Dougherty County health officials have released the name of that areas first flu death victim of the year…73 year old Laura Youman went into the hospital Friday with flu complications and later died. She was a patient at the Pruitthealth nursing home and staffers report that other residents there also became ill due to the flu virus.
A former Worth County Commissioner and a former Second Harvest Food Bank employee are awaiting sentencing on theft by conversion charges. Anthony Hall and Gregory Jackson are charged with theft from as many as seven truckloads of paper products that had been donated to Second Harvest Food bank by Proctor and Gamble. Hall and Jackson sold the merchandise and kept the profits. Their maximum sentence could go as high as 75 years in prison.
A meeting has been held involving officials from Hahira and Cook Medical Center. Multiple representatives from Hahira are working to get Cook administrators to relocate to their area. The medical center has a staff of 200 workers and its economic impact is 25 million dollars annually.
Officials in Atkinson County say that the remains discovered near a residence in Willacoochee could be those of 18 year old Kiree Hersey who was last seen in November of 2016. Crime lab officials will perform an autopsy as that investigation continues.
The death of a newborn girl in Grady County has prompted an investigation by agents with the GBI. County officials requested the assistance in the Cairo investigation after the child was brought to the hospital in Grady County and pronounced dead. An autopsy will be performed and the investigation is ongoing.
In case you are interested in becoming a Valdosta Firefighter and you missed the open house event another will be held on February 25th at the Regional Training Center from 10 am until 2 pm. For more information call the Valdosta Fire department at 229-333-1835.
Area residents can participate in the local Arbor Week festivities Feb. 13-17: The City of Valdosta and the Valdosta Tree Commission are holding a full week of events leading up to the Arbor Day Ceremony Friday, Feb. 17. Valdosta Mayor John Gayle will kick off the week long celebration with an Arbor Week Proclamation, 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13, at City Hall. Representatives from the city, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia Power and Valdosta State University will be present. For more information: Call Emily Davenport, (229) 259-3530.
South Georgia Medical Center’s Volunteer Auxiliary is accepting applications for its annual Canopy of Care volunteer initiative. According to the press release the summer program is an opportunity to expose teens, ages 14-17, to the SGMC health-care environment and students can submit their applications online at sgmc.org/youthvolunteer by March 10.
The Georgia House of Representatives gave final passage Friday to legislation extending a “bed” tax on hospitals for three years. The bill, now heads to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk. The measure could raise as much as $311 million a year in state tax revenue, which then would be used to leverage more than $600 million in federal funds.
Georgia legislators are working on a set of bills to prevent unanticipated medical bills from out-of-network providers. The billing occurs when a patient goes to a hospital that is covered by his or her insurance but ends up receiving a bill for out-of-network services and it’s a problem in states across the nation. Lawmakers report that the bills average about $600. Recent studies show that one in five visits to emergency rooms may result in surprise billing. The bills arise from disagreements between physicians and insurers about how much they should be paid for services provided.
The Cancer Treatment Centers of America reportedly have to deny services to some Georgia patients because of a law written in 2008 which allowed the cancer treatment facility to operate in Georgia. According to CBS 46 the agreement reached in the state’s general assembly did not call for the usual certificate of need process required for other health care operations Cancer Treatment Centers of America agreed that only 35 percent of their patients would come from Georgia and they allowed on 50 beds. A spokesman for the Georgia Hospital Association told CBS46 quote: “Senate bill 123, if passed, would change the law. Cancer patients would not be restricted by their zip code.”
The state and FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Cook County is set to close Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. The center will be open Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those who might be eligible for disaster assistance but have not yet registered can do so by calling the Helpline, online or via the FEMA app.
The 67th Ham and Egg Show will held on February 14th and 15th at the Lowndes County Civic Center. The judging of hams and eggs will begin at 9:00 Tuesday morning. The sale, by open bids, takes place on Wednesday at 1:00 PM. The public is invited to attend. The show is sponsored by the Lowndes Improvement Association. (For information Velma Miles 229-630-1594).
