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TownTalk: The Benefits Of Breastfeeding

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August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and staff from the Granville-Vance Health Department were on Monday’s Town Talk to discuss the services available to new mothers and mothers-to-be through the federally funded program Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

“Breastfeeding is an integral part of our program,” said Lauren Faulkner, WIC director and who is also a certified lactation counselor.

WIC, a federal program administered through the health department, supports at-risk women and children by providing them with resources, nutritional guidance and more.

Faulkner and Savannah Presley, GVPH lactation coordinator and a board-certified lactation consultant, spoke with John C. Rose about the importance of breastfeeding for the health and well-being of mothers and babies.

“We have lots of work to do in Granville and Vance counties,” Faulkner said, referring to the numbers of mothers who continue to breastfeed their babies. About 70 percent of pregnant moms start out breastfeeding, but that number drops to just over 40 percent by the time the baby is six weeks old. It drops to 21 percent for those moms who continue to breastfeed their children at six months of age

There are many reasons for this drop, Presley said. Some moms have to go back to work or school and some moms may not have a strong social or family network, she added. .

There’s also the misconception that formula is an equivalent to breast milk, and Presley said the general lack of knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding contribute to a lower-than-desired breastfeeding rate.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that new mothers give their babies breastmilk exclusively – no supplementation – for the first six months, and then continue tp breastfeed until the child is one year old.

“Breastfeeding offers many benefits for both the nursing parent and the baby,” Presley said, including a reduction in risk of various chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes and can burn those extra calories to help women return to their pre-pregnancy weight quicker.

The baby receives antibodies that are critical to ward off health problems from allergies to a range of digestive issues, she said.

“Breast-fed babies tend to be less sick than formula-fed babies,” she said.

It certainly is more economical to breastfeed than it is to buy formula, Presley noted.  There’s no need to buy pricey powdered formula, bottles or other paraphernalia.

She said the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends “exclusive breastfeeding – no other supplementation – for the first six months of life, and (to) continue breastfeeding for a year or longer.”

Continuing to breastfeed until a child is two years or older provides additional benefits, she said, including receiving additional protein and immunoglobulin – the stuff that boosts the immune system. The milk composition actually changes over time to provide appropriate nutrients for the growing child.

But moms aren’t the only ones who can feed a baby breast milk. Mothers can pump milk, which allows others to give the baby a bottle. In addition, “skin to skin” contact is critical for a newborn, Presley said. It helps an infant regulate body temperature and heart rate, as well as  establishing a bond between mother and child to stimulate milk production.

The colostrum that an infant receives after birth is vital and Presley said that, although it’s in small doses, this “liquid gold” is key to getting a baby off to a healthy start.

All appointments are by phone at this time, because of COVID-19 restrictions.

For more information, contact the WIC department in Vance County at 252.492.

3147, and for Granville County, 919.693.1333.

 

For complete details and audio click play.

 

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Crucifer Pest

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

 

High Transmission

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Information from Granville-Vance Public Health as of Friday.

In the past 7 days, there have been 108 new cases in Vance County, a 235% increase from the previous 7 days. The percent positivity rate in Vance County is 6.4%. According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, there is high community transmission in Vance County.

In the past 7 days, there have been 114 new cases in Granville County, a 46% increase from the previous 7 days. The percent positivity rate in Granville County is 3.6%. According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, there is high community transmission in Granville County.

Granville County has reported a pediatric death from complications related to COVID-19 in a 17-year old male on August 13, 2021.

In Vance County, 57% of those over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 51% are fully vaccinated.

In Granville County, 62% of those over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 58% are fully vaccinated.

1,107,414 have been diagnosed with the disease across all 100 of our counties with 6,628 newly reported cases. The daily percent positive is 11.6%.

13,826 people in North Carolina have died of COVID-19 and 2,483 are currently hospitalized.

63% of the adult population in NC is at least partially vaccinated and 58% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

For more information, the audio here was broadcast on Monday, August 16.

 

Warren County announces key staffing hires in Emergency Services and Public Utilities

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— press release courtesy of Warren County

Warren County, North Carolina – Effective September 1, 2021, Warren County will name Joel Bartholomew of Warrenton as the new Emergency Services Director. Bartholomew joins Warren County from the City of Henderson, with over 15 years of experience; six (6) years were served as a Battalion Chief.

