Oak Ridge Today

Pro2Serve, Covenant Health form joint venture in health care data analytics

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Pictured above are Tony Spezia, left, president and CEO of Covenant Health, and Barry Goss, founder and CEO of Pro2Serve. (Submitted photo)

 

Professional Project Services Inc., or Pro2Serve, and Covenant Health have formed VortexT Analytics Inc., a strategic partnership that will address the rapidly evolving field of big data analytics in health care, a press release said.

The joint venture will use VortexT, a data analytics software based on algorithms originally developed and patented by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and licensed and further advanced by Pro2Serve. VortexT is currently being used in critical national security applications and is producing valuable data, the press release said.

Barry Goss, founder and chief executive officer of Pro2Serve, calls VortexT “a disruptive big data analytics technology that is proven, sustainable, and ready to be introduced into commercial markets, starting with healthcare.

“VortexT analyzes more data in less time and at less cost, and produces more valuable information than other big data analytics technologies,” Goss said. “We also hold field-of-use licenses for applying the technology to the insurance, financial services, and legal services industries.” [Read more…]

Anderson County Ally of the Year for 2016: Becky Grubb

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2016 Anderson County Ally of the Year First Runner-up Theresa Scott, Ally of the Year Becky Grubb, and Second Runner-up Kim Pouncey are pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Becky Grubb has been named the 2016 Anderson County Ally of the Year.

The award is given by Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP, and it recognizes Grubb’s passion for creating a healthy and productive Anderson County, a press release said.

Grubb is the office manager at Fox Toyota, where she works with her family. She and her husband Stanley are active members of Grace Baptist Church, where they serve as greeters and small group home hosts. They have served with Lost Sheep Ministries in Knoxville for the past 12 years, assisting the homeless, and have taken several mission trips with Jesus Centered Ministries. Grubb is also a member of the Clinton Civitan Club, the press release said. She and Stanley have three children and four grandchildren. [Read more…]

Reminder: Voting ends today for ASAP’s Anderson County Ally of the Year

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Reminder: Voting ends today for the Anderson County Ally of the Year. The contest is sponsored by Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP.

The 2016 candidates are Michael Foster, Becky Grubb, Kim Pouncey, Theresa Scott, and David Vudragovich.

You can donate in support of your candidate by voting at www.ASAPofAnderson.org or by calling (865) 457-3007.

Voting ends Thursday, January 28.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Red Ribbon Rivalry this month, buy ribbon for substance abuse prevention

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ASAP Logo

The 2016 Red Ribbon Rivalry is this month. It’s sponsored by Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP.

This year, in Anderson County, ASAP is holding the Red Ribbon Rivalry during the month of January, culminating on Sunday, January 31. The main goal is to raise funds to prevent and reduce substance abuse here in Anderson County.

Local businesses are competing against each other by selling red ribbons for a $1 donation and displaying them in their businesses to show support for substance abuse prevention. The winning businesses and employees will receive recognition for their efforts as well as individual prizes for the top sales associates. Anderson County High School, Clinton High School, and Oak Ridge High School are also competing this year to see who will be the recipient of the Red Ribbon Rivalry trophy to be displayed at their school for the year. [Read more…]

Reminder: Jan. 31 is the deadline for enrolling in health insurance for 2016 under ACA

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David Vudragovich

David Vudragovich

The deadline to sign up for a health insurance plan for 2016 under the Affordable Care Act is Sunday, January 31. Enrolling by then will provide a plan that starts on March 1.

If you do not enroll by January 31, the only way to enroll in coverage is if you have a special enrollment situation, such as a marriage, divorce, or birth of a child, or change jobs, etc.

Insurance agent David Vudragovich can help you with your health insurance needs. His office is located at 1970 Oak Ridge Highway (also known as Oak Ridge Turnpike and State Route 61), east of Elza Gate in Oak Ridge, at the first stop light in the county headed toward Clinton.

Vudragovich can help with health, life, and supplemental insurance; Medicare; and long-term care and retirement. [Read more…]

Affordable Care Act enrollment rescheduled for Wednesday

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A rescheduled Affordable Care Act enrollment event will be Wednesday.

The enrollment event has been rescheduled from Saturday, January 23, to Wednesday, January 27, because of the weather last week.

The enrollment event is still at the Oak Ridge Public Library, and it’s from 4-8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Library Auditorium. [Read more…]

Normally not controversial, this proclamation, recognizing the sanctity of human life, was

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Oak Ridge City Council on July 27, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, approved a proclamation that recognizes Sunday, January 17, as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Ellen Smith, third from right, cast the only vote against the proclamation, saying it was a controversial political statement. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:48 a.m. Jan. 13.

