Category Archives: Ascension

Glows, tethered rides, mass ascension part of festivities

The South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, in ollaboration with OWA, will relocate to 17th annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival to OWAs state-of-the-art property located at 100 North OWA Boulevard in Foley.Its going to be a spectacular event and we cant wait to see you all there, said ChamberEnjoy a DJ Party in Downtown OWA and a few limited hot air balloon glow appearances on Thursday, May 6. This sneak preview event will kick off the 17th annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Schedule of Events(Balloon Flight Events are weather & wind permitting)Thursday, May 65:00 pm 8:00 pm DJ Patrick; The Park at OWA7:30 pm 8:00 pm Balloon Glow (weather permitting)Friday, May 72:00 pm 10:00 pm Festival Hours2:00 pm 9:00 pm Food vendors, arts and crafts, vendors2:00 pm 9:00 pm Kids Inflatables2:00 pm 9:00 pm Pony and Camel Rides4:00 pm 6:30 -pm Molly Thomas & the Rare Birds7:30 pm Tethered Rides, Balloon Glow, Ascension8:00 10:00 pm Tobacco Rd. BandSaturday, May 89:00 am 10:30 pm Festival Hours9:00 am 9:00 pm Food vendors, arts and crafts, retail11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm Dare Devil Dog Show in The Park11:30 am 11:45 am Legends Sneak Peek National Anthem12:00 pm 2:00 pm Tobacco Rd. Band12:00 pm 9:00 pm Kids Inflatables12:00 pm 9:00 pm Pony and Camel Rides2:30 pm 2:45 pm Legends Sneak Peek3:00 pm 4:00 pm Magnolia Dance Company5:00 pm 5:45 pm Comedian Brad Tassell7:00 pm 10:30 pm B Street Benny7:30 pm Tethered Rides, Balloon Glow, Mass AscensionSunday, May 912:00 pm 8:00 pm Festival Hours12:00 pm 8:00 pm Food vendors, arts and crafts, vendors12:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm Dare Devil Dog Show in The Park12:00 pm 7:00 pm Kids Inflatables12:00 pm 7:00 pm Pony and Camel Rides12:00 pm 2:00 pm Kirk Jay3:00 pm 6:00 pm Roman Street7:30 pm Balloon GlowPictured: Molly Thomas & The Rare Birds will be onstage Friday, May 7 at 4 p.m. Born in Ocean Springs, Thomas calls her passionately homegrown songs Indie Swamp Pop, and she has a band to prove it with live with Rick Hirsch (guitar), John Milham (drums), and John Keuler (bass), the same Gulf Coast royalty that played on her most recent release, Honeys Fury.

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Glows, tethered rides, mass ascension part of festivities - Mulletwrapper

There is a lot of confusion surrounding Camilla's future title as Queen, says son Tom Parker-Bowles

It is unclear whether Duchess Camilla will be referred to as the Queen, after Prince Charles takes the throne as the King of England.

According to her son Tom Parker-Bowles, there is a lot of ambiguity surrounding his mother's future title.

When asked, the writer told The Times, I honestly dont know if Mum will be called queen.

That hasnt been decided. There are a lot of interesting Sky documentaries about that Im sure, but I honestly dont know if thats true," he added.

At the time of Charles' engagement to Camilla, the Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying, "It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne.

Meanwhile, insiders revealed Charles most likely wants his wife to be called Queen consort when he becomes the King.

This is something hes dreamed about his entire life he sees it as his birthright, and Her Majesty would find it extremely difficult to deprive him of that, a source said.

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Camillas son reveals if she will be called Queen with Charles ascension to throne - Geo News

Yes, it seemed like old times. But there also were some fast times and impressive field marks as the LHSAA Outdoor Track & Field meet returned to LSUs Bernie Moore Track Stadium.

Were finally starting to get normal back, meet referee James Simmons said as he watched the field events wrap up on the first day of the LHSAAs first outdoor competition since 2019, thanks to the pandemic.

