Chattooga County Arrest Report for Monday, November 2nd

Johnathan Strickland – Failure to Appear, Probation Violation, Suspended License, Defective Equipment

Kevin Boykin – DOC

Currently there are 42 inmates housed in the Chattooga County Jail / 22 housed in the Polk County Jail / 36 housed at the Bartow County Jail / and two housed at the Rome Youth Detention Center for a total inmate count of 102

More than 450 hospitals, including Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome, will pay a total of more than $250 million to settle allegations that cardiac devices were implanted in Medicare patients in violation of the program’s coverage requirements, the Department of Justice announced Friday.

Georgia hospitals involved in the settlements include Redmond, Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta, Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon and St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens.

HCA on Saturday referred the Rome News-Tribune to its August SEC filing, which said, in part, that the Nashville-based company “makes no admission of wrongdoing in the settlement.”

HCA’s 42-hospital settlement totaled $15.8 million. The case involved an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, an electronic device that is implanted near the heart and connected to it. The device detects and treats chaotic, life-threatening heart rhythms, called fibrillations, by delivering a shock to the heart, restoring its normal rhythm.

Medicare coverage for the device, which costs about $25,000, is governed by a National Coverage Determination, which provides that an ICD generally should not be implanted in a patient who recently suffered a heart attack or recently had heart bypass surgery or angioplasty, the Justice Department said.

The medical purpose of a waiting period — 40 days for a heart attack and 90 days for bypass/angioplasty — is to give the heart a chance to improve on its own and possibly make an ICD unnecessary, the Department of Justice said. The National Coverage Determination, which governs Medicare coverage for a service, expressly prohibits implantation of ICDs during these waiting periods, with certain exceptions.

DOJ alleged that from 2003 to 2010, each of the settling hospitals implanted ICDs during the periods prohibited by the rules.

The case was originally filed in 2008 by two whistleblowers represented by Atlanta attorney Bryan Vroon. The whistleblowers, Leatrice Ford Richards, a cardiac nurse, and Thomas Schuhmann, a health care reimbursement consultant, have received more than $38 million from the settlements.

The Department of Justice is continuing to investigate additional hospitals and health systems in the case.

Vroon said the settlement was the largest ever in terms of numbers of hospitals under the False Claims Act.

The case, Vroon told GHN, “is a window into a much larger issue – what’s happening clinically on unnecessary treatment or treatment not based in science.”

The implanted devices cited in the case, he said, “were premature at best and maybe not necessary.”

Other Georgia hospitals involved in the settlements were Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin and East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro.

Georgia Health News, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, tracks state medical issues on its website georgiahealthnews.com.

(Coosa Valley News)

Tuesday, Chattooga County voters will let it be known whether or not they wish to continue the current sales tax for education.

Revenues from the current tax, which was approved in 2012, has helped pay for a new High School, far exceeding the old Chattooga County High facility, and has allowed for addition of a large gymnasium for the Trion school system.

Officials said from the beginning, it would take a decade to pay off the $22 million price tag for the school and gym.

The new tax, if approved, would start in July of 2017.

Races in Summerville include – Council Seat 3, Incumbent Dale Housch will face Earl Parris, Jr.; Incumbent Joe Money is unopposed, Council Seat 4; Charlie Bennett will challenge Zach Martin, the incumbent for Seat 5.

In Trion elections – In Council Seat 4, Incumbent Thomas Venn is being challenged by Linda Ingle and James Russell; three candidates are vying for Council Seat 5 – Garrick Evans, Don Harris and Johnny Simmons.

Voters will also decide Tuesday, on Sunday alcohol sales in the town of Lyerly, and they will vote on whether or not the town should remove fluoride from its water system.

(Information provided in part by the Summerville News)

Floyd County School officials are looking to follow suit of Rome City Schools. Executive Director of Technical and Media Services, Craig Ellison, said that he hopes of giving every student a Chromebook computer. Ellison said that the plan is for every student to have one within the next five years.

He estimated that the cost for the system would be around $250,000. Ellison said that the system currently has close to 2,000 Chromebooks in the system. Several of the schools have held fundraisers in order to purchase them.

Currently, every freshman at Rome High School has the Chromebooks in which they are able to take home and submit class work online.

