Leadership Newberry County met for the second time on Thursday, November 21 for a day of learning about Health and Human Services in the county. The day’s itinerary was organized by Bryson Bouknight and Shannon Longshore.
Bryson is the Employer Liaison with Occupational Health Services of Self Regional Healthcare and a recent graduate of Lander University. Shannon is a Newberry County native and serves as the Nutrition Program Director for the Newberry County Council on Aging. Their goal for the day was to feature organizations participants of the leadership program we were not familiar with, and who do amazing work for our community.
After a quick breakfast together we heard from Bryson on Self Regional Healthcare and what services they bring to Newberry County. Their focus is getting patients back to work and to keep people working. On the second floor of the health services building, in front of the hospital, you can find the Family Health Care center. You can also find services for work physicals, drug testing, wellness services and immunizations, like flu shots.
We transitioned to learn more about the Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands (STSM), which offers comprehensive, trauma-specific care designed to meet the unique needs of individuals who are experiencing the impact of trauma as a result of any form of sexual violence. All services are confidential and available at no cost to the survivors and their family members. They provide individual counseling, group counseling, crisis intervention, legal advocacy, personal advocacy, and alternative therapy groups. If you know anyone who is in need of their services, please share the STSM’s 24-Hour Crisis Hotline phone number (803-771-7273). A trained volunteer or staff member is always available to assist.
After a short break we made our way over to the Free Medical Clinic. The clinic offers primary medical assessments and treatments, prescription assistance, as well as making necessary referrals to volunteer physicians or other specialists. Eligibility to utilize the services at the free clinic you must be a resident of Newberry County, earn below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and be without Medicaid, Medicare or any other type of health insurance. The clinic is in their 13th year of service to Newberry County.
Next up was lunch and a presentation at the Newberry County Memorial Hospital. We heard from Leadership Newberry County graduate, Brenda Williams, who serves as the executive director of the Foundation and Marketing and CEO, Bruce Baldwin. Did you know that the hospital is owned by the county? This allows for decisions to be made locally with a Board of leaders from the county and surrounding areas. Since Mr. Baldwin was hired as CEO, our hospital has seen a complete turnaround in patient approval and the emergency department has one of the quickest visit times with doctors, nurses, and staff who are devoted to the well-being of our county’s residents. Another exciting improvement to the hospital is the 3D Mammogram machine. This will allow patients to stay in Newberry and not have to travel further for the new state of the art screening.
Our next stop of the day took us to the Newberry County Council on Aging. From here we heard from three additional organizations and Shannon Longshore who gave us a tour of the center and spoke with us about the meals provided to seniors in the area on campus, as well as the ones served through Meals on Wheels. For lunch each day 40-50 seniors are served and 70 are served through Meals on Wheels daily within the city. Those outside of the city receive a once a week delivery of multiple meals. Currently the program has nine city routes that are served.
We also heard from Steve Ehney who serves as the SCSEP Federal Grant Service Coordinator for Goodwill. I think it is safe to say our group was surprised to learn that Goodwill is not only a store front that helps people with disabilities find work, but they also assist seniors in finding work through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). The program is for individuals 55 and over who are living below poverty level, may be veterans, or qualified spouses, have a disability, speak English as a second language, low literacy skills, or are homeless or are close to homelessness. The program provides a paid work experience, employment assistance, and work readiness workshops that help place those in need of work. They offer other job connecting opportunities for people with a variety of backgrounds and work experiences. For additional information please check out their website at www.goodwillsc.org/find-work.
Hugh Gray from Westview Behavioral Health Services spoke with us about the mission of the organization. Westview serves Newberry and Saluda counties by providing alcohol and drug abuse services through prevention and treatment. Westview also provides educational services through agencies like the Department of Social Services (DSS). They work with the middle schools to provide evidence based programs as a part of the curriculum to help educate our students. Mr. Gray said that recently their focus has turned to educating the public about vaping — especially in young adults.
The organization that stuck with me the most was Sistercare. This organization provides services for victims of domestic violence and their children and advocates on behalf of these survivors. They also provide educational and community awareness services to help prevent domestic violence. Sistercare is the only organization that offers specialized shelter and support services for survivors of domestic violence and their children in Richland, Lexington, Newberry, Kershaw and Fairfield counties. The organization offers everything from emergency shelters, counseling in group and individual settings as well as counseling for children, transitional housing, and career development to help these victims start over. We learned that in South Carolina, in 2018, over 8,000 adults and children were assisted by Sistercare. Due to the limited amount of space in the emergency shelters, and the stigma around staying in a shelter, only 500 people stayed in a shelter last year. To help these victims transition and provide them with a close to normal holiday experience, the organization accepts special donations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Easter and back to school. Donations like gift cards for groceries, day-to-day essentials, along with toys and clothes for children, can go a long way during the holidays.
In a season of thanksgiving and celebration we have so much to be thankful for. If you are looking for an organization to donate to this season, please think about giving locally to one of these organizations.
• Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands – monetary gifts and if you are able or interested in volunteering please reach out to Eva Maron at 803.790.8208.
• The Free Medical Clinic located on Kinard Street across from the Hospital. They are always in need of day-to-day items like hand soap, paper towels and toilet paper. Donations can be dropped off at the clinic located at 2568 Kinard Street, Newberry.
• Sistercare is in need of storage space as well as day-to-day items to help families start over. Deodorant, hair brushes, combs, paper towels, plastic cups and utensils, sheets and comforters – twin and full sizes, wash cloths and towels. Please contact Misty Cooper at mlott@sistercare.com for drop off information.
• The Newberry County Council on Aging can always use the help of volunteers for their Meals on Wheels program. Monetary donations are accepted along with canned goods like canned meat (tuna, chicken, Vienna sausages) to assist with those on the wait list. Please contact Shannon Longshore at shannon@nccoa.org.
While our day may look long, it was extremely educational and I am happy to know that there are so many people and organizations making a positive impact in our community and beyond.
Leadership Newberry County will meet again on Thursday, December 19 to learn about Emergency Services and Law Enforcement. I look forward to sharing our day with you all.
