NC MedAssist

NC MedAssist to Henderson April 30; Free OTC; Pre-Order Now

/by

NC MedAssist is coming to Henderson at the end of the month and is giving away free over-the-counter medication. The event will take place at the Salvation Army, 2292 Ross Mill Road, on April 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to information from Sheila Kidwell, NC MedAssist’s director of foundations and communications.

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation of Vance County is partnering with the Charlotte-based organization to host the giveaway, which is open to people 18 years or older. Some of the medicines that will be distributed include cough and cold medicine, vitamins, allergy medication and first-aid supplies. No identification is required; however, all participants must wear facemasks.

This is a drive-thru service only – all participants will remain in their vehicles and volunteers will deliver their medicines. Participants are highly encouraged to preorder their over-the-counter medicine online at https://medassist.org/mobile/ and select Vance County.

Online ordering will be closed two days prior to the event. Anyone NOT able to order online should come as early as possible on April 30, Kidwell said, because the medicines will be given out on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.

“Due to the pandemic, we had to create a new and innovative way to continue serving the community. We will be bringing close to $100,000 worth of OTC medicine to the event to be distributed to those most in need in our community,” Kidwell said. “We understand there is a pressing need, especially in the midst of allergy season. Our goal in this partnership with Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is to improve the health of the community, one family at a time.”

If you can volunteer to help on April 30, please sign up at www.medassist.org/volunteer.

The medicine distribution depends on volunteers to ensure things run smoothly, Kidwell said. Community volunteers will help with pharmacy consultations, as well as sorting medicines and collecting medicines for clients.

All participants will receive information on NC MedAssist’s Free Pharmacy Program, which mails free prescription medications directly to a patient’s home.  NC MedAssist’s overall goal is to help ease the burden for those in need; it is aiding people who are making the choice between buying food and purchasing life-saving medication, Kidwell stated.

NC MedAssist is a statewide non-profit pharmacy that was founded in 1997. The organization provides free prescription medication to all low-income, uninsured North Carolinians who qualify for their Free Pharmacy Program. NC MedAssist offers three programs that address the needs of children and adults: The Free Pharmacy Program (for prescription medication), the Mobile Free Pharmacy Program (for over-the-counter medicine), and the Transitional Jobs Program (for individuals with barriers to employment). Last year, NC MedAssist distributed $76 million worth of prescription and over-the-counter medicine to NC residents across the state. Learn more about NC MedAssist right now at www.medassist.org. You can also visit their Facebook and Twitter pages, or contact them to find out how you can help.

Vance County Logo

Vance County Employee Satisfaction Survey Conducted in Dec. and Jan.

/by

Vance County commissioners got an update Monday regarding results from a recent employee satisfaction survey. Although there are some positive takeaways from the survey results – valuing diversity and general job satisfaction – the board’s Human Resources Committee has identified several priorities for follow-up attention.

County Manager Jordan McMillen said 70 percent of the county’s employees responded to the online survey, which was conducted in December 2020 and January 2021. The UNC School of Government, which facilitated the survey, reported that the results were “typical of government organizations that are early in the organizational development process,” McMillen told WIZS News.

“On the positive side our employees identify very well with the organization, they feel good about the level of teamwork shared across and within departments and generally employees feel good and are satisfied with their jobs,” he said.

But other employees said they feel “emotionally drained” from the work they do and turnover is higher in some departments than others, he noted. “We intend to bring the School of Government back in to take deeper dives into some of the negative areas,” McMillen added. Among the more negative comments from the respondents were  “organizational silence” and “workplace incivility.” McMillen said. Public safety and human services (Department of Social Services) respondents accounted for most of the negative results, he added.

The Human Resources Committee members Carolyn Faines, Archie B. Taylor Jr. and Gordon Wilder met on Mar. 30 to review staff recommendations for priorities and agreed to begin with workplace incivility and organizational silence. The committee also decided to revise a third issue to only include morale/burnout/emotional toll of work, McMillen said.

“We want employees to feel comfortable speaking up if they have ideas and want to ensure our employees feel their ideas are given the attention that is needed, McMillen said.

“As we strive for creativity from our employees, we want them to feel comfortable sharing ideas that can lead to improvements for our county and citizens.”

County staff will coordinate with the school of government to organize small groups of employees that will examine the priority areas and report back to the committee with recommendations later this year.

Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health Visitation Policy Adjustments Made April 6

/by

Maria Parham Health’s visitation policy was adjusted effective Tuesday, April 6th.

Donna Young, coordinator of marketing and communications, told WIZS, “Maria Parham Health is pleased to announce that we are adjusting our visitation policy.”

