of Kingsport, Inc.
Out for a ride...a rare sunny day in Kingsport
BAZAAR FOR RELAY
FOR LIFE ON MARCH 27
GATE CITY - Relay for Life of Scott County is planning a Bazaar on Saturday, March 27, hours 9-5 at Scott County Technical School Auditorium.
Some 25 booths are planned with a variety of gently used clothing, yard sale items, crafts and bake sale items.
A suggested donation of $1.00 admission at the door, children 5 and under free. The cost of booth rental is $20 per space, and Relay for Life is allowing until March 1st, for team sign up for the spaces, after the date, the booth will be open to the public for vender space.
Contact information is Kathy Blair at 276-431-2088 and Sandy Smith at sandyrandy38@aol.com
POKER RUN APRIL 25
GATE CITY - The Relay for Life in Scott County are planning a Poker Run thru the county on April 25, starting at Gate City High School ending at Natural Tunnel Park. A Classic Car Show is also planned for this year’s Relay event.
Entire Team Project: Collecting Cell Phones for $$$: Drop-off Locations: McGhee Grocery, Gate City Town Hall, Three Bells UMC and Dept. Mines Minerals & Energy.
LOVING FAITH FELLOWSHIP TO HOLD HAITI BENEFIT SALE
CHURCH HILL - Loving Faith Fellowship of Church Hill is holding a huge benefit sale in March. 100 percent of all proceeds will go directly to “Of One Accord Global Missions” located on Main Street in Rogersville for their missionaries in Haiti.
The church says all contributions are tax deductible and are encouraging the community to get involved.
Any items donated will be greatly appreciated. If you would like to participate contact:
Penny: 423-742-560
Amy: 423-956-7337 or
Caire: 423-256-0070
The sale will be held at;
Loving Faith Fellowship, 560 E.Main Blvd., Church Hill.
TRINITY BAPTIST
TO HOST MOODY CHOIR
The Women's Concert Choir and Bell Ensemble, conducted by Xiangtang Hong of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, will be performing on Friday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church in Jonesborough.
For more information or directions, call 753-4394.
team donate proceeds of ‘Pink’ Games
JOHNSON CITY – The David Crockett High School varsity and junior varsity women’s basketball teams gave a $2,000 check this week to the Mountain States Health Alliance Women’s Health and Imaging Center. The money was raised at the Pink Games held on Feb. 13.
“A lot of us have been affected by breast cancer, and the girls wanted to do something to help,” said David Crockett Coach Jamey Anderson. “So, we raised some money before the game and gave the proceeds from the door toward helping women who cannot afford a mammogram receive one.”
School officials said they are looking at making the game an annual event.
Ed Herbert has been named president of the Tennessee Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (TSHMPR) for 2010. Herbert, who is the vice president of Communications and Marketing for Mountain States Health Alliance, was elected to the volunteer position recently at the organization’s annual conference.
The purpose of TSHMPR is to improve the quality of
healthcare marketing and public relations by raising
the professional knowledge and standards of its
members. TSHMPR is an affiliate of the Tennessee
Hospital Association.
Herbert joined MSHA in October 1999 in his current
position. Additional areas of responsibility include
the Medical Call Center (Ask-A-Nurse) and the
Health Resources Center/Health Screening Center.
Prior to joining MSHA, Herbert was at WJHL-TV 11
of Johnson City, Tenn., WTVR-TV 6 in Richmond,
Va., and WWL-TV 4 in New Orleans, La.
Herbert has been active in this region for years with
the Johnson City Kiwanis Club, the United Way of
Washington County (Tenn.), the local chambers of
commerce, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation,
American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes Walk America, Mountain States Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House and the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra. Herbert is very active at Elizabeth Chapel UMC, Bluff City, Tenn., where he sings and directs the choir and serves on various committees.
Scott County Schools to
receive $23.7 million from state
RICHMOND - The proposed budget plan has been approved by the House Appropriations Committee and is now under consideration by the Virginia House of Delegates for funding in education for the next biennium. And Scott County Schools are to receive $23.7 million in direct state aid in Fiscal Year 2011. The county also will be able to reduce expenditures made in contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), freeing up an additional by over $750 thousand in funding for local schools. As a result, Scott County Schools will experience a net reduction in available funds of only 3.2% compared to the budget proposed by then-Governor Timothy M. Kaine.
The House plan, however, does not include the 17% statewide income tax hike proposed by Kaine which served as the linchpin of his budget. On January 21, Delegates rejected Kaine’s plan for increasing the state income tax by a unanimous, bipartisan vote of 97 to 0.
Virginia’s government is experiencing the most serious and sustained state revenue reductions in generations. The reduced fiscal outlook and taxpayer anxieties, brought on by the ongoing recession, have resulted in the Commonwealth having to enact spending cuts so state government lives within its means. Prior to last year, state funding for public education was held harmless, while funding for other state agencies and services were reduced during earlier rounds of budget cuts. For the record, over the last 10 years, Virginia has increased its funding for public education by almost 60% (58.9) from $3.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2000 up to $5.9 billion in FY 2010 (as adopted during 2009 session). Moreover, if one includes the $365.2 million federal stimulus funding budgeted in the 2009 session for FY 2010, the total funding for FY 2010 increased by almost 70% (68.7) over FY 2000. During that same time, by comparison, student membership increased by 7.2%.
