“Walk the Beat” with the Henderson PD

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On May 2nd, the Henderson Police Department is launching a new initiative called “Walk the Beat.” At designated times throughout the day, members of the Henderson Police Department will be out and about in the downtown area. This is in addition to our normal patrols. Officers will be joining the growing number of downtown walkers, runners, and cyclists in hopes of becoming healthier, and to invigorate the use of our attractive downtown landscape.

This will be a 7 day a week event and starting at 6am-9am, 12noon-2pm, and 5pm-7pm.

If you have any questions regarding the program please feel free to contact Lt. Chris Ball @ (252)431-6069.

HPD Helps Raise Money for Kids Cancer Research

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(Over 100) Local Volunteers Go Bald to Support Childhood Cancer Research

Full Press Release – St. Baldrick’s Foundation event to raise money to find the best treatments for kids with cancer

The 3rd Annual FOP/HPD St. Baldrick’s Day Event and The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-powered organization dedicated to raising money for children’s cancer research, will host one of its signature head-shaving events at 200 Breckenridge Street Henderson, NC on April 9, 2016, where more than 50 “shavees” will shave their heads in solidarity with kids with cancer and raise money for lifesaving research.

Every 3 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer; one in five won’t survive, and those who do often suffer long-term effects from treatments too harsh for their developing bodies. Kids are special, and at St. Baldrick’s we treat them that way. From its beginnings, St. Baldrick’s has believed that kids deserve the chance to be kids – fun-loving, carefree, refreshingly honest, and always a little goofy – and deserve the chance at a future. That’s why donations raised at events like this have made it possible for St. Baldrick’s to fund more than $178 million to support the development of childhood cancer treatments that are as unique as every kid.

The 3rd Annual FOP/HPD St. Baldrick’s Day event will include, head shaving, Ronnie and Amy Shirley from Lizard Lick Towing, raffle prizes, 50/50 raffle, Cornhole tournament, Dunking Booth, Chris Leith monster truck, food, games and prizes.

We have raised over $33,000.00 the past two years.  Please join us this year and help us achieve our goal of $10,000.00.  Every dollar helps!!!!

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation believes that kids are special and deserve to be treated that way. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to innovative explorers who bring with them the promise of a future free from childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best cancer treatments for kids.

 

Health Wellness Fair Saturday

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Big Ruin Creek Missionary Baptist Church is having a Health and Wellness Fair this Saturday, April 2, 2016 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  The event will take place at Northern Vance High School, located at 293 Warrenton Road.

Keasha Richardson told WIZS News, “There will be several medical doctors, several nurses, several UNC dental students, a couple of psychologists, one or two financial planners, at least one attorney, school counselors, a personal trainer, a Zumba instructor, several of our church members, and several other vendors there to share tips about total wellness.”

The hope is to encompass every area of need. There will be some on-site health screenings.

“We hope to have something for everyone, including children.  The event is free and open to the public/community at large. We are also collecting water to send to Flint, Michigan and are accepting water donations from anyone who is willing to donate,” Richardson said.

Big Ruin Creek Missionary Baptist Church Health Wellness Fair 2016 flyer

Red Cross Needs O Negative Blood

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(Full Press Release)

Red Cross has significant need for type O negative blood

Type O negative is often needed in trauma situations

GREENVILLE, N.C. (March 23, 2016) — The American Red Cross has a significant need for type O negative blood donors to donate blood for patients.

Type O negative blood can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is often used in emergency situations. While less than 7 percent of the U.S. population has type O negative blood, hospitals depend on frequent O negative donations to ensure it’s always available for patients in need.

Eligible donors with type O negative blood are encouraged to make a whole blood or double red cell donation, where available, through the Red Cross. During a double red cell donation, two units of red blood cells are collected while most of the plasma and platelets are returned to the donor.

“Type O negative donors are an important part of the Red Cross trauma team,” said Nick Gehrig, communications director, Red Cross Blood Services.  “While all blood types are needed, type O negative donations are necessary in emergency situations when there is no time to determine a patient’s blood type. Because there is such a high demand for type O negative blood, O negative donors are needed to donate often.”

Blood donation appointments can be quickly and easily scheduled by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Because of generous donors, the Red Cross is able to provide blood products to trauma patients like Carla Randecker. In 1995, a semi-truck failed to halt at a stop sign, changing Randecker’s life forever. She suffered a broken neck and femur. She woke from surgery to see a bag of blood attached to her IV.

