TownTalk 04/29/20: GVPH ‘Virtual Town Hall’ COVID-19 Session (Audio/Video)

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Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH) hosted a “Virtual Town Hall” session live via its Facebook page today at 11 a.m.

GVPH Director Lisa Harrison, GVPH Medical Director Dr. Shauna Guthrie and Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent addressed the on-going COVID-19 epidemic and answered questions that were submitted by the public.

Live for our Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 in Granville County!

Posted by Granville Vance Public Health on Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Questions the government and health officials addressed in the session included:

Q: Is there mapping available that would show COVID-19 cases by location in the county?

A: That is not currently available because the population in Vance and Granville counties does not have a lot of variability in zip code. The numbers aren’t as high as more populated counties such as Mecklenburg or Wake.

Q: Why is GVPH not sharing the number of COVID-19 tests administered on its website?

A: The number of tests administered continues to increase and is hard to capture. One reason is that there are many providers – private practices, hospitals, health departments and groups in primary care – offering the test. Also, the Electronic Disease Surveillance System does not require labs and physicians to enter negative results, only positive.

Harrison reported that while there is not an official number, more than 500 tests have been administered across Vance and Granville counties.

Q: Will GVPH let us know if we’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive?

A: It depends on the level of contact. Anytime someone tests positive, GVPH receives an alert. They contact the person who tested positive to see who they’ve been in contact with 2-3 days prior to symptoms starting. The biggest concern is those that have been in close contact with the infected person, either by standing closer than six-feet together for an extended period of time and/or being in a small room together.

People who are deemed at-risk are notified and advised to stay home and quarantine for at least 14 days.

Q: Have those who previously tested positive for COVID-19, and have since been lifted from isolation, been retested?

A: No, they have not been retested. GVPH is following the CDC’s guidelines to determine when a person is no longer contagious. The general rule is a person is considered no longer contagious when it has been at least seven days since testing positive and they’ve had no fever for 72 hours and symptoms have greatly improved.

Q: What can we do to make residents take stay at home and social orders seriously?

A: We need to keep emphasizing that the virus can be spread whether a person has symptoms or not; many are asymptomatic. We also need to be less quick to blame others and examine our own behaviors.

Q: Does our community have enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – gowns, masks and gloves?

A: Yes, so far the requests that have been made have been fulfilled. There are also many volunteers in the community providing these supplies and their support is greatly appreciated.

Q: Have residents with COVID-19 at Pelican Health Nursing Home in Henderson been moved to another facility?

A: There are 66 residents and 150 staff (full-time, part-time and contractors) associated with Pelican Health Henderson. All residents and many of the staff were tested within 48 hours of identifying the first positive resident. All the residents who tested positive and are symptomatic have been isolated.

To hear the session in its entirety, including additional Q&A, please watch the video contained in this article, or visit the Granville Vance Public Health Department’s Facebook page (click here).

Click below for TownTalk audio:

 

TownTalk 04/27/20: Restaurant 39 Reopens With Full Menu for Takeout

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J.R. Stainback, owner of Restaurant 39 in Henderson, appeared on the first segment of WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

Reopening today after a 30-day shutdown, Restaurant 39 will offer its full menu for takeout including vegetable casseroles, chitlins, country fried steak, baby flounder and fried catfish.

 

The restaurant’s hiatus was due mostly to slow sales when COVID-19 restrictions were first put into place. “We tried to do ‘to go’ for two weeks and sales were down 90-percent,” explained Stainback. “I’m hoping, opening back up, that people have gotten a little more use to the situation and how things are operating.”

The restaurant, located at 946 G West Andrews Avenue in the Crossroads Shopping Center, is accepting call ahead or Facebook orders. You may also drive to the restaurant and place your order with an employee in the parking lot.

To place an order by telephone, please call the restaurant’s main line at (252) 572-2661 or the alternate number at (919) 584-2251. The dining area of the restaurant is currently closed to customers, so orders will be brought directly to your car.

Stainback said bottled drinks should be available with takeout orders beginning this Wednesday and to-go menus have been printed and will be handed out to the community.

While he hopes the takeout order route will generate more business this go-around, Stainback said every step of the process has been difficult – from securing needed supplies to overcoming public fears of the virus and food contamination.

According to the CDC, coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. Currently, there is no evidence to support that transmission of COVID-19 is associated with food. For more information on the virus and food safety, please click here.

“This COVID-19 stuff is something I’ve never seen before in all of my years in the restaurant business,” Stainback said. “I’m sure a lot of businesses are suffering, but the restaurant industry is really suffering. I wouldn’t be scared to say that the only ones suffering more than the restaurant business are beauty shops, nail salons and barber shops. It is a really trying time for everyone.”

