Maria Parham Health Hosts Emergency Preparedness Drill

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— courtesy Maria Parham Health

Henderson, January 5, 2018—Maria Parham Health, in coordination with Vance County Emergency Operations, conducted an Emergency Preparedness Drill at the hospital on December 8, 2017. The Emergency Preparedness Drill was a joint training exercise that was designed to test the preparedness and response of local, regional and state agencies should a real crisis occur. This project was a vision that was started in a conversation with Maria Parham Health, Chief Executive Officer, Bert Beard, County Commissioners, Archie Taylor, Jr. and Tommy Hester, Jr. and City of Henderson Councilman, Mike Inscoe. “Several months prior to planning this drill, a conversation was had discussing concerns with the safety in our nation pertaining to mass casualty shootings,” stated Bert Beard, CEO, Maria Parham. “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Hester and Mr. Inscoe were instrumental in connecting the key leaders we needed to pull a drill of this scale off and we are very appreciative of their dedication and leadership. Every entity involved, both locally and regionally, stepped up and engaged to make this a value-added exercise for the community,” stated Beard.

More than 100 volunteers, hospital employees and local emergency responders participated in the mock emergency preparedness drill. The event staged by Maria Parham Health Emergency Preparedness Team, inclusive of key leaders from Vance County Emergency Operations and first responder entities, focused on response plans for an actual disaster, which could trigger a sudden influx of patients, media, concerned community members and the “worried well” to the hospital. The full scale mass-casualty drill was conducted in collaboration with multiple partner agencies including the Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sherriff’s Office, Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, Vance County Emergency Medical Services, City of Henderson Fire Department, Duke Healthcare Coalition and Maria Parham Health. “It takes the entire community of emergency responders to pull a drill of this scale off, stated Jason Reavis, Assistant Director of Emergency Operations for Vance County. “We had a very dedicated team and everyone was focused on completing a safe and successful drill while making our community more prepared for an event of large scale,” stated Reavis.

Maria Parham Health is the first hospital in the region to host an emergency preparedness drill of this scale. The scenario for the practice event was a simulated active shooter on hospital grounds. More detail to planning the event was required due to the nature of the event, the multiple entities involved, the necessary steps to respond to an event of this type and having the event taking place during some of the hospital’s busiest hours. “Safety is always our top concern when we are participating in any drill,” stated Steven Vaugh, Captain of the Henderson Police Department. “We did not want to disrupt any normal operations of the hospital, but we needed to respond as if it were a real situation. Everyone collaborated to make sure safety was the top focus and through the joint efforts of everyone involved we completed the drill with no injuries or harms,” stated Vaughn.

Hospitals are required by The Joint Commission to have disaster response plans in place and conduct periodic drills for improvement and training purposes. However, this drill was designed to test the process and responsiveness of all of Vance County’s emergency responders and examine how each entity would work with the hospital staff through their protocols. “Everyone who participated in this drill are vital organizations for emergency response in our community, including Maria Parham,” stated Steve Cordell, Henderson Fire Department Fire Chief. “The planning process and the actual drill were very insightful for our team to understand how the hospital will respond to internal emergency situations and how we can better work with and communicate if something takes place on their campus,” stated Cordell.

One of the main focus points for the hospital to review was patient care inside the hospital if a disaster were to happen and how hospital staff would work with emergency responders to treat and transport patients internally. “We work in partnership every day with the hospital to provide care for the people in our community, however, this drill offered the opportunity for us to test our response procedures inside the hospital,” stated Javier Plummer, EMS Director for Vance County. “Our team is used to responding and then communicating with the hospital when an emergency happens. This situation took us out of our standard procedures and gave us a different angle in working with the hospital. I feel both teams performed well and walked away with great opportunities to build on,” stated Plummer.

A scenario such as an active shooter in any location involves everyone in every emergency response organizations pulling together to diffuse the situation and provide care to the community during and after the situation is over. This drill provided every key emergency response organization in the community valuable insight and opportunities to work better together and provide better response to the communities they serve.

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(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.  However, this is not a paid advertisement.  This is a news release issued by Maria Parham Health.)

Henderson Police Department

Rape Arrest and Charges Jan 4, 2018

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Henderson Police Department Press Release – January 5, 2018

On January 4th, 2018 members of the Henderson Police Department Criminal Investigation Section arrested Wilton Leroy Greene, 48, of 1021 Thurston Street, Henderson and charged him with 1st Degree Forcible Rape and 1st Degree Rape of a Juvenile less than 13 years-old. The incident was to have allegedly occurred two years ago involving a juvenile victim. Mr. Greene received a $600,000.00 secured bond and was placed in the Vance County Jail pending a court hearing. The SaM Child Advocacy Center and the Greenville (NC) Police Department assisted with the investigation.

