Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
Individual & Community Health Topics of GVPH Door-to-Door Health Survey
Lindsey Bickers Bock, health education supervisor for Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH), was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss the health department’s current Community Health Assessment survey.
Conducted once every three years and required by all counties in North Carolina, this assessment is designed to identify the health needs of the community and to use the collected information to prioritize the various issues that receive attention and funding.
“All of the work Granville Vance Public Health does is really related to the Community Health Assessment,” said Bickers Bock.
The door-to-door process is nearing completion in Granville County, with surveying to begin in Vance County on Thursday, July 26 at 12 p.m. and concluding on Saturday, July 28.
The assessment includes questions on individual health behaviors, nutrition, physical activity, access to health care and awareness or opinions on community issues.
“The Community Health Assessment is the way we receive feedback from individual members across the county about their experiences related to their own personal health and how they view resources that either are or are not in place to support community health needs,” Bickers Bock said.
GVPH’s prior assessment, conducted in 2015, identified three major areas of need for Vance County: nutrition and physical activity, mental health and substance use disorders and education.
Results also demonstrated that poverty and health equity were two cross-cutting themes of the previous survey. “As a part of the [2015] health survey, we got feedback from both individuals and organizations in the county saying they saw poverty as an issue that impacts health and safety in the community,” said Bickers Bock.
To complete the 2018 survey process, the health department needs approximately 30 volunteers to serve over the three-day period. While Thursday and Friday are covered, there is a need for additional volunteers on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
According to Bickers Bock, survey volunteers are paired up and visit homes in randomly identified neighborhoods to ensure a cross-section of data from all areas of the county. Volunteers may be identified by a GVPH visor and will collect survey information on a tablet.
“We will provide training for interested volunteers,” said Bickers Bock. “Volunteers need to feel comfortable talking with community members, asking survey questions or supporting the person conducting the survey.”
Volunteers are provided lunch, a visor and a gas card if driving their own vehicle to conduct the survey. Those wishing to ride with someone else can be paired with a driving volunteer.
“If you’re not available to work as a surveyor, we hope people who are at their homes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and receive a knock on the door will be available to spend 10 minutes answering questions and sharing their experiences with our volunteers.”
Bickers Bock assured listeners that the information provided to surveyors is kept anonymous and participants are free to answer only the questions with which they feel comfortable.
A Steering Committee consisting of representatives from civic organizations, churches, hospitals and primary care physician offices will meet monthly through March 2019 to review data and provide feedback on survey results. The next committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 9 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center in Henderson.
Survey results will also be shared via community forums to be held in early 2019. Community members will have a chance to view the findings, ask questions and provide feedback.
If interested in volunteering as a surveyor or in joining the Steering Committee, please contact Bickers Bock at (919) 693-2141 – ext. 148. For more information on the Community Health Assessment, including reports from previous years, please visit the GVPH website.
Gov. Cooper to Meet with Teachers at E.M. Rollins Elementary School
-Information courtesy Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer, Vance County Schools
N.C. Governor Roy Cooper will visit the year-round STEAM Academy at E.M. Rollins Elementary School on Thursday, July 26 between 1 and 2 p.m.
School staff and invited guests are asked to arrive at the school by 12:45 p.m. on Thursday for assembly in the school’s auditorium.
Gov. Cooper will meet with a small group of teachers until 1:20 p.m. He will then tour the school for 20 minutes and, finally, will hold a press conference in the school’s auditorium that will begin at approximately 1:40 p.m.
Gov. Cooper is expected to make an announcement about a statewide school supply drive while he is at E.M. Rollins.
Public Safety Committee to Discuss Fire Redistricting – TOMORROW
-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Clerk to the Board, Vance County
The Public Safety Committee (Commissioners Wilder, Brummitt and Faines) will meet tomorrow, Wed., July 25, 2018, at 3 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Room, Vance County Administration Building, 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC.
The purpose of this meeting is to discuss fire service redistricting, fire service restructuring and EMS matters.
Tony Bailey, OSFM, will be in attendance.
The meeting is open to the public.
Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging to Host Dementia Education Conference
-Press Release, Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
The Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and Dementia Alliance of North Carolina will host a Dementia Education Conference on Tuesday, August 7 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. The event will take place at the Vance-Granville Civic Center, 200 Community College Road, Henderson.
The event is open to the public including caregivers, students, local leaders and aging professionals. The cost includes $10 for caregivers and $40 for Aging and Health Professionals. Register online at www.dementianc.org/henderson. Deadline to register is Tuesday, July 31.
Conference topics include Aging and Memory: What’s Normal and What’s Not, Redefining Technology for Caregivers, Adjusting Activities as Dementia Progresses and more! Breakfast and lunch will be provided, courtesy of Chef Christian Brown with Lake Gastronomy Catering.
