Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Page 2 — Wednesday, February 4, 2009, The Millen News Volunteers needed for Anthrax exercise By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor The East Central Health Dis trict (ECHD), the Jenkins County Health Department and the Jenkins County Medi cal Reserve Corps (MRC) will conduct a “Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Anthrax Drive-Thru Full Scale Exer cise” Saturday, May 30, at the Jenkins County High School, 433 Barney Avenue. A community orientation on this exercise will be held noon - 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Cindy’s Cafe on Cotton for the purpose of recruiting local volunteers to assist and sup port response and recovery ef forts. This event will test the abil ity of the district, Jenkins County Health Department and Jenkins County Medical Reserve Corps to respond to an anthrax event affecting Jenkins County residents. The event will also meet requirements set by the Center for Disease Con trol and Prevention regarding the distribution of medical supplies through the Strategic National Stockpile. For more information about this exercise and volunteering, contact Pam Drake, Jenkins County nurse manager at (478) 982-2811 or Julie Chance, Jenkins County Family Enrich ment Center director at (478) 982-8004. You may also con tact the district office at (706) 667-4275. Perdue announces region Work Ready grants Governor Sonny Perdue re cently announced $1.6 million in federally-funded grants to four Georgia regions working toward earning Work Ready Region sta tus. These regions bring together their assets and leaders to create regional talent pools targeting existing strategic industries and to increase economic develop ment opportunities. “By aligning our assets and working collaboratively to at tract and grow jobs in our state’s strategic industries, Georgia Work Ready Regions are mak ing our state a more attractive destination for companies,” said Governor Perdue. “This effort is reaping great rewards and I am happy to be able to add the four new regions.” The four new Work Ready Regions grant recipients include South Georgia for bioscience. East Central Georgia for energy, Metro-Atlanta (Western Innova tion Crescent) for bioscience and South Central Georgia for ad vanced manufacturing. Addi tional counties may be added to some regions as the Work Ready Region process proceeds. The counties include Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Burke, Clayton, Cobb, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Fulton, Glascock, Hancock, Irwin, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lanier, Lincoln, Lowndes, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, Wilcox and Worth. The potential Work Ready Regions will each receive a $400,000 grant to assist in in creasing the skill level of its workforce. Specifically, increas ing the number of individuals in the workforce holding a Work Ready Certificate, ensuring each county in the region earns Certi fied Work Ready Community status, encouraging local em ployers to complete Work Ready job profiles and developing in dustry specific career pathways for the emerging, transitioning and existing workforce. An im portant component of their work will be aligning regional avail able workforce work readiness skill levels to those needed to fill strategic industry jobs. “By developing a pipeline of qualified workers, Georgia can ensure that companies will have one of their most important re sources for continued growth and innovation,” said Governor Perdue. “Our Work Ready Re gions are establishing career pathways that lead to life-long learning among our citizens and a bright future for our employ ers.” Each regional effort is being led by a local businessperson associated with the strategic in dustry, according to Debra Lyons, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development (GOWD). This leader will work closely with GOWD through the Work Ready Region academy to ensure con tinuity of efforts among the vari ous regions, and will assemble an industry network to ensure the region’s work plan meets the needs of the industry, both cur rent and future. Sheriffs Corner Wednesday, Jan. 28, depu ties of the Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a missing juvenile. Upon investigation, it was learned than a 6-year-old child who is autistic had left the home on foot, walking with the family dog, and could not be located. Sheriff’s deputies, assisted by concerned citizens, Millen Public Safety Director Dwayne Herrington, Emer gency Management Agency Director Bob Fields, Jenkins County volunteer firefighters and Department of Natural Resource Rangers, tracked the child and dog down the roadway into a wooded area on a hunting club road. He was soon located safe and sound. Police Blotter The Millen Police Depart ment reported the following in cidents this week. Thursday, Jan. 22 Charles Everett Williams of 304 Georgia Avenue was charged with safety restraint violation-adult, stop sign vio lation, expired tag/no tag, no insurance, driving with a sus pended driver’s license-first of fense and suspended, canceled or revoked motor vehicle reg istration. David Lee Carter of 419 McComb Dr. was charged with an outstanding probation war rant, theft by shoplifting-first offense, possession of cocaine and possession of drug-related objects. Friday, Jan. 23 David Lee Bostic of 327 Palmer Row was charged with Oxendine offers homeowners tips in conjuction with Severe Weather Awareness Week Severe Weather Awareness Week in Georgia is currently on going through Friday, Feb. 6, and Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine wants to remind homeowners of some important insurance tips to protect their prop erty from tornadoes, flooding and other weather-related hazards. While tornadoes can occur at any time of year if atmospheric conditions are right, March, April and May are considered prime months for tornadoes to strike. Last March, tornadoes caused severe damage across the state; insured losses came to $250 million. “Georgia’s tornado season is just around the comer, and we want all Georgia consumers to be familial' with steps they should take to mini mize