About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2019)
Wednesday, July 31,2019 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 9A Domestic abuse isn’t a political tool By Joshua Demarest jdemarest@dawsonnews.com Monday night I spent most of my evening actively covering the murder of Amy Alexandria Gibson at the hands of her husband Jeremy. As the story is on the front page of this issue of the paper, I won’t go back into the details of the event. In this column, I felt compelled to discuss a disturbing trend that I’ve seen from some of the citizens of this great county. Several comments were made on our Facebook post about the incident that this sort of violence is the result of the growth seen in our county — it’s just what happens when you have all these people moving in from the city disturbing our peaceful way of life. There are a couple of problems with that. JOSHUA DEMAREST DCN Editor First, let’s address the notion that intimate partner violence (IPV) is somehow an urban issue. According to a 2015 article in the peer-reviewed journal Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, “a review of 63 studies indicates that... the rates of IPV are generally similar across rural, urban, and suburban locales, although some groups of rural women (e.g., multiracial and sepa rated/divorced) may be at increased risk for IPV compared to similar groups of urban women, and rates of intimate partner homi cide may be higher in rural locales than urban and suburban locales.” Ultimately, domestic abuse is an issue that happens everywhere, regardless of the pace of life or number of houses per acre. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one-in-four women and one-in-nine men experience inti mate partner violence, and domes tic abuse hotlines across the coun try field roughly 20,000 calls per day. And that brings me to my sec ond point. Domestic abuse is a tragic issue that shouldn’t be used as a tool in anyone’s political arguments. We aren’t discussing the millage rate. We’re not talking about congestion at 400 or how many cars are parked outside of Kroger. A woman lost her life Monday night. Her children watched it hap pen. So did a firefighter, his wife, his mother-in-law, and their two small children. These are real peo ple suffering unimaginable tragedy, not anecdotes to be pulled out of a hat to prove some point on social media. Every day, victims of domestic abuse lose their lives. It’s an abso lute dishonor to them, and to all those victims who remain silent because they fear retribution, or economic ruin, or embarrassment or a litany of other repercussions, to use them and their stories as a tool in a political argument. Rather than bringing someone else’s tragedy and pain into your personal agenda, I can think of tons of better ways to have a posi tive influence on what is a very real issue here in our county and across the world. Seek out a shelter or nonprofit that works with the victims of IPV and donate your time and/or money. I know No One Alone here in Dawson County is always accepting donations and welcomes volunteers at its fundraising events. Become foster parents with DFCS so you can help the children that are all too often displaced by situations like these. Raise awareness by sharing resources that could help people in abusive situations, because you’re statistically guaranteed to know at least a few and be totally unaware of it. And most importantly, show some compassion. If you, or anyone you know, is the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help at NOA’s 24-hour crisis line at (706) 864-1986. Joshua Demarest is the editor of the DCN. His editorials will appear peri odically. Northeast Georgia Medical Center Lumpkin marks 1st week of life-saving care Northeast Georgia Medical Center From staff reports When John Fisher went to work on July 16, just like he does every work day, he didn’t realize a new hospi tal would save his life just a few hours later. As a roofer based in Dahlonega, Fisher is always careful about work ing at extreme heights, on dangerous slopes and in severe weather. But, on Tuesday, July 16, the unex pected happened. He was on a jobsite when he was stung by a wasp, which he is highly allergic to, and he immediately realized he did not have his EpiPen. “By the time my boss drove me to the hospital, I was starting to get delirious and my airway was clos ing,” says Fisher. “As we pulled up to the doors, we asked some of the people outside if the hospital was even open.” Luckily, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Lumpkin official ly opened at 7 a.m. that day, and the staff was ready with open arms. “When Mr. Fisher arrived, he was having sig nificant difficulty breath ing,” says Dr. Kristin Halligan, interim medical director of NGMC Lumpkin’s Emergency Department. “Thankfully, our well-trained emergency staff was able to stabilize him quickly.” “I am so thankful for the excellent care I received,” said Fisher. “These people, this hospital, saved my life.” Fisher was the fourth patient treated at NGMC Lumpkin and one of 191 patients treated during the new hospital’s first week of operation. Twelve of those patients were admitted to the inpatient unit, and another 15 patients were transferred to other facili ties for care. “Our project team and staff spent countless hours preparing to reopen emer gency care in Lumpkin County,” says Kay Hall, nurse manager at NGMC Lumpkin. “To be able to save a life, and touch 190 others during the first week, proves we’re already improving the health of this community.” NGMC Lumpkin offers an emergency department, inpatient care and support ing imaging, pharmacy, lab and other services. Complete emergency ser vices are provided 24/7/365 by the same group of phy sicians that care for emer gency patients at other NGMC hospitals in Gainesville, Braselton and Winder. Get driving directions and learn more about NGMC Lumpkin at nghs. com/lumpkin, or call the hospital at 706-867-4110. Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is a non profit on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. Our team cares for more than 1 million people across the region through four hos pitals and a variety of outpa tient locations. Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) campuses in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder and Dahlonega have a combined total of more than 700 beds and more than 800 medical staff members representing more than 50 specialties. Learn more at www.nghs.com. LEARN MORE AT A FREE COMMUNITY EDUCATION EVENT PRESENTED BY DR. SANJAY ATHAVALE OF ENT OF GEORGIA NORTH Thursday, August 1st at 6:00PM Dawson County Library 342 Allen Street, Dawsonville, GA 30534 View Important Safety Information & Register at lnspireSleepEvents.com STILL STRUGGLING WITH CPAP? Get relief with Inspire therapy Inspire therapy is a breakthrough sleep apnea treatment that works inside your body with your natural breathing process. Simply turn Inspire therapy on before you go to bed and off when you wake up. No mask, no hose, no noise.
