Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

RAM Clinic Helped 150 Clients At Recent Pop-Up Medical Clinic

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The Duke Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic held recently in Henderson was a roaring success and organizers want to make the free pop-up medical clinic at least an annual event.

According to follow-up information received from one of the Duke University students that helped organize the event held May 14-15 at Vance Charter School, the clinic saw 150 different patients and provided close to $150,000 in free medical, dental and vision care over the course of the two-day clinic.

“Sadly, demand for the services was so high that we had to start turning people away at 7 a.m. on Saturday and 5 a.m. on Sunday,” said Avni Charvu, who will team up with Saajan Patel to be the lead organizers for next year’s clinic.

The goal , Charvu said, is to learn from this first experience to make the clinic an annual event, working up to multiple Duke RAM clinics a year. This year’s lead organizers Rishi Dasgupta and Rishabh Jain graduated last month, and Charvu said he and Patel are already making plans for next year’s Henderson clinic,

“For each patient we were able to serve, there were scores more who would have benefited and couldn’t be seen…We enlisted local nonprofits to distribute free Narcan, sexual health products, dental care product and more,” Charvu said.

The NC Navigator Consortium was also helping under- and uninsured patients sign up for Medicaid. For patients who were diagnosed with longer-term chronic conditions or may require emergency care in the coming days after surgical procedures, we identified over a dozen private practices, regional hospitals and outpatient clinics in the area for follow-up care at a reduced cost.

The clinic was especially crucial for low-income, low-education, and minority populations, Charvu explained. A breakdown of patients showed that 37 percent were Hispanic, 43 percent were African American. About half of the patients  had a high school education or less and many of the were non-English speakers.

“It was incredible to see such an enthusiastic response from volunteers and community organizations, with 120 people traveling from as far as Washington state to volunteer their time,” Charvu said.

Drink To Your Health: The Story Of Mineral Springs

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Nowadays, health professionals are quick to point out the importance of staying hydrated and drinking enough plain ol’ water as a key component of good health. A good rule of thumb is eight 8-ounce servings of water each day.

But around the time of the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century, there were a number of mineral springs in the area whose proprietors made great claims about their water’s restorative properties.

There was sort of a mineral springs “belt” that was loosely situated across Halifax County that ran through Warren and Vance counties on the way toward the Clarksville area, according to Mark Pace, local historian and N.C. Room specialist at the Richard Thornton Library in Oxford. Pace joined WIZS’s Bill Harris on the tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk Thursday and talked about the heyday of the area’s mineral springs and the visitors who came in search of health restored.

The waters of Panacea Springs in Littleton, for example, was reportedly good for whatever ailed you – from excema to digestive problems and everything in between.

Shocco Springs in Warren County and Buckhorn Springs in northern Granville County joined other mineral springs that developed national reputations – not just for their water’s restorative powers, but as vacation destinations for the rich and famous of the time.

Marketing played a key role in the popularity of the springs, Pace said, but it was the railroad that played a major role.

“Kittrell wouldn’t even exist if the railroad hadn’t come through,” Pace said. The medicinal benefits of the waters aside, hotels sprang up around some of them to accommodate the travelers. There were four hotels in Kittrell, for example. Kittrell Springs Hotel had a bowling alley, miniature golf, concerts and horseback riding just to name a few amenities.

Back in 1858, “you didn’t go to Nags Head, you went to a place like this,” Pace remarked.

The Panacea Springs resort in Littleton hosted Renaissance festivals back in the years leading up to the Civil War; Jones Sulphur Springs in Warren County included among its guests Annie Lee, daughter of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. She was sent there to ease the effects of tuberculosis  and died there in 1862.

There aren’t many structures left on the sites of the old springs, Pace said – some stone foundations and a small bottling building here are a couple of remnants.

The Buffalo Springs near Clarksville remains active, and visitors can see where the famous water erupts from the ground.

It used to be called Buffalo Lithia Springs because of the claims that the water contained contained lithium bicarbonate.

But when Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, the Buffalo Lithia Springs claims were called into question. When the water was tested in 1910, Pace said, but the news wasn’t good: Although the water was shown to have traces of lithium, a person would have to drink  hundreds of thousands of GALLONS of water a day to reap the benefits. Needless to say, the springs operation lost the Supreme Court case and had to change its name to Buffalo Springs.

