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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2004
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Hospital Expansion Underway - New Emergency Room, CAT
Scan, Main Entrance |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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McKenzie Regional Hospital is undergoing a major
face-lift and expansion to provide "easier access and
more privacy," according to Robert (Scooter) Miller,
CEO. The multimillion-dollar expansion is expected to
be complete by Thanksgiving.
Gone will be the long walkway to the front lobby,
replaced by a convenient, covered canopy entrance,
where patients and visitors can easily access the
lobby. Also gone will be long drive around the north
end to access the emergency room. A new emergency room
is being constructed on the south end. The new E.R.
features eight exam rooms, a decontamination room, and
an isolation room for infectious patients. Both the
E.R. and the main entrance join the parking lot.
The new structures complement recent equipment
upgrades. Since Community Health Systems of Brentwood
bought the facility in January 2003, new mammography
services, new ultrasound equipment, bone density
monitoring services, a sleep lab, and just last week,
a new six slice Helical Computerized Tomography (CT)
scanner are among the many items added.
Ricky Scott, radiology department manager, and Barbara
Mullins, X-ray technologists, received extensive
training on the new Philips CT equipment, costing
$428,000.
"This is a quantum leap in technology," said Scott of
the new Philips CT. "This is the latest and greatest
from Philips."
A pelvis and abdomen scan can now be completed in 10
minutes, compared with one hour by the previous
machine, said Scott. The high-resolution scans provide
better detail throughout the body for medical
professionals to make more informed decisions.
The hospital this week also welcomes Dr. Calphor Carty
as a general surgeon. Carty and wife, Dr. Wendy Carty,
have moved to Huntingdon in July to serve both
hospitals in the county. The surgeon begins his
practice at McKenzie this week. (see separate news
article on Dr. Carty).
A sleep lab at McKenzie Regional is a unique service
to this area. With a doctor's prescription, trained
professionals will monitor a patient to determine
interruptions in sleep. Sleep apnea is a serious,
potentially life-threatening condition that is far
more common than generally understood. First described
in 1965, sleep apnea is a breathing disorder
characterized by brief interruptions of breathing
during sleep. There are two types of sleep apnea:
central and obstructive. Central sleep apnea, which is
less common, occurs when the brain fails to send the
appropriate signals to the breathing muscles to
initiate respirations. Obstructive sleep apnea is far
more common and occurs when air cannot flow into or
out of the person's nose or mouth although efforts to
breathe continue.
In a given night, the number of involuntary breathing
pauses or "apneic events" may be as high as 20 to 30
or more per hour. These breathing pauses are almost
always accompanied by snoring between apnea episodes,
although not everyone who snores has this condition.
Sleep apnea can also be characterized by choking
sensations. The frequent interruptions of deep,
restorative sleep often lead to early morning
headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Lack of sleep can be the onset of depression and lack
of concentration.
For more information about sleep apnea, contact the
Sleep Associations at 866-836-1328 (toll-free).
McKenzie Regional Hospital also serves as a
medical-training campus for Bethel College and
Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie. Bethel's
Physician Assistant Program, and the TTC's Licensed
Practical Nurse program both operate from the
hospital's Specialty Clinic.
Community Health Systems, of Brentwood, operates 73
hospitals in 22 states. McKenzie Regional Hospital has
45 patient beds, including 10 swing beds and six
Labor, Delivery, Recovery, and Post-partum beds.
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Huntingdon Town Council
Historic Bricks to Cover DCPAC, Walkways |
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Gone is the opportunity to save the historic façade of
100-plus year-old buildings in downtown Huntingdon
that proponents of the Dixie Carter Performing Arts
Center had hoped would grace the otherwise
state-of-the-art facility currently under
construction.
That chance was lost recently when aged, crumbling
mortar failed to support the four-layer thick brick
construction and a portion of the wall tumbled,
thankfully after workers had retired for the day.
Instead, Mayor Dale Kelly announced Tuesday evening at
the regular session of the Huntingdon Town Council,
sufficient bricks will be harvested from the antique
structures to cover not only the 100,000 required for
the DCPAC façade but also an amount sufficient to add
historic significance to walkways as a part of the
downtown sidewalk project. Excess bricks will be sold
by the Town of Huntingdon.
The design of the center will remain nearly identical
to the original buildings although it will be 30
inches taller as a consequence of accommodating
architectural plans to amended conditions which
eliminated the need to excavate three feet below grade
for the foundation.
Kelley said it was the "sentiment of the public to
tear the buildings down and begin anew."
The decision simplifies construction by allowing the
use of contemporary products for exterior framing,
although original windows, metal vents and reclaimed
timbers from the old structure will be used in
constructing the new building, as well as the
aforementioned bricks.
Another advantage outlined by the mayor is reduced
costs in window installation, less concrete, and less
tedium for workers previously required to work around
the existing walls.
Demolition of the remaining walls was to commence
Wednesday with additional bracing stabilizing the
structure as caged workers, elevated by equipment,
disassembling the bricks by hand. The necessary labor
and equipment for clean-up will allow more costs to be
deducted against the million-dollar match for grant
monies funding the project. Overall costs are expected
to remain stable after compensation from builder's
risk insurance proceeds.
Plan revisions will be submitted to the fire marshall
for approval although the only major difference is the
new "outer skin" with no changes to fire exits, said
Kelley.
Demolition is expected to take two-to-three weeks.
SEWER SYSTEM REHABILITATION CONTINUES
The sewer rehabilitation project will commence at
Country Kitchen on Highway 22, past Oakhill Cemetery,
to Hillcourt Housing Authority following council
approval of a resolution awarding the Wastewater
System Improvements/Sewer System Improvements project
to low-bidder Midsouth Trenchless, Inc.
