|
By Joel Frady
The Ashe County Health Council presented a virtual State of
the Union for health issues in the county when
 |
they hosted the 2009 State of Health and Quality of Life Community
Forum on Thursday, Feb. 19 at Ashe Services for Aging in West
Jefferson. More than 70 people attended the forum, representing
more than a dozen community groups from the county.
"I think it went very well," said Nancy Kautz, chairperson
of A Healthy Carolinians Task Force. She noted that the event
"hit all the different aspects of health in Ashe County.
"The main thing is that we have a good combination of agencies,
organizations and informal community leaders" that are
helping to get the information to the public, and that events
like the forum are "how the connections get made in our
community. That's what this is all about."
Pat Mitchell, director of economic development for Ashe County,
opened the discussion with a run-down of the county's economic
environment. She noted that more than 600 jobs have been lost
in the last three years, but that the outlook "is very
good, very positive" even if there are "rocky roads"
at the moment. She added that the ecomonic cycle is "a
little bit steeper" than usual, however, and will require
"a little bit higher" of a climb to return to prosperity.
Mitchell said that one focus should be upgrading the skills
of current workers, noting that "technology and the economy
are going to be in continual change." She said the county
has several strengths to focus on, such as leadership, a school
system and strong work force.
Joe Thore, chief operating officer of Ashe Memorial Hospital,
said that the hospital greatly benefitted from changing their
status to that of a critical access hospital in September of
2007. Before that change, the non-profit hospital had been hit
with losses of $2 million in 2006 and $1.3 million in 2007,
and Thore said they "were on the brink of something drastic."
But the change in status allowed them to receive cost-based
reimbursement for Medicare, and the hospital has moved back
into a positive position. Still, Thore said that it would take
"years to recoup" to their 2004 status.
"We feel like we are in a good position to take advantage
of being a critical access hospital," he added, noting
that the hospital has 270 employees and a $14 million payroll.
Tom Randolph of Mount Jefferson State Park spoke of the "benefits
of nature" but noted that he sees license plates from across
the nation but not many from Ashe County. He also spoke on the
health of the environment, suggesting recycling, land protection
and air quality as areas to focus on.
David Blackburn of the Ashe Ministerial Association said that
they have seen an increase in the number of people needing help.
The organization's 65 volunteers, who help residents in need
with food or heating assistance, have seen a 20 percent increase
in their workload.
Kautz and MaryBea Kolbe of Eat Smart Move More NC focused on
ways to promote healthy lifestyle habits. Kautz presented statistics
illustrating local health indicators, such as mortality and
smoking rates, that can be viewed on the internet at www.healthyashe.org.
Getting children exercising and eating properly was a priority
Kautz mentioned, warning that "if children continue with
lack of activity and obesity, they will not live as long as
we will."
Callie Grubb of Ashe County High School introduced a student
presentation and survey results indicating the amount of fruits/vegetables
and sodas that high school students consume. They suggested
that students may benefit if the schools offered more fruits
and vegetables and juices instead of soda.
Steve Rochkind of the Smoky Mountain Center spoke briefly about
the state of mental health in Ashe County, saying that the biggest
problem is the stigma attached to seeking help for mental health
issues.
"People don't want to seek help because they don't want
to be seen as having a mental health problem," he said.
Jane Banks, executive director of Ashe Services for Aging, said
that the housing situation in Ashe County does not provide enough
affordable housing and that home repairs, especially for seniors,
are in high demand. Seniors are the largest group of homeowners,
she said, and many of their homes are in "disrepair."
Teri VanDyke then spoke about Indoor Air Quality, suggesting
that non-smoking sections in restaurants might not be enough
to assure quality air in a smoking facility. She said that while
non-smoking restaurants had generally clean air, restaurants
that were entirely smoking or those with a smoking section both
failed to meet EPA recommendations for air quality.
Donna Weaver, administrator of Ashe County Department of Social
Services, said that they serve the "working poor"
who are losing their job, but that DSS is also fighting "the
bad stigma with looking to Social Services." Still, they
have seen a spike in Medicaid applications (they received 100
in the first 10 days of 2009) as well as an increase in requests
for food stamps.
She noted that it could be attributed to "the domino effect
that job losses have on a community."
Carolyn Shepherd of the N.C. Extension office spoke about the
state of the environment. She said the county is still recovering
from the droughts of recent years, which have been bad for beef
and vegetable farmers. She noted that 2,500 acres of nursery
plants in Ashe County are currently not selling, and that more
local residents need to promote the idea of being a "locavore."
Kautz said that the purpose of the day was to "talk to
people and ask, 'What do you think is important to do? Do you
think we can do it? How can we do it?' and 'Can you help?"
Anyone interested in finding out more can call Ashe Healthy
Carolinians at (336) 846-0781, or any of the organizations mentioned
in this article.
|
Get Firefox