Tag Archive for: #towntalk

TownTalk 1-19-21: MLK Virtual Celebration VGCC Jan 26

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The public is invited to join a virtual panel discussion next week that will focus on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will be hosted by the Vance-Granville Community College Men’s Achievement Academy, with the support of Rho Beta Lambda of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., according to Dr. Jeffrey Allen, VGCC Dean of Student Retention and Success.

Allen appeared on Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose and gave details about the upcoming event, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Visit www.vgcc.edu to find a link to register for the Zoom panel discussion.

“We feel like we have assembled a great wealth of knowledge to discuss the life and legacy of Dr. King,” he said during an interview recorded earlier Tuesday morning.

Panelists include Dr. Jim Harper, Chair of the History Department at North Carolina Central University; Dr. Doris T. Williams, retired professor and VGCC Board of Trustees member; Rev. Dr. William T. Ramey, retired educator, pastor and VGCC Board of Trustees member; Judge Adam Keith, Vance County District Court judge; and Sara Bell, instructor of Humanities at VGCC. N.C. Rep. G.K. Butterfield also will give remarks, Allen said.

Although honoring the legacy of the slain Civil Rights leader is a large part of what the panel will discuss, he expects that the panelists also will challenge the attendees, “really pushing them to live the legacy of Dr. King,” he said. “The whole goal is we want to be informative, we want to empower people; and the other piece is we want to inspire people to continue to bring change,” he added.

Click play for Dr. Jeffrey Allen on TownTalk.  Story continues below…

Empowering people to unite and to be a force for change are ideals King strived for, Allen said. “It’s our job now as citizens to carry his legacy, moving forward, so we can continue to fight the fight for civil rights for all,” he added.

Servant leadership is another of King’s ideals that Allen wants to emphasize.

“This is a great opportunity for us just to remind ourselves of his legacy of social justice and service to others and civil rights for all…(to) refresh our memory to go out and be empowered and inspired to do great things in our community,” Allen said.

This graphic and the cover graphic courtesy of VGCC.

Students in the Men’s Achievement Academy at VGCC experience servant leadership, Allen noted. The mentoring program is in its second year and, although it targets first-year students and minority males, it is open to any male who wants to be a part of the program.

The feedback so far has been positive, he said. “They love the program, they love participating, even in this virtual environment, they really appreciate the support that their mentors have given them during this pandemic,” Allen said.

Allen and his team plan and support a variety of initiatives, all designed to support students be successful in college. They oversee tutoring, academic advising and academic support, as well as counseling, student activities and athletics. “The college has done an excellent job…to support students and we’re continuously working and looking at thing that support student achievement.,” he said.

Register for the event at:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aaujgLAHTHOqt07ZAcIKeg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

For more information, contact Dr. Jeffrey Allen at allenjl@vgcc.edu.

(This is not a paid advertisement.)

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TownTalk 1-18-21: MLK Day of Service, Marcia Allen and Vance Dem Party

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Members of the Vance County Democratic Party and other local officials braved cool, breezy conditions Monday to demonstrate servant leadership by collecting non-perishable food items for two agencies.

Marcia Allen, chair of the Vance County Democratic Party, said the group sponsored the event in conjunction with the National Day of Service as part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. All donated items will be given to Area Christians Together in Service (ACTS) and The Help Center of Vance County, Allen said during Monday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose.

“That’s our goal –   to let our community know that we care,” she said. “We have to care about each other. It doesn’t matter what your affiliation is… as a party, we care about each other, and we want to help as much as we can,” she explained.

These two agencies were chosen, Allen said, because they are receiving a lot of clients at this time. She recently toured the ACTS storage center and noted that “their cupboards are getting a little bare.” ACTS also serves lunch daily. Their efforts to fight food insecurity, as well as those of The Help Center, are worthy recipients of the food drive. “We want to make sure they at least have something on the shelves to share with the community,” Allen said.