The award is conditional upon approval of the
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community
Development Block Grant which is expected to fund the
project.
The second portion of the project begins on Mebanewood
in the area of the Thomas Bradford building, extending
down Armory to Circle Drive, down Tower to the mayes
Avenue and Jamison Drive area.
Following deductive options, bids included Midsouth
Trenchless at $464,793; Heller Company, Inc. at
$524,970, and Jim Skaggs Construction Co. at $618,
400. Consulting engineers J.R. Wauford and Company
recommended Midsouth Trenchless following a review of
all bids.
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Inmate Died from Heart Disease, Autopsy Reveals |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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The recent death of a 21-year-old Carroll County Jail
inmate was the result of heart disease, according to
an autopsy report released Thursday.
The official report from the State Medical Examiner’s
office in Nashville revealed that Robert Walter Tart
of 209 Laurel Street, Bruceton died Monday, May 24 as
the result of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease,
said Steve Cantrell, medical examiner designate for
Carroll County. Cantrell said he spoke with Lisa
Robison of the state medical examiner’s office on
Thursday concerning the death and had a follow-up call
with Dr. Levy on Friday afternoon.
The left anterior descending branch of Mr. Tart’s
coronary artery had 75 percent stenosis (stricture or
narrowing), which means that it was blocked 75
percent, Cantrell noted.
Cantrell said the death has been ruled “natural
causes.”
Prior to being found unresponsive at Carroll County
jail at 8:40 p.m. May 24, Tart had complained to
jailors of leg pain the day before. He had reportedly
been moved to an isolated cell on Monday where he
could be monitored, said Carroll County Sheriff
Bendell Bartholomew.
The sheriff said Tart, who was serving time for
possession of Schedule VI drugs (marijuana) and drug
paraphernalia, had signed a booking form when he
entered the jail, stating that he had no medical
problems and was taking no medication. Tart did note
on the form however, that he had fallen down and was
suffering from knee pain, the sheriff said.
Following the death, there was concern that Tart might
have died as the result of meningitis because of a
high core body temperature several hours after death.
Based on that, the antibiotic Cipro was issued to
other inmates and staff as a precautionary measure. A
preliminary autopsy report only days after the death,
however, eliminated meningitis as the cause of death.
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Surgeon Joins Hospitals in County
Dr Calphor Carty recently finished tour of duty in
Iraq |
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Dr. Calphor Carty and wife, Dr. Wendy Carty, were
looking for a home that involved community life and a
good school for their two children, Alex, age 6, and
Adora, age 3. They also wanted a community where they
would quickly "fit in." They moved to Huntingdon in
July.
Dr. Calphor Carty will begin his surgical practice at
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Huntingdon and McKenzie
Regional Hospital on August 9. The native of Antiqua,
West Indies graduated from high school in Antiqua,
obtained a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology
at Northeastern University in Boston, a Master of
Science of Cell and Molecular Biology at Roswell Park
Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, a Doctor of
Medicine from Bowman Gray School of Medicine in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and completed a
postdoctoral research fellowships in Breast Cancer and
Vascular research at Millard Fillmore Hospital in
Buffalo, and postdoctoral research in Molecular and
Cell Biology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
In the year 2001, Dr. Carty joined the Army and was
stationed at Fort Bragg, where he was a general
surgeon. He was deployed February-August 2003 to Iraq,
serving as a surgeon with the 274th Forward Surgical
Team. His military service earned him the Bronze Star,
Combat Medical Badge, Army Commendation metal with
Valor, National Defense Service Medal, Presidential
Unit Citation Award, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Global War
on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
Dr. Wendy Carty is an anesthesiologist, who has not
decided where to practice.
For appointments, phone 731-986-8623.
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Carroll County Students Return to Classrooms Monday |
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Students in Carroll County five school districts
will begin the 2004-05 school year on Monday, August 9
by attending one-half day. Schools will resume the
regular full day schedule on Tuesday, August 10.
Each school will begin the half-day at 8:00 a.m.
Monday, but will vary on dismissal times. The regular
schedule beginning Tuesday will be 8:00 a.m. until
3:00 p.m.
On Monday, McKenzie schools will dismiss at 11:15
a.m.; Huntingdon buses will run scheduled routes from
each of the three schools between 11:00 and 11:25
a.m.; Clarksburg will dismiss at 11:00 a.m.; Hollow
Rock-Bruceton schools will dismiss students at 11:30
a.m., and West Carroll will dismiss each of the three
schools at 10:30 a.m.
Breakfast and lunch prices are as follows:
McKenzie:
Lunch - $1.25 for grades k-4 and $1.50 for grades
5-12. Reduced price will be $.40 for all grades.
Breakfast - $.50 for grades k-4 and $.75 for grades
5-12. Reduced price will be $.30 for all grades.
Clarksburg: Lunch - $1.25 for grades k-4 and $1.50 for
grades 5-12. Reduced price is $.60 for all grades.
Breakfast - $.60 for all grades, $.30 reduced price;
Hollow Rock-Bruceton: Lunch - $1.25 for students,
reduced price $.40 and $2.00 for visitors. Breakfast -
$.60 for all grades, $.30 reduced price.
Huntingdon:
Lunch - $1.00 for primary and middle school students
and $1.50 for high school students. Reduced $.40 for
all schools Breakfast - $.50 at primary and middle
schools and $.60 at the high school, reduced $.30 for
all schools;
West Carroll: Lunch - $1.50 for k-12,
$.40 reduced. Breakfast - $.60 for k-12 and $.30
reduced price.
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These stories and more exclusively
in the print edition: |
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- Local, State, Federal Elections Thursday
- Fuchs Hosts Farewell Dinner
- McLemoresville Man Takes $50,003 in Lottery
- Watershed Authority Reviews map
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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