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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2011 DVDs teach students about dangers of meth (Jackson Sun) State officials recently kicked off a meth awareness campaign and have distributed an educational DVD to public middle and high schools across the state through an ongoing partnership between the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference and the Tennessee Department of Education, according to a news release. The initiative is an extension of the Meth Destroys campaign and follows a successful effort by the district attorneys earlier this year to pass legislation increasing penalties for producing meth in the presence of a child. The legislature also created a statewide electronic system for tracking the purchase of pseudoephedrine, meth's main ingredient, the release said…. "While meth production continues to evolve, our law enforcement community is changing with the problem,"Gov. Bill Haslam said in the release. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20111121/NEWS01/111210309/DVDs-teach-students-about-dangers-meth TN hopes charters' success can be converted to underperforming (CA/Roberts) Time is of such essence at Cornerstone Prep, one of two Memphis nonprofit organizations approved to turn city schools into charter schools, that first-grade teacher Ali Hill wears a stopwatch to count seconds in the most mundane times. "Let's see if you can turn these spelling tests in 20 seconds," says Hill, a 20-something drill sergeant in Oxford blouse and pencil skirt, punching down the stem on the stopwatch. Papers immediately begin flowing forward. "Wow, Prepsters, you did it in 15 seconds; 20 minus five is 15," Hill sings out, her quick thinking turning dead time into brain time in a cheery classroom at Christ United Methodist Church on Poplar near Oak Court Mall. In half a second, she's on to the next task, calling out commands and praises to a class moving at Zumba speed. With its results and the backing of a wealthy philanthropist, upstart Cornerstone Prep will go from 65 students to 150 next year, putting it in line for up to $1 million in federal funds for being a nonprofit willing to take over failing public schools in the Achievement School District. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/21/turnaround-strategy/ After trying to remove protesters, Haslam seeks middle ground (CP/Woods) In cities across the country, police are rousting Occupy Wall Street encampments. But Gov. Bill Haslam appears to have all but surrendered — at least for now — to Nashville’s version of the nationwide protest against corporate greed and wealth inequality. Last week, at the governor’s request, prosecutors dropped trespassing citations against 49 protesters who were arrested last month in Haslam’s failed attempt to clear Legislative Plaza. Also, the state agreed to an extension of federal Judge Aleta Trauger’s order barring new arrests. In legal parlance, the temporary restraining order became a preliminary injunction — the next step toward a trial of Occupy Nashville’s lawsuit alleging free-speech violations. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey wants to oust the protesters. (“I think they ought to be removed. I do,” he told reporters flatly.) State Republican Party chairman Chris Devaney castigates the occupiers as a gang of filthy slackers, and legislative aides and others who work at the plaza raise a seemingly never-ending litany of complaints of unsightly and unsanitary conditions. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/after-trying-remove-occupy-nashville-protesters-force-haslam- seeks-middle-ground Lakeshore land subject of state, city negotiations (Knoxville News- Sentinel/Balloch) Over the years, the city of Knoxville has acquired, mostly by gift, trade or lease, ownership or control of about 112 acres — more than half — of the land that Lakeshore Mental Health Institute has called home since its beginning more than a century ago. The future of the remaining state-owned portion and the city's chances of being given any of it are unclear, following last week's announcement that the Tennessee Department of Mental Health plans to close Lakeshore. It is not the first time that the very land on which Lakeshore sits has been under a cloud of uncertainty or controversy. In 1874, the state chose the site over 40 others as location for a future "hospital for the insane" and paid $19,500 for it. At the time, the state's only mental-health facility was a hospital in Nashville. State officials wanted one each in East Tennessee and West Tennessee. The Nashville Banner described the site chosen for the East Tennessee facility as "one of the loveliest, most romantic (and) grandest spots to be found anywhere."http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/21/lakeshore-land-subject-of-state-city/ Mental health commissioner defends plan to close Lakeshore (Times-News) On page 10 of his recent budget presentation to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Doug Varney spelled out his intentions in big black letters: “Phase 2: System Transformation.” Varney, a former