Newspaper Page Text
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III i t
IMMEDIATE OPENINGS
on Dedicated 911 Ambulance Shifts
• UPSON COUNTY •
Paramedics $18.00/hour ($61,000 annually)
AEMTs $16.00/hour ($54,000 annually)
EMTs $14.00/hour ($47,000 annually)
Apply at ourcommunityambulance.org
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Vol. 14, No. 3
Thursday, January 21, 2021
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108 East Gordon Street, Thomaston, Ga. 30286 706-646-2382
Allen Responds to Online EMS Comments
‘For Those People Who Say We Don’t Care... Call Me’
By Bridge Turner
Managing Editor
Visibly angered by
speculative comments
posted online regarding
emergency medical serv
ices in Upson County,
commission chairman
Norman Allen addressed
the public during a board
meeting last week.
“It’s frustrating... for
people who don’t have a
clue... to make comments
on social media and come
across as if they’re the sub
ject matter experts on
things,” Allen said. “And if
I’m offending someone by
saying that... go look in the
mirror.”
Complaints have
grown concerning re
sponse times of Upson’s
provider, Community Am
bulance. During a work
session in December, com
missioners asked company
vice president Joe Robin
son for answers. Robinson
pointed to a lack of work
force and “COVID fear.”
“Our EMS service is
doing the very best that
they can,” Allen said. “We
met with them almost two
months ago... and we chal
lenged [Robinson], and he
went back and did some
things for his employees. I
think it was 30 to 40 per
cent pay increases.”
Robinson admitted
during a meeting with
media and county officials
last week that the increase
elevated his employees to
the state average. He also
admitted difficulty main
taining two fully staffed
ambulances dedicated to
Upson, and that units are
Allen Responds, 8A
Chairman Norman Allen
The Emancipation Committee of Upson County. See additional photos on Page lB.
‘Whatever You Do, You Have
to Keep Moving Forward’
Collier Shares Inspiration at MLK Candle Lighting Ceremony
By Luke Haney
Lifestyles Editor
The 36th Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day was
celebrated Monday, Jan.
18. A candle lighting cere
mony was held at the Lin
coln Park Speaking
Grounds in honor of MLK
Day 2021, hosted by the
Emancipation Committee
of Upson.
After an introduction
by Ceremony Master Jac
oby Caldwell and prayer by
Deneane Jones, those in
attendance lit candles and
sang “Lift Every Voice and
Sing,” led by Brittney
Sherman.
Minister Mia Collier
was the main speaker for
the event and shared
quotes by MLK, Jr. from a
speech he gave a week be
fore the 1964 presidential
election, and voiced her
own message.
“This speech was back
in 1964 and we just had
our re-election in No
vember of 2020... Dr.
King, so long ago, urged
others to go out and vote,”
said Collier. “But I want to
talk about what we did in
2020, amen. I want to talk
MLK Ceremony, lB
Upson County COVID-19 Update
Upson Surpasses i-in-10 Infection Rate
Upson County reports
2,796 positive COVID-19
cases with 88 deaths as of
noon last Tuesday, accord
ing to the Johns Hopkins
University & Medicine Co-
ronavirus Resource
Center.
Numbers reflect 184
new cases and four new
deaths since Tuesday one
week prior. During that
time, Upson’s per capita
infection rate increased
from 99.6 cases per 1,000
residents to 106.6 cases
per 1,000 residents, sur
passing a i-in-10 ratio.
A consensus of online
sources report Georgia
with 796,307 (up 56,229
for the week) positive
COVID-19, 8A
30 Day Trend
Upson County COVID-19 Confirmed
PCR and Antigen
8 10499
02461 2
Support for URMC Staff is Thursday
A community gathering of cars to
honor and support Upson Regional Med
ical Center staff for tireless efforts during
the COVID-19 pandemic will be held in
the URMC lower parking lot on Thursday,
Jan. 21 from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
Attendees are asked to flash head
lights, roll down windows, and tune in to
FUN 101.1 FM for music dedicated to the
event.
Coordinators ask that all participants
remain inside their cars and refrain from
honking horns.
Sheriff Clarifies
Responsibilities
of 911 Service
By Bridge Turner
Managing Editor
Amid public concern
over emergency medical
service response time in
Upson County, Sheriff Dan
Kilgore hosted a meeting
last week to clarify his of
fice’s responsibility rel
ative to the 911 process.
Attending the meeting
were members of local
media, county officials,
and Joe Robinson, vice
president of Community
Ambulance.
“The sheriff s office op
erates the 911 system. We
dispatch for every public
safety entity within the
county - sheriff, police,
fire, and ambulance serv
ice,” Kilgore said. “When
we get a call, it’s directed
Sheriff Dan Kilgore
to the center, and the oper
ator dispatches the appro
priate service.
“In the case of ambu
lance service, the call
transfers to a communica
tions center [in Macon]
operated by Community
Ambulance. They have
emergency medical dis-
911 Service, 4A
Grella Agrees to
Extended Service
at No Extra Cost
Development Firm to Add 6 Months
By Bridge Turner
Managing Editor
Grella Partnership
Strategies, a New York-
based economic devel
opment firm, has agreed to
double the length of its
original contract with
Upson County for no ad
ditional fee, according to
commission chairman
Norman Allen and county
manager Jason Tinsley.
Commissioners voted
unanimously in late Au
gust 2020 to retain the
group for six months at
$7,500 per month plus ex
penses to assist with busi
ness attraction and
recruitment, analysis of in
dustrial park design,
grant-writing services, and
general consultation.
To date, Grella’s effec
tiveness has been limited.
“The situation with
Grella has not taken off
like we hoped it would,”
Allen said at last week’s
commission meeting. “We
were excited about the op
portunity to apply for
some grant funding, and
that fell by the wayside.
The CARES Act dried up
quickly.”
In a pitch to local offi
cials, a Grella representa
tive suggested the pursuit
of federal funds through
the EDA CARES Act for a
then proposed $4.3 mil-
Grella, 4A
(0 Griffin Ob-Gyn
NOW SEEING PATIENTS IN THOMASTON
CALL TO MAKE AN
APPOINTMENT TODAY:
403 WEST MAIN STREET
TUESDAY-THURSDAY 8:30-4:30
(770)227.5505
(706)646.2888
Leigh Ann Story, CNM; Bryan Krepps. HO; Jim Dunaway, MD; Lou Hameli, MO; Holly Harrison, PA*C;
Nadine Nolting, CNH; Enid Lofters-Jones, MD; Hegan Potter. HD; Katya Brickman. CNM; Ashley Johnson, PA
