Oak Ridge Today

Roane State offering spring start for paramedic program; apply by Oct. 31

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There’s an October 31 application deadline to start Roane State Community College’s paramedic program in the spring semester.

The three-semester program, which features several courses each semester, is normally not offered with a spring semester starting point. It has been added to meet a local, statewide, and national shortage of paramedics, said David Blevins, program director.

The shortfall in advanced emergency medical technicians and paramedics is frequently mentioned during monthly regional meetings of EMS directors, he said.

There are 12 openings for the program, and candidates must be licensed as advanced EMTs or be in the Advanced EMT program now in progress. [Read more…]

Motorcycle ride Saturday to help Wyrick, injured in August crash

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Brandon Wyrick

Brandon Wyrick (Photo courtesy James Brooks)

A motorcycle ride that starts in Oak Ridge on Saturday will help with medical expenses for Brandon Wyrick, a motorcyclist injured in an August collision with an Oak Ridge Electric Department utility truck.

The Ride for Brandon starts at Oak Ridge High School on Saturday and ends at Tennova North in Powell. Registration at ORHS begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, and “kickstands up” is at 1 p.m., said James Brooks, Brandon’s brother.

Wyrick was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after the August 14 crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. He was reported to be in critical condition after the crash and has had several surgeries.

Brooks said his brother, who graduated from Oak Ridge High School, is in better condition than he was, “but he’s still got a very long way to go.” Wyrick has since been transferred to Tennova North.

The motorcycle ride on Saturday will help offset the costs of medical treatment. All proceeds will be given to Brandon’s parents at the end of the ride, Brooks said. [Read more…]

Methodist, AARP offer safe driving program for seniors

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To help senior drivers hone their safety skills, Methodist Medical Center is sponsoring an AARP Driver Safety Program on Thursday, September 22, and Friday, September 23. The program is from 1 to 5 p.m. each day in the Cheyenne Ambulatory Center’s conference room, which is located at 944 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The eight-hour classroom refresher course is designed to help drivers 50 years and older to improve their skills. Most auto insurance carriers are required to offer discounts for drivers who complete this accredited course.

The course explains the age-related changes that occur in vision, hearing, and reaction time and provides useful driving safety tips for handling these changes. Certified AARP instructor Jack Cowen will be presenting this course through a combination of group discussion and video activities. [Read more…]

Free Medical Clinic announces Clay as executive director

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Jackie Clay

Jackie Clay

 

The Free Medical Clinic has announced Jackie Clay as its executive director.

The Free Medical Clinic, or FMC, provides no-charge primary care and wellness services to low-income, uninsured residents of Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties.

Before she joined the FMC, Clay worked for the City of Knoxville as project manager, then as program manager, with a focus on crime reduction programs. She has experience as a community organizer and as an instructor at the University of Tennessee, a press release said.

Clay has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee in social work with concentrations in nonprofit management, leadership, and community practice. She also has a community engagement professional certification from Neighbor Works America Training Institute. [Read more…]

Suicide prevention is topic of September’s Health Night on the Town

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John Kupfner

John Kupfner

Renu Bhateja

Renu Bhateja

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and in support of this important initiative, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is bringing together medical professionals from Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, and Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services for a special Health Night on the Town presentation. The program will take place Tuesday, September 27, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room at Methodist Medical Center, 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Join Methodist as John Kupfner, MD, board-certified psychiatrist on staff at Peninsula Behavioral Health, and Renu Bhateja, MD, psychiatrist at Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services, discuss suicide prevention, warning signs to look for in loved ones, and how to receive help.

Kupfner has been fellowship trained in child and adolescent psychiatry, a press release said. He received his medical degree from the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, and he completed fellowship training at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Kupfner currently serves as the department chair of Peninsula, medical director for Peninsula Outpatient Clinics, and works as a staff psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents. He also serves as an attending psychiatrist at Peninsula Hospital. Kupfner is the current chair of the Physician Wellness Committee at Parkwest Medical Center. [Read more…]

Hospitality Houses at MMC win 2016 Historic Preservation Award

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Hospitality Houses

One of the Hospitality Houses is pictured above. (Submitted photo from March 2015)

 

The Hospitality Houses at Methodist Medical Center have won the 2016 Historic Preservation Award, the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association announced Friday.

The award is presented by the ORHPA each year on Oak Ridge’s birthday, September 19. That’s the day in 1942 that General Leslie Groves selected this area as the first site in support of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

The Hospitality Houses are managed by Kim Maes of Methodist Medical Center, a press release said. These houses are original Oak Ridge E-2 duplexes located at 210 and 216 West Tennessee Avenue. [Read more…]

Public program on Friday to focus on communicating with people who have dementia

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A public program in Oak Ridge on Friday will focus on communicating with people who have dementia.

Amanda Spencer, LPN, of Blue Harbor Senior Living, will be the guest speaker. Her presentation will help caregivers, family members, and friends better interact with loved ones whose abilities are diminished, a press release said.

