Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, September 29, 2021/Page 4A
(Eift Aiiuancg
$500,000 Grant Extends
Of Project Fighting Drug
Photo by Deborah Clark
FORGING AHEAD — Leigh-Ann White, shown here in her
office in Vidalia, explains the second phase of a local
effort to curb and treat substance misuse. White's com
pany, Leigh-Ann White and Company, LLC, just received
a second federal grant to continue its work in Toombs
County
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
A second federal grant
awarded to a Vidalia-based
agency will be used to
combat psychostimulant
use disorder in Toombs
County The $500,000
grant was received by
Leigh-Anne White and
Company which operates
the Toombs County Pre
vention, Treatment and
Recovery (TCPTR) proj
ect.
The grant is from
RCorp Pyschostimulant
Support Program and is an
extension of the $ 1 million
RCorp OUD/ SUD grant
awarded to the company
in 2020 to fight Opiod Use
Disorder in the commu
nity
“Substance misuse is
a serious issue in many
of Georgia’s rural coun
ties and Toombs County
is no exception,” White
said. “Unfortunately, many
adults with substance
misuse issues are raising
young children and mak
ing their children victims
of the downward negative
spiral of intergenerational
addiction and its conse
quences.”
White explained that
the target population for
the psychostimulant use
disorder project is indi
viduals who are at risk
for, have been diagnosed
with, and/or are in treat
ment and/or recovery for
psychostimulant use disor
ders, as well as their fami
lies or care-givers. Psycho
stimulants the project will
target are illegal drugs such
as cocaine, meth-
amphetamine,
or ecstasy, as
well as prescrip
tion stimulants,
such as Adder-
all and Vyvanse,
for conditions
such as attention
deficit disorder
(ADHD) or de
pression.
“This grant
is actually an extension
of the previous grant and
we are one of the very few
(agencies) awarded this
grant because of all our
success in the first year,”
White said. Just in the last
three quarters of 2020, the
local project helped 740
people.
White explained,
“There are three different
tiers of the project: preven
tion, treatment and recov
ery. We plan to spend a lot
more time working with
young people to prevent
substance use disorder.”
Currently, the proj
ect has educators from its
office in local schools to
conduct group and indi
vidual sessions focused
on developing leadership
skills, character develop
ment, and drug use pre
vention education. Last
Drugs
continued from page 1A
jae Johnson, and Timothy
Jermaine Thomas, all of
Mount Vernon.
All three men were
charged with participation
in Criminal Gang Activity,
Possession of Drug Relat
ed Objects, Possession of
Marijuana with Intent to
Distribute and Possession
of Firearms During the
year the project provided
funding for the Teen Maze
program in local schools.
Traditionally held during
prom season when un
derage drug and alcohol
use are heightened issues,
Teen Maze is sponsored
by Toombs County Fam
ily Connection and Tri-
County Family Connec
tion and targets area 8th
graders. The program fo
cuses on the repercussions
of drug misuse and offers
pathways for positive de
cision making. “In the up
coming year, we want to
bring Teen Maze to 7th
graders, but in a slightly
different format. The next
year, we want to introduce
the program to sixth grade
students,” White said.
The TCPTR’s Life
Skills program is under
way in Toombs County
School System’s alternative
school, and discussions are
underway about fitting the
program into the school
day at local high schools.
“The program is evidence-
based and demonstrates to
students how to make the
best choices,” White said
of the initiative’s emphasis
on drug misuse preven
tion.
The new grant will
help facilitate the TCP
TR’s relationship with ed
ucators, including school
counselors. “We will be
hiring a social worker who
will make connections
within the community and
make appropriate referrals
to ensure we don’t have
Commission of a Crime.
Thomas was also charged
with Sale of Marijuana.
The suspects appeared
for a preliminary arraign
ment before Montgomery
County Magistrate Ashley
Thornton, who set bonds
at $37,5000 for Johnson;
at $27,500 for Jackson; and
$27,500 for Thomas. All
three suspects are being
held in the Treutlen Coun
ty Jail.
anyone falling through the
cracks because they did
not get referred for assis
tance,” White said.