They sold bottled water from there until 1941, Pace said, making it one of the last mineral springs operations in the area.

It also was a stop on the vaudeville circuit and one of the seasonal performers was a very talented Mr. Ebsen from Florida, Pace recounted. Eventually, Ebsen’s son, Frank, got his start at Buffalo Lithia Springs, Pace said.

He became better known as the performer and actor Buddy Ebsen.

 

 

Vance County High School

Aaron Elliott Announced as the Vance County High School Head Football Coach

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— press release courtesy of Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools welcomes Jacob “Aaron” Elliott, a native of Vance County, as the Head Football Coach at Vance County High School. A graduate of Southern Vance High School, Elliott went on to attend Liberty University. He began his career in public safety, serving in both Emergency Medical Services and Fire Services.

Elliott joined the football coaching staff at Louisburg High from 2010-2014, coaching the offensive and defensive lineman, achieving a record of 38-19 and a conference record of 17-3. The team had an undefeated conference season in 2013 and he later became the Defensive
Coordinator in 2015 with the team placing as the 1A Eastern Regional Runner Up in 2021. In 2021, Elliott accepted a position with Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools as a Fire Technology Instructor at the Nash Central High School Fire Academy. His coaching continued while at Nash Central, where he contributed to the Bulldogs playoff run which ended in the third round.

Coach Elliott is excited to return to Vance County to serve as an educator and Head Football Coach sharing, “I look forward to continuing the opportunity to coach and lead young men to further their football and academic careers at the collegiate level, while also encouraging their growth as individuals and success in life itself. He will begin his coaching duties effective immediately and will serve as one of the Fire Academy and Public Safety instructors at Vance County High School, beginning in August.

3 Charged In W. Andrews Ave. Gunfire Exchange

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Three individuals are in custody in connection with the exchange of gunfire that occurred last weekend outside a West Andrews Avenue convenience store.

According to Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow, Jordan Turnage, Charles Green and one juvenile all surrendered themselves to authorities.

Turnage, 21, of Creedmoor, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, discharging a firearm into occupied property and discharging a firearm in the city limits. His secured bond was set at $65,000. Green, Green, 23, also was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill discharging a firearm into occupied property and discharging a firearm in the city limits. His secured bond was set at $115,000, Barrow said.

A juvenile petition was filed against a 17-year-old in connection with the incident, who received a temporary secured custody order.

According to Barrow, Jaymon Gibson is the only individual left with outstanding warrants following the exchange of gunfire that occurred just before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 outside Gate City Foods, located at 601 W. Andrews Ave.

If anyone has information about the location of Gibson, please call 911, Henderson Vance Crime Stoppers at +1 (252) 492-1925, or contact us through the P3 app or Facebook Messenger.

Home And Garden Show 06-01-22

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • When vegetables start becoming harvestable, check your garden each day for mature vegetables. Ex Squash
  • Keep shrubs tidy through the summer with occasional light trimming.
  • Check for squash plants for squash vine borer. Spray base of plant with liquid Sevin
  • Trim watersprouts from fruit trees and ornamental shrubs to cut down on winter pruning chores.
  • Scout your garden for insects weekly.Cabbage worm, loopers, tomato horn worm.
  • If you have tall perennials in your garden, consider staking them to keep them upright through summer thunderstorms. Or some may tolerate cutting back by a third or half to keep them smaller and to promote more blooms.
  • Before watering plants check soil media first if it’s moist, wait and check the next day.
  • Pollinators are very busy this time of year, so be very cautious when spraying insecticides in your yard, landscape and garden. The product label will provide instructions on how to protect them.
  • Check your rain gauge weekly to make sure your garden gets 1 inch of water per week.
  • If you have a pond on your property, check for aquatic weeds. To avoid a costly mistake, be sure to get an accurate ID before treating. “Bluestone” or copper sulfate, for example, has limited uses and can cause fish kills.