Proclamations by the Oak Ridge City Council are normally not controversial, but one that passed on Monday was. It was perceived by some as a controversial political statement that entered the abortion debate.

The proclamation recognizes Sunday, January 17, as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. It says Tennessee residents “aspire to honor the dignity and worth of every person and to defend the sacredness of each human life.” Also, the proclamation says Tennessee residents care for “society’s weakest and most vulnerable, including the infirm, the elderly, and the unborn,” and no person shall be deprived of his life, liberty, or property.

The question of what rights to grant to the unborn or fetuses can be controversial because of the impact they might have on abortion rights. There is also considerable debate about when life begins.

Tim-Stallings

Tim Stallings

Tim Stallings, executive director of Choices Resource Center in Oak Ridge, requested the City Council proclamation, and he did not think it weighed in on the political debate.

“It’s not just about the unborn,” Stallings said. “It’s about people with infirmities, the elderly.”

He said the day started with former President Ronald Reagan and has been recognized by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Reagan established National Sanctity of Human Life Day on Sunday, January 22, 1984, the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the still-controversial Supreme Court decision that granted women the right to an abortion in 1973.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is on the third Sunday in January, near the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. [Read more…]

Anderson County adopts local zoning regulations for pain clinics

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Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank signs the resolution adopted by County Commission that regulates zoning for local pain clinics. (Submitted photo)

 

CLINTON—Following months of work that began in March 2015, two public hearings, and two separate reviews by County Commission, Anderson County has adopted new local zoning regulations for pain clinics in an effort to prevent or reduce prescription drug abuse in the county, a press release said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses now account for more deaths in the U.S. nationally than motor vehicle accidents, with 52 percent of those deaths attributed to prescription medication.

In Tennessee, drug overdose deaths increased 7.7 percent from 2013 to 2014 (1,187 deaths in 2013 to 1,269 deaths in 2014). This is higher than the statistically significant national average change of +6.5 percent, according to the CDC.  The Tennessee drug overdose deaths in 2014 are almost equivalent to two full Tennessee Greyhound bus crashes per month without survivors, the press release said. [Read more…]

Free Medical Clinic accepting new patients in January

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The Free Medical Clinic will have openings for new patients beginning January 4.

To qualify for free medical care at the clinic, patients must live in Anderson, Morgan, or Roane County, have no medical insurance of any kind, and have a household income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which is:

Per Month Per Year
Single Person $1,962 or less $23,540 or less
Family of Two $2,655 or less $31,860 or less
Family of Three $3,348 or less $40,180 or less
Family of Four $4,042 or less $48,500 or less
Family of Five $4,735 or less $56,820 or less

[Read more…]

Cherokee Health to provide mental health services in Anderson County Schools

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Cherokee Health Systems has signed an agreement with Anderson County Schools to begin providing outpatient behavioral health services to students at the county’s two high schools, four middle schools, and the Life Development Center as part of a five-year federal grant made possible from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, officials said.

The Tennessee Department of Education selected Anderson and two other counties—Lawrence County in the Middle Tennessee area and Lauderdale County in West Tennessee—to receive the funding.

Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, CHS will have licensed social workers on-site at each location to provide comprehensive behavioral health services. Tennessee joins 19 other states with Anderson County being one of 60 school systems to receive Project AWARE funds. [Read more…]

Video: MIST in Oak Ridge pioneers program for drug-addicted mothers, drug-dependent babies

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Screenshot from a video by Savanna Schubert

 

Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services in Oak Ridge is pioneering a program for mothers who are battling addictions, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital has a state-of-the-art facility that specializes in helping babies born to mothers who have taken opioids.

Here is a video on the Ridgeview program and Children’s Hospital unit by Savanna Schubert.

Savanna Schubert is a freelance contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Ridgeview pioneers program for drug-addicted mothers, Children’s helps drug-dependent babies

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Screenshot from a video by Savanna Schubert

 

Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services in Oak Ridge is pioneering a program for mothers who are battling addictions. MIST (Mothers and Infants Sober Together) is a program developed to help mothers who are struggling with drug and other addictions as well as babies with drug dependencies. This program was started seven years ago and is funded in part by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Michelle Jones, program director of MIST, has been working toward educating these mothers and other family members about the dangers of being addicted while pregnant.

“Children were being born drug exposed in this area…we started out in Anderson and Roane county but we have grown due to the specialized substance abuse treatment for this population,” Jones said.

Since their start in 2008, MIST has grown from two counties to five including Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, Roane, and Scott. [Read more…]