The Thursday meet for classes 1A, B and C held was a new combination borne out of a scheduling conflict with LSUs graduation ceremony.

An added class did make recently approved capacity crowd larger than normal. Those on hand, got a wonderful mix of top performances by local teams and individuals.

It was a showcase for some top local football prospects. LSU signee Matthew Langlois of Catholic-Pointe Coupee swept the Class 1A 100- and 200-meter dashes.

Two notable 2022 recruits, defensive lineman JMond Tapp and running back Khai Prean of Ascension Catholic, also were a 1A presence. Tapp won the shot put and Prean was the runner-up to Langlois in the 200 meters.

Want team success? That was a thing too as Jehovah-Jireh in Class B boys and two District 7-1A teams, the East Iberville girls and Ascension Catholic boys, were all runner-up finishers. The EIHS finish came two months after the school won a 1A girls basketball title.

I finally got under 11 (seconds), Langlois said after winning the 100 meters in 10.79 seconds.

There was more to come for Langlois, who said he slipped out the blocks but churned into the lead on the final curve to win 200 in 22.33, ahead of Prean (22.50) and Southern Labs Darren Morris (22.87).

Tapp won his 1A shot put flight on his final toss, uncorking a throw of 46 feet, 9 inches.

Jumps specialist Genesis Jackson helped lead the East Iberville girls by winning the long jump in 17-9 and the triple jump in 38-4.

I really wanted the record that 38-11. But it did not happen today, said Jackson, a junior who wore one gold sock and one red one accent her school colors. My long jump was the better event today. A record would have been nice, but this is about the team.

EIHS coach Mark Temple also was the coach of the girls basketball title team. Yes, Temple said he believes one success led to another since the track team includes most of the basketball team.

I think winning basketball made them hungrier, Temple said. Winning a state title for the first time was wonderful. They wanted to see if they could do it again.

Ouachita Christian swept the 1A titles scoring 80 points to finish ahead of East Iberville at 56. OCS scored 124 points to win the boys title ahead of ACHS (62).

Distance runner Chase Walker won two distance races and was second in another to claim Outstanding Performer honors to help lead ACHS.

I gave it all I had to today, Walker said. This (runner-up finish) means a lot to a lot of people. We did what we had to do to get it done.

ACHS coach Tim Daigle added, We knew had a chance and everybody came together.

Hackberry won the Class C title with 76. Just ahead of a revamped runner-up Jehovah team that had 71 points.

I dont think anyone is disappointed, considering the number of kids we have, JCA coach Dirk Ricks said. Our goal was 65 points and we exceeded that. These guys went on out and excelled in the last meet, which is a great thing.

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And we're back: LHSAA track returns with top local performances, three runner-up team finishes - The Advocate

Lawrence Technological University, in partnership with Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield, will provide a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for LTU faculty and staff on April 27 and 28 at the Southfield Civic Center Pavilion, 26000 Greenfield Road.

Ascension healthcare staff will administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during the clinic. Since this is a two-dose vaccine, faculty and staff will return on May 18 and 19 for their second dose.

The university has announced that all students living in LTU residence halls, as well as all student-athletes, will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 prior to the start of the fall

2021 semester in August. Religious and medical exemptions will be considered.

Vaccination is the only path forward to victory over this pandemic, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in rigorous scientific testing and millions of doses already given, LTU Provost Tarek Sobh said.

The clinic is part of LTUs growing relationship with Ascension Michigan, LTUs clinical partner in its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, launched in 2017, and its Master of Science in physician assistant studies program, scheduled to launch in the Fall 2022 semester.

Our strong and increasing relationship with Ascension Michigan puts LTU at the forefront of healthcare education, Sobh said.

In Michigan, Ascension operates 16 hospitals and hundreds of related healthcare facilities that together employ over 23,000 associates.

Lawrence Technological University, http://www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932.