“I’m O negative, a rarity,” said Randecker. “All I remember was, wow, someone gave their blood for me. I made a promise that day to do the same. When I was well enough, I’d return the favor.”

Randecker became a regular blood donor and gave for many years. This past year, her family fulfilled her wish to give blood together. Five of the family members who gave were type O negative, and since then, donating blood has become a family tradition. “If I teach them nothing else, it’s that they should always, always, do for others,” said Randecker.

The Red Cross must collect approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. Blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.

Those who come to donate now through May 15, 2016, will be entered to win four single-day tickets to any of 10 Cedar Fair theme parks in the U.S. For a full list of participating parks, visit redcross.cedarfair.com.

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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(Information provided in a press release from The American Red Cross.)

LimBionics Ribbon Cutting

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A ribbon cutting was planned for today at 10 a.m. to celebrate LimBionics Prosthetics and Orthotics becoming a Chamber member and to showcase the business and all that it has to offer. LimBionics is located at 851 S. Beckford Drive, Suite B in Henderson.

Brittany Stresing is owner and lead practitioner and has been treating patients in Durham, Oxford, Henderson and surrounding areas for years. Now open in Henderson, LimBionics is proud to offer award winning Prosthetic and Orthotic care to the residents of the area.

Stresing is the only prosthetist in the area to have the elite title of Fellow of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. She also won 2015 Female Entrepreneur of the Year as well as 2015 Healthcare Hero Rising Star awards.

LimBionics prides itself on patient-based and individualized care for those who have lost a limb and need a prosthetic limb, those dealing with diabetes, drop foot, stroke, arthritis, spina bifida, injury and much more.

For more information , call 252-430-6538 or email them at henderson@limbionics.com

(Information published for news purposes with information provided within a bio from The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.)

VGCC students partner to register bone marrow donors

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The SkillsUSA chapter at Vance-Granville Community College recently teamed up with national organizations and a local cancer survivor to find some potential heroes.

The survivor, Whitney Johnson Espinosa of Henderson, who calls her campaign against childhood cancer “Whitney’s Hope,” organized a bone marrow registration drive in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus. She connected with the SkillsUSA student organization through her mother, VGCC Dean of Business & Applied Technologies Angela Gardner-Ragland.

Espinosa was working in concert with three national organizations, “There Goes My Hero,” Delete Blood Cancer and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, to register new bone marrow donors. “Your college drive is an amazing opportunity to impact the lives of patients around the world who need bone marrow transplants by improving their chances of finding a matching donor,” Kristina Gaddy of There Goes My Hero wrote to Espinosa.

There Goes My Hero was founded by transplant recipient Erik Sauer in 2008, and seeks to provide hope and nourishment to leukemia patients and their families. Since its founding, the organization has added over 10,000 new people to the bone marrow registry.

The event at VGCC registered 30 new donors. Students, faculty, staff and community members signed up and swabbed their cheeks to provide DNA samples. The painless registration process took only a few minutes, but could save a life if a participant turns out to be a match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant. Such treatments are the only hope for many people diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other blood cancers and diseases. VGCC held a similar drive in 2015 in partnership with the Project Life Movement and the “Save the Fox” campaign.

The initiative is one of several community service projects that have been conducted under the auspices of the college’s SkillsUSA organization. VGCC recently joined the national partnership of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. Students in a variety of VGCC programs are eligible to join SkillsUSA. For more information on SkillsUSA at VGCC, contact Public Services department chair Steve Hargrove at hargroves@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3467.

For more information on becoming a bone marrow donor, visit www.ThereGoesMyHero.org or www.deletebloodcancer.org.

City of Henderson demolishes abandoned home

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The Citizens Aligned To Take Back Henderson won a victory today as one of the 400 reported homes in the city was destroyed. The home was located at 910 West Andrews Avenue in Henderson. Heidi Owen, who is one of the instrumental leaders of Citizens Aligned To Take Back Henderson, told WIZS news, “What a huge difference taking down this one small structure makes. Imagine if the county and city can work together to remove all 400! We encourage supporters to contact our local leaders and and ask them to do the right thing for Henderson…for Vance County.”