The list of changes provided includes:

  • Patients are now allowed two visitors per patient per day on the inpatient floor, with no swapping out
  • Patients are allowed to have two new visitors the following day, under the same guidelines
  • ED patients will be allowed one visitor, who must remain at the patient’s bedside at all times
  • Patients will be allowed one visitor to stay overnight
  • Visitors must comply with mask mandate and pass the screening process (no temp, symptoms, recent exposure, etc)
  • All visitors must be 18 years or older, and should not roam the hospital

Young said, “We are continuing our current policy of no visitors for Behavioral Health Units, and no visitors for any COVID-19 positive patients.”

Visiting hours remain unchanged.  You may visit 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Local Skinny! April 7; Home And Garden Show

/by

Wayne Rowland and Paul McKenzie of the Vance Co. Agriucultural Extension Service offer home and garden tips.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

TownTalk 04-07-21 Juvenile Offenders; Gun Violence

/by

What are some of the steps taken in North Carolina when a juvenile is a suspect or person of interest in a crime?

For one thing, it matters if the crime is a felony and if so what letter.  Felonies are grouped by letters, with letter A, for example, being first degree murder.  A felony with a letter of I, for example, might be a drug crime of some sort.  A second thing that matters is has the juvenile been tried and convicted as an adult before – the once an adult, always an adult law (N.C. G.S. 7B-1604).

North Carolina juvenile delinquency law as of Dec. 1, 2019 looks at ages 6-15 as being juveniles for all offenses and ages 16-17 for all non-motor vehicle offenses as being juveniles.  The exception is – any juvenile with a previous criminal conviction, other than a misdemeanor or infraction motor vehicle offense not involving impaired driving, must be processed as an adult.

How the juvenile may be processed when felony charges are involved and he/she is 16 or 17 years old follows a bit of a flow chart as well.  An A-G felony with a finding of probable cause or return of bill of indictment results in a mandatory transfer to superior court.  An H-I felony with a finding of probably cause results in a discretionary transfer to superior court.

The “Raise the Age” Initiative, an NC Legislature-passed law, raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction for nonviolent crimes to age 18 effective December 1, 2019.

In March of 2019, District Attorney Mike Waters told WIZS TownTalk the change would significantly increase the juvenile court workload as the majority of 16 and 17-year-olds, currently tried automatically as adults in NC, will be tried as juveniles when the law goes into effect.

Under the new law, exceptions exist for 16 and 17-year-olds who commit felonies that are classified as A-D – including murder, robbery and burglary – in addition to DWI and other traffic offenses, firearm charges and gang-related offenses.

“North Carolina is one of the last two states in the nation to charge 16-year-olds as adults,” Waters said at the time in 2019. “I want to reassure the public that, under the new law, the DA’s office will have the discretion to prosecute juveniles that commit serious crimes as adults.”

As for the reason behind raising the age limit for juvenile prosecutions, Waters said research and statistics make a compelling case.

“Research shows that many 16 and 17-year-olds that get involved in the court system may not get involved with it again. Tracking someone forever and giving them a record at a young age creates a certain outcome. Also, 16 and 17-year-olds are not thinking the same way that 18, 19 and 21-year-olds are thinking.”

If you follow the suspect, warrant, arrest pattern for adults, those 18 and over, it is just that.  First a suspect with warrant issued for arrest, or arrested on-view with the State as complainant, then appearing before a magistrate and being charged and detained or bonded or released — in the most simple of terms.

Also in broad terms, once a juvenile is taken into custody, then juvenile services comes and a decision is made on whether to transport the juvenile to a secure facility.  The juvenile is granted a probable cause hearing and the decision about being transferred to superior court is made.

For the Wednesday, April 7, 2021 broadcast of TownTalk, hosts John C. Rose and Bill Harris discussed juvenile offenders and gun violence in the local area and nation.

<This is a news article.  This is not legal advice.>

For complete details and audio click play.

 

Vance County Sheriff's Office

A 21 Year Old is Dead; A Juvenile Person of Interest Remains At Large

/by

A juvenile suspect in an apparent shooting Monday remains at large.  He is considered to be armed and dangerous.

A 21 year old was pronounced dead at the hospital Monday, according to Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

In a press release Tuesday afternoon, Brame said, “The Vance County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division responded to 906 Fred Royster Road, Henderson (in reference to) a person being shot multiple times.  Deputies later discovered that the incident actually had taken place at 69 Cousins Lane, Henderson.”

Those two addresses are about a half mile apart north of Henderson after you turn off the Glebe Road.