Contact Harvey Holmes, Family Caregiver Specialist, with any questions or concerns at 252-436-2040 or hholmes@kerrtarcog.org.
Free Expungement Clinic to Offer Possibility of Fresh Start
-Information courtesy Tracy Edwards, Child Support Enforcement Supervisor, Vance County Child Support
Is your criminal record holding you back? Join us for a FREE Expungement Educational Clinic on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, from 1 – 4 p.m. at the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, to see if you are eligible for a
fresh start.
This Legal Aid Clinic is made possible by Vance County Child Support, Gateway to Employment, the New Start Reentry Program and Legal Aid of North Carolina. For further information, call Vance County Child Support at (252) 431-1200.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
Summer Musical Movie Matinees for All Ages at Perry Memorial Library
-Information courtesy the Perry Memorial Library website
2018 Summer Musical Movie Matinees at Perry Memorial Library:
Friday, July 27 at 1 p.m. – “Enchanted” – Rated PG
Thursday, August 2 at 1 p.m. – “Mary Poppins” – Rated G
Thursday, August 9 at 1 p.m. – “Grease” – Rated PG-13
Friday, August 17 at 1 p.m. – “The Sound of Music” – Rated G
Movies will be shown in the Farm Bureau Room of the Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge St., Henderson. Food and drink are allowed during the movie! All ages are welcome to attend.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
State Board Approves Dr. Burns as Interim President at VGCC
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
The North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges has approved the appointment of Dr. Gordon Burns as the interim president of Vance-Granville Community College.
The former leader of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro was the longest-serving president in the history of the western North Carolina college, retiring in 2014 after 18 years at WCC and 46 years in education.
The approval came today (Friday, July 20) at the regular meeting of the State Board, held this month at Pitt Community College in Winterville, following the VGCC Board of Trustees’ selection of Dr. Burns as its choice for an interim.
Dr. Gordon Burns, retired president of Wilkes Community College, has been named the interim president of Vance-Granville Community College. He will lead the college while the Board of Trustees searches for Vance-Granville’s seventh president. (VGCC Photo)
Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the sixth president of VGCC, announced plans in May to take the position of Vice President for Durham Affairs at Duke University, effective Aug. 13. Dr. Burns will work alongside Dr. Williams for his first two weeks at Vance-Granville and will officially become the interim president on Aug. 11.
“We are excited to get someone of the caliber of Dr. Burns to help lead Vance-Granville during this time of transition,” said Danny W. Wright, chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees. “At Wilkes Community College, Dr. Burns demonstrated an ability to assemble and lead a strong team of administrators, faculty and staff that took their college to new heights during his tenure.”
“We feel very fortunate that, after just a few years of retirement, he still has a burning desire for community colleges and the excellent work we do to educate students of all ages.”
Vance-Granville will be his fourth community college home in North Carolina. Prior to his time at WCC as president, Dr. Burns served as executive vice president at Lenoir Community College in Kinston, and as vice president for instruction and dean of continuing education at Wilson Community College in Wilson. After completing high school in Easton, Pa., Dr. Burns earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Ky., and his Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Missouri in Columbia. His Ph.D. major was Industrial Education with support areas in Educational Administration and Industrial Management.
Dr. Burns described his management style for the VGCC Trustees as “participatory.” “I like to engage and I like to involve the staff, faculty and students in the life of the college, the decisions that are made, the planning that is done and the execution of those plans,” he said. “I can honestly say that much of what was accomplished in my career was not accomplished by me. It was accomplished by the people that I supervised and that I worked with as team members.”
Operations will be the top priority during the transition, he said. “The ultimate compliment at the end of the period would be that we didn’t miss a beat, that the college continued on its journey. I would not be here to change things so that things would be done in the Burns way or in the Wilkes Community College way. They need to be done in the Vance-Granville way with the Vance-Granville people.”
“Dr. Williams has continued the journey of creating a great work environment and a great learning environment here and a supportive one for all, the students, the faculty and the staff and has worked well with Trustees in the governance of the institution,” he added.
At Wilkes Community College, Dr. Burns is credited with leading the college through a period of significant growth and successes in enrollment, donations to the college’s Endowment, construction and renovation projects, technology, academic offerings, planning, and school, university, business and industry partnerships.
At the VGCC Board of Trustees’ July meeting, a search committee of six Trustees was appointed to find the permanent president. Deborah F. Brown was appointed chair of the search committee, and Herb Gregory was named vice chair. Rounding out the committee are N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester. The committee was selected by Trustees Chair Wright.