Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 17. 2009
Social services ...
cont’d from 1A
Want to help?
Here are suggestions Advantage CEO Cindy Darden
had when asked about helping Advantage:
“As far as the big picture, you could communicate
with state and national legislators about what is need
ed. On an individual level, our Friends of Advantage
does take donations. We take monetary donations
and donations for other things. We’re always setting
up apartments and we have a need for such things as
used television sets. Right now, we’re trying to save
money for a storage building to store winter coats
and things we need for the homeless. The little house
we’re in isn’t big enough to store the things we’re
given. We’re having a benefit in February that they
can keep an eye out for. If someone is retired and
would like to volunteer some hours, we would love to
have that.”
If someone wants to make a donation of time
or energy or property or money, Tammy Dalton of
Advantage Behavioral Services, can be reached at
Giving... cont’d from 1A
knows they can’t go on forever.
“I’ve seen folks since I’ve been there come and go," he said.
“Some just get tired and don’t come back."
Glenn was diagnosed three years ago with IgA nephropathy, a
kidney disorder that occurs when the protein IgA, present in the
body to help fight infection, settles in the kidneys. Over time, the
protein may build up, impairing kidney function. And for some,
like Glenn, the disease progresses to full-blown kidney failure.
Though the disease is thought to be genetic, Glenn said he knows
of no other relative in his family who’s had the disease.
When diagnosed, his kidney function was at about 70 percent, but
dropped to 15 percent this spring, necessitating the need for dialysis
and to give even more serious consideration to a transplant.
“It’s just something I’ve had to do," Glenn said of the dialysis
procedures. “There was no sense in crying about it or feeling sorry
for myself."
In July 2008 he was evaluated as a candidate for kidney transplant
at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, which required him to go through
rigorous testing to determine his physical and mental status to face
such a procedure. He was told at that time, and since, that a "living
donor” gives the best prognosis for these types of transplants.
After his dad was placed on the transplant list, Cody approached
him to find out what he needed to do in order to see if he could be
a donor. Glenn said he was moved that his son would be willing to
do this for him.
Other family members including Cody’s sisters, Lynn and Susan,
were ruled out as potential donors due to health issues.
“That pretty much left me," Cody said smiling.
As a potential “living donor" Cody was put through the same
rigorous testing that his dad faced, which has continued over the
past few months.
When the word came that Cody was a “near perfect” match -
Cody said he told his dad "All right now - you gotta take care of
my kidney."
And Glenn said he’s promised his son that he will - he gave up
smoking some time back, and he kicked his chewing tobacco habit
in October.
Asked how they’ve explained the situation to Cody’s three kids:
Calyn, 13, Courtney, 9, and Chet, 6, — they say the kids know that
their dad is giving their papa a “very good Christmas."
“Courtney asked me if she can come with us," Glenn chuckled.
“She pointed out that they’ll already be out of school (for Christmas
vacation).”
The family plans a Christmas celebration before surgery and, of
course, another when father and son come home, ready to begin a
new year, closer than ever.
Rain.. • cont’d from 1A
cally outmatch her. And Parten fears
for the safety of her younger chil
dren with him living in the house.
Matthew was recently admitted
into Madison House on Booger Hill
Road in Danielsville, where several
mentally challenged adults reside.
Madison House is under the umbrel
la of Advantage Behavioral Health
Services, which serves Madison
County, along with nine other north
east Georgia counties.
"It really hurts me to have to
do this, but I am at a point where
I admit defeat,” Parten said of her
son’s departure. “I have to protect
my other two kids.”
Matthew was able to stay at
Madison House because he received
a Medicaid waiver, Parten said,
meaning that the state agreed to
cover the cost of his stay at the
home.
But such waivers aren’t always
easy to acquire for those with legiti
mate needs. In fact, those in need
can wait for years before anything
happens — if it does at all. Parten
applied for a waiver when Matthew
was 16, and now six years later, it
finally went through.