Brame said, “When deputies arrived, they discovered two known females at the scene along with the victim Demonte Southerland, 21, who was laying on the ground with what appeared to have been multiple gunshots to his body.”

As the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division began to conduct interviews and process the scene, it helped detectives identify a suspect.

“Detectives identified a known juvenile as a person of interest and sought a juvenile petition for the juvenile’s arrest,” Brame said.

The investigation in continuing.

Jury Duty Summons Not Open for Interpretation

/by

Jury trials have been back in session since March 1, and Clerk of Court Henry Gupton wants it to stay that way. But, he said, there’s one thing that could have a negative effect on the return to a smoothly running courts system: Vance County residents are not responding to their summons to appear for jury duty.

The official letters, which begin with “You are hereby summoned to personally appear for jury service” is not open for interpretation. It is a legal summons to appear, and when the recipient does not respond to the letter, it could result in a sheriff’s deputy knocking at your door wanting to know why.

Gupton said the summons has options and directions on it for the potential juror to follow – individuals can phone, send an email or return by mail their response. The important thing is to respond to, not ignore, the letter that comes in the mail. “Our situation is…we do not have enough people responding to the summons,” Gupton told WIZS News Tuesday.

Included in the summons is a list of questions for the recipient to answer, as well as how to be excused from jury duty, Gupton said. The presiding judge could hold the individual in contempt if he or she does not respond. “We are not trying to push anyone in to anything they do not feel comfortable doing during these times,” he said. “However, we do need their help in administering justice in our Courts here in Vance County.”

According to the summons, “North Carolina law provides that jury service is the solemn obligation of all qualified citizens. Failure to appear may result in an order for arrest and a fine (pursuant to N.C.G.S. 9-13).”

There are several Vance County Superior Court jury sessions scheduled in the coming weeks, and juror summons have been issued, according to Sheriff Curtis Brame.  Currently, there is an “unusually large percentage of persons summoned for jury service that have not responded to the summons. Those who do not respond to the jury summons may be personally served by the Sheriff to ensure sufficient jurors for each session,” Brame said in a statement Tuesday.

Brame advised that anyone who has received a juror summons to “respond immediately in one of the methods specified on the summons.” He added that individuals also could phone the sheriff’s office ( 252.738.2200) to acknowledge receipt of the summons.

Gupton said it was unfortunate that he had to issue a press release reminding the public of their civic duty. “We are trying to get back to somewhat of a norm with our courts and we must have jurors to help us administer justice,” he said.

Horse Owners – EEE Vaccine Reminder Spring 2021

/by

Area horse and donkey owners, take note: It’s time to start thinking about making sure your equines are vaccinated against a couple of mosquito-borne illnesses that often prove fatal to the animals that contract them.

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus are two illnesses that can be prevented with a simple vaccination.

“Mosquito-breeding season in North Carolina lasts from spring until the first frost and horses are at risk if not properly vaccinated,” Troxler stated in a press release. “EEE is fatal 90 percent of the time in horses and WNV has a fatality rate of 30 percent.”

North Carolina reported nine recorded cases of EEE in 2020, a relatively high number, according to Troxler. “Horse owners need to act now to vaccinate their animals,” Troxler said.

State Veterinarian Dr. Doug Meckes recommends that equine owners talk to their veterinarians about an effective vaccination protocol to protect horses from mosquito-borne diseases. The combination vaccination initially requires multiple injections for horses, mules and donkeys that have no prior vaccination history.

Mosquitoes can breed in any puddle that lasts for more than four days, so removing any source of standing water can reduce the chance of exposing animals to WNV or EEE. Keeping horses in stalls at night, using insect screens and fans, and turning off lights after dusk can also help reduce exposure to mosquitoes. Insect repellants can be effective if used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

· Symptoms of EEE include impaired vision, aimless wandering, head pressing, circling, inability to swallow, irregular staggering gait, paralysis, convulsions and death. Once a horse has been bitten by an infected mosquito, it may take three to 10 days for symptoms to appear.

· Symptoms of WNV include fever, weakness or paralysis of hind limbs, impaired vision, head pressing, seizures and aimless wandering.

“If your horses or other equine animals exhibit any symptoms of EEE or WNV, contact your veterinarian immediately,” Meckes said.

People, horses and birds can become infected from a bite by a mosquito carrying the diseases, but there is no evidence that horses can transmit the viruses to other horses, birds or people through direct contact.

“It’s also a great time to make sure your animal is current on its rabies vaccination,” Troxler said. “In North Carolina, we see about five cases of rabies in livestock each year. Horses are naturally curious animals, which puts them at risk for a bite if a rabid animal gets through their fence line.”