Hospital Eyes Expanding Air Service
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r1PTUHSBCT"SFB-FHJPODIBNQJPOTIJQr8IJUF WJMMFUFBNUPUBLFPO3BOEPMQI$PVOUZJO8FEOFTEBZT TUBUFUPVSOBNFOUPQFOFSBU(SBOJUF'BMMTr*ONBO TJMFODFT1PTUCBUTBT1PTUSPNQTUPWJDUPSZJO PQFOJOHHBNFPG"SFBTFSJFTr&BTU$PMVNCVT1POZ Sports UBJMTCPXPVUPG8PSME4FSJFT4FFQBHF# ThePublished News since 1890 every Monday and Tursday forReporter the County of Columbus and her people. Monday, July 30, 2012 Whiteville Hospital eyes applies for Volume 122, Number 9 Whiteville, North Carolina next round expanding 75 Cents of SAFER air service grants By JEFFERSON WEAVER Inside Today Staff Writer By JEFFERSON WEAVER 3-A Staff Writer Emergency transport from Columbus Re- r(BUPSTNBZCFDPNF gional could soon get a little faster. MFHBMHBNF While the department hasn’t Hospital spokesperson Terrie Priest con- yet heard about this year’s firmed last week that Columbus Regional grant awards, Whiteville’s Healthcare officials are investigating the pos- fire chief received permission sibility of basing a helicopter at the Whiteville Tuesday to apply for a second hospital, as well as expanding and improving round of federal grants. the helipad. The proposal is in its earliest The SAFER (Staffing for stages, she said. Adequate Fire and Emergency “Right now it is just being discussed,” she Response) grants are award- said. “We don’t have a lot of details.” ed annually in September Erin Balzotti of New Hanover Regional through the U.S. Department Medical Center — where most trauma and of Homeland Security. White- cardiac patients from here are transferred ville applied for a SAFER grant — said the medevac would be available not last year, but won’t know if the just for trauma cases, but also for cardiac and application was approved until stroke patients. September. “New Hanover is excited at this possibility,” Today’s “This application is in the she said. “Many of the details still have to be American Profle event we are not awarded the worked out, but it would improve the response grant by the end of the appli- time for critical cardiac and stroke patients.” features “A Job with cation period,” said Fire Chief New Hanover was a leader in regional David Yergeau. medevac service, and regularly uses its EC 135 a View: Scrubbing Eurocopter to respond to trauma and medi- See SAFER, page 2-A Staff photo by Mark Gilchrist skyscrapers in the cal cases throughout the greater Wilmington metropolitan area. Helicopters can cut trans- Windy City.” Back to cool port time due to traffic congestion from more N.C. Museum of Forestry Director of Operations Charlotte Almada, left, See Helicopter, page 2-A DIDYOB? Hutchens and Director Harry Warren inspect a malfunctioning exhaust fan on the roof of the museum as a crew installs new air conditioning units on the Did you observe ... is interim roof. After months of a shaky HVAC system, the museum is cool again. A surprise birthday County struggles party for Mitchell chamber to overcome low Tyler Friday at Dale’s Contest emerges in Seafood? He is usually director health ranking on the giving end for school board flings By JEFFERSON WEAVER nHealth budget is $6.7 million. his age. He is alleged Staff Writer By NICOLE CARTRETTE seats. to be a “ founding Staff Writer Two incumbents on the Colum- By NICOLE CARTRETTE Kim Hutchens is no strang- bus County Board of Education have Staff Writer member” of AARP. ... er to chamber of commerce Two candidates have filed to run no challengers to date. Incumbent Irate motorists travel- work—and he is all business for the Whiteville City Schools board Norris Ebron has filed for re-election Columbus County remains the least healthy about promoting local busi- seat for District 3 that remained to his District 1 seat and Junior county in the state, according to a study re- ing east or west on nesses. vacant of any filers until late this Dew has filed for re-election to his leased by the University of Wisconsin this Washington Street Hutchens was appointed week. District 5 seat. year. interim director of the Greater Roger Arnold Harwood and Kan- Filings for those county school Columbus County Health Director Kim waiting for a green Whiteville Chamber of Com- dle McKeel Rogers have both filed board seats ends today (Monday July Smith shared a number of statistics with the light at the intersec- merce last week. The Wacca- to run for the seat currently held by 30) at noon. The filing fee for both Board of Commissioners recently that shed maw Bank veteran served with Larry Hewett. school boards is $61. a little more light on why the county is stuck tion of Powell Bou- the Caldwell County chamber, As of 2:30 p.m. Friday, Hewett had In other