Stainback said it is the people who have been supporting the restaurant since it opened in 2017 that will get the business through these tough times. “I want to say thank you to everyone in the community, the City of Henderson and the County of Vance. Everyone has been a great supporter of the restaurant since we’ve been here.”

To hear the interview with Stainback in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

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Carolina Panthers – Mick Mixon Audio Interview

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The Panthers drafted seven defensive players, and the general reports indicate it was a successful plan, including those from Matt Rhule, the new head coach, and from General Manager Marty Hurney.

Mick Mixon, play by play announcer of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, joined WIZS TownTalk on Monday to discuss the latest NFL draft.

Of the present internal disruption within the Panthers organization, with a new coach, new owner and a lot of player turnover, Mixon spoke also of the present world disruption of covid-19 and said, “You can count on me not to over dramatize athletics…It really doesn’t mean that much when set against the backdrop of nurses and doctors and scientists and healthcare workers and the really essential things in life.

“However, let’s just call this too for what it is.  In the south, football isn’t just what we do.  It’s part of who we are, and it’s part of how we come together.  So, I think we’re kind of starving for a little bit of football.  At least that’s the way it feels to me around Panther Nation, and the draft was great.  Just to be able to have some new Panthers, how about that?  Seven new draft picks, all defensive players.”

With the NFC South loaded with talented quarterbacks like Drew Brees and now Tom Brady, the Panthers’ selections being all defensive, while it was not the plan, indicates the importance of improving the defense now as expressed by the Panthers’ leadership and their draft board.

The NFL logo and the overall organization has to be top 1o in terms of global recognition and branding, but it’s not too big to fail.  Mixon said, “I think what we may need to do is be patient.  I think the NFL needs to not put a stake in the ground (after a successful draft), and say, ‘Boy, thank Goodness that’s over.  Happy days are here again.’  There’s a lot of distancing yet, a lot of work, a lot of sand that needs to sift through the hour glass so to speak, but I know conversations have been held about — What would the world be like with a shortened season?  What would the world be like with games with no fans in the stands.  These are hard pills to swallow.”

The NFL will figure it out, Mixon said, and right now time is on the side of professional football.

Full Interview Audio:

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Town Talk 04/23/20: Callers Discuss COVID-19

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Downtown Henderson

TownTalk 04/22/20: Pearson Discusses Challenging Times, Community Excellence

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Dr. Stephen Pearson, co-owner and operator of Sadie’s Coffee Corner in downtown Henderson, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Pearson, who holds a Doctorate in Business Administration with a specialization in global business organization leadership, addressed the importance of striving for community excellence and discussed business survival in challenging times.

With last week’s opening of the drive-thru portion of the new Starbucks on Dabney Drive, less than a year since Sadie’s fall opening and in the middle of a national shutdown, Pearson and wife Amanda know a thing or two about facing competition.

“Competition makes the entrepreneur reevaluate and come out of some of the complacency that they run into,” Pearson said. “There are ultimately two ways to approach the situation – sit on your hands and say ‘woe is me’ or find a way to move forward.”

Pearson said Sadie’s supportive customers and community partners, combined with his belief that downtown is the “epicenter of the growth in Henderson,” will help ensure the coffee shop’s continued success.

In fact, the Pearsons believe so strongly in the potential of the area that they are investing more money into a downtown location, with completion expected in the next 18 months.

While additional details will be revealed at a later date, Pearson said he could share with the public that the new downtown venture will be “a business incubator, a business accelerator and will include a classical pizza, cheese and wine tasting shop.”

Pearson said he believes these business ventures are adding to the excellence being built in Henderson. “We can build excellence in this community. This is a vibrant, intelligent community with a lot of impassioned people. I’m very excited to be a part of what I see to be a growth spurt in Henderson.”

“People love to build excellence in the past. If you talk to people about Henderson, they’ll say what a bustling, great town this was 20 years ago, 30 years ago,” continued Pearson. “We have to build excellence in the future, but we build excellence by being brilliant in the basics. We have to understand business, we have to understand the economy and we have to understand the needs of the community.”

To hear the interview with Pearson in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

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TownTalk 04/21/20: Registration Open for VGCC’s Fully Online Summer Semester

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Kali Brown, dean of Student Access and Support at Vance-Granville Community College, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Frequently known as the curriculum side of the house, Brown oversees an area that includes Admissions, Career Services, Financial Aid and the Registrar’s Office.

Brown said the main focus of the Student Access and Support Division is connecting students to the college experience. “We help them gain access, whether they want to complete a short-term degree, such as a certificate or a diploma, or they are interested in pursuing an associate degree leading to workforce opportunities or college transfer.”

With over 40 degree, diploma, and certificate programs, Brown said VGCC offers something for everyone. “There are so many opportunities for students. Within a year to a year-and-a-half, a student can complete a credential, move into the workforce and start earning a livable wage.”