mental health services insider, is after major change moving toward his second year as the state’s mental health commissioner. He is recommending closing Knoxville-based Lakeshore Mental Health Institute in mid-2012 and redistributing its budget dollars to community mental health services providers, including Woodridge Hospital in Johnson City. Varney, former president and CEO of Gray-based Frontier Health, is defending the recommendation based on more than 30 years’ experience as a mental health professional. “This is a long-held belief of mine,” Varney began during a phone interview. “Research has proven this, that people really do better, even if they have to go through an inpatient stay, if they do it in a psychiatric hospital that is part of a community program as opposed to handcuffing them, putting them in the back of a police cruiser, and hauling them to Knoxville. ... We know we can care for these people in the community. We’ve proven we can do it. It’s time to shift the resources.” http://www.timesnews.net/article/9038569/mental-health-commissioner-defends-plan-to-close-lakeshore TennCare fears loss of federal fees (Tennessean/Wilemon) The funding mechanism that rescued TennCare is in the deficit reduction crosshairs, creating a billion-dollar worry for Tennessee hospitals that could turn into real health-care woes for the state’s poorest residents. “I just can’t imagine that the state of Tennessee or the federal government would want to see the health-care safety net eviscerated,” said Dr. Jeff Balser, the dean of the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the patients it serves are particularly vulnerable as the 12-member congressional supercommittee considers lowering the cap for matching Medicaid provider fees. Vanderbilt serves more TennCare patients than any other hospital in the state. They comprise 22 percent of Vanderbilt’s patient mix. The percentage is even higher for many rural hospitals. Tennessee hospitals came up with the idea of using provider fees to keep the state from losing federal matching money when the legislature slashed TennCare’s budget. Hospitals replaced the state money last year and this year by agreeing to pay an “enhanced coverage fee.” That fee will generate about $450 million and leverage just over $707 million in federal funding — adding up to more than $1 billion for TennCare. But now Congress may decrease or stop its matching money for the provider fees. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111121/NEWS07/311210031/TennCare-fears-loss-federal-fees? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE TEMA funds slow to arrive (Associated Press) The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency knows about a state audit that shows public disaster recovery money is getting paid slowly but a spokesman said there are three public assistance employees and the agency is working as fast as it can. The performance audit by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office said TEMA takes an average of three months, sometimes longer, to repay local costs for cleanup and repair of public property after a disaster. “Delaying passing through of funds to county and local governments and certain nonprofit organizations can delay cleanup and recovery work, which can elevate costs and increase problems,” the audit said. A hardship TEMA spokesman Jeremy Heidt told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the agency knows there’s a hardship on local communities. With a budget of $12.4 million this year, TEMA works under the state’s Military Department to coordinate disaster readiness and response. It distributes grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and others to aid disaster response and prevention. Heidt said, “some of that is out of our control,” referring to the audit’s criticism of delay in the office of contracts review and the Department of Military. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111121/NEWS21/311210036/TEMA-funds-slow-arrive?odyssey=tab| topnews|text|News TBI ‘Pretty Close’ To Wrapping Up Probe Into Shipley, Ford (TN Report) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is almost finished with its investigation into two state representatives accused of misconduct in a case involving three disciplined nurses, according to a spokeswoman for the law enforcement agency. Once the investigation is completed, it will be turned over to District Attorney Torry 2 Johnson, who earlier this year requested the TBI look into the dealings of Reps. Tony Shipley and Dale Ford and the Department of Health. “We’re pretty close to finishing up and giving the entire case file to him to review,” TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm told TNReport this week. She said the investigation is open. Johnson asked the TBI to investigate whether the two East Tennessee lawmakers used political influence to improperly pressure the board into reinstating the licenses of three nurse practitioners. The nurse practitioners had been accused of over- prescribing medications contributing to the death of patients at the now-defunct Appalachian Medical Center in Johnson City.