With frequent long waits the norm,
an organization called "Unlock the
Waiting List” exists in Georgia to
"reduce and eliminate waiting lists
for home and community-based ser
vices for thousands of people with
disabilities and their families.”
Of course, the lack of services
for the severely disabled is tied to
funding. And Advantage has seen
substantial reductions in money over
the past decade, even before the
economic downturn. Funding from
the state has dropped 42 percent
over the past eight years, from a
high of $16.8 million in 2001 to
$9.76 million this year. Cuts in 2009
were particularly severe, with fund
ing falling from $13.35 million to
$9.76 million.
Madison County resident Cindy
Darden is the chief executive officer
for Advantage in Athens. She said
she lies in bed at night thinking
of the shrinking budget numbers,
knowing that the cold figures are
attached to very real faces — the
children, grownups and the elderly
across northeast Georgia who are in
desperate need of help.
‘To be honest with you, I wake
up in the middle of the night with
that kind of anxiety that grabs your
heart and squeezes it,” said Darden.
"It’s just wondering what's going to
happen down the line. I guess one
of things we’re really hoping for is
spending.”
On water, Powell warned that
"Atlanta is more than Fulton
County” — metro-Atlanta is actual
ly part of a 17-county growth area.
He said the Governor’s Water
Advisory Council, which he referred
to recently as a "hand-picked task
force” is looking to change the law
that prohibits inter-basin water trans
fers and has recommended siphon
ing off hundreds of millions of gal
lons of water from Lake Burton and
Lake Hartwell in northeast Georgia
and sending it to the metro area.
"This is philosophically wrong,”
Powell said. "...Natural resources
should not be artificially transferred
to sustain growth in those areas."
"I have a vested interest in
Northeast Georgia and (transfers)
would be damaging beyond expo
nential in the long mn and would
affect us from the mountains to
Savannah.”
Powell pointed out that he and
fellow representative Tom McCall
sponsored a legislative amendment
we’ll have enough information that
we’ll feel really confident that we
know how many days are coming
down.”
The combination of potential
furloughs and holidays the week
of Feb. 15-19 is being billed as
a winter break for teachers and
students.
But it took some rearranging.
Though Feb. 15 is Presidents'
Day, Feb. 16 wasn’t originally a
holiday. So school leaders moved
a Feb. 12 holiday into that slot to
create an entire week off.
Feb. 12 becomes a regular school
that we don’t have to take any more
cuts.”
Darden said Parten’s situation is
really tough for a parent, but not
unusual.
“Another one (family situation)
that is probably more common is
parents who are in their 70s or 80s
who are attempting to deal with
someone who is in their 40s or 50s,”
said Darden. "That may also be a
person who goes out of control and
physically attacks. And you know,
that’s not what we want for our
elderly people to have to deal with."
Darden said the economic down
turn has left many people in crisis
mode. Advantage is not only tasked
with helping those with severe
developmental disabilities, the orga
nization also helps those with mental
illness and addictive diseases.
“For mental illness and addictive
diseases, we’re seeing more peo
ple who are at the crisis level," she
said. "So, when they come in to
us, they’re much further down their
rope, just barely hanging on—more
so now than in years past.”
Advantage oversees a 14-bed
Crisis Stabilization Unit in Athens
to help those with severe mental
and addictive issues. Some of the
patients are detoxing from drug use.
“It can also be individuals who are
suicidal or individuals who are hom
icidal, not just because they have a
character flaw, but because they may
have voices that are telling them to
harm someone," said Darden.
The crisis stabilization facility
treats about 500 to 700 patients a
year from the 10-county northeast
Georgia area. But such services
have dramatically dwindled over the
years.
“At one time we had Charter
Winds private hospital and a psychi
atric ward at Athens Regional and
back then we had a detoxification
unit,” said Darden. "And now all we
have is our 14 beds. Everything else
is closed."
