Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, February 10, 2021/Page 4A
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Narcan
continued from page 2A
ividual’s entire family.” She
added, “We are not just try
ing to reach a specific group
but the entire community
and every aspect of life this
epidemic touches.”
Hickman took note of
the proportions of the opi
oid epidemic. In Georgia
in 2019, medical profes
sionals wrote enough pre
scriptions for every man,
woman and child to receive
54 pills each. “I am not sure
why we need that many pre
scriptions. We (the United
States) are 5% of the popu
lation but consume 80% of
world’s opioids.”
Globally, 36 million
people misuse opioids. It is
a problem that crosses all
socioeconomic and ethnic
groups. In 2018, 67,300
Americans died from drug
overdoses, and opioids ac
count for 70% of all over
dose deaths.
A presentation used
by Hickman in her classes
points out that an estimat
ed 20 million Americans
have Substance Use Disor
der, but another 23 million
are living in recovery. She
stresses that addiction is a
chronic brain disease and,
like other diseases, addic
tion should be treated med
ically.
Vidalia Police Com
missioner Brian Scott has
sent officers to the Narcan
training sessions. “With the
growing opioid epidemic
across the nation, I think
it is a benefit for us to have
this program and the Nar
can because, hopefully, it
will save some lives. It is
unusual for communities of
this size to have this kind of
resource.”
Lt. Ray Corbett, who
coordinates training for the
Vidalia Police, said 100% of
the sworn officers in the de
partment have undergone
the training.
Lyons Police Chief
Wesley Walker pointed out
that the Narcan can also save
the fives of first responders
who come into contact with
a plethora of drugs in the
performance of their duties.
“With all of these different
drugs we deal with, having
Narcan can be a lifesaver
for officers. With Fentanyl,
all you have to do is get it
on the skin. It is extremely
dangerous,” he said. Dur
ing the Narcan training,
first responders are told
about an Ohio law enforce
ment officer who became
exposed to Fentanyl simply
by brushing the powder
from his shirt. When he was
overcome by the exposure,
it was reported that it took
multiple doses of Naloxone
(Narcan) to revive him.
Walker elaborated, “Of
ficers can come across these
substances and don’t know
what they are. We stress to
officers that you have to
take extra precautions—
glove up, mask, put on
safety glasses—to protect
yourself. “
The Chief has no
doubts that Narcan can be
a lifesaver. “It proved itself
in this incident,” he said of
the December overdose
to which his officers re
sponded. “Narcan saved his
fife,” he said of the victim.
“Thank goodness those of
ficers were trained.”
Toombs-Montgomery
EMS Chief Drew James,
who supervises about 30
paramedics and advanced
EMTs, has sent personnel
to the Narcan training. Use
of Narcan has been a part of
the departments protocol
for years, but he believes
the joint training is valuable
in putting all area first re
sponders on the same page
in terms of Narcan use. He
strongly advocated for all
first responders to know
how to administer the life-
saving drug. “Law enforce
ment might be there first
and it gives them the tools
they need.” He said the local
EMS sees a high demand
for use of opioid overdose
reversal drugs and they “ab
solutely save fives.”
“For a very long time we
have seen the devastating
effects that substance abuse
has on our community. The
effects of a person suffering
from Substance Use Disor
der are much deeper than
just that individual being af
fected. Family, friends, and
the community all become
victims to this use in one
way or another,” said Cap
tain Jordan Right with the
Toombs County Sheriff’s
Office.
The Sheriff’s Office is
another partner in the local
Prevention, Treatment and
Recovery Project. “One of
the first steps taken by the
Sheriff’s Office was for our
staff to receive training with
Narcan. Between depu
ties and Detention Center
officers, approximately 40
staff members received this
training.”
The process that put
the Toombs County Pre
vention, Treatment and
Recovery Project in place
is quite a story. White, a li
censed professional coun
selor who has been prac
ticing in Vidalia for over
five years, recognized the
community’s need for an
integrated approach to the
opioid epidemic.
The first step was put
ting together a consortium
from within the communi
ty—those already involved
in child and family welfare
and drug intervention and
recovery. This experienced
core group would listen to
White’s ideas and provide
guidance on customizing
an effective program for the
community. It would need
to be a program that would
augment and integrate what
was already in place but go a
step further.
White and her manage
ment team got to work con
tacting everyone they could
think of who might be able
and willing to help, from
law enforcement and courts
to child advocacy organiza
tions and churches. The re
sults were amazing. Even in
the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic, individuals, or
ganizations and agencies
were positive and ready to
get to work, White recalled.
The most thrilling aspect of
this community momen
tum was that members of
the consortium believed so
whole-heartedly in the proj
ect that they were willing to
fund the grant writing.
