VGCC Nursing Chair Erica Jastrow Earns Doctorate

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Erica Jastrow, Vance-Granville Community College’s department chair of Nursing, received a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education Leadership from Arizona-based Grand Canyon University. Jastrow is a resident of Oxford. 

Erica Jastrow, VGCC’s department chair of Nursing, received a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education Leadership from Arizona-based Grand Canyon University. (Photo courtesy VGCC)

“We congratulate Dr. Jastrow on this milestone in her life, and we applaud Erica’s commitment to professional development,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president. “Erica’s education will allow her to continue to grow as a leader in higher education and provide services that help our students.”

Jastrow has taught at VGCC since 2004 and became head of the Nursing department in 2011. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Lenoir-Rhyne University and later completed a master’s degree in Nursing Education at UNC-Greensboro. As a longtime Registered Nurse, Jastrow has experience in Intensive Care Units and Nursing Supervision in local and teaching hospitals. 

In 2013, Jastrow became a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) through the National League for Nursing (NLN). She was one of the first three VGCC Nursing faculty to become certified through this program.

In 2014, she completed the Department Chairs Institute offered by the N.C. Community College System, in collaboration with N.C. State University. Jastrow is a past recipient of the VGCC President’s Leadership Award.

NCDHHS

Measures Expanded to Prevent, Respond to COVID-19 in Long-term Care Facilities

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-Press Release, NCDHHS

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is taking further action to prevent and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities. All long-term care facilities in the state will receive personal protective equipment (PPE) packs of needed supplies, and facilities will receive a limited increased rate for some Medicaid services to support infection prevention and management.

“We have a team dedicated to supporting our long-term care facilities as they protect our aging family members and loved ones who require round-the-clock care and the staff who care for them,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “We want to help them do all that they can because once an outbreak occurs in a congregate living setting, it can be difficult to prevent the spread of the virus.”

PPE packs will go to more than 3,000 state-licensed long-term care facilities and include a fourteen-day supply of face shields, procedure masks, gloves and shoe covers. Adult care homes, family care homes, nursing homes, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental health facilities will receive supplies. NCDHHS is partnering with North Carolina Emergency Management and the National Guard to deliver the packs at local distribution centers.

In addition to the PPE distribution, NCDHHS is providing a time-limited Medicaid rate increase for nursing facility services such as skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. The increase is intended to support strengthening infection prevention and management capacities with technical support from NCDHHS. The increase will also apply to personal care assistance and home health services to help providers who support people being able to stay at home where there is less risk of exposure.

NCDHHS also released updated testing guidance to clinicians that recommends testing people who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings such as long-term care facilities.

These actions build on earlier measures North Carolina has taken to protect residents and staff in long-term facilities. Previous actions include:

  • Issuing Executive Order 130, which codified public health and safety requirements for nursing homes, including requiring staff to wear surgical masks, screenings for all staff and residents for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 daily and closing communal areas.
  • Conducting remote infection prevention and control consultation with skilled nursing and other long-term facilities across the state through a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology.
  • Providing targeted funding to support nursing homes and adult care homes to provide the more intensive care needed for residents with COVID-19 and limit the spread of the virus to other residents and staff.
  • Providing a toolkit to support long-term care facilities in preparing for and responding to COVID-19 outbreaks in their facility. The toolkit contains an infection control assessment, infection staffing worksheet, infection prevention educational resources and other tools.
  • Helping to fill staffing shortages in long-term care facilities and other health care facilities through a partnership with East Carolina University School of Nursing to match Registered Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants with facilities, particularly long-term care facilities, that are seeking to urgently hire staff for temporary, part-time or full-time roles. Interested health care employees can register at nc.readyop.com/fs/4cjq/697b.
  • Implementing several temporary regulatory changes to assist providers in caring for their residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, including adopting an emergency rule granting reciprocity to nurse aides certified in other states to work as nurse aides in North Carolina, and allowing facilities to exceed the number of licensed beds if needed to provide temporary shelter and services to adequately care for residents with COVID-19.
  • Providing virtual training for more than 2,000 staff working in long-term care sites. Trainings are available online at www.ncahec.net/covid-19/webinars.

For NCDHHS and CDC guidance for long-term care facilities, visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov/guidance#long-term-care-facilities. A list of congregate care settings with outbreaks is available on the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard.

NCDHHS

NCDHHS Updates Guidance on Who Should be Tested for COVID-19

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-Press Release, NCDHHS

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued updated guidance on who should be tested for COVID-19. The new guidance recommends that clinicians test any patient in whom COVID-19 is suspected.

The new guidance recommends clinicians ensure the following populations have access to testing, regardless of symptoms:

  • Anyone with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19
  • Close contacts of known positive cases, regardless of symptoms
  • Persons who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings (e.g., long-term care facility, homeless shelter, correctional facility, migrant farmworker camp)
  • Persons who are at high risk of severe illness (e.g., people over 65 years of age, people of any age with underlying health conditions)
  • Persons who come from historically marginalized populations
  • Health care workers or first responders (e.g. EMS, law enforcement, fire department, military)
  • Front-line and essential workers (grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, etc.) in settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain

“We want anyone who needs a test to get one. This is particularly important for those at high-risk for severe illness, those at greatest risk for exposure and those who are being disproportionately impacted by this virus,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D.