Click play to hear TownTalk.  Story continues below…

Didn’t make it to drop off a donation of food during the Monday drive? No problem. Allen said donations can be dropped off at Shear Magic, 1224 Dabney Drive and Angela Thornton, first vice-chair of the Vance County Democratic Party, will accept them any day except Monday, when the salon is closed.

Vance Sheriff Curtis Brame participated in the event, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Perry Memorial Library. “It’s a great day,” he said, “and truly an honor to see different organizations, different denominations, people gathering peacefully, as Dr. Martin Luther King wanted us to,” Brame said. The food drive is a great cause, he added, as a way to honor the King legacy.

Henry L. Gupton, Vance County Clerk of Superior Court, agreed. “We don’t mind being in the cold for what we’re doing today,” he said. “Any day is a good day to serve,” Gupton said.

Recalling Dr. King’s message that everyone can be great because everyone can serve, Allen said that the work done to help in the community transcends political parties and other differences.  “If we look at each other as family, then we’re going to be kind, and cordial and helpful toward each other.”

The King holiday has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since its inception in 1986. The slain civil rights leader’s philosophy of peaceful protest and servant leadership remains relevant today, Allen said. “We should have that at the forefront of our being. We are here to serve – to serve each other.” And, she added, she will “still have this servant mentality tomorrow,” even though the holiday has passed.

Allen encouraged other Democrats to become active in the local party, noting that there are openings at the local precinct level. Contact Allen at vancedemocrat@gmail.com. The local party is planning to host monthly community projects as one way to increase service at the community level, she said.

TownTalk 1-14-21 History/DNA/Genealogy with Mark Pace and Shannon Christmas

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For some people, just hearing or reading the term “mitochondrial DNA” conjures up fond (or not-so-fond ) memories of high school biology class; for genealogy enthusiasts, however, mitochondrial DNA and other genetic tools can provide crucial information to help fill in a family tree.

Take the family tree of Shannon Christmas, for example. Christmas used genetic testing to find a common ancestor that goes back to his seven-times great grandparents. And he ought to know – Christmas is a nationally known genetic genealogy influencer. He appeared on Town Talk Thursday with host Bill Harris and guest host Mark Pace, genealogy specialist in the North Carolina Room at Richard Thornton Library in Oxford.

Christmas, who phoned in from Maryland, has local ties to Warren County. He discussed Thursday different types of genetic testing and the importance of understanding what each can provide when researching family history.

Christmas specializes in genetic, colonial American, and African-American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas, according to information on the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society website. He uses autosomal DNA to verify and extend pedigrees, assess the veracity of oral history, and reconstruct ancestral genomes. His Through The Trees blog is for genealogy enthusiasts interested in learning about new technologies to aid in research genealogy.

Before purchasing a DNA test, Christmas said, people should know a little bit about the different types of DNA. “Think about what it is they want to learn because that will determine which test is appropriate…think about what questions you want to answer and then match your question to the right DNA test,” he said. For example, only women pass mitochondrial DNA on to their children; both men and women have x-DNA, he continued, but it has a “unique inheritance pattern. Women pass down x-DNA to all of their children…men only pass x-DNA down to their daughters.”

Continued below. For audio click play…

Something called autosomal DNA, however, reflects all of one’s ancestry. “That is the type of DNA that we tend to find to be most powerful for many of our genealogical questions because it covers so much information,” Christmas said. Children get one set of autosomal DNA from their mother and one set from their father, he explained. Typically covering the previous five generations, autosomal DNA can be used to trace back further. It was what he used to tie back to his seven-times great-grandparents.

Documents such as wills, deeds, Bibles and other historical records are very useful in tracking down ancestors, Pace and Christmas agree, but genetic information adds another dimension that can confirm or disprove what may be written in a family Bible or otherwise recorded on paper.

Another question to ask yourself before submitting a DNA test is “Do you want to know the whole truth?”  he said. “DNA tests can reveal family secrets and secret families,” which can create a whole new line of inquiry and, Christmas noted, “not everyone reacts the same way to the truth.”

