Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

TownTalk: Feb. 8 Is ‘Healthy Heart Day’ At Maria Parham Health

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As part of National Heart Month, Maria Parham Health is offering several different opportunities during February for folks to check their heart health and learn ways to prevent or reduce their risk of heart disease.

Vance County incidence of cardiovascular disease exceeds both the state and national averages, and it’s important to be informed about risk factors to heart health. Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease and stroke.

Want to know your risk for heart disease? With a few clicks on the hospital’s webpage, you’ll find a short assessment that rates your risk. Visit www.mariaparham.com, click the Services tab and then on Cardiology and you’ll find the link.

National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 2, – that’s tomorrow! – and hospital employees are going to be “turning it red” to promote heart health awareness, especially among women, said Lisa McGhee, a registered nurse who also is director of cardiovascular services at Maria Parham.

Then, on Thursday, Feb. 8, the community is invited to take part in Healthy Heart Day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the hospital lobby.

McGhee said there will be blood pressure and pulse ox screenings offered as part of the Feb. 8 event; exercise physiologists and dietitians will be available to discuss healthy lifestyle choices and EMS professionals who will demonstrate hands-only CPR techniques.

“We’ve had a good turnout over the past years,” McGhee said. “We’ve had people who returned and said they had some sort of health issue, and they knew what to do and knew what the next steps should be because they’d been to one of these events.”

This community event is a good time to come out and ask questions, McGhee said. “That’s always our goal – to help guide (people) in the right direction to services,” she added. “It’s easier to do before it becomes an emergency.”

Some of the symptoms to look for include physical pain – chest pain or pain that radiates to the arm, jaw, back. Other symptoms, however, include extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.

Sometimes, McGhee said, women may experience more subtle symptoms that are vague and harder to define, including fatigue, lack of energy and pain not necessarily associated with chest pain.

High blood pressure can have an adverse effect on heart health, too, McGhee said.

“High blood pressure that’s not controlled is a risk factor…blood pressure is one of those silent killers – sometimes there’s no other indications there’s a problem until it’s too late,” she said.

Sometimes, medication will do the trick, but if patients need more involved treatment, Maria Parham has a state-of-the-art heart catherization lab that opened in 2020.

Cardiologists complete a variety of procedures, including catheterizations to angioplasty and stent placement.

McGhee said the hospital’s chest pain program is an accredited program that helps health care professionals provide a variety of diagnostic tests like echocardiograms, wearable heart monitors and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring to help patients experiencing possible cardiac problems.

Visit www.mariaparham.com to find a complete list of programs and services.

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The Local Skinny! City Council’s Special Called Meeting

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In a special called meeting on Jan. 22, the Henderson City Council heard a couple of rezoning requests and gave the green light to a $6.1 million project to address “major infiltration and inflow issues” at the Sandy Creek Basin.

H.G. Reynolds Co., Inc. was the sole bidder for the Sandy Creek Basin project, coming in at $6,149,697. Recent heavy rains have caused overflow of untreated wastewater from pump stations into area tributaries.

The project will be paid for with $5 million in 0 percent state funding that has already been awarded for the project, along with a $2.5 million federal ARPA grant.

Council members also approved a rezoning request for a tract on Carey Chapel Road from R-15 (moderate to low density residential) to R-11 (moderate density residential).

Thomas Hutton & Engineering Company made the request for part of the Carey Chapel subdivision, which has two different zoning districts. The request was to make the entire tract of almost 50 acres R-11.

The council approved the request.

The second rezoning request was to grant a special-use permit to allow Vaya Health to put a Diversion Center in the space in a location zoned for commercial use.

Vaya Health wants to convert the former Big Lots building on Dabney Drive into a 16-bed facility that provides support for people with mental health illnesses and substance use disorders.

Although the Planning Board recommended approval of the matter, but Council tabled the issue until it could get more information.

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Biting, Part 1

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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TownTalk: RAM Clinic Returning To Henderson In February

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The Duke RAM clinic is returning to Henderson later this month to provide free health, vision and dental care for patients in the community.

RAM stands for Remote Area Medical, and this year marks the third year in a row that the clinic has come to town. Clinic volunteers will set up shop once again at Vance Charter School on Ross Mill Road on Saturday, Feb. 17 and Sunday, Feb. 18. The clinic doors open at 6 a.m. each day to provide care, from routine exams to dental cleanings and extractions, as well as eye exams and eyeglasses. The clinic runs to 4 p.m. on Saturday and until 12 noon or 1 p.m. on Sunday

“We hope to be bigger and better than the last two years,” said Duke junior Anvi Sharvu, one of the event organizers.