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Lawrence Tech partners with Ascension Providence Hospital to provide vaccine clinic - The Oakland Press

PRAIRIEVILLEVoters across all of Ascension Parish will decide Saturday whether to sell a number of government-owned sewage treatment systems on the east side of the Mississippi River to a private management firm backed by former Shaw Group head Jim Bernhard.

The deal would include a network of public sewer operations in unincorporated areas, primarily in Prairieville and Dutchtown, leaving out those serving Gonzales and Sorrento. Sewer operations west of the river are also not part of the proposed deal.

National Water Infrastructure, owned by Bernhard Capital Partners Management, would take ownership of sewer plants, trunk lines and other elements of the waste system by paying the parish $9.26 million. It would also promise to build within five years a new $200 million regional treatment plant that discharges into the Mississippi River, long a goal of state regulators.

It's not clear what kind of rates NWI's current and future parish customers -- about 19,000 in all -- would pay under the deal.

Ascension Parish voters will be asked April 24 to decide whether the way to settle parish government's decades-long struggle to improve sewage

Parish officials have said it would be up to the Public Service Commission to set rates; NWI has said ratepayers could see an extremely minimal rate increase in the next two years, and capital expenditures could bring a later increase.

NWI residential customers currently pay $45 per month; parish customers pay $42.50 per month.

Among the parish assets, NWI would gain two major, costly sewer lines under La. 42 and La. 73 and also a regional collection system and discharge line to the Mississippi River. The latter were financed through several million dollars from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and federal hurricane recovery money.

The parish would simultaneously agree to a nonexclusive franchise agreement for NWI that would pay the parish $500,000 a year to start. The parish's annual fee collections would increase as new customers are added to the system.

The state Public Service Commission would need to approve the deal, along with any potential rate increases.

GONZALES Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment is ready to get back to business as usual, and says the parish's decades-old problem wit

The proposal represents a marked shift from generations of parish officials and, for a time, even first-term Parish President Clint Cointment. They had sought ways to have the parish finance and expand its own regional system, but were unable to reconcile the high costs through taxes, high user fees or significant subsidies with general parish funds.

For months, Cointment and a unified front of parish officials have argued the deal would put an end to costly public subsidies of a far-flung collection of sewer plants -- $42 million over the past nine years -- that won't ever reach economies of scale that would make them cost-effective.

The parish spends $3 million per year alone in general tax revenues to subsidize the existing system. And it also would need to find a way to finance the kind of large regional system NWI is proposing to satisfy state regulators worried about the poor water quality in the parish's bayous.

Meanwhile, the money saved and also earned under the NWI deal can be put to other needs in the growing suburban parish, they have argued. Parish officials estimated the combined savings and earnings could hit $95 million over 20 years.

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Ascension Wastewater Treatment, the state's largest private sewer provider, has been acquired by Baton Rouge private equity firm Bernhard Capi

In a recent public hearing in Prairieville, parish resident Rob Cowzer, 68, asked Cointment to explain why he had personally switched from opposing an earlier pubic-private partnership with NWI and arguing that the parish could finance its own regional sewage treatment system to now saying the parish's only path was to let NWI take full control.

"When you look at the numbers, the whole deal has switched over and that's why. If I didn't think this was best for the people of this parish, I promise you, I would not support it," Cointment said.

Cowzer remained skeptical of the parish's saving estimates and promised spending. Other residents said they were likely to support the measure.

Some of the public meetings, however, have been lightly attended. In early voting, 1,550 people have voted in person.

Parts of the eastern and all of western Ascension are also voting in the 2nd Congressional District runoff.

Under the deal, thousands of homeowners on individual treatment systems would not be required to hook up to the future NWI system.

The Ascension Parish Council has rejected Parish President Clint Cointments attempt to fully develop his own plan to inspect the more than 19

As president-elect in late 2019, Cointment and a handful of councilmen-elect opposed and stalled a proposed public-private partnership with the essentially same company that would have kept Ascension in the sewer business.

