Volume 31, Number 2, May 2007 B Section

32 Pages·2009·2.03 MB·English

THE
B
Mountain Empire News
First Lady of Virginia Hosts Luncheon
for Children’s Advocacy Center
The First Lady of Virginia,
Anne Holton, was the spe-
cial guest of honor at a
recent fundraising event to
benefit the Southwest
Virginia Children’s
Advocacy Center (CAC).
The special brunch was
held at the John Fox Jr.
House in Big Stone Gap,
Virginia on March 26, 2007.
A capacity crowd joined the
First Lady and other special
guests from Richmond in The First Lady of Virginia, Anne Holton and other special guests were able to visit
the local fundraising event the Southwest Virginia Children’s Advocacy Center recently prior to the fundraising
that will assist in meeting event held at the John Fox Jr. House. Pictured are (left to right) Carolyn Hubbard,
the needs of the CAC. The CAC Clinical Director; Janie Dockery, MEOC Director of Children’s Services;
Southwest Virginia Anthony Conyers, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Social Services; First
Children’s Advocacy Center Lady of Virginia, Anne Holton; Lelia Hopper, Director, Court Improvement Program,
is located at Mountain Supreme Court of Virginia; Marilyn Maxwell, MEOC Executive Director and Julie
Empire Older Citizens Christopher, Commissioner, Virginia Department for the Aging.
(MEOC) office complex in
Big Stone Gap. The center
provides services to child First Lady, Anne Holton (left)
victims of sexual abuse and Gigi Pippin take a moment
and/or severe physical from the busy day to pose for a
abuse and their non-offend- picture following the brunch. Ms.
ing caregivers. The CAC Pippin serves as fund-raising
has been providing services chair for the Southwest Virginia
to children and their families Children’s Advocacy Center.
since 2002. Last year the
center obtained national
accreditation through the
See More Photos
stringent review process by
the National Children’s on Pages 2B & 3B
See CENTER, on page 4B
Page 2B MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS
Pictured during the brunch are (left to right) Julie Christopher,
Commissioner Virginia Department for the Aging; Marilyn Charmin McDavid of the Wellmont and
Maxwell, MEOC Executive Director and Senator William Lonesome Pine Hospital Foundation pres-
Wampler, Virginia General Assembly, Senate. ents $12,000 to MEOC Executive Director
Marilyn Maxwell to benefit the Southwest
Virginia Children’s Advocacy Center.
Before leaving the John
Fox Jr. House for the day,
several of those in atten-
dance pose for a quick
picture. Pictured (left to
right) are Marilyn
Maxwell, Julie
Christopher, Janie
Dockery, Anthony
Conyers, Anne Holton
and Carolyn Hubbard.
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS Page 3B
Gathering on the porch outside the John Fox Jr. House,
Gigi Pippin, CAC Fundraising Committee and Delegate
Terry Kilgore, Virginia General Assembly, stop to talk
MEOC Executive Director Marilyn Maxwell recog-
with a group attending the brunch.
nizes Donnie Ratliff for a donation of $2,000 from
Alpha Natural Resources.
Prior to the start of the fundraising brunch held at William Wampler; Pat Stallard, MEOC Board of
the John Fox Jr. House, attendees (from left) Senator Directors; Debbie Petrine and Cindy Tankersley chat.
Page 4B MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS
Physical Activity and Older Adults
What do you think? Is of the best things you can do better resistance to colds. It ing, walking the dog, or
slowing down and poor for your health. Physical also eases tension and dancing. It is up to you to
health a normal part of aging activity can reduce your risk reduces stress. If you are decide what will keep you
or, are they the result of of heart disease, adult-onset thinking about becoming coming back for more.