The program has been organized by Church Women United. It’s the start of their 2016 fall season.

The event begins with fellowship at 11:30 a.m. Friday, September 9, followed by a short business meeting and the program at noon. [Read more…]

Renowned author Dr. Bass to speak in Oak Ridge

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Dr. Bill Bass

Dr. Bill Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, founded the University of Tennessee’s Anthropology Research Facility—the Body Farm—a quarter-century ago. He is the author or coauthor of more than 200 scientific publications, as well as a critically acclaimed memoir about his career, “Death’s Acre.” Dr. Bass is also a dedicated teacher, honored as National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. (Submitted photo)

 

The community is invited to hear forensic anthropologist, bestselling author, and creator of “The Body Farm,” Dr. William M. Bass III at the New Hope Center in Oak Ridge on Monday, August 29, at 6 p.m.

Respectfully referred to as “Dr. Bass,” he is being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge Sunset. [Read more…]

Roane State faculty honored by Tennessee EMS Education Association

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Tennessee EMS Education Association president Tim Lankford presents the Full-Time Excellence in Teaching Award to Roane State EMT/paramedic instructor Roger Badger, center. David Blevins, Roane State Director of EMS Education, also congratulates Badger. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

Tennessee EMS Education Association president Tim Lankford presents the Full-Time Excellence in Teaching Award to Roane State EMT/paramedic instructor Roger Badger, center. David Blevins, Roane State Director of EMS Education, also congratulates Badger. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Two veteran Roane State Community College faculty members were recently honored for their longtime service to the emergency medical services education community, said David Blevins, Roane State Director of EMS Education.

Kirk Harris, director of Continuing Healthcare and Safety Education, won the prestigious Lige Turman Lifetime Achievement Award, while Roger Badger, an EMT/paramedic instructor, received the Full-Time Excellence in Teaching Award from the Tennessee EMS Education Association.

“Both are the highest honors,” Blevins said. The awards were bestowed during the association’s annual membership meeting, held recently in Murfreesboro.

To be eligible for the Lige Turman Award, a nominee must have at least 20 years in EMS education and a proven history of achievement in that field. “Mr. Harris has dedicated his career to engaging the next generation of medical providers, and his history of new techniques is well known,” Blevins said. [Read more…]

Rowe named Roane State’s paramedic student of the year

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Roane State paramedic student of the year Grady Rowe (center) is congratulated by Dr. Peter Kah with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine (left) and Roane State paramedic program director David Blevins. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

Roane State paramedic student of the year Grady Rowe (center) is congratulated by Dr. Peter Kah with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine (left) and Roane State paramedic program director David Blevins. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Grady Rowe with Rural/Metro Fire Department has been named Roane State Community College’s paramedic student of the year.

Dr. Peter Kah with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine presented the award to Rowe during Roane State’s annual Knoxville paramedic program luncheon. Students completing the paramedic program were recognized at the event, which was sponsored by TeamHealth.

Rowe, of Halls, is a full-time firefighter, member of the Tennessee Army National Guard and a father of four. He started Roane State’s program in August 2015.

“I love emergency medicine, being there when a patient is at a critical point and making a difference,” Rowe said. “I have enjoyed the entire year. The material, the instructors, the fellow students, it has really been a joy.” [Read more…]

Red Cross building—the city’s housing office in World War II—is for sale

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Red-Cross-Building-Aug-10-2016-High

The Red Cross building, which was the city’s housing office during World War II, is for sale. The building, which is on Oak Ridge Turnpike, is pictured above on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Red Cross building, which was used as the city’s housing office during World War II, is for sale.

The American Red Cross had been in the building since 1945, but it last had a part-time employee there in 2014.

It’s one of the few original Oak Ridge buildings remaining on Oak Ridge Turnpike or Illinois Avenue, said Mick Wiest, president of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

A Red Cross official said the organization is trying to lower its overhead across the country and occupy fewer buildings. That leaves more money to serve clients, said Michelle Hankes, executive director of the Red Cross East Tennessee Chapter Office, which is based in Knoxville.

Much of the organization’s work is field work and can be conducted with a laptop and cell phone, Hankes said. [Read more…]

Dr. William Culbert to discuss Affordable Care Act on Aug. 22

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William Culbert

William Culbert

William Culbert Jr., MD, a family practice physician who is an advocate of the Affordable Care Act, will be the guest speaker at the Monday, August 22, dinner meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The club meets at 6 p.m. in the Club Room of the Clinton Community Center at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Dr. Culbert will speak on “Progress with the Affordable Care Act and Next Step.”

Culbert has written several guest newspaper columns supporting the Affordable Care Act and the comprehensive health insurance reforms that the federal law, also known as Obamacare, brings.

Board certified in family practice medicine, Culbert has been a physician with Covenant Health Systems in Anderson County for 17 years. He is a 1996 graduate of Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City, Tennessee, receiving his MD degree. [Read more…]