SMOKY MOUNTAIN TIMES Volume 131, No. 35 Bryson City, NC 28713 Thursday, April 2, 2015 www.thesmokymountaintimes.com $1 In-home aide program stuck between rock, hard place By Jessica Webb Another factor is that, many ers during a work session meet- $13.88 per hour since 2012. The county has also had a workers in the program that [email protected] of the people employed in the ing Thursday, March 26. “The program has strug- decline in the number of people cared for 55 clients. program say their options By the end of the 2014- gled for several years,” Lewis it employs and cares for in the Very few counties in North The future of Swain Coun- would be limited and their re- 2015 fiscal year, Lewis said said. “I’m assuming that in the program. According to infor- Carolina still run in-home aide ty’s In Home Aide Services tirement would be devastated the program will close with a past, other programs have had mation submitted by the health programs, she added. Accord- is on shaky ground. Swain if they lost their jobs now. $147,000 deficit. to take up that expense or the department, there are currently ing to the health department, County commissioners are Misty Lewis, finance officer While costs have risen for county has had to increase 16 full-time employees and there are four other agencies faced with the tough challenge with Swain County Health De- the program, the Medicaid its allocation to cover those three part-time, who care for that offer in-home aide services of what to do about the pro- partment, presented the facts reimbursement rate has not. expenses.” a total of 14 clients. This is a in Swain County. gram that is experiencing ris- about the county’s in-home In 2011, the reimbursement Lewis estimates that with in- drop compared to prior years. According to Swain County ing deficits each year, but also aide program that has contin- rate dropped from $14.16 an flation for costs such as salary In 2008, the program em- Manager Kevin King, the drop offers an important service to ued to run a deficit to the Swain hour to $13.80 and hour. The and benefits, the deficit will ployed 30 people and had 34 area residents. County Board of Commission- rate has remained stagnant at grow in coming years. clients. In 2003, there were 38 See Aide, page 7A Man charged in animal abuse case By Jessica Webb [email protected] Swain County Sheriff's Of- fice charged Stevie Thacker on Friday, March 27 with several counts of animal abuse. The charges followed an in- vestigation into a case where six dogs were discovered chained up and left without food or water. Stevie Thacker Five of those dogs had already According to P.A.W.S. Exec- died when the Sheriff's Office utive Director Beth Cline, the found out about the situation and mixed breed dog is doing well. went to the property on Robin- "She is doing good," Cline son Gap Road on Wednesday, said. "She has gained the ap- Feb. 25. propriate weight. She is almost One dog actually survived the at the health stat where she will cold temperatures and harsh con- be up for adoption." ditions. She was taken into care The nonprofit animal agency by P.A.W.S. in Bryson City and has already received applicants named Liberty. for Liberty's adoption. Thacker has been charged with "She's the sweetest dog," eight misdemeanor cruelty to an- Cline said. "For what she's been imals charges under N.C. Gen- through... She gets along with ev- eral Statute 14-360. erybody and all the other dogs. The necropsy (animal autopsy) She's a wonderful all around reports showed that the dogs died dog." of starvation, according to Swain As of Tuesday, the SCSO was County Sheriff's Office. still in search of Thacker. In addition to the dogs, two If you have any information, chickens were found on the prop- call the Swain County Sheriff’s erty that were caged and also left Office at 488-0159 or the dis- with no food or water. patch center at 488-2196. Liberty is still with P.A.W.S. Photos by Ashleey Butcher/SMT Swain Hospital now Rec Park Easter egg hunt a ball called Swain Community Swain County Rec Park hosted photos with the Easter Bunny and an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, March 28. Clockwise from Swain County Hospital and Point hospitals and provide an bottom left, Kazandra Cooper, 4, finds Easter eggs, Elle Driver, 5 also gets lots of eggs and Eden Piercy, 7, gets to sit with Harris Regional Hospital an- opportunity to share our vision the Easter Bunny after she won the golden egg. She's holding the Easter basket prize. nounced Tuesday that the hos- for the future. In partnership pitals’ identities will change. with Duke LifePoint, we have They are