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TownTalk: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Is June 15

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State law requires that residents report suspected cases of elder abuse to the local Department of Social Services. But what, exactly, constitutes elder abuse? Learn more about this subject on June 15 at the Vance County Senior Center.

The Kerr-Tar Council of Government’s Agency on Aging is hosting an event to mark Elder Abuse Awareness Day from 9 a.m. to noon. The morning will be filled with resources from more than a dozen vendors from the five-county area that KTCOG serves, with activities designed for older adults and others interested in learning more.

The first 200 participants will get a t-shirt and a box lunch, compliments of two area long-term care facilities, and there will be goodie bags and various presentations during the morning designed to increase awareness of elder abuse. Aim High, a local health and wellness center, will discuss ways for older adults to remain active.

KTCOG Regional Ombudsman Kim Hawkins spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk and explained more about signs of elder abuse and the process that DSS representatives and others take to help keep disabled adults safe.

Mistreating older adults, no matter the form it takes, is not only wrong, it’s a crime.

A report may be made anonymously, Hawkins said. Once a report is received, the local DSS adult services unit will assess the information to determine whether the individual is in need of protection.

“It’s an intensive intake process,” she said, but the end result is to make sure that the report meets the criteria to be investigated. A team discusses the information and then, when warranted, makes contact with the individual to offer services.

As an ombudsman, Hawkins said she tries to encourages individuals to consent to services, or to get someone they feel comfortable talking with to relay the information to DSS on their behalf.

She said residents report incidents, but also medical professionals, outreach workers and others also have reported suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of a disabled adult.

“We go out and monitor the facilities and visit,” Hawkins said, adding that she has received calls from individuals who wish to remain anonymous about paying a visit to a facility.

“Residents have called and asked to come visit,” she said, and she will inform DSS officials when she gets calls from those who don’t want to give their name.

It’s not necessary to contact the ombudsman to report suspected abuse situations, Hawkins said. “You can bypass the ombudsman process and call DSS directly,” she explained. “It’s more important…that it gets reported and reviewed,” she added.

People want to help, but often don’t want to get involved, Hawkins said. In some situations, the suspected abuser may be another family member, which makes the anonymous reporting important to avoid undue stress.

Although difficult to prove, mental or psychological abuse is perhaps most often reported. Hawkins said when she is investigating such cases, she and Adult Protective Services representatives look for how the individual’s reactions. One resident of a long-term care facility suffered anxiety attacks requiring hospitalization following verbal abuse from a facility administrator, she said.

Often, the mental or psychological abuse eventually will manifest in physical ways, validating the charge of abuse. By the way, Hawkins said the administrator was ultimately fired from the facility in that particular case.

Hawkins estimates that cases of elder abuse are under-reported, and added that in addition to reporting cases, it is important to educate others about elder abuse.

“Education is one of the biggest ways to prevent elder abuse,” she said. Empowering disabled adults through awareness and education is important.

Hawkins said she is planning a virtual meeting on the Zoom platform on June 9  that will be geared to residents of long-term care facilities, but it is open to others who may have family members or loved ones in a long-term care facility.

Please call the KTCOG at 252.436.2040 for details about how to join the virtual meeting, which should last 30-45 minutes.

Following is the list of phone numbers for the departments of social services in the five-county region served by KTCOG:

 

Vance: 252.492.5001

Granville: 919.693.1511

Warren: 252.257.5000

Franklin: 919.496.5721

Person: 336.599.8361

 

Following is a list of the eight most common forms of elder abuse, according to the website www.worldelderabuseawareness.com

  • Self-Neglect – Refusal or failure to provide himself/herself with adequate food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication (when indicated), and safety precaution.
  • Physical Abuse– The use of physical force that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment; or any physical injury to an adult caused by other than accidental means.
  • Neglect by Others– Failure to provide the basic care, or services necessary to maintain the health and safety of an adult: this failure can be active or passive.
  • Sexual Abuse– Sexual contact with a non-consenting adult or with an adult considered incapable of consenting to a sexual act.
  • Financial Abuse– The illegal or unethical exploitation and/or use of an elder’s funds, property, or other assets.
  • Mental Abuse– Verbal or emotional abuse includes threatening significant physical harm or threatening or causing significant emotional harm to an adult through the use of: Derogatory or inappropriate names, insults, verbal assaults, profanity, or ridicule; or harassment, coercion, threats, intimidation, humiliation, mental cruelty, or inappropriate sexual comments.
  • Abandonment – the desertion or willful forsaking by anyone having responsibility for care.
  • Isolation– Preventing the individual from receiving mail, telephone calls, or visitors.