property damage and finan cial hardship caused by storms,” Oxendine said. Oxendine offers these remind ers and tips. While a standard homeowner’s insurance policy covers damage from high winds and tornadoes, it does not cover damage from flooding. A separate policy must be purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program, and can only be purchased if your commu nity participates in the national program. However, a standard mobile home policy can cover damage caused by floods. Check your policy. Tips to protect yourself from healthcare fraud Make a list of all valuables, fur niture, electronics, et cetera, and photograph or videotape your possessions. Keep copies of the list, photographs and videotape in a safe place outside your home. If your home is damaged or de stroyed in a natural disaster, it may be difficult for you to tell your in surance agent what you lost with out proof. Keep your insurance policy numbers and your agent’s phone number in a safe place, as well. If disaster strikes, contact your agent or insurance company immedi ately. Protect your property from fur ther damage. For example, if your roof is damaged, cover it with a tarp to prevent water damage from subsequent rain. Most policies will not cover such damage. Make sure you understand the By Don Gay Sr. SMP Outreach Coordinator (Vol unteer), Georgia Cares Only visit your personal doctor, hospital or clinic for medical help. Only they should make referrals for special equipment, services or medicine. Never show anyone your medi cal or prescription records without first talking to your doctor or phar macist. If someone calls and tries to threaten or pressure you into some thing - simply hang up the phone. If someone comes to your door and says they are from Medicare or some other health care company shut the door.. .It’s shrewd to be mde! Do your homework and talk to your health care provider before buying or investing in internet “cure-all” or “miracle” products or services. Don’t keep mail in your mail box for more than one day. People steal personal information right out of your mailbox. Rip up or shred your Medicare or other health care papers and other important documents before throwing them away. Crooks go through the trash! Treat your Medicare and Social Security numbers like credit cards. If someone offers to buy your Medicare or social security num ber, don’t do it.. .it’s simply not worth it. Remember that "Medicare” doesn’t sell anything. Follow your instincts-if it seems too good to be true, it usually is! If you suspect an error, fraud or abuse related to health care, gather the facts and report it. ALWAYS read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or health care billing statement. Your Medi care Summary Notice is the piece of mail stamped “This is Not a Bill” that comes in after you get medical care. Look for three things on your billing statement: Charges for something you didn’t get; billing for the same thing twice; and ser vices that were not ordered by the doctor. Orthopedic Surgeon Kent E. Woo, MD General Orthopedics and Joint Replacement/Hip, Knee & Shoulder Ijgi m 75 w ° Orthopedic Surgeon Andrew T. Sheils, Jr., MD Interventional Pain Management and General Orthopedics SOUTHEASTERN ORTHOPEDIC CENTER Baxley I Bluffton I Claxton I Glennville I Pooler I Reidsville Rincon I Savannah I Springfield I Statesboro I Swainsboro I Sylvania I Yidafia ARCHU ECTHAL BID REQUEST The Jenkins County Board of Commissioners is requesting bids from architectural firms on the renovation restoration of the Jenkins County Courthouse. Items andwhich should be included in this bid are predesign, preliminary design, contract documents, bidding process and contract administration. Bids should be received in the Commissioners’ Office no later thin January JO, 2099 at 5:00 p.m. The Board will open and rc\ iew the bids in hand at their regular monthly meeting to be held Tuesday, February 17th* 2009 tit 7 :00 p.m. flic Jenkins County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Bidders will be notified as to the bids reced ed and the firm which is awarded the bid. Jenkins Countv Board of/ Commissioners The 1ft if-jj u u itfiit Future Farmers America of Hfl-u »■ Sheriff Robert Oglesby said, “We can all be proud of the cooperation between all of our local agencies. At times like these, the citizens of Jenkins County can be proud of our folks, working together toward a common goal.” an outstanding probation war rant and possession of cocaine. Saturday, Jan. 24 Doretha Young of 211 W. Winthrope Avenue was charged with public drunk and aggravated assault-family vio lence. Jenkins County High School wifi be featured rn the Feb, 18th edition of (Etje ill il lent befits Advertise YOUR business and salute the FFA 1x3 ads are ONLY $18.90 2x3 ads are ONLY $37.80 To advertise in the special section Call Melodyc at 478-982-5460 today! The [leadline is Wednesday, Feb. 11th. av L«red Ones V«u Cu difference between actual cash value and replacement cost cov erage for your contents, and ob tain the coverage that best suits your needs. With actual cash value, you will receive the current value of an item when you file a claim. In other words, you’ll get only “used” prices for your furni ture, TV, et cetera. With replace ment cost coverage, your claim amount will be enough to purchase new items. If you have questions about property insurance, you can call a representative of Commissioner Oxendine’s Consumer Services Division at (404) 656-2070 or toll- free at 1(800) 656-2298. Calls arc taken from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mon day through Friday. You may also visit the commissioner’s Web site, www.gainsurance.org, for more information. With a personal message In The Millen News fhi nxitapa tin up lo 30 w&uls tui i cost Dt SI a fha ads will aspeiii in ihfi Fab. 11 edition Uu The Coujhi Below To Writs Tour Uessace Then bring tt Id the MiHeri Ne«* flSE Cotton Avanoa, or mail (1 wlh patmarl to Pn Mu nn. OA All Ad; Uust Be Paid In Advance And In Cm Hand! By Keen Fabniaiy 6 expert fcare I | in your « backyard Now Accepting Patients in Swainsboro Adjacent to Emanuel Medical Center 119B Victory Drive Swainsboro, GA 30401 (800) 827-6536 www.orthocentersav.com