The next step was com
ing up with a plan that fit the
community’s needs. That
is where the holistic group
therapy approach was bom.
There were many programs
in the community that dealt
with the welfare of children
and families and with those
in recovery, but there was
nothing that was quite like
what White and her team
had in mind. The idea was
to put together group thera
pies for the whole family:
the children, the parents,
the grandparents or other
caregivers.
“We designed a grant
proposing to ultimately
help kids by helping their
parents. I was willing to
stretch myself and go into
Substance Use Disorder
(SUD) and specifically opi
oid use disorder (OUD)
therapies in order to do
that,” White said.
The proposed work
plan includes a set of core
SUD / OUD prevention,
treatment and recovery
activities conducted by a
broad, multi-sector con
sortium. These activities
are grounded in evidence-
based or promising practice
models and have been tai
lored to address the unique
needs of Toombs County,
according to White.
“Substance misuse is
a serious issue in many of
Georgia’s rural counties
and our county is no excep
tion,” White noted, add
ing, “Unfortunately, many
adults with substance issues
are raising young children
and making their children
victims of the downward
negative spiral of intergen-
erational addiction and its
consequences.”
Service providers are
often overworked and over
whelmed as they attempt to
deal with substance misuse,
and budgetary constraints
have resulted in inadequate
resources. “This crisis is ex
acerbated by the fact that
we do not currently have
a coordinated approach to
collecting and sharing sub
stance misuse related data,”
White said.
Once the idea became
a firm plan, White submit
ted a grant application to
the Federal Office of Rural
Health Policy. The process
from program conception
to grant submission hap
pened quickly. “In February
I found the grant oppor
tunity, in March we had a
meeting and put together
the consortium, and six
weeks later we turned the
grant in.” In the middle of
this flurry of activity, CO-
VID-19 was raging, but
despite the huge obstacle
imposed by a health pan
demic, the program kicked
off on September 1, 2020.
Without this grant, Narcan
would not have been on
the scene as Lyons PD re
sponded to the call, and this
story very well could have
ended in tragedy instead of
an opportunity for recov
ery and growth within this
community.
Suspects
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a white male walked up to
the store and a black male
stumbled around the gas
pumps,” Clark reported. As
the truck left the parking lot
of the convenience store, it
struck a curb and the depu
ty prepared to initiate a traf
fic stop. The truck then sped
away.
The deputy chased
the vehicle down Highway
280 into a field in Mont
gomery County where the
driver and his passenger left
the truck and fled into the
woods.
Deputy Clark drew his
weapon and commanded
the suspects to stop. A
white male he recognized
from previous arrests and
incarcerations as Jesse
Smith of Glenwood fled
the scene and is still at large,
but a black male identified
as Daniel Silas Walker of
Rhine later came out of the
woods and surrendered to
authorities. He was charged
with fleeing and attempting
to elude a police officer for a
felony offense.
The truck that Walker
was operating was reported
stolen in Dodge County.
Dodge County Sheriff’s
Office Investigator Stephen
Cox said the suspect is fac
ing charges of possession
of a stolen vehicle there.
Walker is being held in the
Wheeler County jail.
Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday ana. Later in 1827, students donned
(Mardi French for “Tuesday” and colorful costumes and danced
gras for “fat”) is a basically Roman through the streets of New Orleans
Catholic Christian holiday of indul- as celebrated in Paris. In 1837, the
gence before Easter that dates back first recorded New Orleans Mardi
thousands of years to pagan celebra- Gras parade took place. In 1857, a
tions of fertility (which included torch-lit procession with marching
animal sacrifice, bands and rolling
running naked r floats was added,
through the streets, Rex, King of the
drinking, gambling ..... Carnival, has been
and overeating). In ' ‘ A participating in pa-
Ancient Rome after rades since 1872,
the death of Christ, + ^ ^ and established
religious leaders Kai- ayC: :<*. -.. purple, gold and
incorporated some green as the Mardi
of those local tradi- Gras colors. Other
tions into the new Christian faith. lasting customs include throwing
As a result, 40 days of fasting beads, wearing masks, decorating
and self-denial before Easter (called floats and eating King Cake, a rich
Lent) were set aside to repent of all cake that contains a plastic baby, to
sins and excesses allowed at Mardi represent the baby Jesus, hidden in-
Gras. Christians who observe Lent side.
usually commit to giving up some- Mardi Gras is celebrated with
thing such as smoking, swearing, elaborate festivities in many parts
eating or drinking a favorite item, of the United States and the world,
watching TV, etc., during the 40 Mardi Gras 2021 will fall on Tues
days of Lent. day, February 16, 2021, but be-
The first American Mardi Gras cause of the COVID-19 pandemic,
took place on March 3, 1699, near parades in New Orleans have been
present-day New Orleans, Louisi- cancelled.