now Swain Commu- exciting plans to strengthen Swain students to participate in Special Olympics nity Hospital, a Duke LifePoint local healthcare delivery for Hospital, and Harris Regional the future and make our com- By Angela McCall The opening ceremony and the the Special Olympics were re- “The school is really, re- Hospital, a Duke LifePoint munities healthier.” [email protected] athletic events will take place quired to get parent consent be- ally excited that the children Hospital. Duke LifePoint has com- on the track. Swain County stu- fore participating in the regis- are going to be able to partic- Swain Community Hospital mitted to investing $43 mil- For the first time in almost dents will be competing against tration or physical processes, ipate,” Wright said. has been caring for people in lion in capital improvements two decades, according to Ex- students from Graham, Cher- Holt said. Dr. Randall Castor, owner of Bryson City and the surround- at Harris Regional and Swain ceptional Children’s Teacher, okee and Macon counties, ac- “My hope is that more peo- Urgent Care in Swain County, ing areas since 1950. Their new Community Hospitals over the Kim Holt, students from Swain cording to Holt. ple will participate next year!” conducted physicals for the names honor the hospitals’ leg- next eight years. These invest- County schools are being given During the opening cere- said Clinic Administrator at students at no charge. The acies in the region and high- ments should enhance services the opportunity to participate mony, participants will pa- Swain County Urgent Care, physicals tested the students' light their connection to Duke and help the hospitals grow. in the Western Region’s Spe- rade around the track and re- Tessa Wright. oxygen levels, blood pressure LifePoint Healthcare, which ac- Since joining Duke LifePoint cial Olympics. peat the Special Olympic Oath, According to Holt, students and vision screening. Each par- quired both facilities in August in August, investments have “We’re excited,” Holt said. according to Holt. from West Elementary, East El- ticipant’s heart was tested as 2014. already been made involving “It’s such a great opportunity “It’s really moving,” Holt ementary, Swain County Mid- well to make sure there were Harris Regional Hospital has new equipment, technology and for the kids to do this.” said. dle School as well as Swain no heart defects, murmurs or been a fixture in Sylva and sur- support to improve patient care Holt teaches in the Self-Con- Holt said the Special Olym- County High School took ad- underlying conditions present rounding communities since and enable the expansion of tained Classroom with students pics will consist of Track & vantage of this opportunity. that could prohibit the student 1925. services. This has included new with moderate to severe dis- Field events including: walk- The youngest registered stu- from participate, said Wright. The name changes were ultrasound machines, new com- abilities, which is the only Ex- ing, running, long jump, throw- dent is eight years old and the “It like made our day,” said made official on April 1. puters and laptops, new floor- ceptional Children’s class from ing a softball, wheelchair races oldest is 20. Wright. “In the end, it felt like “I am excited to officially ing in operating rooms, new ar- Swain County High School and assisted races. “It worked great,” Holt said. it was more for us.” unveil our new brands and throscopic equipment for sports that will be participating in “It doesn’t matter what your Registration and physicals Wright said that any student share our exciting plans for medicine and orthopedic pro- the Special Olympics. disability is, they’ll make it were held at Swain County who was not able to register growth with the communities cedures, support for physician The Special Olympics will work,” Holt said. High School. Transportation and get a physical on March we serve,” said Bunny Johns, recruitment and strategic plan- be held on May 1 at Hayesville Nearly 40 students from was provided via bus from 18 is encouraged to do so any- Chair of the Harris Regional ning and marketing. High School. The opening cer- Swain County Schools regis- West Elementary, East Elemen- time at Urgent Care at no cost. and Swain Community Board In the coming months, Harris emony is scheduled to begin tered for the Special Olympics tary and the middle school to Wright said that Swain of Trustees. “Our new names at 9:30 a.m., and the athletic on Wednesday, March 18. Stu- the high school, according to distinguish us as Duke Life- See Hospital, page 7A events will follow immediately.