Christmas agreed that the genetic testing offered through genealogy websites and other companies are pretty consistent and reliable with providing information about which continent you’re from, but less so when drilling down to region or country within a continent. “One has  to take that particular part of the test with a grain of salt,” he said. Genetic testing is “extremely accurate at predicting relationships, and matching individuals as relatives. And that is the part of the test which is most useful in genealogy,” he said.

Choose a genealogical DNA test to build out a family tree, he advised. “Go straight for the full mitochondrial sequence,” he said, which will show your mother’s mother’s mother’s side. Because it mutates very slowly, the mitochondrial DNA can find a perfect match, but a common ancestor may be beyond the typical five-generation scope. An autosomal DNA test will match you up with relatives to confirm things you already know.

Something that genetic testing cannot discern, however is cultural identity. There are individuals who have documents which connect them to native Americans, for example, Christmas said. Although the cultural connection exists, that doesn’t mean that genetic testing can prove a connection. “Genetics is one thing, but cultural traditions and kinship go beyond the scope of genetics.”

The North Carolina and genealogy room at Thornton Library is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Call the library at 919.693.1121 to make an appointment to visit. Contact Pace at mark.pace@granvillecounty.org.

Hungry Heroes is at it Again

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Amanda Riggan is at it again – the founder of Hungry Heroes BBQ returns to Henderson Thursday, this time to stock refrigerators at the sheriff’s office, fire department and EMS agencies.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Riggan has had to make some adjustments in the way she shows her appreciation for law enforcement personnel. Since 2018, she has been firing up her Traeger grill and cooking up meals for law enforcement officers and firefighters.

One new program is called “Stock the Fridge,” and that’s what she’ll be doing in Henderson later this week.

Armed with everything from bottled water, Gatorade, chips and other snack items, Riggan will visit the Vance County agencies. “I always buy what I like…I think I like the good stuff,” she remarked during Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose. “They never complain,” she said, of those whose fridges get stocked.

(To Listen to Riggan and Owen on TownTalk, Click Play…)

“I wish we could actually serve and shake hands and give hugs, but we can still bless people,” she said. Her Hungry Heroes program came to Henderson in September 2020, partnering with local restaurant Skipper Forsyth’s Bar-B-Q to provide meals to the Henderson Police Department and the Henderson Fire Department. This time, she said, she will deliver the snack items as a way to show her appreciation for the tireless service they provide in their community.

Randy Owen, a friend of Riggan’s and fire technology coordinator at Vance-Granville Community College, agreed. Owen also appeared on Town Talk Tuesday and said when the two were discussing a return visit, they agreed that serving a meal may not work as well this time, given the spike in COVID-19 cases being experienced in Vance County and statewide. “Maybe this will put a smile on their faces,” he said, referring to the delivery of the beverages and snacks.

Although she misses the face-to-face meetings that Hungry Heroes created before the pandemic, Riggan said she hopes the Stock the Fridge project will serve the purpose until she can get back to doing what she loves – interacting with all those who serve their communities on the front lines, whether in a police uniform or firefighter gear. “I’ll be back as soon as this COVID is over and we’ll serve real food — we’ll serve barbecue and not just snacks” she promised.

Until then, the grab-and-go snacks hopefully will be a welcome addition to the fridge or pantry that firefighters and deputies can get on their way back from a call or take with them when they leave.

In addition to the local agencies, Riggan’s Hungry Heroes serves active military and veterans. She went to Fort Scott in Kansas back in November and was responsible for three meals a day for a weeklong event that entertained a group of combat veterans on a hunting expedition.

Owen, who coordinates training for 58 agencies in the Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties, noted that the firefighters don’t just put out a fire and then head back to the station. “They are dealing with people if they have to bet people out of the house,” he said. “Their job is also to console…to get the Red Cross involved…It goes a lot deeper than just going and putting the fire out,” he explained.