inactivity, disease and poor diabetes, arthritis, hyperten- more physically active, con- Think beyond
nutrition? While there is little sion, certain cancers and sider the following ideas: endurance – Endurance or
truth in both statements, osteoporosis. It contributes Make it fun – Focus on “I aerobic activities increase
health problems can often to increased bone strength, want to do” rather than on “I your breathing and heart
be helped and even decreased blood pressure, should do.” You are most rate. They help to improve
reversed, by making behav- better sleep, increased likely to remain physically the health of your heart,
ior changes. Becoming “good” cholesterol, active if you start with activi- lungs and circulatory sys-
more physically active is one increased metabolism and ties that you enjoy – garden- See ACTIVITY, on page 29B
Southwest Virginia Children’s Advocacy Center and see
n Center
the interview, observation and treatment rooms first-
hand. The tour was lead by Marilyn Maxwell, MEOC
continued from page 1B
Executive Director with assistance from Janie Dockery,
Alliance. MEOC Director of Children’s Services. This offered an
MEOC Executive Director Marilyn Maxwell welcomed opportunity for the group to ask questions and offer com-
everyone in attendance and following a delicious brunch ments about the CAC. Accompanying the First Lady from
prepared by the volunteers at the Fox House, First Lady Richmond were: Michael Evans, Special Assistant to the
Anne Holton addressed those assembled. As a former First Lady, Children and Family Initiatives; Anthony
juvenile court judge, the First Lady spoke of her work with Conyers, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Social
families experiencing abuse and neglect, and relayed her Services; Lynette Isbell, Acting Director, Division of
support for Children’s Advocacy Centers and the impor- Family Services, Virginia Department of Social Services;
tant services that they provide. She also spoke about vis- Kim McGaughey, Executive Director, Office of
iting Big Stone Gap again and how it brought back fond Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Youth and Families
memories of when she visited her grandparents when she and Lelia Hopper, Director, Court Improvement Program,
was a child. The crowd was moved by her encouraging Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of
words and gave her a standing ovation. The First Lady is Virginia. Also in attendance, was Julie Christopher,
very involved in working to improve outcomes for older Commissioner of The Virginia Department for the Aging,
children in the foster care system and many faithful supporters of the CAC. This is the third
The fundraising event at Fox House also coincided with fundraiser for the CAC hosted by a First Lady of Virginia.
the First Lady’s “For Keeps” listening tour in Bristol. The The CAC staff members would like to say a special
“For Keeps” initiative is a series of meetings being held thanks to Gigi Pippin, chair of the Special
throughout the state to address the needs of older chil- Events/Fundraising Committee, for organizing the non-
dren in Virginia’s foster care system. The “For Keeps” ini- partisan events and to Anne Holton for making the event
tiative is grounded in the belief that everyone deserves a huge success. Also a special thanks to all those who
and needs permanent family connections to be success- donated their time and money to attend the brunch.
ful. It is focused on improving outcomes for older (11 Because of the support of the community, the CAC was able
years old and up) children in foster care. to raise approximately $34,000. This money will assist with
The First Lady brought a team of child welfare leaders new forensic interview equipment and supplies, match dollars
for federal and state grants, community education and training
from across the state to assist with the work of the “For
expense for multidisciplinary team members and CAC staff.
Keeps” initiative. The group was able to tour the
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS Page 5B
W E L L M O N T H E A L T H S Y S T E M
We bring you the best medical
care in Southwest Virginia.
And so much more.
At Lonesome Pine Hospital, we deliver expert health care with a personal touch close to home.
It’s what you’ve come to expect from our experienced physicians and compassionate caregivers.
And when you choose Lonesome Pine, you’re choosing more than a community hospital. Because Lonesome Pine is part of the Wellmont
Health System, you have access to all the vast medical resources of the largest healthcare system in the Tri-State region.
• Two tertiary medical centers staffed by medical specialists and subspecialists utilizing the latest medical technologies
• The region’s only CyberKnife for the treatment of cancer
• AA LLeevveell IIIIII nneeoonnaattaall iinntteennssiivvee ccaarree uunniitt
• A Top 100 heart hospital
• Two dedicated trauma centers
• Regional Cancer Network, Regional Heartcare Network and
Appalachian Regional Stroke Center Network
Lonesome Pine Hospital. Your community hospital. And so much more.