Summary for Fourth Week of 2021 Session
By Rep. Robert Pruitt
(District 149)
The fourth week
of the legislative ses
sion began on Mon
day, February 1, as we
spent the next four
days meeting with our
respective committees.
Many House bills were
passed during this
time and were sent to
the Rules Committees, where they are
now eligible to be called for a vote on the
House floor. Governor Brian Kemp also
presented more of his legislative initia
tives for this session.
House Bill 86 was one of the more
noteworthy bills that was sent to the
Rules Committee. This is also known as
the “Georgia Lottery Mobile Sports Wa
gering Integrity Act,” which was passed
out of the House Economic Develop
ment & Tourism Committee and seeks
to legalize and regulate sports betting
in Georgia. Along with that, House Bill
80 would offer resources for individuals
with gambling problems or addictions,
enhance fan engagement and strengthen
partnerships with Georgia sports teams.
It was estimated that sports betting could
generate $433 million in gross revenue,
and the taxable revenue could add $43
million to the HOPE Scholarship fund.
The State Planning & Community
Affairs Committee approved legislation
to commemorate the late Georgia civil
rights leader and congressman, John
Lewis, and will be considered by the
House Rules Committee. House Resolu
tion 14 would create the National Statu
ary Hall Collection Replacement Com
mittee, which would work to replace the
statue of Alexander Hamilton Stephens
in the U.S. Capitol with a statue of U.S.
Rep. John Lewis.
Gov. Kemp also unveiled his major
“teacher pipeline” legislative packet to
recruit, prepare, mentor, and retain the
best teachers for our classrooms. He in
tends to increase educator workforce
by allowing retired teachers to return to
work full-time in communities with the
greatest shortage of teachers, ease cer
tification requirements for veterans to
become teachers, and give veterans first
priority when enrolling for teacher prep
aration programs. The plan also partners
with historically black colleges and uni
versities to recruit minority educators.
A legislative package was also pre
sented that focuses on reforming adop
tion and foster care. House Bill 114
would increase the state’s tax credit for
families that adopt from foster care from
$2,000 to $6,000 per year for five years.
Additionally, House Bill 154 lowers the
age an individual may adopt from 25 to
21, an attempt to make it easier for close
relatives to adopt children out of foster
care. Finally, Senate Bill 28 would expand
training and resources for case work
ers that would allow our juvenile court
system to better determine the safety
needs of children, including those in fos
ter care. SB 28 would also ensure that all
reliable information is made available to
the court in order to make decisions that
are in a child’s best interest.
On Friday, Gov. Kemp rolled out
House Bill 304, or the “Georgia Made
Medical Manufacturing Act.” This would
increase the amount of credit available
under the state’s Job Tax Credit to incen-
tivize job creation and investment in the
medical equipment and pharmaceutical
manufacturing industries.
Vaccines for COVID-19 continue
to be administered as we hit the one
million vaccination mark on February
3. More than 50,000 Georgians, 65 and
older, have received the first dose of the
vaccine, and Georgia’s weekly vaccine al
location increased to more than 154,000
starting this month. Gov. Kemp recently
signed an executive order to allow more
medically trained professionals to ef
ficiently and safely administer the CO-
VID-19 vaccine.
As Georgians continue to face chal
lenging times, we will continue to keep
your best interest in mind while consid
ering legislation throughout the session.
I encourage you to contact me with any
questions or concerns you may have
about the bills we will vote on. You can
reach me at 404-656-0188 or robert.
pruitt(a)house.ga.gov. As always, thank
you for allowing me to serve as your
state representative and I hope to see you
soon.
As the State Representative for District
149, Robert Pruitt serves Dodge County,
Telfair County, Wheeler County, Cadwell,
and Hazlehurst. During the second week of
the 2021 Legislative Session, Rep Pruitt was
appointed to serve on the Industry and Trade,
Economic Development, and Small Business
committees for the next two years. Robert
and his wife Kelly have been long time
residents of Eastman.
MoCo
continued from page 1A
related objects.
After executing the
warrant at 928 South
Washington Street, agents
of the Oconee Drug Task
Force, Officers of the
Mount Vernon Police De
partment and Deputies of
the Montgomery County
Sheriff’s Office seized
marijuana, methamphet-
amine, digital scales, drug
related objects and numer
ous hand guns and rifles.
More arrests are ex
pected as the investigation
continues, authorities said.
PLEASE
RECYCLE