The website also lists some of the signs that could indicate an individual may be experiencing some type of elder abuse:

  • Lack of basic amenities
  • Cluttered, filthy living environment
  • Unexplained or uncharacteristic changes in behavior
  • Unexplained sexually transmitted diseases
  • Unpaid bills, new credit cards and/or increased cash withdrawals
  • Harassment, coercion, intimidation, humiliation
  • Caregiver isolates elder

Learn more about elder abuse awareness at https://worldelderabuseawareness.com/

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Blackwell Named 2022 Mercy Award Winner

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-information courtesy of Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health’s Kelly Blackwell has been recognized as the facility’s 2022 Mercy Award winner.

The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of LifePoint Health’s facilities who “profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded,” according to a press statement from Donna Young, MPH’s Coordinator  of Marketing & Communications.

The Mercy Award is an annual recognition program established in 2002 to honor the life and contributions of Scott Mercy, LifePoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer. The award is considered the highest honor a LifePoint employee can receive.

“At Maria Parham Health we share LifePoint’s commitment to making communities healthier, and we recognize this is supported by the good work and service of our employees on and off the job,” said MPH CEO Bert Beard.

“We are extremely proud to recognize Kelly Blackwell for her efforts on behalf of our patients and our community. She goes above and beyond each and every day to ensure that every person she encounters receives the highest level of care and compassion,” Beard continued.

Blackwell has been a registered nurse for 36 years, working across the spectrum of care and currently working in the hospital’s Cancer Center. Beyond her work in the Cancer Center, Kelly volunteers for mission work, taking her skills to Haiti, Honduras and Uganda multiple times. Blackwell participates in various ministries, including widow’s ministry, children’s ministries, and mission team.

As a member of Maria Parham’s team since 1995, Blackwell’s dedication, empathy and kindness has bonded her to our team and her patients. Her service to the hospital and the community is inspiring to others. She is a leader among our team, and she leads through service to others.

Blackwell and the other Mercy Award winners will vie for company-wide Mercy Award; the companywide winner will be announced later in the summer at a ceremony in Nashville, TN.

TownTalk: Chief Barrow Discusses Weekend Shootout

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Henderson police are searching for four suspects in connection with an exchange of gunfire outside a convenience store on West Andrews Avenue Saturday afternoon.

Police Chief Marcus Barrow spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk and provided an update on the weekend incident that took place over the course of about one minute in the parking lot of Gate City Foods on 601 W. Andrews Ave.

“We received a call around 4:15 or 4:20,” Barrow said, but officers arrived to find that the suspects had left the scene. After reviewing the surveillance video, the police identified four suspects and subsequently obtained warrants for their arrest.

“For the past two days, we’ve been out looking for the suspects,” he said, adding that his office is working closely with other agencies, including the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.

A vehicle thought to have been involved in the incident was located on Nutbush Road Saturday evening, and Barrow said between the store’s surveillance video, the location of the car and other evidence, he believes his department has made “a really good case against these individuals.”

While taking cover from the exchange of gunfire, one of the suspects was seen with a long gun of some sort – Barrow said he thinks it could be a type of automatic rifle. One of the subjects recently had been released from prison in connection with a homicide that had taken place several years ago; Barrow said it is believed that the incident was retaliation for that homicide.

According to Barrow, warrants have been issued for:

Jaymon Gibson, 24; Charles Green, Jr., 23; Anthony Sanders, Jr., 18; and Jordan Turnage, 21;

All four suspects are charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and discharging a weapon into occupied property. Gibson also is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.

Barrow said one of the suspects is believed to have injured one or both feet in the incident.

Anyone with information about the location of the four suspects is urged to call 911, Henderson Vance Crime Stoppers at 252.492.1925, or use the P3 app or Facebook Messenger.

 

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