Holston Valley Medical Center • Bristol Regional Medical Center
Takoma Regional Hospital • Lonesome Pine Hospital • Hawkins County Memorial Hospital • Hancock County Hospital
To speak to a registered nurse, call the
Wellmont Nurse Connection. 1-877-230-NURSE.
Pictured: Dr. Mark Russ, Hettie McCoo and Dr. Radislov Nicholas
Page 6B MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS
Staff of the Southwest Virginia
Children’s Advocacy Center,
which is located at Mountain
Empire Older Citizens, was so
pleased to receive a donation in
the amount of $12,000 from the
Wellmont and Lonesome Pine
Hospital Foundation recently.
Pictured (left to right) following
the presentation are MEOC
Executive Director Marilyn Pace
Maxwell; Robert Polahar,
Wellmont Lonesome Pine
Hospital Administrator; Carolyn
Hubbard, Clinical Director of the
Children’s Advocacy Center;
Ben Allen and Winky Witt,
Lonesome Pine Hospital Board
of Directors.
Wellmont and Lonesome Pine Hospital Foundations Award
Funding to Southwest Virginia Children’s Advocacy Center
The Wellmont and Lonesome Pine Hospital Foundations provided vital funding to programs for the elderly at
recently awarded $12,000 to The Southwest Virginia Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Inc for many years and
Children’s Advocacy Center in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, a have recently begun to support the Children’s Services
fifty-agency partnership of Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Department at Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Inc. as
Inc., to support its mission to provide a continuum of serv- well, continued Maxwell. Past funding from the Wellmont
ices to prevent, intervene and treat victims of child abuse. and Lonesome Pine Hospital Foundations to Children’s
This financial donation provides the Children’s Advocacy Advocacy Center supported renovations at the Children’s
Center with critical funding needed to provide match dollars Advocacy Center for additional treatment space for teen
for state and federal funding. This $12,000 award, in addi- victims of sexual abuse. The center was originally
tion to other local fundraising efforts, will result in approxi- designed to serve younger children. The Foundations fund-
mately $120,000 in funding from state and federal grants. ing helped to expand the center to include space that is
“This is a tremendous boost to our local fund-raising more age appropriate for teenagers, noted Hubbard.
efforts. This contribution allows us to continue and expand Janie Dockery, Director of Children’s Services, added
the important work of our Children’s Advocacy Center in that community support is a necessity if a Children’s
Lee, Wise, Scott Counties and Norton,” said Marilyn Pace Advocacy Center is to survive. “Without the generous sup-
Maxwell, Executive Director of Mountain Empire Older port of Wellmont and Lonesome Pine Hospital, our efforts
Citizens, Inc. Carolyn Hubbard, LCSW, Clinical Director of would be diminished. With this support, we remain opti-
the Children’s Advocacy Center, added “We project to mistic that our nationally accredited Children’s Advocacy
serve over 200 children and their families this year and Center will continue to meet the needs of child abuse vic-
could not respond as effectively and comprehensively to tims in southwest Virginia,” she concluded.
this large number without the extraordinary support of For more information about the Southwest Virginia
Wellmont and Lonesome Pine Hospital Foundations.” Children’s Advocacy Center, contact Janie Dockery at
The Wellmont and Lonesome Pine Foundations have Mountain Empire Older Citizens at 276-523-4202.
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS Page 7B
- MEOC Children’s Services News -
Parent Education Workshop Held
Deborah Smith, MEOC Children’s Services Community
Educator, facilitated a Healthy Families Parent Workshop on
March 7. The parents completed training on Practical
Discipline, learning techniques to help their children achieve
self- confidence, self-control and self-direction. Discipline tech-
niques discussed were role modeling, attention-ignore, charts
and rewards, setting limits, consequences, time-out and posi-
tive praise. Parents also completed a craft project using cre-
ative materials to cover their discipline manuals. Childcare dur-
ing the group workshop was provided by Healthy Families staff
members. After the workshop, parents, children, and staff
enjoyed lunch together.
(Left) Phyllis Buchanan, Healthy Families Family
Resource Specialist/Family Support Worker rocks Emily
during the parent workshop.
Healthy
Families
Family
Support
Worker
Maggie
Christian
and
Shaileigh
spend time
during the
parent
workshop.