Authority: Chief M.W. Barrow

West End Community Watch Meeting, Tuesday, Jan 16

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— WIZS has been asked to announce

West End Community Watch Meeting
Tuesday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m.
West End Baptist Church on Dabney Drive
Speaker: Bailey Alston, “The Drug Man”
Law Enforcement will be present
All are invited, regardless of area of residence

News 01/05/18

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News 01/04/18

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Vance Charter School on 2-hour Delay Fri, Jan 5, 2018

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Vance Charter School in Henderson is operating on a 2-hour delay today, Friday, January 5, 2018.

VGCC Opening at 10 a.m. Fri, Jan 5, 2018

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Vance-Granville Community College will open at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, because of the inclement weather.

Also, registration for Spring Semester has been extended until 4 p.m. on Friday. The Business Office has also extended the deadline for accepting tuition payments for Spring Semester until 4 p.m., and students are able to pay in full and/or set up a payment plan through WebAdvisor until 4 p.m.

Andrew Beal
Public Information Officer
Vance-Granville Community College

Vance Schools Teacher Workday Fri, Jan 5, 2018

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Friday, January 5, will be a teacher workday for all employees in Vance County Schools with no school for students. While main roads and highways are clear, many secondary roads still pose hazardous travel conditions for school buses and other vehicles. The school day missed today will follow our approved school year calendar and will be made up on February 21, which will be converted to a full school day from an early release day. Tomorrow’s missed day of instruction will be made up on March 21, which will now be a full school day.

National Weather Service

Black Ice, Wind Chills the New Concerns Jan 4-6

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(Click here for the latest briefing from the NWS.)

From the National Weather Service, a winter weather advisory remains in effect for the WIZS area of Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin Counties until 7 a.m. Saturday for icy roads, black ice, hazardous travel conditions and dangerous wind chill values.

A winter weather advisory for black ice means dangerous travel from unseen ice as well as compacted snow on the road.  You are urged to be cautious while traveling both during the day and at night because high temperatures are not suppose to be above freezing through the period, with overnight lows in the single digits and wind chill values at or below zero at times.

Exposure to these wind chills can cause frostbit in as little as 30 minutes and could lead to the beginning stages of hypothermia.  Animals can be negatively affected as well.

Fresh Year, Fresh Start in 2018

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— courtesy Maria Parham Health

Ask anyone what their New Year’s resolution is and chances are they’ll mention a determination to eat healthier. While many of us may consider a renewed focus on healthy eating as a way to make up for the rich indulgences of the holiday season or as a pathway to fit more comfortably into that favorite pair of jeans, healthy eating comes with even greater rewards. It can reduce our risk of illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer; and it can help boost our energy, sharpen our memories and stabilize our mood, leading to a noticeable improvement in our overall health.

If you’re embarking on a path to healthier eating this year, here are some tips to help make it a little easier to make healthy food choices all year long.

Slow and steady wins the race. Changing the way you eat overnight can be daunting. Instead, make one or two healthy changes each week – drinking fewer soft drinks one week, perhaps eating a salad with dinner each night the next week. Rather than making a sweeping change that can be hard to sustain, you’ll be building and maintaining healthy habits that last.

Make a plan. Plan ahead so that you can control what and how much you are eating. Choose a day of the week to spend some time preparing a batch of healthy meals that you can package up, refrigerate or freeze and heat up throughout the week. “Meal prep” can free up your time for other pursuits during the week and help eliminate the stress that comes with “What do I want for lunch?”

Get back to basics. Stock up on healthy recipe basics like olive and canola oils, beans, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, fresh and/or frozen fruits and veggies, unsalted nuts, fresh and dried herbs and spices, and lean chicken and fish.

Fill your glass. With water, that is. Soda, energy drinks and sports drinks are a big source of extra sugar – and calories. Instead, choose water, tea, coffee or other unsweetened beverages.

Read the labels. When you’re grocery shopping, take a moment to glance at the label and make sure the items you’re choosing are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar, and high in fiber and good-for-you nutrients.

Don’t forget breakfast. You’ve heard it a million times because it’s true. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a breakfast high in protein and fiber each morning can jump start your metabolism, satisfy your hunger and make those doughnuts in the break room a little less appealing.

Be realistic. Eating healthy doesn’t mean starving or depriving yourself. Allow yourself the occasional indulgence, so that you don’t feel that you’re missing out. Just be careful of your portion and really savor and enjoy it.

For more tips on healthy eating, visit www.choosemyplate.gov. If you’d like to talk to someone about how healthy eating can be part of an overall healthy lifestyle, call Maria Parham Health at 800.424.DOCS (3627) to make an appointment with a primary care provider.

From all of us at Maria Parham Health, we hope you have a very happy – and healthy – new year!

(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.  This is not an advertisement.)