The grant will also
fund specialized training
for three licensed thera
pists who will be using a
cutting-edge technique
called Eye Movement
Desensitivation Repro
cessing (EMDR) to treat
agency clients. “We don’t
have anyone within a 60-
mile radius who provides
EMDR,” White said, ex
plaining the treatment
is a method for helping
people who have sustained
trauma, including trauma
caused by the effects of
substance use disorder.
EMDR uses rapid eye
movement as an indicator
of trauma, and has been
highly successful in treat
ing combat veterans.
The funds from the
grant will also assist the
Faith in Finance Program,
which teaches individuals
how to manage their fi
nances while trying to get
back on their feet. Another
outgrowth of the grant will
be a Work Readiness pro
gram and a parenting proj
ect called Love and Logic.
The grant will also
enable specialized yoga
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Montgomery County
Schools returned to class
room instruction on Sep
tember 20 after two weeks
of virtual learning. Since
this return, there has been
a drastic decrease in the
number of COVID cases
within the school as the vi
rus spread slows through
out the community.
On September 3, the
district had 16 staff mem
bers who were COVID-
positive and 10 staff mem
bers quarantined. With
Reach
Misuse
training, Trauma Informed
Yoga Practice, which will
be delivered by Paige Wil
liamson. The last grant
paid for the Yoga 12-Step
Recovery, also known as
Y12SR. “We hold trauma
in our bodies and yoga can
teach us how to release
that trauma,” White said.
Since the beginnings
of TCPTR with the first
grant in 2020, a great deal
has been accomplished in
the effort to curb and treat
substance use disorder and
opioid use disorder in the
community, including:
• Providing Narcan
and Narcan training to
all law enforcement for
Toombs County.
• Offering a free coun
selor-led Substance Use
Group
• Offering a free Yoga
12-Step Recovery program
• Providing free or
low- cost individual and
family counseling to indi
viduals or family members
of individuals suffering
from OUD /SUD
• Building renovations
to include a new handicap-
accessible bathroom and
parking at the treatment
center
• Providing Motiva
tional Interview Train
ing to all Toombs County
PTR staff and Consortium
members
“I feel great about
what we have been able to
do. The most important
aspect of this program is
the people we serve in
our community. Every
thing has not unfolded
as we thought; actually,
it has been better,” White
opined. A broad,
multi-sector con
sortium of some
30 community
agencies and
leaders including
representatives
from fire and po
lice, local govern
ment, health care
and education,
is continuing to
add members
who are working together
to find solutions and over
come obstacles. “It is such
a beautiful way of seeing
our community work to
gether.”
Since 2020, the com
munity has added two
drug misuse recovery
homes. The new $500,000
grant will provide addi
tional financial assistance
to the recovery homes and
to the growing recovery
community. “I think peo
ple are beginning to know
where to come to get help
for themselves and their
families,” White said.
this number of staff absent
from campus the district
administration chose to
transition temporarily to
virtual learning. Since the
return to normal instruc
tion, only two teachers are
absent because of testing
positive for COVID.
This change in CO
VID numbers is also seen
throughout the Mont
gomery County Schools
student population. On
September 3, a total of 39
students were absent be
cause of having COVID,
and 157 students were
in quarantine. Currently,
there are no COVID cases
COVID
continued from page 1A
While there is no ques
tion the numbers here are
declining but, “The big
question is whether we
are going to get to the low
plateau were reached in
May and early June,” before
the second COVID wave
struck, McColl said. “We
need another month to
see,” she added.
The area positive test
rate has declined to about
10-12% now, but there is
still a large part of the pop
ulation that has not been
vaccinated, Mccoll noted.
“We have 50-60% of folks
who never received the
vaccine, and we are still fo
cused on them.” She urged
residents who have not
been vaccinated to get the
vaccine now. The hospital’s
clinic and other local sites
are still administering the
vaccine.
Regarding COVID
booster vaccinations, Mc-
Coll said only those who
received the Pfizer vaccina
tions are eligible for boost
ers and must meet specific
criteria to receive the vac
cine. She said the hospi
tal is administering these
boosters with referrals
from primary health care
physicians. Persons who
received Moderna or John
son & Johnson vaccines are
not yet eligible since addi
tional data on administer
ing these vaccines as boost
ers is still being collected.