Darden said northeast Georgia has
about 30 patients in state psychiat
ric hospitals at any given time. But
there’s often no room for those who
need such a stay.
Meanwhile, very poor conditions
have been exposed at psychiat
ric hospitals in Georgia. A 2007
investigative series by The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution revealed
“neglect, chronic staff shortages and
other profound problems plaguing
Georgia’s seven state mental hos
pitals and contributing to a lengthy
list of patient injuries, assaults and
eight years ago that made inter
basin transfers illegal. Powell said
the intention of the bill was to per
manently outlaw the practice of tak
ing water front one area of the state
to another.
And Powell said there are many
uncertainties for the legislature in
the coming months - including who
will lead the upcoming session.
"The number one problem in this
state is a lack of leadership," Powell
said. “For the last five years there’s
been a lack of dialogue and debate
in the lawmaking process of this
state."
"We don’t even know who'll be
the speaker at this point - it’s all
a great uncertainty,” Powell con
cluded.
Senator Ralph Hudgens, who is
leaving the state house to mn for
insurance commissioner, said he
had made the decision after receiv
ing "tremendous encouragement"
from constituents and colleagues,
prayer and endorsements.
"I have enjoyed representing
day.
This is similar to the first semes
ter when furloughs were taken dur
ing the week of Thanksgiving to
create a weeklong vacation.
Madison County loses two
instructional days with this amend
ed calendar arrangement - Feb. 17
and Feb. 18. As for Feb. 19, stu
dents will take that day off in place
of a March 12 teacher workday.
Feb. 19 becomes a furlough day
for teachers.
Both teachers and students will
report March 12.
McGhee presented tire school
706-542-9739.
deaths."
For instance, the AJC reported the
death of 14-year-old Sarah Crider,
who received no medical assistance
as she lay in her psychiatric hos
pital bed for hours complaining of
stomach pain. She was found dead
in the morning with an autopsy
later revealing she suffered from an
obstructed colon and a severe bacte
rial infection.
The U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) stepped in to demand that
conditions improve. And as of Jan.
15, Georgia is supposed to be in
“significant” compliance with an
agreement to improve mental care.
“And they aren’t anywhere near
that," said Darden. “Compliance
means they pointed out various dif
ferent issues that had to be dealt with
and corrected and they were looking
at things like staffing, safety issues,
clients dying from things like impac
tion because they weren’t checked
on enough ... No money has gone
towards that yet."
Darden said the DOJ can force the
state to put large amounts of money
into the hospitals.
“And so there certainly is very real
fear among our legislators that we
will be required to put a great deal
of money into the hospitals," said
Darden. “So I think if you see any
money during our current economic
times, there’s where it’s going to go.
The problem is that we don’t want to
have state-of-theart hospitals and not
have anything in the community for
people to turn to.”
Darden said the continued slash
ing of funding for those in need in
Georgia is emotionally taxing on
Advantage staff, who receive small
compensation for their work — a
person with bachelor’s degree begins
with a salary of about $19,000 at
Advantage. Advantage used to serve
under the Georgia Department of
Human Resources, but now is part of
Georgia Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental
Disabilities, a move Darden hopes
will help Advantage keep from
being “lost in the shuffle.” But she’s
not holding out a lot of hope that
funds will increase for Advantage.
"For our staff, everyone is over
worked,” said Darden. “They have
to have a love and a passion for this
or they would not do it under these
circumstances. All of us are anxious
about the welfare of our clients. It
feels like the safety net has big, gap
ing holes now and we don’t have
any more thread to sew them up."
While the house feels strange with
Matthew gone, Parten said she is
thankful her son was accepted into
Madison House. She said he helped
her with some chores while home
for Thanksgiving and she wondered
if she had been too willing at times
to just do things for him, because
it was easier than letting him do it
himself.
"I miss him dearly,” she said.
"We've never been separated. But
he’s doing good."
Parten said she knows there are
plenty of people with similar situ
ations.