“These agencies step up to the plate every time,” Owen said. “It’s not just to fight fires, but it’s to serve the community and I appreciate them so much. They are my heroes. And Amanda thinks the same way I do.

Visit www.hungryheroesbbq.com to learn more.

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TownTalk 1-7-21 Washington DC Riot

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Host John C. Rose talks about the events that occurred in Washington DC on Wednesday, Jan. 6th.

For full details and audio click play.

 

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TownTalk: Vaccine Deployment; Lisa Harrison, GVPH Director

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The Granville-Vance Health District is establishing a Hotline for county residents to call to register for the COVID-19 vaccine, according to GVHD Health Director Lisa Harrison.

Harrison appeared on Town Talk Wednesday and told host John C. Rose that residents who fall into the 1B phase of people eligible for the vaccine can call the number as early as tomorrow (Thursday). The number will be posted on gvph.org and on WIZS home page when it is available.

“The plan is for us to get as many shots in people’s arms as quickly as possible,” Harrison said, but asked for patience from residents as the health department staff makes adjustments to roll out the vaccine. 

Click Play to Listen to Lisa Harrison on TownTalk…

The state is in Phase 1A of the process, which prioritizes vaccinations for front-line health care workers and those who work and who live in long-term care facilities. Harrison predicted that vaccinations for this group would take all of the month of January to complete, at which time the area would move to Phase 1B. Phase 1B includes any resident age 75 or older and front-line essential workers aged 50 or older, according to Harrison. “That is a huge group – we will be (vaccinating) that group for quite a while,’ she said. 

Harrison predicted that it may be March before the third group prioritized to get the shot. This group includes health-care workers and front-line workers of any age, as well as other groups including educators and city and county government officials.

The health department staff continues to monitor current COVID-19 cases and do contact tracing, and now, Harrison said, she has 20 people who can give the vaccine. “We want to do the best job we can as fast as we can,” she said. “I know a lot of people are really eager to come to the health dept or the hospital and get their shot, and I am grateful,” Harrison continued, and asked for public’s patience as those at higher risk to contract COVID-19 are vaccinated first.

“We will get to everyone. We just can’t get to everyone today and tomorrow. And so we will continue to let you know what comes up next, following the rules but being as fast as possible.”

Right now, the health department has sufficient vaccine to get through the next two weeks. She estimated that the vaccine on hand can vaccinate 100 people a day for 10 days. “We’re both excited and daunted by the work ahead,” Harrison said.

The health department is a “small but mighty group” putting in long hours to work on contact tracing, entering data into the state-mandated COVID monitoring system and now giving vaccines. Harrison said, “I will be very appreciative when other primary care offices and pharmacies have the vaccine available.” At this time, however, health departments and hospitals are the only outlets for the vaccine. Hospitals will spend most of the month of January vaccinating ER and ICU personnel, she said. Other front-line or essential workers will get vaccinated as soon as possible. “We look forward to getting to them in the coming weeks,” Harrison said.

For more information, contact the Vance office at 252.492.7915. The Granville office number is 919.693.2141.

TownTalk for Snow Lovers, Weather Buffs and Scientists

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There really IS a chance of snow on Friday, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. While there could be some accumulation in our area, the term Jonathan Blaes used to describe what we could see probably isn’t used much at his office in Raleigh  – it’s going to be wet and gloppy.

Blaes is the meteorologist in charge for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service in Raleigh. “The rumor, the conjecture, the excitement is already out there,” Blaes told Town Talk host Bill Harris on Tuesday. He said there may be just enough cold temps associated with the system to create some wet snow, “and some of that will likely accumulate in some spots.”

But he doesn’t predict icy conditions and freezing rain or sleet, more a period of rain that mixes with wet snow, falling heavily, at times. And snow lovers, stay tuned: weather patterns and the jet stream flow the NWS is watching now could make you “optimistic” during the second and third weeks of January.

