Tag Archive for: #granvillevancepublichealth

TownTalk: Mental Health Resources Available To Farmers/Public

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Even under optimal conditions, farmers face daily challenges – mending fences, managing livestock, keeping gardens picked, maintaining tractors and equipment – and that’s just for starters.

But factor in extreme circumstances like persistent drought and higher-than-normal temps, and the additional stress can compound an already stressful lifestyle that can have serious implications on their mental health.

Vance County Cooperative Extension Agent Michael Ellington and Granville Vance Public Health clinical social worker Mary Constantino shared some sobering information about national suicide rates among farmers and what family members can do if they see concerning behaviors in their loved ones.

Ellington said it’s important to be aware of how stress impacts us – farmers and others, alike. It’s all about knowing what we can do and focusing on what we can control, he said on a recent TownTalk.

Constantino, GVPH Human Services Clinical Counselor Specialist, said the national data around suicide is about 14.4 deaths per 100,000. In North Carolina, that average is 14.1. But farmers, she said, have a higher rate per 100,000 than the average population – as much as 2 to 4 times the national average.

Ellington said he’s heard different people expressing feelings of desperation, that they can see no way forward, no way out.

“This is a problem happening right now,” Ellington said, “your family, your neighbors. It’s here.”

He wants to send the message that provides a lifeline to those in distress. “Whatever problems you’re facing,” there is a way out, a way forward.

“It’s really hard to talk about feelings and things that are stressful,” Constantino said.

When things aren’t going well, it’s human nature to blame ourselves, and she said it’s also natural to think that we should be able to handle the stressful situations without help.

It may be useful to change perspective from “I should be able to handle these feelings myself” to “gosh, maybe I do need some help trying to process through some of this,” she said.

Ellington said often, a farmer’s support system includes the very ones who are dependent on him or her.

“They probably are the folks they’re worried about letting down the most,” he said.

Constantino suggests having a daily “process check” when stress levels are high. The stress is acknowledged – now what to do about it?

Sometimes, it’s helpful to just ‘vent’ to someone. That can be enough, but not always. And it’s important to know what steps to take when venting hasn’t helped.

Ellington says there’s a difference between venting and problem-solving.

“Farmers are natural problem solvers,” he said.

“Venting is when we just need to put something out there, knowing that we can’t fix it.”

The weather. The drought. That tractor part that won’t be in stock for two weeks.

Sleeping more, drinking alcohol to excess, not wanting to socialize or even get out of the bed may be signs that there’s more going on than just reacting to normal stress.

GVPH has a variety of programs that address mental health and positive outcomes, Constantino said. Crisis lines in Vance and Granville counties can provide referrals to callers who reach out about services.

Of course, if you are fearful for the safety of your loved one, you can always call the national 988 suicide hotline.

“The best place to start is to say ‘Hey, we care about you,’” Constantino said.

GVPH can help manage medications and oversee people who need mental health support. In Granville County, there are therapists who go into schools; in Vance County, it’s mostly group-focused programs.

Clinicians all operate a little bit differently, Constantino explained, but clients often find relief when what they need is support and encouragement and strategic questions about how to move forward.

Call GVPH at 919.693.2141 or visit https://gvph.org/ webs to learn more.

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TownTalk: Faith in Mental Health Forum Coming April 20 at MHCO

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The next ‘Faith in Mental Health’ forum is scheduled for Monday, April 20 at 6 p.m. to share information with individuals and church representatives interested in learning more about available mental health resources in Vance and Granville counties.

The session is free to attend and will take place in the cafeteria on the campus of the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, said Frank Sossamon, pastor at Hermon Community Church. The theme for this program is substance misuse and addiction. A barbecue dinner will be provided as well, Sossamon said.

The Faith in Mental Health program is a pilot project that Sossamon hopes will eventually go statewide that will operate under the umbrella of public health departments.

“The numbers continue to grow with every event we have,” Sossamon said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

So far, more than 40 churches across the two-county area are actively involved in the initiative, which has three different levels of participation, depending on church interest.

Getting appropriate information into the hands of church congregations is helpful for a variety of reasons. An orientation session provides participants with information about resources in the area that can be shared with church members.

“We want you to be able to help your congregation,” he said. Participating in the Faith in Mental Health project is one way for congregations to be informed about what resources are available, where they’re located and how to access them.

The second level of commitment comes when a congregation chooses a mental health topic to highlight and discuss each month.