(CoosaValleyNews/www.coosavalleynews.com)

Jim Adcock was the winner of the “Name the Journal Contest” held recently to select the name of Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) new student-run literary journal that is scheduled to begin distribution in April 2016.

The title “Georgia Mountain Review” was a unanimous choice by the committee that picked the name according to Raymond Atkins, instructor of English at GNTC.

“Everyone though it really captured who we are and what we do,” said Atkins.

Adcock, a resident of Rome, says that although computer science is his major he still has a passion for English and writing.

“I like to do creative writing with a comedic edge to it,” says Adcock.

The literary journal will be approximately 50 pages with 16 pages of art and will be published yearly. A team of GNTC student editors will select submissions which will include prose, poetry, artwork, essays, non-fiction, and photos.

“I think it is an important part of a college experience for those who want to share their work to have an outlet for it,” said Atkins.

Submissions will be open for all GNTC students, including adult education and dual enrollment students. Atkins will act as a mentor for the student editors and the journal.

“The first thing I ever had published was in a journal at Floyd Junior College (now Georgia Highland College),” said Atkins. “It was important to me and gave me the confidence and skills to move on to bigger and bigger works.”

Atkins says that no matter what career-path an individual may chose, good writing skills are important and should not be overlooked.

“I you want to be an airplane mechanic you have to write a report the next mechanic can read or if you want to go into the medical field everyone needs to understand the report on what you have done,” says Atkins. “Our writing is how we speak for ourselves when we are not there to speak in person.”

Since 1962, Georgia Northwestern Technical College has been instrumental in providing quality workforce education to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. The mission of Georgia Northwestern Technical College is to provide accessible, high quality technical education and workforce development opportunities.  Serving the nine counties of Catoosa; Chattooga; Dade; Floyd; Gordon; Murray; Polk; Walker; and Whitfield, GNTC has five convenient campus locations in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties. With programs of study in business, health, industrial, and public service available, students have the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree, diploma, or a certificate from GNTC.  This past year, 14,562 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 8,249 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia and the fifth largest technical college in the state of Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 6,313 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start.

Bond has been denied for a man charged with aggravated assault on a police officer in connection with an incident in East Rome two weeks ago.

According to previous reports, police said the Rome officer tried to pull a vehicle driven by Dunigan Prince Rogers on October 18, but Rogers failed to stop.

Once at Hull Avenue at East 18th Street, Rogers jumped out of the vehicle and ran.

A shot was fired and the officer returned fire.

According to the state, Rogers grabbed several things from the vehicle, including a stolen handgun.

The weapon misfired into the car as Rogers was trying to get out.

Rogers dropped the weapon and went back to get it in front of the officer, causing the officer to fear for his safety.

Rogers’ attorney, Chris Twyman asked for bond, saying he believed the aggravated assault charge will “Go away” because the gun was not fired intentionally.

However, Judge Bryant Durham denied bond, citing Rogers’ lengthy criminal record, which dates back to the mid to late 1990’s.

Judge Durham said he felt like Rogers was a threat to reoffend, but he may be disposed to look at something if the aggravated assault charge goes away.

Rogers is also charged with felony obstruction of officers, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, theft by receiving stolen property, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, possession of drug related objects, and failure to obey a traffic control device.

(WRGA)

The Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) has launched a new tourism app that coincides with the relaunch of a mobile-friendly version of RomeGeorgia.org.

Visitors can now access and view information on events, attractions, lodging and dining easily from any mobile device. The relaunch also includes a refreshed design of the homepage, offering more images and navigation to the most popular areas of the website.

“A mobile-friendly website is a search engine friendly website – which is essential to ensure our website is visible to visitors,” explains communications director, Kristi Kent.

Kent added that over 50% of RomeGeorgia.org traffic is referred by search engines and over 50% of visitors access the website from a mobile device.

In addition to the mobile-friendly website, the GRCVB has launched a new Georgia’s Rome app. The app is free and is accessible from every page of the website, or by visiting RomeGeorgia.org/apps.

The main feature of the new Georgia’s Rome app is the feature called “Tour Challenges” where participants are invited to explore Rome through a series of fun challenges. Each challenge contains clues to questions that participants answer as they are guided through the streets of Rome. Fun dares and photo opps help individuals discover history that only locals know. Some challenges lead participants through the streets of town while others challenges help participants explore Rome’s trails and rivers.