After floating a plan to have the parish build its own sewer system in May, Cointment, like other parish officials, has concluded it was time to sell.

The sewer asset appraisals represent significant hit for the parish. Appraisers estimated the replacement value at nearly $28 million.

But Cointment and others have suggested the appraisals show a parish system is a losing proposition. At the same time, the cost of more valuable parish assets would have been born by NWI's ratepayers.

"We wholeheartedly believe this is the best thing for the future of Ascension Parish when it comes to saving tax dollars, to spending more wisely and to protecting our general fund," Councilman Chase Melancon said in St. Amant earlier this month.

GONZALES A bigger, better sewer treatment plant, more customers, better environmental benefits for Ascension Parish and all of it done in

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Vote to sell Ascension sewer assets to Bernhard-backed firm headed to polls on Saturday - The Advocate

Ascension Saint Thomas recently announced Shubhada Jagasia, MD, MMHC, as the new president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital, Midtown and West campuses.

Offering nearly 30 years of clinical and health care administration experience, Jagasia most recently served as chief of staff for the adult hospital and ambulatory clinics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. There, she successfully led the COVID-19 service line as part of the pandemic response, created an innovative discharge and transitions program, and developed a patient and caregiver-centered end-of-life program. She also helped develop multiple new clinical programs, including a specialized service line catering to patients with high health care resources utilization.

Her prior roles include medical director of the Eskind Diabetes Clinic and vice chair of clinical affairs for the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt.

Jagasia moved to Tennessee in 1994 to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis after graduating from King Edward Memorial Medical College in Mumbai, India. She then relocated to Nashville for her internal medicine residency, which she completed on the Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown and West campuses through the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She continued her clinical training at Vanderbilt with a fellowship in diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism. She also obtained a Masters of Management in health care from the Owen Graduate School of Management.

Jagasia joins Ascension Saint Thomas amid major expansion of the heart, transplant, neuroscience and critical care programs on the West campus and a $300-million modernization of the Midtown campus. The widely anticipated Midtown development encompasses a new, state-of-the-art surgery and critical care tower, a new entrance and program enhancements for the Hospital for Women, a new medical office building, a new spine institute with specialized surgical suites, a new specialty hospital for inpatient rehabilitation and expansions to the cancer center.

Dr. Jagasia will be a tremendous asset to our ministry as we continue to drive innovation within healthcare, said Tim Adams, president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas. Dr. Jagasia will lead and enhance our already strong associate and clinician engagement across service lines within both facilities while providing Middle Tennesseans with world-class care. Additionally, she plans to continue her endocrinology work as a part of our medical staff.

Jagasia succeeds Fahad Tahir, outgoing president and CEO of the Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown and West campuses, as he assumes the role of system chief strategy officer for Ascension Saint Thomas.

In partnership with Jagasia, and as part of his scope within the chief strategy officer role, Tahir will lead service lines across the system, continue to support clinical program development and maintain close engagement with physicians, hospital leadership and co-management boards. He will also remain a co-executive sponsor of the Midtown modernization, clinical program development and capital campaign, in partnership with the Ascension Saint Thomas Foundation.

Jagasias new role will be effective on May 1.

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New CEO named at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown and West - williamsonherald.com

Girls

Team scores: 1, St. Josephs Academy, 228. 2, Dutchtown, 129. 3, Baton Rouge High, 101. 4, East Ascension, 75. 5, St. Amant, 35. 6, Woodlawn, 10.

Field events

Long jump: 1, Simone Castelluccio, SJA, 17-10 . 2, Ava Riche, SJA, 17-7 . 3, Jakayla Joseph, EAHS, 15-6 .

High jump: 1, Riley Wilson, SJA, 5-3. 2, Aaryona Kinchen, BRHS, 5-2. 3, Reese Favaloro, SJA, 5-0.

Triple jump: 1, Simone Castelluccio, SJA, 38-2 . 2, Ava Riche, SJA, 36-3 . 3, McKenzie Landry, WHS, 33-3 .