To find out more about Citizens Aligned To Take Back Henderson be sure to like the group on Facebook, and listen to TownTalk on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

VGCC to offer Biotech Workshop to high school students

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Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled its fourth annual Biotech Workshop for local high school students, as one of a series of VGCC Arts & Sciences camps and workshops being held this year.

All tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders who have taken or are currently taking biology and chemistry are invited to attend the workshop, which is set to take place over the course of two Saturdays: April 2 and April 9, each day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students must attend on both days.

Sessions will be taught by VGCC faculty in the state-of-the-art biotech lab in Building 8 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. “This workshop will give students a great opportunity to build their résumés and gain hands-on experience in a real laboratory with advanced equipment,” said VGCC Bioprocess Technology program head Dr. Tara Hamilton, who will oversee the workshop. “You can develop lab skills here that you can use in college and in various STEM careers, whether it’s in scientific research, high-tech manufacturing or medicine.”

Students will be introduced to Biotechnology, which is broadly described as using living organisms to develop and manufacture products for human use. This can range from making yogurt and cheese to producing human proteins in bacteria. This workshop will focus on the manipulation and use of various cellular molecules and the techniques commonly employed in a biotechnology laboratory.  Participants will separate proteins and DNA on gels, learn how to culture bacteria for use in obtaining a useful product, and become accustomed to utilizing common laboratory equipment.

The cost to attend the workshop is $50, which includes lunch each day.

This opportunity is one of a number of initiatives by the VGCC Arts & Sciences division to reach out into the community with unique learning activities. The annual VGCC Science Camp for rising sixth, seventh and eighth graders and the Teenworks Drama Camp, which targets rising eighth graders through high school seniors, will both be held this summer.

Registration for the Biotech workshop can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/camps. For more information, contact Dr. Hamilton at (252) 738-3285 or hamiltont@vgcc.edu.

Public Health Serving You 02/10/16

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Underage Drinking Affects Brain Development

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Press Release

Governor McCrory’s Task Force Gets Report on the Effects of Underage Drinking

Duke Researcher: “It becomes the job of responsible adults in kids’ lives to help provide the restraint that their own brains often can’t.”

Raleigh, N.C. – Researchers from Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill presented their report on the effects of alcohol on the brains of young people to the Governor’s Substance Abuse and Underage Drinking Prevention and Treatment Task Force today.  Governor Pat McCrory requested the report in December.

The report, “Alcohol & The Adolescent Brain: Immediate Impairment, Long-Term Consequences,” details the unique characteristics of the developing adolescent brain, and how alcohol affects the adolescent brain differently from the brain of an adult.

“We need to help parents understand the effects of alcohol on their child’s greatest asset, their developing brain, and how they can help protect it by having conversations with their children about the dangers of underage drinking,” said Governor McCrory.   

According to the report, adolescents are less sensitive to the sedative effects of alcohol than adults; making them more likely to binge drink, which can lead to risky behavior, violence, unsafe sex and blackouts. Scientific evidence shows that underage drinking can damage the parts of the brain responsible for judgment, reasoning, impulse control, learning and memory.

“Adolescent brains are not the same as adult brains. Their brains aren’t broken—they’re a work in progress,” said Dr. Wilkie Wilson, Research Professor of Prevention Science, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University. “It becomes the job of responsible adults in kids’ lives to help provide the restraint that their own brains often can’t.”

“You have one brain. It controls everything you’ll do for all your life—protect it and treat it with respect,” added Dr. Wilson.

This report will be used in ongoing statewide efforts to reduce underage drinking, and educate and empower parents to talk with their children. Studies consistently show that parental communication can delay the initiation of alcohol consumption, and help kids make positive decisions across the board.

“On behalf of the Task Force and the North Carolina ABC Commission, I want to thank Governor McCrory for his dedication to tackling the underage drinking problem in our state,” said N.C. ABC Commission Chairman Jim Gardner. “There’s still much work to be done to shift this culture. And this report will be a valuable resource as we continue our efforts through the Talk It Out campaign to educate parents on this important issue.”

Members of the research team include:
  • Dr. Cindy Kuhn—Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Psychology and Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center
  • Dr. Donita L. Robinson—Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Dr. Wilkie (Bill) Wilson—Research Professor of Prevention Science, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University
  • Dr. Fulton Crews— John Andrews Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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