“Just being able to talk about it is healing for people in the church that are struggling with those things,” Sossamon said. Individuals realize that there is someone to talk to – the pastor or someone else in the congregation. “That in itself, is liberating. That in itself is healing and encouraging. And it’s healthy for the church as well,” he added.

The forums are also a way for people from different congregations to connect and form networks. He said he’s heard positive feedback from participants of earlier sessions about having the information they needed to share with others about particular services they were searching for.

The Faith in Mental Health initiative is for churches of all sizes, Sossamon said. So, whether it’s a 1,000 member congregation or a congregation of 10, there’s a place for you.

The upcoming forum will include area providers who will speak about substance misuse and addiction, as well as representatives from different programs available to provide help, from support groups to residential facilities.

The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford is located at 600 College St.

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TownTalk: Faith in Mental Health Forum Coming to MHCO in March

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The program called Faith in Mental Health is hosting an event on Monday, Mar. 16 and invites churches to become community partners to address mental health and substance use disorders.

Karl Johnson, PhD, is a team member of the Rural Academic Health Dept at Granville Vance Public Health.

The upcoming event is a continuation of a program that, so far, has had participation from roughly 100 people from about 40 churches in the area. The March 16 event will be held at The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

There are several different levels of certification, Johnson told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Monday’s TownTalk.

The first level is more like an orientation to let participants know what types of services are available in the area for people who struggle with mental health issues or substance use disorder.

“The goal is to better equip and empower churches to address the mental health and substance use,” he said, whether within their own congregation or in the broader community.

Help needs to go beyond the biomedical aspects of clients’ issues, he said.

There simply aren’t enough medical providers to tend to everyone’s needs, so reaching out to churches seemed to be a natural next step.

The church is “one of those communities that people go to for a sense of hope, belonging, for a sense of camaraderie and support,” Johnson said. It makes sense, he added, to partner with churches to give them tools to help.

“It’s a way for others to care for and tend to their loved ones (or) neighbors who struggle with these kinds of challenges,” he said.

There’s been a tremendous response in the area so far, Johnson said. “Churches really are eager and willing to step up” with participation by pastors and lay leaders alike.

After completing that level 1 certification, Johnson said some churches have gone on to host forums, provide additional trainings and establish support groups.

Some pastors periodically devote sermons to the topic and even create ministries devoted to the work.

Different churches take different approaches to trying to help, and that’s just fine, Johnson said.

“The deeper goal is for them to become better equipped to address this need in their community,” he said.

If you’d like to learn more, contact Johnson at 616.298.5626 or email him at kjohnson@gvph.org.

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TownTalk: Rural Health Transformation Program from Congress Impacts On Local Programs, Health Providers

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The Rural Health Transformation Program, created by Congress through what has become known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will provide $50 billion over the next five years to help states transform rural health – both how rural residents access services as well as how health care providers deliver care and treatment.

It’s going to trickle down to local health care providers, from doctors’ offices and hospitals to health departments.

Granville-Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison said it’s both an exciting and a daunting time, as providers await details from the state about just how to go about implementing particulars of the program.

The program comes at a time when deep cuts to Medicaid are looming, and skyrocketing insurance premiums have created worry among individuals who can’t afford the big jump in costs.

All states will get money over the next five years as they come up with ways to improve sustain rural health – through improving access to care and strengthening the rural health work force, for instance.

North Carolina is poised to receive $213 million in this first round of funding.

The second portion of the funding will be more subjective, with states hoping to get funding for the particular areas of focus they identify.

“Each state has to show some early wins and good effort around workforce, technology and rural health sustainability before they’ll get the second year,” Harrison explained. “You have to jump in and do your work pretty fast early on.”

That’s something that Harrison and the GVPH team are already working on, given the fact that health departments are “safety nets” for patients by offering health care services regardless of their ability to pay.

Medicaid is especially helpful for children and for disabled people, Harrison said, as well as being an insurance program for those workers who meet income and household requirements and who don’t get health insurance through their job.

“There are lots of people who need Medicaid – it’s an important program to keep the costs down for all of us, for sure,” Harrison said.

“All of us benefit from Medicaid being available for people because it lowers everybody’s insurance rates.”

Things in the health care world are changing “mighty quickly,” she said, and GVPH is among the providers preparing for less funding in the future.

“My hope is we can find some new and sustainable approaches that get our system to work better and differently together,” Harrison added.