In addition to getting snow lovers’ hopes up, Blaes discussed weather topics and trends and how they affect North Carolina, from hurricanes and El Niño to why Person County seems to get more snow than its neighbors to the east. And why it’s been so awfully wet here lately.

Click play for TownTalk with guest Jonathan Blaes…

Blaes returned to Raleigh in 1998 (after stints in Sterling, VA and Albany, NY with the National Weather Service) and most recently as science operations officer at NWS in Raleigh, working to promote science and training while facilitating collaborating research activities with the University and other partners. He is a 1995 graduate of NC State, where he received a degree in meteorology from the Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department.

“It has been rainy… in the northern Piedmont,” said Blaes, confirming the excessive rainfalls lately. This past year was one of the top 5 – 3rd or 4th wettest year on record,” and that’s without major impact from hurricanes. What began last winter and continued through spring is likely to remain in place this coming spring, he said.

Every 10 years, NOAA releases a 10-year trend for weather. He said the next update likely will present a set of data that shows slightly warmer temperatures on average. That doesn’t necessarily mean that temperatures are rising, he said, but that nighttime temperatures aren’t quite as low, which would push the overall average a bit higher.

All this may contribute to fewer big winter ice storms in the area, but climate outlooks overall can be a little tricky, Blaes said. Precipitation forecasts are more straightforward –check “how much rain is in the gauge every day and add it up,” he said. “All it takes is one big storm” to skew the overall weather trend and to make it memorable.

This past year was a memorable hurricane season, Blaes said. The hurricane “season” traditionally runs June through November, but weather experts now are looking at storms forming in May. Reluctant to tie it all to climate change, Blaes said the systems that we in North America see as hurricanes form in sub-Saharan Africa, travel over the warm waters of the Atlantic and gain strength before doing damage as a hurricane in the Caribbean and the U.S. In general, climate change could mean not more storms, but storms that bring more rain. Higher rainfall in Africa can affect the storms we see here.

“Keep in mind, while we didn’t get clobbered by a hurricane this year, we didn’t have a landfall of a strong tropical storm or a hurricane that devastated the coast, we actually had the remnants or the fringes of anywhere between six and eight tropical storms or hurricanes impact our state,” Blaes said. And while we didn’t have a direct hit, the “glancing blows” from fringes of storms had an impact. Some of the worst conditions, he recalled, were recorded in practically the middle of the state – Greensboro – as the remnants of a hurricane made its way from Louisiana across the NC mountains. Nearly half of the rainfall from late July through September is the result of a tropical storm or its remnants.

Stronger, wetter storms that track farther inland, as well as sea level rise, Blaes said are warning signs that people should be aware of.  Because North Carolina is situated in the middle latitudes, we get systems from the tropics as well as Arctic air from the Poles. The mountains to the west between the mountains and the ocean, our state experiences strange weather from time to time. The mountains to the West and the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean both affect weather systems and patterns. “We’re in this mixing bowl,” Blaes noted. Mother Nature is always looking for balance. If there’s too many of one thing or if it’s too hot or too cold, Nature wants to find a way to get things even. But it never succeeds. That imbalance, that effort to achieve balance is what causes the weather,” he said.

 

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State Treasurer Dale Folwell; Money, Drinks, Covid, Pension Plans on TownTalk

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For North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell, top issues on his radar continue to be the financial health of the state, as well as keeping fully funded the state employees’ pension plan, health-care concerns and understanding the effects of COVID-19.

Folwell, a Republican, won re-election in November to a second term as state treasurer. He spoke with John C. Rose on the Dec. 29 edition of Town Talk. “I think the people of North Carolina understand that when the money is right a lot of things are going to be ok eventually. But when the money is wrong, it’s hard to come back,” he said. “As the keeper of the public purse…our only loyalty is to the people who teach, protect and otherwise serve both at the state and the local level.”