Bartholomew is excited to serve Warren County in this new role as he begins a new era of his career in public safety as Emergency Services Director.  Commissioners Bertadean Baker and Commissioner Walter Powell, who both served on the interview panel along with County administrative staff, are both pleased with Bartholomew’s appointment.

“I am pleased that he will be joining us,” stated Commissioner Baker. “He’s from Warren County; he knows the people in the community, and with his experience and certifications he will be a great addition for us.”

Commissioner Walter Powell, a long-term volunteer firefighter in Warren County, added, “I have known Mr. Bartholomew for years.  He will be very good for our EMS Department.  He knows how to talk to the community and if there is something he doesn’t know, he will work hard to make sure he learns whatever is needed of him.”

Bartholomew comes on board after the retirement of Dennis Paschall in April of 2021; Paschall had 44 years of service.

Additionally, long term Emergency Medical Services Captain, Christopher Pegram, who has over 16 years with the department, will assume the role of Division Chief effective August 16, 2021.

County Manager Vincent Jones thanks EMS staff, Captain Pegram, and Captain Chris Tucker for serving in their interim roles of Director and Division Chief, respectively, and ensuring the health and safety of Warren County residents during the staffing transition.

Warren County Public Utilities is pleased to announce long-term County employee, Eric St. Sing, will take over the Public Utilities Director position. As a Warren County employee of over 17 years, St. Sing has taken the initiative to earn all certifications needed for the position. St. Sing assumes the Director and Operator Responsible Charge (ORC) roles having earned his final Distribution Certification in March of 2021.

Warren County also announces the following promotions in Public Utilities: Claude “Scooter” Edwards from Crew Leader to Superintendent; Robert Abbott from Utility Technician to Crew Leader.

St. Sing, assumes the director role after the retirement of Macon Robertson in December of 2018; Robertson retired after 21 years of service.

For more information, contact the Warren County Manager’s Office at 252-257-3115.

After Short Term Here, H-V Econ Dev Dir Moving On

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Not a full eight months from his January 19th start date, Henderson-Vance Economic Development Director Christian Lockamy has tendered his resignation. He told WIZS News he put his notice in August 11.

Lockamy said, “I’m going to work with an old colleague who has started a business brokerage business called Transworld Business advisors. He has been interested in hiring me now for a while, since he started that business, and I decided I’m going to switch gears and go to work with him and help him become a business broker and help him grow his business and try and help people in eastern North Carolina buy and sell businesses.”

Vance County Manager Jordan McMillan told WIZS News, “Christian will be moving on to another opportunity which will allow him to relocate closer to his parents. We wish him well as he moves on.”

Of course, the recruitment process for a new director will begin in the next few days.

McMillen said, “In the meantime Benny Finch will come on August 30th in an interim capacity as the director to keep activities moving. We continue to have positive economic momentum with most of our industrial buildings and spaces filled up with industry and we look forward to continuing to advance the county forward.”

Lockamy said he plans to live on here for a while. Part of his new territory for his new job will be in Henderson and Oxford, and the company he will be working for has territories in all his former working grounds as an economic developer, including Greenville, NC, Elizabeth City and here.

Lockamy said, “I think the community has a ton of potential. I really do. I’m looking forward to serving not only this community and other areas of North Carolina but in a little different role. So I’ve been an economic developer for a while. It’s been fun. It’s not always easy, but it’s been a lot of fun. I think I’m going to take my talents to the private sector and see how it shakes out.”

TownTalk: The Story Of The Epsom Community

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The way the story goes, Mr. Simon W. Duke wanted to establish a post office in the store he opened in the area where he lived, referred to by some as Duke’s Corner or Duke’s Crossroad. He had already sent several suggestions to the federal government, but each one was rejected. Seems there already were post offices with the names he proposed.

He shared his failed attempts to Dr. Bennett Perry Alston one day while the two men were in the store. Looking around, Alston suggested the name that ultimately would be approved by the federal government – Epsom.

Mark Pace, area historian and North Carolina Room specialist at Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, shared this story and more about the area on the Vance-Franklin border during the tri-weekly Town Talk history segment Thursday.

Alston supposedly saw a box of Epsom Salts and perhaps somewhat on a whim said, ‘Why don’t you just apply and call it Epsom?’ Pace told co-host Bill Harris. The year was 1887.

