Rutherford Weekly

February has been Heart-2-Heart month on the campus of Isothermal Community College, and on Valentine's Day the Student Government Association hosted an event that focused on all matters of the heart. "This is our first heart healthy information fair," said Ruth Colnot, Student Activities Coordinator for the college. "We are coming at the heart from all angles." The fair, she continued, provided students an opportunity for information on protecting your heart from a health standpoint as well as information on domestic violence. "We can send out information in an email, but having an event like this really makes information more tangible," she said. Various organizations were on hand with information, including United Way and Family Resources. Rutherford Regional Health System provided information on smoking cessation and proper nutrition, as well as hands-on demonstrations of compression only CPR. "Just compressions only is enough to circulate the blood in your veins," said Jason Carney, director of the Emergency Department at Rutherford Regional Medical Center. "People are often resistant to put their mouth on strangers, but what has been found is that the compressions are enough to create a vacuum to pull air into the lungs." Carney demonstrated compressions for students and staff, and explained that humming the BeeGees "Stayin' Alive" was a good way to get into a rhythm of compressions. "If you do it too fast, it's OK," he said. "You just want the palm of your hand in the center of the chest and compress about two inches for adults. You would do compressions continuously until help arrives." Kelly Hudson and Kay Conner were representing Family Resources with information on domestic violence. "We are talking with students today about what to look for that are red flags in a relationship - controlling behaviors, wanting to check your phone, isolating you from family and friends and being overly jealous," Hudson said. A lot of times jealousy is mistaken for love, she said. "We want to give them information on what a healthy relationship looks like and offer any support they need," she said. "All of our services are free of charge." Events like this fit into the college's mission of lifelong learning, Colnot concluded. "It really gives information to students on how to navigate life," she said. "In the classroom we are equipping them with critical thinking skills. This provides them with other tools to make healthy decisions." OUR 25 th YEAR • ISSUE NO. 8 • FEBRUARY 23, 2017 RutherfordWeekly.com 828-248-1408 FREE FREE ©Community First Media Community First Media 188 Whitesides Rd., Rutherfordton NC 828-287-3272 Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:30, Sat. 7:30-2:00 Allan Block Wall Systems Authorized Distributor of Allan Block Products allanblock.com ©Community First Media Community First Media FOREST CITY FOREST CITY 720 South Church St 720 South Church St • • 828-245-7274 828-245-7274 CAROLEEN Hwy. 221A • 828-657-5353 Medical Arts Pharmacy HAS MERGED INTO ALL PATIENT RECORDS ARE LOCATED AT HARDIN'S DRUG AS OF MARCH 1 ST INFORMING RUTHERFORD COUNTY INFORMING RUTHERFORD COUNTY Matters of the heart focus of Isothermal event Articles By: Allison Flynn, Rutherford Weekly Articles By: Allison Flynn, Rutherford Weekly Isothermal Community College staff had their oxygen levels checked with a pulse oximeter during the Heart-2-Heart health fair Feb. 14 on campus. President Walter Dalton received information on healthy eating from Ashley Bryant, a member of the cardiac and pulmonary rehab department at Rutherford Regional Medical Center. A plate divided to show how much of each food group you should eat for dinner. Students learned about substance abuse & its impact on your heart from United Way. Jason Carney, emergency department director at Rutherford Regional, demonstrates compression-only CPR for students. Poverty simulation planned for February 25 There are nearly half a million children in North Carolina under the age of 18 who live in poverty. NETworX Rutherford believes that through the community's support, those numbers can decrease. NETworX, a program of Nurture, Education and Transformation within a network that is Christian in origin, will host a Community Action Poverty Simulation Saturday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to noon at First United Methodist Church in Rutherfordton in the fellowship center. "This program is about giving a hand up, not a had out for those in greatest need, with relationships being the heart of this initiative," said Lucy Robbins, pastor of Caroleen United Methodist Church and a member of the group. Several informational meetings about the program - which will have several components - have already been held. The simulation will serve as opportunity for advocates for those in poverty to gain a greater understanding of what life in poverty looks like. "There will be 15 minute segments with assignments as a particular family, and participants will be given a task," Robbins explained. "Through the sessions they are trying to work their way through the various systems in our community that people in poverty have to navigate." The purpose, she continued, is to put the person into the actual role of a person living in poverty and what they deal with on a daily basis. "The idea is that a lot of us think we know what that's like … it's a way to open our eyes to the reality of what people have to struggle with," Robbins said. NETworX Rutherford's first cohort is set to begin in April or May, and the poverty simulation is a means for recruiting allies - those people who will serve as support and mentors for champions, who are those living in poverty. "We are working with a professional on grant writing to see where we might seek some funds," Robbins said. "We're also beginning to talk about local fundraising strategies. Those funds will primarily support some positions that are critical for the initiative." Each cohort will follow a curriculum, and classes will meet for 12 to 15 weeks. But it doesn't stop there, Robbins said. "The idea is that folks will have built relationships and won't want to quit meeting," she said. "There is a program in Burke County, and something they do we hope to also do is an evening called 'big view.' It is a time for champions to discuss from a higher level perspective the problems they see and how the members of the community can make changes." NETworX Rutherford is affiliated with NETworX USA; a regional center for the national initiative is located in North Carolina. More information on the local initiative will be available as the program takes shape.

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