About The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2021)
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.