elections-related mat- there. levard? In an efort and has been an active part not filed to seek re-election. ters: two have filed for one seat on the The county’s worst rankings came in the of the Whiteville chamber Greg Merritt has filed for re- county Soil and Water Conservation number of deaths per capita. All deaths (based to facilitate heavier since moving here in 2005. He election to his District 4 city school Board of Supervisors. on all causes) put the county in 98th position. beach trafc, the DOT most recently was senior vice board seat but had no challengers as Harold Dean Register of White- Only two counties have a higher death rate. ville and Frank Galloway of Lake made the north-south president in charge of human of late last week. The county ranks 96 in heart disease, 91 in resources with Waccamaw Aug. 13 is the deadline to file for Waccamaw are vying for that seat. cerebrovascular disease, 85 in unintentional Filing for that board has closed. green lights longer. ... See Chamber, page 2-A the Whiteville City Schools board See Health, page 2-A County Deaths Spaulding was gunner on Vietnam medevac helicopter Whiteville James B. “J.B.” Davis nClarkton man was bodyguard for Ray- Shot down mond Burr in 1964. He said medevac helicopter he was in as a part Frances Sellers Clifon of the crew got shot down twice, once by mortar fire Hallsboro By BOB HIGH when the co-pilot was injured, and the second time by Mary P. Godwin Staff Writer hundreds of bullets from small arms on the ground. Edwin Imm Jr. He said because of what he saw in the news me- Leon Curtis Spaulding, 72, a resident of the Elk- dia and on the West Coast when he returned from Chadbourn ton community in southern Bladen County, spent Vietnam, he tried to keep his service time secret. Faye McCoy Dees the early months of his time in South This added to his emotional stress, Bessie McCoy Ellis Vietnam in 1962 as a machine gunner in and the effects of Agent Orange Houston Lee Strickland B Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Infantry of that have started to cause health Lake Waccamaw the 27th Infantry Division, known as the problems. Wolfhounds. Wouldn’t go Amelia Blanks Campbell Spaulding, however, was in for more Spaulding said he wouldn’t go “exciting” times, according to his story, back to a place like Vietnam if they because he moved to a medevac helicopter fought the war the way the politi- Index unit and served as a machine gunner in the open door cians handled it in the 1960s. of a Huey chopper. He declared young males should enter the armed &EJUPSJBMT" Spaulding said during one flight to get wounded services now, because “it helps them grow up. I 0CJUVBSJFT" and dead soldiers out of the field, he leaned forward tell kids to go in for three years, and if they like it David Long at the right time, and an enemy bullet hit the seat he make it a career. If they don’t, then get out. 4QPSUT# was sitting in. “I was recently telling a couple of young boys $SJNF" “If I hadn’t leaned forward, the bullet would have -JGFTUZMFT" hit me in the chest,” he noted. See Spaulding, page 9-A Leon Spaulding on patrol in Vietnam. 2-A – The News Reporter, Monday, July 30, 2012 This week, on... Health Continued from page 1-A injuries, 83 in all cancer types The health department pro- combined, and 82 in motor vided almost 50,000 services vehicle deaths, among others. to adults and children in the Smith reported than 66 out county in 2011, Smith said. of 100 residents in the county Services included adult July 30, 2012 are considered overweight or health, child health, dental obese. health, family planning, im- Whiteville.com Poverty continues to affect munizations, maternal health, many children in the county. primary care, sexually trans- Biser Ball More than 40 percent are mitted diseases and TB ser- Sports Trivia living in poverty, Smith said. vices. Question #150: Former County Manager Bill Clark Of those, 19,405 were fund- Whiteville High School said he had never seen the to- ed or paid for by Medicaid but q u a r t e r b a c k H e a t h tal reported “that high.” the majority (27,955) were non- Hewett followed up a One category where the Medicaid clients. sensational prep football county ranks low, is one where Total health department career by signing in 1987 a higher number is better, revenue was about $5.7 mil- to play for Clemson. He Smith said. The county is lion. Total home health rev- later transferred and be- ranked 11th in HIV cases. First enue was just less than $3.3 came the starting QB at is the worst position to hold. million. what college? “We are right behind Wake Of the departments, $6.7 Answer: Find the answer today, at in HIV,” Smith said.