Something that Folwell expressed concern about is the recent bill which allows bars and restaurants to sell mixed drinks to go. “I did not vote for that, nor did I vote for the original resolution about shutting down bars and restaurants back in April,” Folwell said. The additional regulations “are the last things (restaurants) need right now in order to comply with the new rule.” People who think that this will solve the restaurants’ problems, he said, “don’t really understand what the problem really is.”

For TownTalk audio click play…

Folwell spoke about the state’s employees and pension plan for retirees and how federal policy changes can affect a state’s policies. “We occasionally have to make changes to sort of gee-haw, so to speak, with the federal laws that are passed…that’s one thing that happened last year,” he said, noting recent changes in Congress regarding taxation of retirement plans.  A new Medicare Advantage contract goes into effect in January, which will involve savings to nearly 150,000 retirees on the state health plan, which “will result in a billion dollar savings to the state of North Carolina. “I want you to hear me clearly when I say this. For the Basic Plan, it’s zero premium to the member and zero cost to the state of North Carolina. It’s an unheard-of negotiation and we’re very pleased with this.” Humana is the health-care provider driving the business, he added.

“I think that the policy-makers in North Carolina need to be focused on how we flatten the economic curve of the state,” Folwell said in response to a question about the latest round of federal COVID-19 relief funds and those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Leaders need to figure out “how we put the joy of achievement back in the small- and medium-sized business owners,” especially noting how, especially restaurant owners, have been “decimated because of COVID…generations folks in these businesses that are going to shut down permanently. We can only do that as policy makers if we do it transparently, if we do it consistently, if we do it by willing to challenge assumptions and that’s just the biggest challenge we have right now.”

Folwell mentioned his concern for hospital consolidation and its effect on health care, especially during the pandemic and increased hospitalizations. “This is an issue not regarding the front-line people who provide health care, (but) it’s about these executives that run multi-billion dollar non-profits in North Carolina who make millions of dollars in salary.” When hospital consolidations occur, Folwell said they become like “cartels, they’re formed in order to restrict competition or raise prices and the people that suffer the most are those in our state who are lower- or fixed-income,” he added.

In addition to the political issues, however, Folwell encouraged everyone to check out nccash.com, a website that can help bring together residents with unclaimed money being held in the state’s Escheats Fund for safekeeping. That amount stands at $900 million, according to Folwell.

“We found $2,500 for the Carolina Panthers,” Folwell noted, adding that the Panthers’ organization gave the money to a domestic violence abuse shelter in Charlotte. The shelter, Folwell said, also had money in the fund, as well as three of the reporters covering the original donation to the shelter. “It’s amazing how much money is there,” Folwell said. “We’ve given out over $25 million out of nccash.com just since July 4.”

Be patient, he advised, since there is now a backlog for the process, which he attributes to more people being at home and researching whether they have money in the fund. “Once the money is there, it’s there forever. It’s not a gimmick. It’s the last paycheck that didn’t get delivered to you, it’s the rent deposit that didn’t deliver to you, small bank account or in one case, a $600,000 life insurance proceed to someone designated to a beneficiary and no one had ever told them.”

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High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Covid Wellness Conference Info For Tonight 1-4-21 – TownTalk

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Two women with an eye on community service and good health are teaming up to provide a special telephone wellness conference this evening to discuss the importance of identifying underlying health concerns – hypertension and diabetes – even amid a global pandemic.

Tonight’s conference, “Understanding Hypertension and Diabetes Effect on Blood Vessels,” is the result of a collaboration between registered nurse Toni Wilson and the Rev. Ola Thorpe-Cooper, pastor of Holy Temple Church on East Avenue in Henderson.

“This Conference is for anyone 21 years and over with a goal of good health consciousness,” stated Rev. Cooper, in a statement to WIZS. She and Wilson appeared on today’s Town Talk with John C. Rose and underscored the importance of keeping medical appointments to stay on top of existing health conditions and learning how to prevent problems from affecting good health.

To join the conference, which begins at 6 p.m., dial 425.436.6330. The access code is 8605811#. This is a free event, although long-distance charges apply if those calls are not included in the caller’s calling plan.