Pole vault: 1, Ava Riche, SJA, 12-0. 2, Taylor Walker, SJA, 10-0. 3, Lexie Martin, SAHS, 7-3.

Shot put: 1, Laila Guy, Baton Rouge, 37-11 . 2, Lyndsey Darensbourg, St. Josephs, 33-7 . 3, Chelsey McClay, Dutchtown, 32-2 .

Javelin: 1, Rebecca Bordelon, SJA, 130-10. 2, Milain Marcel, DHS, 111-9. 3, Gracie Baker, 95-1.

Discus: 1, Laila Guy, BRHS, 111-6. 2, Chelsey McClay, DHS, 92-1. 3, Havilland Forbes, SJA, 89-8.

Track events

4x200-meter relay: 1, St. Josephs, 1:42.02. 2, Baton Rouge, 1:42.77. 3, East Ascension, 1;45.40.

1,600: 1, Sophie Martin, SJA, 5:14.79. 2, Maddie Gardiner, SJA, 5:20.99. 3, Kaylee Braud, DHS, 5:58.72.

4x800 relay: 1, St. Josephs, 9:53.68. 2, Dutchtown, 11:41.86. 3, East Ascension, 11:47.41.

100 hurdles: 1, Jessica Pitcher, BRHS, 15.33. 2, Isabella Lalonde, SJA, 15.75. 3, Elizabeth Gordon, SJA, 17.35.

100: 1, Ariane Linton, DHS, 11.97. 2, Jessica Pitcher, BRHS, 12.43. 3, Meghan Joshua, DHS, 12.54.

800: 1, Rachel Fereday, DHS, 2:25.43. 2, Amelia Cochran, SJA, 2:25.73. 3, Lydia Poche, SJA, 2:29.01.

4x100 relay: 1, East Ascension, 49.33. 2, Dutchtown, 49.60. 3, Baton Rouge, 49.68.

400: 1, Esther Nwanze, BRHS, 59.10. 2, Haley Jones, SJA, 59.13. 3, Aaryona Kinchen, BRHS, 1:00.55.

300 hurdles: 1, Isabella Lalonde, SJA, 48.57. 2, Rachel Fereday, DHS, 50.06. 3, Mihnlan St. Cyr, EAHS, 50.46.

200: 1, Ariane Linton, DHS, 25.65. 2, Kiearra Wallace, BRHS, 26.42. 3, Sydney Johnson, EAHS, 26.86.

3,200: 1, Sophie Martin, SJA, 11:14.09. 2, Maddie Gardiner, SJA, 11:55.85. 3, Phoebe Dunham, DHS, 13:12.31.

4x400 relay: 1, St. Josephs, 4:01.19. 2, Baton Rouge, 4:07.13. 3, Dutchtown, 4:15.46. 4, East Ascension, 4:18.48.

Team scores: 1, Catholic, 216. 2, St. Amant, 104. 3, Dutchtown, 89. 4, Woodlawn, 87. 5, East Ascension, 79. 6, McKinley, 4. 7, Baton Rouge High, 2.

Field events

Long jump: 1, Marty Jamison, SAHS, 22-11. 2, WJuanteraus Rodrique, SAHS, 22-7. 3, Bennett Saia, CHS, 21-7 .

High jump: 1, TreShaun Dunn, SAHS, 6-2. 2, Allen Stark, EAHS, 6-0. 3, Clayton Warner, CHS, 5-8.

Triple jump: 1, WJuanteraus Rodrique, SAHS, 42-1. 2, Bennett Saia, CHS, 42-0 . 3, Clayton Warner, CHS, 41-9 .

Pole vault: 1, Luke Neale, DHS, 11-0. 2, Branson Phillips, CHS, 10-6. 3, Graham Fels, CHS, 10-0.

Shot put: 1, Jerrell Boykins, EAHS, 55-6 . 2, Prince Edwards, CHS, 52-11 . 3, Grant Griffin, CHS, 52-0.