While VGCC’s current spring semester wraps up on May 11, registration is open and ongoing for the summer semester, which begins May 16, and the fall semester, which begins August 17. For a list of available classes, please visit the “Class Schedules” section of VGCC’s website or click here.

Following adjustments made in the middle of the spring semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state-wide stay-at-home orders, VGCC will offer summer classes in an entirely online format for both current and new students.

Classes typically taught in the summer semester that are unable to be offered online will potentially be offered this fall, depending on the situation, stated Brown.

“Summer is a great opportunity for students to get started, and it’s a great opportunity to take a general education class that they need for their program of study,” Brown said.

Many of VGCC’s curriculum admission processes, including the admission application, Financial Aid application and scholarship application, can be completed online.

While applying online is part of the standard admissions process, Brown said changes have been made to placement testing requirements as a result of stay-at-home orders. Testing requirements have been temporarily waived, with students now required to provide their high school transcript for placement purposes.

For more information on VGCC’s programs, semester dates, class schedules and registration information, please visit www.vgcc.edu.

To hear the interview with Brown in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Also appearing on TownTalk Tuesday was Hal Muetzel, local owner-operator of Express Employment Professionals.

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TownTalk 04/20/20: Local Calls; Stimulus Checks; Facebook; Keep Up Good Spirits

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Had a lot of fun on TownTalk Monday taking calls, talking about stimulus checks, Facebook and keeping up good spirits.

WIZS Radio broadcasts Town Talk, a locally produced public affairs program, including local phone calls, each Monday through Thursday, except holidays, from 11 a.m. until 11:29 a.m. Town Talk is hosted regularly by John Charles Rose.

TownTalk on Friday is a quiz show, game show, trivia show and contest for prizes from 11 a.m. until 11:55 a.m.

Town Talk 04/16/20: Tribute to Lt. Walter Fuller, Jr., Fire & COVID-19 Fighter

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Debbie Scott, niece of Lt. Walter Fuller, Jr., the first person to die in Vance County from complications of COVID-19, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.

Scott contacted WIZS directly to pay tribute to her uncle, who passed away on Easter morning, Sunday, April 12, 2020, at the age of 72, following a confirmed positive case of the virus.

Fuller was well-known and respected in the community as a former Henderson Fire Department (HFD) lieutenant who retired with over 28 years of service in 2000, said Scott, and served as a “father-figure” to many, herself included.

Long-serving Henderson firefighter Lt. Walter Fuller, Jr., passed away on Easter morning, Sunday, April 12, 2020, at the age of 72, due to complications of COVID-19. (Photo courtesy the family of Fuller).

“Most people would know him as Lt. Walter Fuller, Jr., but we knew him in the family as Uncle Peewee,” Scott said. “That was his nickname because he only weighed three pounds when he was born.”

Prior to his decades-long service with the HFD, Fuller served as a firefighter for two years in Philadelphia before returning home to Henderson.

According to Scott, Fuller was also a professional photographer who captured joyful moments for his family and community members at weddings and other special occasions.

“He was a good person who went about doing good deeds; his profession was saving lives. He was a father, grandfather and great grandfather, and he was a wonderful uncle,” Scott said. “He was brave; he was the rock of our family and our hero. We looked up to him.”

While Scott would prefer Fuller to be remembered for his service to the community as opposed to his distinction as the first Vance County death due to COVID-19, she also warned listeners of the dangers of the virus.

“This virus is very serious and dangerous. I think we should do everything we can to follow protocol at this time. The way you have to deal with this is painful – you can’t see your loved one, talk to them or even be in the same building with them. No one wants to experience this.”

Scott said the healthcare workers at Maria Parham Health, Fuller’s ICU nurse, in particular, were instrumental in providing comfort during an emotional time for the family.

“We called his nurse for two days, and she was so wonderful. She gave him messages for us. We wanted him to know we loved him; he couldn’t talk. I called her back yesterday to thank her for what she did.”

In a touching surprise to Scott, WIZS reached out to Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell and former chief Danny Wilkerson, both who worked with Fuller for years, for comment.

Chief Cordell had this to say about Fuller, “He was a good, Christian man. When I came to work at the fire department in 1992, Lt. Fuller was a fire engineer, and I worked under him for my first six months. Lt. Fuller took me under his wing and taught me the ropes. I will always appreciate the effort he put into me as a young, 20-year-old coming in the door.”

Cordell continued, “I was able to see Lt. Fuller go from fire engineer to fire lieutenant over fire prevention, and he excelled in that position; he made a tremendous impact on young kids. He was able to take the enthusiasm that he brought every day to the job and use that to educate young kids and adults on fire safety.”

Wilkerson said, “He was a great person and a very good firefighter. He was at the fire department a few years before I started in 1975. Being a new firefighter, he gave me a lot of guidance, and I really took that to heart. He is also one of the first African-American firefighters that the Henderson Fire Department had.”