There were already many post offices scattered across the area at the time – Bobbitt, Gillburg, Kearney, Pugh’s Hill (in the general area where Corinth-Trinity Church now stands along Highway 401), to name a few, Pace said. But Duke’s post office put Epsom on the map, as it were, thanks to Dr. Alston’s suggestion.

Alston was from the Alston family from Warren County, and Pace said he was probably the most prominent farmer in the area at the time. A veteran of the American Civil War, Alston’s daughter, Margaret, was the last living descendant of a Civil War soldier in this vicinity. She died about 20 years ago.

The area around the Epsom crossroads included about 500 acres that belonged to Simon Duke’s father. It was basically a farming, agricultural community, Pace said, and the families that lived in the area were working-class, middle-class people who went to church on Sundays and raised their families. There were few large plantations, and, consequently, there was not a huge African American presence there, Pace noted.

There are several prominent African American churches in the area – Dickies Grove, Mitchells Baptist and Rowlands Chapel, which Pace said dates back to the late 1800’s.

The Dukes and Alstons were instrumental in establishing a private academy that was in Epsom in late 1800s. Some references to the school includes names Punga Academy and Epsom High School, and the Duke and Alston families brought Elon College alumnus J.T. Cobb to run it.

Other families have with long ties to the community, including the Ayscue family. Pace said he’s seen seven different spellings of that surname in documents he has reviewed. Benjamin Franklin Ayscue, born in 1847, fought in the Civil War and was one of only three soldiers left in his company when they surrendered in Appomattox.

The story goes that Ayscue “made a deal with the Lord” when he was a soldier. If he got back home safely, he would “devote himself to living right for the rest of his life,” Pace recalled.

It seems that family back home presumed he had not survived the war, so he surprised them upon his return. As for that deal he’d made on the battlefield?

He became a deacon at Liberty Christian Church, right there in Epsom.

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For complete details and audio click play.

 

The Local Skinny! Barrow Seeks Grants; K9 Officer For HPD

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Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow will welcome a new officer to the department soon. It’s a Labrador retriever, trained and ready for service.

Barrow said the police department first started using K-9 units in the early ‘90s, and there were two dogs in service until last year.

“We went from two to none there pretty quick,” Barrow told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! segment.

This breed of dog will be a first for the department, which previously used either Malanois or German Shepherds. The dogs have a trainer/handler and require a special vehicle to support the animal while it’s working.

When Barrow got a call from the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement agency about the 4-year-old lab that was available, he jumped on it.

“We actually went up there and watched it work, and we liked it,” Barrow said. And he got a pretty good deal – sale price $1. There is also a K-9 vehicle at ALE that Barrow hopes will be coming his way. This expenditure will be made with money from asset forfeiture funds, used strictly for police department needs, he added.

There is money in the latest police budget for purchase of two animals, and Barrow said they’ve already purchased one pup who will be ready to begin his training soon.

The K-9 officer that just had his animal retire last year is set to leave very shortly to meet and train the dog – and himself.
Barrow said the handler will simultaneously be training the new dog while completing his own certification as a trainer.

So when Dog #3 joins next spring, he will be able to train another officer to become that dog’s K-9 handler.

In some additional police matters, Barrow said he feels confident that his department will be approved for at least one of the grants that it has applied for, and either one would be a good addition for him and his officers. One grant is for the purchase of 52 body-worn cameras for police officers and a second grant is for equipping cruisers with additional cameras.

As was shared with the City Council when he sought approval to proceed with the grant requests, the cost is less in the price of the cameras, but in the equipment needed to properly store the data the cameras generate. Some data needs to be stored for a short period – say, 90 days – and some data needs to be stored permanently.

“I have strong feelings that I’ll get one or the other, or even both” Barrow said. He said the police department has enjoyed a good relationship with grant providers in the past. “I don’t know how we could survive without them,” he said of the funding opportunities.

Barrow said the city council also approved use of asset forfeiture funds to install a gate, fencing and shrubbery around the new outdoor pavilion outside McGregor Hall.

Cost for the project is about $30,000, although Barrow said he was still waiting for a few quotes. The 15 or so public parking spaces will go away to allow for a ramp to be built off the pavilion. The ramp is needed for unloading and loading equipment when there are performances at the pavilion, he said.

The project will help protect the pavilion and will create a buffer between that area and the police department.

“I needed something that could go up and down constantly, so we’re going with a hydraulic system,” Barrow said, kind of like the gates you’d see in big city parking lots.