North Carolina leaders have zeroed in on six key strategies to transform its rural health care systems. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services lists the strategies in a project summary found at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/ncrhtp-project-summary/open

  • Launching a locally governed “NC ROOTS” Hub to connect medical, mental health, and social supports
  • Expanding prevention, chronic disease management, and nutrition programs
  • Increasing access to mental health services, including substance use disorder treatment
  • Investing in the rural health care workforce
  • Supporting rural providers in transitioning to value-based care models
  • Enhancing technology in health care

“The thing that makes me so excited about this opportunity is  all things we’re already trying to figure out and do at Granville-Vance Public Health with our partners – we don’t do these things alone,” Harrison said.

GVPH has a strong network of partners it collaborates with, which points to its readiness to continue to do the transformative work and make access to health care in rural areas as effective as it can be.

“We’re really good in this region of taking care of our neighbors and finding new ways to do this effectively and efficiently,” Harrison said. Future grant funding will allow for more of that collaboration to strengthen programs for rural residents.

Plenty of questions remain, but for now, Harrison said she’s focusing on the energy surround the RHT program to move forward.

“I’m pretty excited about what we could accomplish because I know folks around here are really supportive of making sure that we improve access to care for everybody.”

Learn more about the Rural Health Transformation Program at www.ncdhhs.gov/rhtp. A project summary can be found at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/ncrhtp-project-summary/open

Visit https://www.gvph.org/ to learn about the services and programs available at the local health department.

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“Faith in Mental Health” to Discuss Depression and Anxiety Monday Night at VGCC

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The Faith in Mental Health program will host a discussion on “Faith-informed approaches to understanding and treatment depression and anxiety.” Speakers will include Dr. Roddy Drake (former Health Director at GVPH) and Dr. Tobias LaGrone (Community Outreach & Faith Based Coordinator at NCDHHS). The event will include opportunities for group discussion, interactions with local providers, and distribution of resources.

The discussion will be held at the Vance-Granville Community College (Civic Center Auditorium) on Monday, November 10th at 6 p.m. All community members are welcome to participate, especially those who have participated in the certificate program. Participation is free, with light refreshments available.

Mental illness and substance use challenges affect millions of Americans each year, with rural communities often experiencing even higher rates due to risk factors such as trauma, economic hardship, and limited access to care.

Of particular concern are increasing rates of depression and anxiety, especially among younger members of our community. Depression is more than just a temporary feeling of sadness but rather a crippling and chronic challenge for many, often requiring temporary pauses in work and other activities. Likewise, a limited level of anxiety is a normal human experience, but there are many for whom elevated levels of anxiety can significantly impair their ability to perform everyday tasks. Thankfully, treatment solutions (pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical) exist for those who significantly struggle with depression and/or anxiety. Further, many faith traditions, including but not limited to the Christian scriptures, directly address themes related to depression and anxiety, offering a framework for how to understand these complex and debilitating emotional states in a way which aligns with other spiritual teachings.

Recognizing both the need for support and the unique strengths within rural communities, a new initiative, Faith in Mental Health, was launched to help address this growing crisis. The program aims to equip churches throughout Granville and Vance County to better respond to the substance use and mental health-related needs of their congregation. Participation in the program is free and open to all churches in Granville and Vance County.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Karl Johnson at kjohnson@gvph.org or Pastor Frank Sossamon at pastorfrank1954@gmail.com.

— GVPH Press Release

GVPH is a rural Academic Health Department with the mission of protecting and promoting health in Granville and Vance counties. GVPH provides a broad range of primary care and prevention clinical services, dental services, health education, health promotion, environmental health, and overall disease and injury detection. Supporting local public health sustains economic development, education systems, community safety, and overall improvements in community resilience. To learn more about our programs and services go online to www.gvph.org or call the Granville County office at (919) 693-2141 or the Vance County office at (252) 492-7915.

Triangle North Health Care Foundation Awards Health Department $62K For GVPH’s ‘Tooth Club’

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— Information courtesy of Granville Vance Public Health

Granville Vance Public Health has received a $62,500 grant from the Triangle North Health Care Foundation to expand and strengthen its School-Based Oral Health Program, also known as the “Tooth Club.”

This marks the third consecutive year TNHF has supported the program, reflecting the foundation’s mission to improve health outcomes across Vance, Granville, Warren, and Franklin counties.

The Tooth Club brings preventive dental care directly to students in both Granville County Public Schools and Vance County Schools, as well as public charters Henderson Collegiate and Falls Lake Academy. GVPH’s Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry runs the program and focuses on serving students who may not otherwise have access to regular dental services.

“This grant is an important step forward in our mission to protect and promote health in our communities,” said Dr. Navid Nesab, CFFD lead dentist. “We’re thankful for TNHF’s continued trust and support, and for the strong partnerships we have with our schools and local families.”