Pledging to balance the next state budget without increasing taxes, House Republicans have made reducing the impact of potential cuts to K-12 education funding a top priority in the construction of their two-year spending plan.
Other area schools systems stand to fare as follows:
- Lee County Schools will receive $24.7 million in direct state aid in Fiscal Year 2011. The county also will be able to reduce expenditures made in contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), freeing up an additional by $690 thousand in funding for local schools. As a result, Lee County Schools will experience a net reduction in available funds of only 5.2 %.
- Washington County Schools will receive $36.4 million in direct state aid in Fiscal Year 2011. The county also will be able to reduce expenditures made in contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), freeing up an additional by $1.3 million in funding for local schools. As a result, Washington County Schools will experience a net reduction in available funds of only 1.1%.
- And Wise County Schools will receive $37.8 million in direct state aid in Fiscal Year 2011. The county also will be able to reduce expenditures made in contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), freeing up an additional by $1.2 million in funding for local schools. As a result, Wise County Schools will experience a net reduction in available funds of only 5.2%.
To reduce the effects on public education of scarce tax dollars, the House plan proposes giving local school divisions significantly greater flexibility in allocating the funds provided to them by the state. Under the House plan, portions of direct state aid will be distributed as a block grant and state mandates relaxed, easing the restrictions inherent in the existing Standards of Quality (SOQ). Recognizing that responding to challenging economic times prohibits a “one-size-fits-all” approach, the House gives local schools the ability to make the most of available funds, allowing them to determine where best to dedicate available resources without state instruction as well as decreasing local required spending.
“Because of the ongoing recession, state and local governments do not have as much money available to them,” noted Delegate Kilgore. “Unlike the federal government, the Commonwealth and its localities cannot spend money they do not have. Asking already strapped and struggling taxpayers to pay more would only make matters worse, so we must be fiscally sound and innovative. The House budget plan embodies these two core values, while providing responsible levels of funding for our public schools.”
Delegate Terry G. Kilgore (R-1st), of Gate City, represents Scott County, Lee County and parts of Washington and Wise Counties.
Kilgore joins others
to witness signing ceremony
RICHMOND - Delegate Terry G. Kilgore (R-1st), Delegate Bill Carrico (Patron-HB1308), Senator Phil Puckett (Patron-SB680) and Southwest Virginia Legislators joined Governor Bob McDonnell this week at his signing of legislation that will give much needed relief to electric utility rate-payers in Southwest and Southside Virginia.
The emergency legislation (HB1308 and SB680), passed by the House of Delegates and State Senate last week, will suspend the Appalachian Power Company interim rate increase with the Governor’s signature today. APCo will be required to stop collecting its current interim rate of 12.5 percent immediately as opposed to the usual July 1 effective date and the law will no longer allow interim rates like this one. This marks the first bill signed into law by Governor McDonnell since taking the oath of office in January.
Kilgoresaid “We are thrilled to have this important piece of legislation signed today by our Governor. I want to commend Delegate Carrico, Senator Puckett and all the Southwest Virginia delegation who worked tirelessly to provide our constituents with immediate relief. This issue has been our top priority since the beginning of the 2010 General Assembly Session.”
KINGSPORT – A Mayo Clinic-trained physician with extensive quality management experience will provide physician leadership for Wellmont Health System’s information management projects, including the organization’s move to computerized provider order entry.
Dr. Troy Sybert has been named Wellmont’s chief medical information officer and will work with a multidisciplinary team to implement CPOE and electronic medical records in Wellmont hospitals during the next 18 months. Dr. Sybert joins a project team that includes Dr. Dale Sargent, chief medical officer; Kent Petty, chief information officer; Dawn Schrader, system director of case management; and Katie Witcher, nursing CPOE leader.
“The largest single performance improvement project under
way in our organization is computerized provider order entry,
” Dr. Sargent said. “This is a complex and wide-reaching
initiative that will substantially improve the quality and
safety of patient care in our hospitals.
“Having a full-time physician to lead this effort is essential.
Dr. Sybert’s training and experience uniquely qualify him
to fill this critical role for our health system.”
Dr. Sybert most recently served as a chief medical officer
for the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston,
Texas, where he was also a clinical assistant professor
of internal medicine. A board-certified physician in public
health and general preventive medicine, Dr. Sybert
completed a fellowship in hospital medicine at the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He has additional training in
the quality management methodologies of Six Sigma
and lean thinking.
Dr. Sybert earned his medical degree at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and received a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Medical Branch Graduate School. He is a member of the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American Society for Quality, the American College of Physician Executives and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
As chief medical officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Sybert oversaw the creation and implementation of standardized care guidelines and order sets. He also managed the rollout of the hospital’s electronic medical record.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 requires that all physician orders be entered by computer by October 2011. Wellmont plans to begin the conversion at Hawkins County Memorial Hospital in October 2010 and have all other facilities on line by September 2011.
Troy Sybert