“Our town has a rich history with hidden stories behind the buildings and attractions that make Rome vibrant,” said Kent. “The challenges provide a fun way for visitors to not only explore, but to learn how our classic city has grown into the portrait of southern hospitality it is today.”

The app currently has four challenges. Each challenge gives the user a starting location with an idea of distance, terrain and length of time required to complete. Participants receive points based on how well the challenge is completed; they also have the opportunity to challenge friends to beat their score.

The completion of one challenge, might unlock the opportunity to play a new challenge. “We didn’t want to create a tourism app that people download, but only use once,” explains Kent. “So we created an app that allows us to continually add new challenges and new reasons to return to Rome.

The app is perfect for individuals and groups from those who prefer to explore alone to families who appreciate a free adventure.

The app also has a feature for meeting and group tour markets. The GRCVB can create special challenges for groups in town, tailored specifically to each group. “Meeting planners often consider local amenities and entertainment options when selecting a location,” said Kent. “The app is something unique and fun that can be offered to groups.”

Other features in the tourism app include event listings and an interactive map that allows visitors to navigate the town with views of local restaurants, attractions, stores, trails and lodging. The amenities populate the map based on a person’s location.

The mobile-friendly RomeGeorgia.org website was developed by SAI Digital, an innovative local web development and marketing company.

(Coosa Valley News)

Berry College’s men’s lacrosse team recently hosted the inaugural “Faceoff For a Cause” at Valhalla. The event raised $6,625.04 for the nonprofit organization Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). The amount raised was just shy of the lofty goal of $10,000, but a success nonetheless considering it was the first year. Berry College men’s lacrosse has already announced they will be hosting the event again in the Fall of 2016, and hope to exceed this year’s amount.

“It really was a terrific day of lacrosse and charity,” said Berry College Lacrosse Head Coach Curtis Gilbert. “It is the least we can do to show our gratitude for the men and women of this country that provide us the freedom to live our everyday lives. It’s our responsibility to take care of them when they return, and what a better way to raise funds and awareness than by playing the game we love.”

Joining in the day of Lacrosse and Charity were the men’s lacrosse programs from Emmanuel College, North Greenville University, Reinhardt University, Shorter University, and Young-Harris College.  Along with host Berry College, they helped raise money and awareness for our nation’s injured servicemen and women.

The event included scrimmages between the six teams and a mid-day Wounded Warrior address. More than 500 people attended the event with all gate proceeds donated to WWP. These gate proceeds, coupled with the online donations totaled $1,872.86. Additional funds were raised by the respective Lacrosse programs through t-shirt sales and accounted for an additional donation of $2,425. Additionally, Aramark Dining Services graciously fed all Student-Athletes in attendance in the Berry College Dining Hall for free.

Lastly, the officials for the day’s event donated their appearance fees to WWP with a total donation of $2,327.18.

“The amount donated on behalf of our officiating crew was incredible, and accounted for almost a third of the total amount raised,” said Gilbert. “We could not have had the success we did without their support, and I would like to thank them for all their work in making it a wonderful event.”

(Coosa Valley News)

An announcement released nationally by the independent hospital watchdog The Leapfrog Group, shows key shifts among many hospitals on the A, B, C, D and F grades rating them on errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. Redmond Regional Medical Center earned an A in this elite national ratings program, recognizing its strong commitment to patient safety. The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard rating for patient safety, compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading patient safety experts and administered by The Leapfrog Group, a national, independent nonprofit. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Hospital Safety Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

“At Redmond, we continually work to improve quality, service, and patient safety,” said John Quinlivan, Redmond Chief Executive Officer.  “This recognition is a direct reflection of our entire team at Redmond and their daily commitment to patient safety and providing the highest quality care to our patients.  I’m so proud to work alongside them.”

“Redmond’s A grade is a powerful reminder of its commitment to putting patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of your clinicians and staff to protect your patients,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which administers the Hospital Safety Score. “Our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends deserve a hospital that will pull out all the stops to keep them safe, and we urge Redmond and all other A hospitals to preserve and renew your commitment to safety year after year.”

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 hospitals receiving an A grade. The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, offering a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website. Patients can also review their hospital’s past safety performance alongside its current grade on the Hospital Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.

(Coosa Valley News)