The funding will allow GVPH to purchase a new portable dental unit, enabling the dental team to expand services and reach more students where they are – at school. The clinics offer preventive services such as dental cleanings, X-rays, sealants to protect teeth from cavities, fluoride treatments, oral health checkups and take-home oral health report cards for parents.

Care is provided at no cost to families. If a student is covered by Medicaid or private insurance, those plans will be billed. However, families will not be responsible for co-pays, deductibles, or any other costs for services not covered by insurance.

Parents and guardians will be notified of the program’s availability through flyers, school announcements, and email. Registration is available through the Tooth Club registration link on the GVPH dental clinic webpage: www.gvph.org/clinic/dental, as well as https://gra.identalcloud.com/GranvilleVance/Patient/_practice/2/Registration

With oral health linked closely to overall well-being, GVPH leaders say the Tooth Club is helping students stay healthy, confident, and ready to learn.

“We want every child to have a healthy smile, regardless of their family’s income or insurance status,” Nesab said. “That’s what this program is all about.”

Granville Vance Public Health Community Health Assessment Participants Needed

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Residents of Vance and Granville counties have until around mid-July to help Granville Vance Public Health gather information for the 2025 Community Health Assessment.

GVPH Director Lisa Harrison said the survey takes 15 or 20 minutes to complete, and the data will be used to guide the health department in developing programs that address health priorities in the two counties it serves over the next four years.

Harrison called residents in the two counties “our main customer, our main patient,” and the surveys will help her and health department staff understand what the priorities are within the community.

Anyone with a computer or a cell phone can access the survey, Harrison said on Monday’s TownTalk.  Find it here: https://survey.sogolytics.com/r/GN8UoS

Paper copies also are available by calling GVPH’s Oxford office at 919.693.2141.

The most recent community health assessment, completed in 2021, revealed that folks are interested in affordable health care options, focusing on the health and safety of youth and substance use prevention and treatment options.

Having those three priorities helps Harrison and others focus attention – and money – on areas that are important to folks locally.

“It is really critical that we figure out priorities,” Harrison said. “It is your chance, as our community, to tell us really what’s important to you and what you want us to focus our limited resources on.”

Using data from the community health assessment helps Harrison and her team focus on the right issues, she said.

She hopes to get about 500 completed surveys from each county.

“We don’t do anything in public health without community at our side and as our focus,” Harrison said. “It is the thing we love. We do take everybody’s opinion seriously and make sure that we capture it regularly so that we make the right kind of progress for our local comm, not just what’s happening everywhere else in the world.”

“We welcome everyone’s opinion, in every different neighborhood and crossroad” from retirees to youth, Harrison said she wants the community health assessment to capture different opinions and perspectives.

The survey is anonymous, and Harrison said participants have the option to skip questions they don’t want to answer and complete the survey over more than one sitting. The survey will most likely be open until July 11 to make sure people have enough time to go through it.

“Health is critical for all the things we do in life. If we’re not healthy, we can’t be productive, word-hard citizens…we can’t be good family members, we can’t be safe drivers…all the things go back to our health. We’re proud to be your folks working on that every day.”

 

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TownTalk: Faith in Mental Health

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When he was serving in the N.C. House as District 32 representative, Frank Sossamon introduced a bill to create a faith-based initiative on substance abuse and mental health.

He served one term in the House, and his bill didn’t get through the Senate to become law, but Sossamon was undeterred.

In partnership with Granville Vance Public Health, Vaya Health and N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Sossamon’s “Faith in Mental Health” initiative is gathering steam to involve churches in Vance and Granville counties to combat issues surrounding substance abuse and mental health.

Two orientation sessions are scheduled – Monday, June 23 at West End Baptist Church in Henderson and Monday, June 30 at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center in Oxford – to kick off a three-part program to give churches information about resources available to them and to the community. Each session will last from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Sossamon said in speaking with various church leaders about developing the initiative, he said more often than not, they didn’t know what services and resources are available when it comes to mental health and substance abuse issues.

“That’s the sad thing, not only they don’t know,” he said of those church representatives, “the average person doesn’t know.”

This is where the orientation sessions can help, he said. During these initial meetings, participants will complete the first of three levels of involvement.

“Level 1 is the most basic level, but maybe one of the most effective,” Sossamon said. Participants will learn about the different agencies in their county and hear from some representatives about the services they provide and how to access them.