Children’s Advocacy Center Case Manager
Jennifer Davis and Savannah pose for the camera
before the Healthy Families parent workshop.
Page 8B MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS
Lions Club Donates To Children’s Advocacy Center
Wendell
Caldwell, left,
representing
the Big Stone
Gap Lion’s
Club presents
Janie Dockery,
Director of
MEOC’s
Children’s
Services, a
donation in the
amount of
$500. This
donation sup-
ports the
Healthy Families
efforts of the
Southwest
Welcomes Lisa Odle
Virginia
Healthy Families for Southwest
Children’s
Virginia welcomes Lisa Odle as
Advocacy
the newest Family Support
Center.
Worker. Lisa brings a wealth of
knowledge to the program,
including education in the nurs- CAC Staff Attend National
ing profession. Lisa is a graduate
of Mountain Empire Community Child Abuse Symposium
College with an Associate Degree
in Applied Science, course of The 23rd National Symposium on Jennifer attended two and a half days
study-Nursing. Her clinical hours Child Abuse was held on March 20- of breakout training sessions on vari-
included Obstetrics, Pediatrics, 23, 2007 in Huntsville, Alabama. The ous aspects of child abuse, including
Geriatrics, and Mental Health. theme of this years symposium was mental health issues and forensic
She previously worked as an “It’s All About the Children.” Carolyn interviewing. The symposium is
office manager and as a personal Hubbard, Clinical Director and sponsored by the National Children’s
care assistant. She has complet- Jennifer Davis, Forensic Advocacy Center which is also locat-
ed Healthy Families Virginia core Interviewer/Case Manager represent- ed in Huntsville. It was a great oppor-
training and required wrap- ed the Southwest Virginia Children’s tunity for learning and sharing impor-
around training necessary to Advocacy Center at the symposium. tant issues pertaining to child abuse
begin working with families. Lisa They were treated to an evening at and children’s advocacy centers.
is a mother and grandmother and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Both Carolyn and Jennifer returned
enjoys her job as a home-visitor where they had dinner, access to the with new information and insight to
to new parents. Space Museum, a G-Force simulator help the SWVA CAC to continue to
and an IMAX movie. Carolyn and grow.
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS Page 9B
Page 10B MOUNTAIN EMPIRE NEWS
Local Individuals Participate In
“Dining with Diabetes”Series
The Dining with Diabetes series, The instructor for
developed by the West Virginia the Big Stone Gap
Extension Service, was taught in Dining with
Big Stone Gap at Trinity United Diabetes series was
Methodist Church in four sessions Certified Diabetes
from April 10th through May 1st. Educator and
Twenty-nine people from the retired Public
southwest Virginia area who have Health Nurse, Lona
been diagnosed with diabetes or Roberts. Here Lona
care for someone with diabetes shows Juanita and
enrolled and attended the classes. C.E. Large from
Dining with Diabetes is a Wise, some of the
research project that teaches indi- items that can be
viduals with diabetes and/or their helpful in determin-
caregivers how to better manage ing the recommend-
the disease by eating a healthy ed portion sizes for
diet and by making appropriate a diabetic diet.
lifestyle changes. The classes
include lectures and demonstra-
tions on how to prepare meals that
are healthy and use less fat, salt
and sugar without sacrificing taste.
Recipes for all of the dishes
demonstrated are provided at the
end of each session.
The recent Dining With Diabetes
series was sponsored by the fol-
lowing agencies: Virginia
Cooperative Extension Service,
LENOWISCO Health District
Diabetes Program, United Mine
Workers Health and Retirement
Funds and Mountain Empire Older
Citizens, Inc. Initial funding for
this program was provided
through a comprehensive grant
from the Centers for Disease Class participants, Dollie Countiss (left) and Barbara Asher (right), both res-
Control and Prevention and the idents of Wise, have just added Session Two educational handouts and
West Virginia Bureau for Public recipes to their “Dining with Diabetes” notebooks.
Health, Diabetes Prevention and
Control Program. See More Photos on Page 11B & 12B