Rev. Cooper is the newest member of the Henderson City Council, filling the unexpired term of the late Fearldine Simmons. She returned to Henderson in 2007 after a four-decades long career with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She reached out to Wilson upon learning that she operates a YouTube channel called Talk to Toni Wilson.

“Vance County has a high incidence of high blood pressure and diabetes,” Wilson said during the Town Talk interview. Although a predisposition to both conditions could be hereditary, Wilson said, they also can be preventable. She emphasized the importance of keeping regular doctor visits and checkups, even during a pandemic.

For TownTalk audio click play…

Wilson had been having a weekly call with family members to help them understand about the effect of diabetes. “Then, as we heard more about COVID-19 and all the chronic illnesses, the co-morbidities, the secondary illnesses that put us at risk for COVID-19…my thought pattern was, ‘wait a minute,’ I need to get something out there so people understand what’s going on,” Wilson added. “They need to know that all these chronic illnesses they have are putting them at greater risk.”

In June or July, she began doing video programs with people who had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

“(People) are not going to the doctor and being checked like they should…they’re having symptoms like increased thirst, or increased urination, unintended weight loss, of feeling very tired, their vision is blurred, or they have these constant headaches…they’re simply not feeling well.” More severe health complications may arise just because they aren’t going to the doctor like they should, Wilson added, saying that some of those complications could be prevented.

Going to the doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, could cause some people some anxiety. Increased cleaning of the offices, spacing out appointments so patients don’t come into contact with one another, and mask wearing are just a few of the precautions that medical offices are using to ensure safety of patients and staff. “It’s still very important that you get those checkups, very important,” Wilson said. High blood pressure has been called the “silent killer,” so a person may not experience symptoms associated with it, including dizziness or pounding in the chest, Wilson said. “So whether you feel good or you do not feel good, you still need your checkups,” she said.

It is so important for health care providers to have a good medical history, Wilson noted, “asking about your family, your diet, taking into consideration your weight, the type of food that you’re eating, what type of medicines that you’re on and your activities, if you do any regular scheduled activities,” she continued. The question to ask your doctor, however is this: How do I prevent it if I don’t already have the condition, as well as the chances of developing the condition if it already exists in your family, Wilson added.

Tonight’s conference will examine the job of blood vessels in the body and the negative effect of hypertension and diabetes. High blood pressure can cause the blood vessel walls to weaken and can create aneurisms. With diabetes, unregulated blood sugar levels contribute to the buildup of plaque which limits elasticity of the vessels. The heart then must work harder to pump the blood, further breaking down the blood vessels. All this can lead to major health events such as heart attack, stroke and limb amputations. “You need to keep those vessels in good shape,” Wilson said.

As for diabetes, Wilson said Type 2 is a result of what we do to our own bodies. “Not exercising, not watching our weight, and just eating anything we want to eat,” she said, all contribute to diabetes Type 2. The pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels steady. Wilson sees patients with both hypertension and diabetes, and sometimes heredity is a factor. Despite this predisposition, however, she says they can be prevented. Wilson hopes to be able to educate people on how to avoid these health conditions.

“I believe you cannot help people when you don’t feel good about yourself, when you have some kind of medical condition,” Rev. Cooper said. “I think you have to be well in order to take care of people to help them to stay well,” she said.  By the way, both Wilson and Rev. Cooper encourage having the COVID-19 vaccinations – Wilson has had her first shot and is ready for the second one next week, she said. Rev. Cooper will have her vaccination as soon as she is able to, she said.

Wilson and Rev. Cooper have never met in person, but upon recommendation by a family member, Wilson tuned in to Rev. Cooper’s virtual church service; then Rev. Cooper viewed one of Wilson’s programs on YouTube “and she was talking about COVID-19 and she interviewed a couple from Henderson, North Carolina. So I contacted her and I wanted some more information about COVID-19,” Rev. Cooper said. The dialogue between the two resulted in tonight’s telephone wellness conference.