"I want the next parents out there
to be able to get the help they need,"
she said.
don't want to sent their money to
solve Atlanta’s problems,” he said.
Hudgens said he is also against
inter-basin water transfers.
The lawmakers also fielded sev
eral questions from the audience,
including one from school superin
tendent Dr. Mitch McGhee about
furlough days.
“We have half a school year left
and we need to know as soon as
possible (about more furloughs)
- how soon will we know some
thing?” he asked.
"I think we’ll move very quickly,”
Hudgens said. “The (session) is not
going to be fun this year. Our only
requirement is to pass the budget
and (I think) we’ll get it done and
get out of Dodge.”
Powell said he thinks leaders will
have pretty good idea front what the
governor’s recommendations are.
"He'll recommend so much
whacked out and (lawmakers) will
follow in lock step,” he said. "I think
we’ll have a pretty good idea within
the first 30 days of the session.”
inclement weather and post plan
ning days for additional furloughs.
“Likely if there's a difference it will
be more (days being cut),” McGhee
said. "So going ahead and setting
this calendar will help us deal with
that a little bit easier also.”
Madison County Schools don’t
use the word "furlough" in any
official documentation or school
board action because McGhee said
legal issues could arise.
“From the beginning, our law
yers have advised us to use tire term
‘amended calendar,"” McGhee
said.
leaks,” McGhee said.
Some schools dealt with
more than 10 leaks at a time
during fall rains, but that has
been significantly reduced,
assistant superintendent
Bonnie Knight said.
Now, schools experiencing
leaks are only seeing about
1-2 after a heavy rain. In some
instances, leaks have turned
out to be insulation leaks, not
roof problems.
The Madison County
School System is bidding out
a roof repair project for Ila
Elementary School.
"So we hope to get some
great competitive bids on that
project,” Knight said.
The BOE could select a
roofer at its January meeting.
Part of the problem is locat
ing the leaks at these school
sites. Knight noted that MCHS
"is the most difficult school to
even find the leaks.”
But the school system is
working with a company that’s
determined a better method
for uncovering leaks and also
patches the area with a differ
ent material, Knight said.
“We’re working on leaks
continuously,” Knight said,
“and have been since the rainy
season started.”
MCHS EXPANSION?
Though school roofs require
the most immediate attention,
renovating the high school
remains the system’s most
prominent long-term facility
issue.
But those plans are on hold
indefinitely due to the cost.
McGhee told the school
board at its meeting last week
that he’s often asked when the
high school will be expanded.
“I tell them, ‘Well, when we
can figure out how to get about
$20 million,”’ McGhee said.
“The economy is hampering
that."
Chamber... cont’d from 1A
Furloughs... cont’d from 1A
Madison County and I hope the
next person who represents it has
it at heart - they better," Hudgens
said.
He acknowledged that the
upcoming legislative session will
be difficult and he criticized mem
bers of his party, saying they are
“not conducting themselves as they
should.”
“Unfortunately (this behavior) is
focusing a negative light on the
General Assembly,” he said.
As for the budget, Hudgens said
he favors zero-based budgeting.
“We should have to justify it all
from the first $1, not just what’s
over-budget,” Hudgens said. “We
should go through the budget with
a fine tooth comb and justify every
dollar we spend.”
Hudgens said transportation is a
“huge issue” and that he is pushing
for regional groups to solve trans
portation problems in their area and
fund those projects with a one-cent
sales tax in those areas.
“Voters in south Georgia counties
board with the proposal last week.
The BOE could approve this
amended calendar at its January
meeting.
“By (the) Jan. 12 (meeting). I'll
feel confident whether I want to
continue on with asking the board
to approve this calendar or pull it
off tire agenda at that time.”
To make up for lost instruction
tune, the school system would
lengthen each school day by 10
minutes.
If tire state cuts more than three
days worth of teacher funding,
Madison County would then use its
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