Sharvu, a biology and sociology major, has been involved with RAM ever since she arrived at Duke and said she’s excited to see how many patients will get much-needed medical, dental and vision care during the two-day clinic.

She and Duke senior Sajan Patel were guests on Wednesday’s TownTalk to share details about the upcoming event.

Patients can start lining up at 12 midnight on Friday before the clinic opens on Saturday, and Patel said the clinic has “the capacity to see a lot of patients this year, especially on the dental side,” thanks to a team of dentists and student dentists from the
ECU Dental School.

“I’m a graduating senior,” Patel said, adding that he’s been involved with RAM since he’s been a student at Duke. He will graduate in the spring with degrees in biology and global health.

“I’m really excited and proud of our entire team,” he said.

Volunteers from other agencies including the local Granville Vance Public Health and other health care professionals, the duo said the clinic should be able to see even more patients than last year.

Sharvu said the need for essential health care remains high, especially in rural or underserved areas. “We just want to make sure more people can get care,” she said. Last year’s clinic provided dozens of dental cleanings, hundreds of tooth extractions and distributed 140 pairs of glasses.

The clinic requires no insurance or ID; there’s a questionnaire to fill out when you arrive, but even that’s optional, they say.

There will be other agencies on hand to provide resources for patients, including N.C. Legal Aid representatives who can help answer questions about Medicaid and Medicare. N.C. Harm Reduction also will be on site with free Narcan and instructions about how to use it in case of an overdose emergency.

And the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina will be giving away fresh produce.

 

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Home And Garden Show

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

  • Get your equipment ready to start seeds indoors, Grow lights, media, starting trays
  • Ok to begin pruning ornamental trees, but only if they need it (mention CM).
  • Clean and sharpen your pruning equipment
  • Plant blueberries. Consult NCSU recommendations.
  • Check your house plants for disease and insects,dust with a soft cloth
  • Treat lawns for broadleaf weeds as soon as weather is favorable.
  • Check stored fruits and vegetables
  • Avoid using lawn fertilizer that is combined with an insecticide.
  • Check storage areas for mice.
  • Time your seed starting carefully.

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“Innovative Schools Night” Set For Wednesday, Jan. 31 At Center For Innovation

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Information courtesy of VCS Chief Communications Officer Aarika Sandlin

Parents of school-age children are invited to attend an Innovative Schools Night for Vance County Public Schools to learn more about the district’s five innovative schools.

The information session will be held Wednesday, Jan. 31 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Center for Innovation, 219 Charles St., Henderson.

Applications for the five schools – E.M. Rollins STEAM Academy, STEM Early High, Vance County Early College, Advance Academy, and Vance Virtual Village Academy – will be accepted through Feb. 29 and decisions will be mailed out on Mar. 28, according to information on the district website.

Find the application at vcs.k12.nc.us or click the link “Innovative Schools Application” to download the form.

The Local Skinny! Rebuilding Hope Uses Crosses To Help Get The Message Out

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In the February newsletter, local nonprofit organization Rebuilding Hope shines a spotlight on a volunteer whose creativity adds a special touch to the work that goes into building wheelchair ramps and other home repair projects across the area.

Van Splinter makes wooden crosses, which the Rebuilding Hope volunteers have been distributing when they’ve gone out into the community to do their work.

“From the beginning of the ministry we’ve presented a Bible,” Rebuilding Hope coordinator Randolph Wilson said in the newsletter story. “The generosity of Van Splinter has added greatly to the ministry.”

Splinter, himself retired from his job in construction, said he heard about Rebuilding Hope and its mission when Wilson came and spoke at Splinter’s church, Rock Spring Baptist Church, in Townsville.

He estimates that he’s given away as many as 500 of his hand-crafted crosses, each about a foot tall, and he keeps a good supply in his truck to give away. He’s also made a smaller version for each active member of his church.

The crosses are made from scrap lumber, but he also makes flags, serving trays, cutting boards and more that he sells. He puts all his proceeds from sales of those items toward buying more materials.

You can find Splinter most Saturdays at his roadside stand in Townsville.

Learn more about Rebuilding Hope at  www.Rebuildinghopeinc.org.

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