“The one thing Walter did that really stood out to me,” Wilkerson added with a chuckle, “was that he was all for enforcing the City’s fire lane and handicapped parking. I believe he wrote more fire lane and handicap parking violations than any firefighter or police officer at the time.”

Wilkerson’s final thoughts on Fuller echoed Scott’s sentiments expressed during the interview, “The thing that I always respected about Walter is that he put God first, then his family and then his fire department family, and he would tell you that is how your priorities in life should be.”

To hear the interview with Scott in its entirety, including comments from Cordell and Wilkerson, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Dale Folwell

Town Talk 04/15/20: Treasurer Folwell Discusses State Pension Plan, COVID-19 Recovery

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

North Carolina State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Folwell, who has served as NC State Treasurer since 2017, is recovering after being hospitalized for five days with COVID-19. “I am thankful for all the caregivers, God, my family, and the prayers and thoughts that got me through this,” Folwell said.

He also expressed appreciation for the healthcare workers who encouraged him through the recovery process. Folwell said doctors and nurses offered emotional support while he was separated from his family due to the strict no visitor policies currently implemented at many hospitals.

Cleared by doctors and health officials to resume his duties, Folwell reassured listeners that the state pension plan is “one of the most conservatively managed in the country, if not the world.”

“Last time we talked [WIZS Town Talk January 23, 2020], we were reassuring people that we were still in the check delivering business, and that’s still the case,” stated Folwell. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of market volatility since then, but our state pension plan is in great shape, and we continue to be in the check delivering business.”

As of earlier this week, the state pension plan was down approximately 4.2% for the calendar year, while the S&P 500 was down by almost 14%. For the fiscal year that began June 2019, the state plan is up .6%, while the S&P is down approximately 5%. While down, Folwell said he is encouraged by the fact that the state plan is still currently outperforming the stock market.

To help offset some of the losses, Folwell said the state is “looking at some of our cash balances and taking advantage of some of the opportunities being presented to us. Those who depend on this – those that teach, those that protect and those who otherwise serve – will not have to think about this.”

Calling the current economic downturn a “combination of 9/11 and the Great Recession, all combined into one,” Folwell admitted, “Revenues are down, expenses are up, collections are down, and it’s just not a good circumstance for any business.”

Following today’s interview with WIZS, Folwell addressed the current state of the pension plan, among other treasury-related topics, in a monthly “Ask Me Anything” session open to media representatives.

The monthly calls are an opportunity for reporters to ask Folwell questions about N.C. Department of State Treasurer (DST) initiatives, including the Retirement Systems Division, the State Health Plan, the State and Local Government Finance Division and the Unclaimed Property Division.

Audio of the monthly “Ask Me Anything” calls is available by clicking here.

To hear the interview with Folwell in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Maria Parham Health

Town Talk 04/14/20: MPH CEO Discusses COVID-19 Testing, Lower Hospital Volume

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health (MPH), appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Beard reported that MPH has tested 150 people for possible COVID-19 infection at this point, with 14 positive cases. Of those positive cases, Beard said a “handful” have been admitted for treatment.

“Anyone who is a rule out is treated like someone who is positive for it until we get a negative test,” said Beard. “Our ability to test and get quick results has improved vastly since the start of this six weeks ago.”

According to Beard, a new partnership with Mako Medical Laboratories, along with recently approved testing, has reduced turnaround time for results from several days to approximately 24-hours.

While Beard said MPH and its staff are well-prepared to handle a possible increase in patients, the hospital is currently experiencing a lull in numbers. “We are seeing a lot less volume currently at the hospital. I think people are rightfully concerned and aren’t coming in if they don’t have to.”

With Granville Vance Public Health announcing the first COVID-19 death in Vance County – a 72-year-old male with pre-existing health conditions who died Sunday – Beard said he couldn’t stress enough the importance of continuing to take safety precautions.

“Continue to observe stay at home orders from the governor and the president. Continue to observe good infection prevention practices – handwashing hygiene, no touching your face and social distancing. Be mindful of your interactions when you have to go out.”

To do its part in mitigating the spread of the virus, Beard said the hospital enacted a zero visitor policy with a few exceptions: pediatrics, end-of-life care and mother/baby.

Visitors and MPH employees are also currently required to enter the hospital through either the main or emergency entrance, where their temperature is checked with an infrared thermometer. Visitors are also given a cloth mask – many donated by members of the community – to help stop the spread of infection.

“I am hopeful that on the back-end of this, people will have, not a new-found, but re-found respect for our first responders and frontline healthcare workers,” Beard said. “It is wonderful to see the outpouring of support and love for these people; I hope that element is held in the wake of this event.”

To hear the interview with Beard in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.