2A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, December 28,2022
NGMC Gainesville may become Level 1 trauma center
By Ben Anderson
DCN Regional Staff
The Northeast Georgia
Medical Center in
Gainesville has applied
to become a Level 1 trau
ma center, which would
allow the hospital to par
ticipate in new research
and help recruit physi
cians.
If the American
College of Surgeons
approves the application,
that would make NGMC
Gainesville just the fifth
Level 1 adult trauma cen
ter in Georgia, along with
Augusta University
Medical Center, Atrium
Health Navicent in
Macon, Grady Memorial
Hospital in Atlanta and
Memorial Health
University Medical
Center in Savannah,
according to the
Department of Public
Health.
Hospital officials said
they expect an answer in
the spring of next year
and are hopeful that ACS
will approve their appli
cation.
The hospital has been
certified as a Level II
trauma center since 2018,
and the step up to Level 1
wouldn’t have many clin
ical implications.
“We were already doing
a lot of the things that we
needed to be doing to be a
Level 1 trauma center,”
said Jesse Gibson, trauma
program director at
NGMC Gainesville.
But it would allow the
hospital to position itself
on the “bleeding edge” of
trauma care research,
which could influence
trauma care not just local
ly but across the state and
nation.
“I look at it kind of as
sort of setting yourself
aside as a leader in trauma
care and really being able
to influence future trauma
care not only here in our
community, but in the
state and and nationally,”
Gibson said. “For
DCHS baseball gives dozens
of toys to K.A.R.E for Kids
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Erica Jones Dawson County News
Members of the Dawson County High School
baseball team stand with the dozens of toys they
collected to donate to local nonprofit K.A.R.E. for
Kids.
On Monday Dec. 19,
several members of
Dawson County High
School’s boys baseball
team visited local nonprofit
K.A.R.E. for Kids to drop
off a very special donation:
dozens of toys they had
collected to help support
the organization’s mission
in their community.
According to DCHS
senior and baseball team
member Colton Rucker, the
idea for a toy drive
stemmed out of the team
wanting to give back to
their community.
“We got a new head
coach and we’re trying to
build a community around
our team, get our team out
there a little more and just
try to do things for this
community,” Rucker said.
“We had a team dinner and
everybody brought toys to
donate.”
The team collected over
60 toys to donate to
K.A.R.E. for Kids, which
according to K.A.R.E.
Board Member Zack
Buchan will make a huge
difference for the children
the organization serves
through its Christmas pro
gram.
“We provide Christmas
for children in our school
system, so seeing a team
from our school system
providing 60 plus toys like
they have is really awe
some because they go right
back into our schools and
into the community,”
Buchan said.
This year, he said,
K.A.R.E. is providing
Christmas for over 420
children who, without help
from the nonprofit, might
not otherwise have presents
on Christmas morning. In
order to accomplish this
huge task, K.A.R.E. relies
heavily on the help of com
munity members like the
baseball team and other
groups that donate to then-
cause.
“We get families that
have been here for years
that have never heard about
us, so getting our name out
there more and getting
involvement from not only
the school but other places
in the community is vital to
our success,” Buchan said.
“What they’ve done this
year is unlike any other; it’s
awesome.”
Rucker said that, as a
senior on the team, he
hopes that this year’s toy
drive will set a precedent
for future drives like it.
“It feels good; I’m excit
ed for the future and for the
younger guys to keep
doing stuff like this,”
Rucker said.
Buchan, who once
played on the high school’s
baseball team himself, said
that seeing the students so
excited to give back to then-
community was a huge
blessing.
“I played baseball at
Dawson County and
played baseball with both
coaches, so seeing them
come on back and help out
with stuff that we were
doing in high school is
awesome,” Buchan said.
“Hopefully it continues to
carry on and hopefully it
spills into some of the other
teams as well.”
He added that, for those
who might be interested in
helping K.A.R.E. with its
mission moving forward,
the organization is always
in need of volunteers and
donations.
“I invite anybody to
come on out and help,
because seeing the looks on
families’ faces when they
come and pick up and see
all the things that we pro
vide to them — that makes
it all worth it,” Buchan
said.
Obituaries
Ricky Carter Hicks
December 16, 2022
Ricky Carter Hicks, age 68,
of Dahlonega, Georgia,
passed away on Friday,
December 16, 2022. Mr.
Hicks was born December
8, 1954, in Dawsonville to
the late Robert C. Hicks
and Vina Hicks. Ricky
enjoyed sitting outside,
playing poker, fishing, and
taking trips to Florida.
Ricky was a big kid at heart
and loved spending time
with all his grandkids, niec
es and nephews. In addi
tion to his parents, he is
preceded in death by his
loving wife Margie Diane
“Maw" Hicks; brothers Rual
Ingram, Roy Ingram,
Danny Hicks, Gary
“Durock" Hicks and Craig
Reece; sisters Estelle Jett,
Kathy Robbins, Robin
Hicks, Gladys Bruce and
Teresa Cantrell. He is sur
vived by his children,
Rodney (Jennifer) Hicks,
Chad (Holly) Hicks and
Cecil David Ingram; grand
children Dakoda Ingram,
Lynnzie Sullens, Devin
Hicks, Katelynn Tompkins,
Brently Tompkins, Bradley
Hicks, Jaylin Tompkins,
Liam Hicks; sisters and
brother-in-laws Bonnie
Gentry of Dawsonville,
Barbara and Charles
Brown of Dahlonega,
Caroline Fauscett of
Dawsonville, Patty and Bill
McDaniel of Dawsonville,
Betty Sue Hicks of
Elberton, Jimmy Hicks of
Dawsonville, Gary and
Ruby Reece Dahlonega
and Helen Reece of
Dahlonega. It was Mr.
Hicks’ wish to be cremated.
The family is planning a
private memorial service
that will be held at a later
date. To share a memory
or a condolence with the
family, visit Mr. Hicks’
online guestbook at ander-
sonunderwood.com.
Anderson-Unde rwood
Funeral Home, 2068
Highway 19 North,
Dahlonega, GA 30533
Death Notices
Margaret Ann Gee
December 21, 2022
Margaret Ann Gee, 88, of
Dawsonville died
Wednesday, December 21,
. Funeral service, Friday,
December 23rd, 2 o’clock,
Bearden Funeral Home
Chapel. Bearden Funeral
Home, Dawsonville,GA.
instance, looking at devic
es that could improve sur
vivability of a hemorrhag
ing trauma patient — and
for us to be able to be part
of studies like that ... it’s
really bleeding edge.”
Being a Level 1 trauma
center also serves as an
excellent recruiting tool,
Gibson said.
“One of the things that
was most attractive to a
lot of us is that level one
trauma centers really do
serve as a great recruiting
tool,” she said. “It helps
you to get some of the
best and brightest nurses,
physicians. And now with
our new graduate medical
education program, obvi
ously it helps us to attract
great physician residents
and especially in areas of
general surgery and emer
gency medicine.”
Gibson said NGMC
Gainesville is already rec
ognized locally and state
wide for its trauma care.
They are just trying to
raise the bar even higher.
“We already have a
high bar here for trauma
care,” she said. “I think
this is just, once again,
trying to raise that bar
even higher and to ensure
that the community can
trust that we’re providing
the highest level of care.”
King Crossword
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^ Daws o n C o u nty N e ws
A Metro Market Media Publication
Established in 2015 by the merger of Dawson Community News and Dawson News and Advertiser
30 Shoal Creek Road i PUBLISHER | Stephanie Woody
Dawsonville, GA 30534
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