Testing, along with contact tracing and supplies of personal protective equipment, is part of the state’s strategy to slowly ease restrictions, while protecting North Carolinians from COVID-19. The state is looking at a composite of metrics to guide its path forward, including the number of cases, the percent of tests that are positive, the number of hospitalizations and the number of emergency department visits for COVID-like illness. Last week, Governor Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Cohen shared these metrics remain stable for the first week of Phase 1.

The new guidance updates testing criteria for the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. Those include hospitalized patients, health care workers or first responders, persons who live in or have regular contact with a high-risk setting, persons who are at higher risk of severe illness and for whom a clinician has determined that results would inform clinical management, and uninsured patients.

Staying home is still the best way to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect North Carolinians. When going out, remember the 3 Ws. Wear a face covering. Wait at least six feet apart. Wash your hands often with soap and water.

For information on the North Carolina COVID-19 response across state government, visit nc.gov/covid19.

VGCC Truck Driver Training Program Gears Back Up

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College is excited to announce that its CDL Truck Driver Training Program is back up and running.

The program, offered in collaboration with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, has been on hold since early March when the COVID-19 pandemic forced all face-to-face classes to cease. The N.C. Community College System has made an exception to allow colleges to resume educating students in transportation courses like Truck Driver Training, in-person.

On May 11, students returned to class and to a “new normal.” Portions of the new daily routine for students include temperature checks, face masks, social distancing in trucks and on the truck practice range.   

“Qualified and licensed truck drivers are essential employees, especially during these uncertain times,” said Dawn Michelle Tucker, Dean of Continuing Education and College and Career Readiness for VGCC. “We are excited to get the students back in training, so they can become licensed and employed with companies who need drivers to move goods and services across our service area and across the country.” 

During the next five weeks, students will continue honing their driver training skills such as backing skills, completing pre-trip inspections and backing up to a loading dock. Students will also continue to get their miles and time on the road. All of these skills and requirements are essential in preparing them for the DOT exam in order to get their official CDL-A license and be fully employable as a truck driver. 

For more information on the Truck Driver Training Program at Vance-Granville Community College, please visit www.vgcc.edu/cdl/ or contact Kyle Burwell, Director of Occupational Extension, at 252-738-3276 or burwellk@vgcc.edu.

VGCC Vice President Earns Doctoral Degree

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Jerry E. Edmonds, III, the Vice President of Workforce Development and Community Engagement at Vance-Granville Community College, is now “Doctor Edmonds.” He recently received his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Educational Leadership from Wisconsin-based Edgewood College.

His doctoral dissertation was entitled, “How North Carolina Economic Development Leaders Perceive the N.C. Community College System and Rural Economic Development.”

Jerry E. Edmonds, III, the Vice President of Workforce Development and Community Engagement at Vance-Granville Community College, recently received his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Educational Leadership from Wisconsin-based Edgewood College. (VGCC photo)

“We congratulate Dr. Edmonds on his academic accomplishments, and we look forward to his continuing leadership in efforts to help our students and our local employers through job training and continuing education,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president. “He is a role model for our students, many of whom are also training and learning to grow as professionals while working full-time.”

A resident of Henderson, Edmonds joined VGCC in 2019. He oversees training programs that respond to community needs and prepare students for workforce success, including apprenticeship programs, and economic development support for the region.

In addition, Edmonds leads the development of partnerships with businesses and government agencies and coordinates outreach and marketing for the entire college.

Edmonds previously served as Dean of Workforce and Economic Development at Halifax Community College. Prior to his role as Dean, he served as the Small Business Center Director at Halifax Community College, from 2014 until 2017.

Edmonds worked for International Business Machines (IBM) and Johnson and Johnson in the private sector before entering the higher education field, earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, with an emphasis on Marketing, from Marshall University in 1985 and his Master of Science degree in Human Services Management from Springfield College in 2001.

Warren Co. Coop. Extension to Host Equine Pasture Management Webinar

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-Information courtesy Warren County Cooperative Extension

Warren County Cooperative Extension will host an Equine Pasture Management Webinar with Dr. Paul Siciliano from North Carolina State University on Thursday, June 18, 2020, at 10 a.m.

To register for this free event, go to warrencountyequine.eventbrite.com.

Once registered, the link to the webinar will be emailed to you.

United Way Awards $6,100 in Grants to Local Charitable Organizations

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-Information courtesy United Way of Vance County

The United Way of Vance County has awarded $6,100 in grants to local charitable organizations to assist needy families in Vance and Warren counties with food insecurities.

The grant funding was made possible with contributions to our United Way from corporations that serve our area.

With the corporate contributions, our United Way established a COVID-19 Relief Fund to provide grants to local nonprofits to assist families in need, with a special focus on providing the families with food.

The corporate contributions were received from Duke Energy, Truist Bank (formerly BB&T) and Vulcan Materials Company.