Churches participating at this level also will agree to highlight a different topic each month in the Sunday service bulletin or newsletter, for example.

Pastors will be encouraged to preach a sermon on that topic or discuss it during a weekly Sunday School session.

Hearing about mental health or substance abuse from the pulpit or in a Sunday School class help to demystify the issues, he said. “That in itself brings healing,” he said.

Level 2 participating churches will agree to have quarterly forums on mental health issues, and Sossamon said he would encourage several churches to join forces and have one forum. There are speakers who are willing to take part in the forums and plenty of resources available to share with churches, he noted.

“It just has such great promise,” Sossamon said.

Level 2 churches also would establish a library to offer reading material related to mental health.

Those churches that wish to meet Level 3 criteria would be willing to complete more clinical training sessions to get certified. From suicide prevention training to mental health first aid, Sossamon said these trainings are “a little more intense.”

Contact Sossamon at pastorfrank1954@gmail.com to learn more.

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Wallace Vaughan Receives Order Of The Long Leaf Pine

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Wallace T. Vaughan recently was presented The Order of the Long Leaf Pine for 45 years of exemplary service to Granville Vance Public Health.

GVPH Health Director Lisa Macon Harrison made the presentation on Nov. 26. “We are so proud of Wallace’s 45 years of service to public health as an Environmental Health Specialist. When he began his career with the Granville-Vance District Health Department on July 16, 1979, no one could have foreseen that his career with our agency would span over 40 years, with growth and development along the way. Thankfully, even as a retired member of our team, he returns to assist part-time with the important work of Environmental Health at GVPH.”

Vaughan began his career with the Granville-Vance District Health Department as a Sanitarian I, focusing exclusively on wastewater disposal. His position changed to Sanitarian II and then Environmental Health Specialist as duties and responsibilities increased through the years. When the environmental health supervisor retired in 2002, Vaughan took over, and was responsible for overseeing all environmental health duties and the professional development of eight employees in both counties. In 2007, his position was reclassified to Environmental Health Supervisor III to accurately reflect the complex duties of managing a district program.

Vaughan was presented the award at a luncheon in Oxford, NC – his lifelong home. In attendance were his wife, Brenda Vaughan, three children and four grandchildren. Also on hand for the presentation were several GVPH staff who have worked with him over his noteworthy career.

Vaughan is a lifetime member of Tungsten Baptist Church, serving as a deacon and Sunday School teacher, and he also trains Tennessee Walker horses.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

GVPH Gets $50K For ‘Tooth Club’ Preventive Oral Health Services

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– information courtesy of Granville Vance Public Health

Granville Vance Public Health has been awarded $50,000 by the Triangle North Healthcare Foundation for the CFFD-Tooth Club, a program to address and correct oral health issues among students enrolled in Vance County Schools, Henderson Collegiate, and Vance County Head Start. The GVPH Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry clinic will run the Tooth Club with a goal of ensuring that all uninsured students attending partner schools receive needed preventive and restorative oral care.

Dr. Navid Nesab, a CFFD dentist, said the grant will make possible an array of convenient services for students and their families.

“Our CFFD Tooth Club clinics allow students to receive preventive oral health services within a familiar school environment, reduce the amount of time students are absent from school for oral health appointments, and keep parents from having to miss work to take their child to the dentist for needed oral health services,” Nesab stated. “Triangle North Health Care Foundation’s grant also allows us the ability to perform restorative care for uninsured patients at  no cost to the families.”

The Tooth Club will offer preventive oral care – such as cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants and oral health education – to uninsured students enrolled in the CFFD-Tooth Club.

CFFD provides services, including restorative oral health care, at no cost to the student or family regardless of insurance status, household income or immigration status.

While the nation’s oral health has improved, not everyone in Vance and Granville counties has access to dental care. Regular preventive dental care is essential for good oral health, and early childhood tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S.

Left untreated, tooth decay can lead to infection and pain that can inhibit a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak, play and learn, as well as cause chronic health challenges such as diabetes, heart disease and malnourishment.

Any child attending Head Start, Henderson Collegiate or Vance County Public Schools is eligible to enroll for the Tooth Club clinics, which will be held at each school location periodically.

To enroll, parents can contact the school nurse of their child’s school to obtain a consent form, or contact the dental clinic at 919.693.8797 or dental@gvph.org.

For more information, visit https://www.gvph.org/clinic/dental/.

The Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is a non-profit organization that awards grants to support and invest in health and wellness initiatives in Vance, Warren, Franklin and Granville counties that result in immediate and long-term improvement in the health status of the region.