Javelin: 1, Jackson Rimes, CHS, 203-2. 2, Cole Martin, DHS, 165-10. 3, Caleb Marcantel, CHS, 158-1.

Discus: 1, Jerrell Boykins, EAHS, 171-4. 2, Gerard Lorio, CHS, 144-11. 3, Sam Cole, CHS, 140-2.

Track events

4x200 relay: 1, Woodlawn, 1:27.90. 2, St. Amant, 1:28.33, 3, Dutchtown, 1:30.57.

1,600: 1, Daniel Sullivan, CHS, 4:27.58. 2, Blaison Treuil, CHS, 4:28.06. 3, Cameron Bourgeois, EAHS, 4:44.36.

4x800 relay: 1, Catholic, 8:06.19. 2, St. Amant, 8:35.03. 3, East Ascension, 8:43,24.

110 hurdles: 1, Lanard Harris, WHS, 14.26. 2, Brandt Middleton, CHS, 15.69. 3, Winston Decuir, CHS, 16.14.

100: 1, Kevin Domino, SAHS, 10.66. 2, JMarcus Sewell, WHS, 10.82. 3, Jay Veon Haynes, WHS, 10.86.

800: 1, Daniel Sullivan, CHS, 2:00.66. 2, Max Guillot, CHS, 2:02.74. 3, Taylor Hofman, EAHS, 2:06.60.

4x100 relay: 1, St. Amant, 42.34. 2, Woodlawn, 42.82. 3, Dutchtown, 43.93.

400: 1, Shannon Helaire, CHS, 50.02. 2, Brock Boudreaux, CHS, 50.72. 3, Navell Chopin, 52.36.

300 hurdles: 1, Lanard Harris, WHS, 38.21. 2, Louis Rudge, CHS, 40.66. 3, Alex Martin, DHS, 41.20.

200: 1, Kevin Domino, SAHS, 21.86. 2, JMarcus Sewell, WHS, 22.11. 3, Kriston Pierson, DHS, 22.60.

3,200: 1, Owen Simon, CHS, 9:44.51. 2, Blaison Treuil, CHS, 9:53.55., 3, Cameron Bourgeois, EAHS, 9:53.82.

4x400 relay: 1, Catholic, 3:25.89. 2, Woodlawn, 3:31.99. 3, East Ascension, 3:33.13.

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Check out the results of the District 5-5A track meet at Catholic High - The Advocate

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. They came to a garden Wednesday, some 40 people did,in search of healing and hope that COVID-19 will be defeated. They came, too, in remembrance of people we've lost and intribute tohealth care workers who man the barricades against the virus.

For Heather Rieber, the planting of three flowering dogwoodtrees in Ascension St. Vincent Evansville'sDaughters of Charity Prayer Garden will offer a tiny rayof serenity.

Rieber and her 14-year-old daughter lost husband and father Justin Rieberto the coronavirus on Oct. 31. Because she works atAscension Medical Group Heart Carein St. Vincent'sCenter for Advanced Medicine building, she will walk right past the treesat least twice a day.

Justin Rieber, an Evansville resident, was just 39 years old.

More: Here's what Evansville leaders, organizations are saying about the Derek Chauvin verdict

"My plan was to grow old with my husband," Heather said just before Wednesday's ceremony. "I became a widow at a young age. My daughter is left without her earthly father.

"I hopethis helps some people find hope that thecoronaviruspandemic will come to an end soon, and people won't have to suffer like we have and go through what we have."

Justin Rieber was a loving person. Ajoyful person, Heather said.

"If he wasn't joking around with you, that meant he didn't like you," she said with a smile.

Heather was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Oct. 9, she said. Justin, who was working from home, developed symptoms a few days later.

"On Oct. 20, he was really struggling with shortness of breath, trying to breathe, so I convinced him that it was time to go to the emergency room and have it checked out," Heather said. "He was admitted, went to the ICU and just never really recovered. Each day got a little worse."