The United Way of Vance County Board of Directors reviewed submitted applications for the grant funds and awarded monies to Area Christians Together in Service (ACTS) in Henderson, Life Life Outreach Inc. in Henderson, and Loaves & Fishes Food Ministry in Warrenton. These three outstanding charitable organizations are using the funds to supply families during the COVID-19 pandemic with necessary food items.

“Our United Way board of directors believe it is very important to support the needs of our community during this very difficult time,” said Terri Hedrick, treasurer of the organization. “We have been contacted by many families expressing a dire need for food. So, we knew immediately how we wanted to help once our United Way received the contributions.”

“We can’t thank the outstanding corporations enough for their amazing generosity to support our community and we are very glad to allocate the grant funds to ACTS, Life Line and Loaves & Fishes, which work tirelessly to meet the food needs of disadvantaged families on a regular basis.”

The United Way of Vance County continues to accept donations for families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those interested in contributing may do so on our website at unitedwayvance.org or by contacting the organization by email at unitedwayofvance@gmail.com.

Warren Co. Board of Education to Hold Virtual Meeting May 12

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-Information courtesy Warren County Schools

The Warren County Board of Education will hold a virtual Board Meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 6 p.m.

The public can access the meeting via a link on the school district website, warrenk12nc.org, under the Live Feed section. This link will also be posted on social media.

If you would like to make public comments, please click on the link below and complete the form by 3 p.m. on May 12, 2020. The comments will be read at the meeting. https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSd68ouW99Pu7Ra6i…/viewform…

NCDHHS

Food & Nutrition Services Participants Now Authorized for Online Grocery Purchases

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-Press Release, NCDHHS

As of May 6, 2020, North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) participants will be able to purchase groceries online using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards at authorized online EBT retailers. North Carolina is the 10th state to implement this flexibility, which will remain permanently in place beyond the COVID-19 emergency.

The new flexibility will allow participants to buy food while also promoting social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and helping families with transportation and mobility barriers.

“People need to feed their families while also practicing social distancing,” said NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “This will allow families to order groceries at home and lower their risk of getting sick.”

Currently, Amazon and Walmart are the only authorized retailers approved for online FNS purchases nationally. The U.S. Department of Agriculture must approve other retailers who wish to participate in the FNS online purchasing program. NCDHHS encourages other EBT retailers to pursue USDA approval to become authorized online retailers.

All EBT retailers in North Carolina have received information from USDA about how to become approved for online FNS purchases and other retailers are encouraged to seek approval for online purchasing. More information for retailers is available on the USDA website.

More information about North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services can be found at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/low-income-services/food-nutrition-services-food-stamps.

North Carolina individuals and families can apply for FNS at https://epass.nc.gov/CitizenPortal/application.do

Golden LEAF Receives $125M to Support COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program

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-Press Release, Golden LEAF Foundation

The Golden LEAF Board of Directors took action this week in response to House Bill 1043. The bill includes $125 million to provide grants to entities for the purpose of making loans to assist small businesses affected by the economic impact of COVID-19.

The Board modified the terms of the existing NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program to align with the provisions of the bill. Loans made from the program to small businesses will include a limit on the number of employees per business, a minimum interest rate for the first six months of the loan term, and an increased time for repayment.

The NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program was launched on March 24 with an initial allocation of $15 million provided by Golden LEAF. Applications were quickly submitted well in excess of the available funding. Golden LEAF worked with the Office of Governor Roy Cooper and leadership of the North Carolina General Assembly to appropriate the additional funds to support this program and address identified demand. With this additional funding in place, applications will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Golden LEAF Board Chair Bo Biggs said, “The Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors thanks the Governor and General Assembly for their leadership. We are honored that Golden LEAF can serve as a trusted conduit for much-needed resources to assist small businesses during this crisis.”

“The significant volume of applications in the pipeline is indicative of the severity of the statewide economic impact COVID-19 has had on North Carolina’s small businesses,” said Golden LEAF Foundation President Scott T. Hamilton. “Today’s action will enable the program to continue to provide much-needed support to the State’s small businesses, especially those most at risk for permanent closure.”

“Today, North Carolina’s small business owners are facing an unprecedented economic challenge–and it will take a sustained statewide effort to support them through this crisis,” said NC Rural Center President Patrick Woodie, whose organization manages the program in partnership with Golden LEAF. “The NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery program would not have been possible without the quick response and ‘can-do’ attitude of our partners, Golden LEAF’s ongoing support, and the confidence of the North Carolina General Assembly.”

The NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program offers low-interest loans of up to $50,000 with no payments for six months to businesses affected by COVID-19. If not repaid in six months, the loan will automatically convert to a term loan.

The Rural Center acts as a program administrator, managing the flow of loan applications to lending partners for underwriting and servicing. Lending partners include Business Expansion Funding Corporation (BEFCOR), Carolina Small Business Development Fund, Mountain BizWorks, Natural Capital Investment Fund, Piedmont Business Capital, Sequoyah Fund, and Thread Capital.

Small-business owners affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19) can learn more about the NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program and apply for a loan at https://ncrapidrecovery.org/ or to speak with someone about this program or other resources available to small businesses, contact Business Link North Carolina (BLNC) at 800.228.8443.