implemented this year in Vance and Granville counties.
• Occoneechee Council, Boy Scouts of America – SCOUT Strong – expands existing alcohol & drug prevention program designed for boys and girls ages 5 to 20. Emphasizes healthy living, physical fitness and the dangers of substance abuse.
• Strength and Mending (S.a.M) Child Advocacy Center – Child Forensic Interviews – provides a centralized, child-centered approach to investigation that reduces the risk of trauma to the children who are victims of abuse; increases opportunities for healing for the child and non-offending family members.
• TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.) – Rebuilding Lives: Mental Health & Substance Abuse Recovery – provides a two-year residential recovery program with treatment, education, vocational training and care for residents of the Triangle North region who suffer from alcohol and substance abuse, free of charge.
• Westcare North Carolina, Inc. –Staff Certifications in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Substance Abuse Counseling – training for staff to become certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy so a higher level of therapy can be provided to the adolescent women who are served by this residential treatment facility in Manson for teen girls who are classified at a Level 2 adjudicated status.
Located in Henderson, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation provides grants to nonprofits organizations, governmental agencies, and schools in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties. The Foundation’s grant funding mission has been made possible by the endowment that was established after Maria Parham Medical Center merged with the for-profit Duke-Lifepoint in 2011.
A new grant cycle will be launched next March, but in the meantime, the Foundation staff is available to discuss ideas for grant projects or to provide assistance with grant writing. Information about our grantees and future grant opportunities is available on the website at www.tnhfoundation.org or call 252-598-0763.
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