Meanwhile, the drive-
through COVID testing
site set up on the Meadows
campus is still operational,
although the number of
clients has declined from
about 40 to 50 per day to
around 20 per day. Also,
the medical facility has
been able to secure a suf
ficient quantity of mono
clonal antibody infusions,
although, with a decline in
the number of COVID cas
es locally, future supplies,
which are based on need,
may be more limited, Mc-
Coll said.
Elective Surgery Returns
With the COVID
numbers declining, Mead
ows is returning to a more
normal operational status.
Elective surgery is being
reinstated this week, Mc-
Coll said.
“While hospitals con
tinue to provide care for
COVID-19 patients, we
cannot forget that patients
in our community still
need routine or emergency
medical care. It might bean
ER visit for a broken bone,
a mammogram, a colonos
copy, cancer care or even a
surgical procedure. These
are still critically important
to maintain the health and
well-being of our neigh
bors. We want everyone to
know that it is safe to re
ceive care in a hospital and
amongst student popula
tion, and only 5 students
remain quarantined.
On September 24,
Toombs County Schools
reported only 5 students
within the district were
COVID-positive. Also, no
staff members currently
have the illness.
Vidalia City Schools
reported 5 students within
the district are absent be
cause of being COVID-
positive, while only one
staff member is reported to
have the virus.
Wheeler County
Schools have no current
COVID cases among the
“Ifeel great about what we have been able to do.
The most important aspect of this program is the
people we serve in our community. Everything has
not unfolded as we thought; actually, it has been
better,” White opined.
School COVID Numbers
you should not delay care.”
McColl noted there
have been many national
news stories that highlight
the fact that patients are
avoiding hospitals during
the pandemic. A recent
national poll by the Kaiser
Family Foundation found
that nearly half (48%)
of Americans state that
they or a family member
skipped or delayed medi
cal care due to COVID-19.
“We are now beginning to
see the effects and in some
cases, this decision has
caused delays in treatment
and unnecessary harm to
the patient,” McColl said.
“While our hospi
tal has always been a safe
place to have surgery, we
understand that patients
have concerns about CO
VID-19. We’re taking un
precedented measures to
ensure that our patients
can receive safe, high-qual
ity care, even during a pan
demic,” McColl added.
At Meadows, positive
COVID-19 patients and
suspected COVID-19 pa
tients are cared for in dedi
cated areas of the hospital
by staff using maximum
precautions to prevent
spread of the virus.
The hospital’s CO-
VID-19 safety plan starts
before patients even enter
the door. Prior to surgery,
a staff member pre-screens
the patient via telephone
for any symptoms of CO
VID-19. All surgery pa
tients and visitors as well as
employees and physicians
are screened before they
enter the hospital. “We’ve
implemented a univer
sal masking policy, which
means everyone is given a
mask before they enter the
hospital and are required
to wear it. Patients having
higher-risk procedures will
have a rapid COVID-19
test prior to surgery,” Mc-
Coll explained.
Patients having sur
gery or an outpatient pro
cedure may have one guest
18 years of age or older.
Waiting rooms and other
public areas have been re
configured to allow for so
cial distancing.
Operating rooms are
routinely kept very clean
to ensure a sterile envi
ronment. Hospitals follow
strict infection prevention
guidelines and operating
rooms and surgical instru
ments are thoroughly de
contaminated after every
procedure.
“Maybe you’re think
ing you should just wait a
couple of months to have
your procedure. Honestly,
we believe the protective
measures we have in place
will be with us for some
time. Please don’t delay.
Hospitals are working very
hard to ensure that you
receive safe care, now and
always. We appreciate your
trust,” McColl said.
Down
staff, and one current case
among students. Currently,
a total of 15 students are
quarantined, but only 6 of
these quarantines began
within the last week, which
were all because of a non
school related close con
tact with COVID. Also, of
these 15 students, 8 were
reported to be eligible to
return to school on Sep
tember 27.
Vidalia Heritage Acad
emy remains COVID-free,
as the school reports there
are no positive cases or
quarantines among staff or
students.