More: Bridging the gap: Evansville Police tap dance alongside Joshua Academy class

Like a lot of people, Justin didn't think the coronavirus was a big deal when the pandemic began, Heather said.

"But as it went on and people that we know were affected by it directly, he kind of took it more seriously," she said.

One of the trees planted Wednesday, a white flowering dogwood, is in remembrance of people in the area who have died of complications of COVID-19.

Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey and Gibson counties have seen 671 coronavirus-related deaths between them. Although the rate of death has slowed dramatically in recent months, no one knows when they will end. Vanderburgh County reported its 394th death related to COVID-19 just this past Friday.

A pinkflowering dogwood is in thanks to those who have produced and transported vaccines against COVID-19 and staff and volunteers in St. Vincent's vaccine clinic.

A red flowering dogwood honors health care workers who have cared for COVID-19 patients.

Stephanie Lambert, a registered nurse for four years, has worked in a St. Vincent's COVID unit since the pandemic's beginning. Lambert, a 30-something, has seen too many of them die. She's trying to be optimistic now.

"The beginning was very tough for everybody, but we developed a treatment plan, and we got better with things throughout the year," she said. "I'm proud to see a lot of the things that we accomplished during the time of treating patients.

More: Major complex for volleyball, track, other indoor sports proposed for Warrick County

"It's good to see the ones that made it through."

Most of those who attended Wednesday's 20-minute tree planting ceremony at St. Vincent are employees of the hospital system. Mayor Lloyd Winnecke was there, but he did not speak.

"Part of our mission is healing body, mind and spirit, and so we want our surroundings, we want our facilities and our campus to be nurturing, healing (places)," saidDan Parod, president of Ascension St. Vincent Southern Region.

The dedication of the three trees was intended "to acknowledge what we've all been through over the past year," Parod said.

But the community has survived, the St. Vincent president said. That's worth celebrating too.

"We've all experienced loss in some way," he said. "So today, we are dedicating three trees, really, to acknowledge what we've been through, but also to acknowledge the resiliency and the strength that we've seen in our human spirit."

Heather Rieber has found her way forward.

"The reason Ican keep going every day is I have a strong faith in Christ," she said. "I know that he has a plan for me and my daughter and this is not the end for us."

Read or Share this story: https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2021/04/21/covid-19-ceremony-evansville-remembers-and-looks-forward/7305860002/

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COVID-19 ceremony in Evansville remembers and looks forward - Courier & Press

Ted Jackson and his wife regularly walked at least 5 miles a day.

Then in August 2018 he foundhimself unable to walk even a short distance without having to catch his breath.

Assuming there was a problem with his respiratory system, he went to see a pulmonologistwho did a battery of testsand ultimately referred him to a cardiologist. When he was toldhe had heart-valve disease, Jackson made another assumptionthat he would needopen-heart surgery and a long recovery was in the offing.

Againhe was wrong.

Three months after that initial shortness of breath, Jackson underwent aminimally invasive procedure for heart-valve disease patients called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR. As soon as he woke up, hefelt dramaticimprovement, particularly in his hands and feet that had been swollen. He went home the next day.

More: Guest column: Dont let COVID-19 delay heart care

"I could feel my hands and feet oxygenating again. They hadn't been getting enough oxygen," he said."Iwas amazed that they had such a thing, that it works so well, so easy.

"I basicallyresumed a normal life," Jackson, now 81, said.

In 2012AscensionSt. Vincents Riversidewas the first Jacksonville-area hospital to perform the innovative procedure.By the time Jackson's case came along in 2018, the hospital hadperformed about 500 such procedures and by 2021 had reached the 1,000-case milestone.

Annuallyat least 5 million Americans are diagnosed with heart-valve disease. Unlike other forms of heart disease that can be caused byrisk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure and family history, heart-valve disease is "directly related to aging," said cardiologistSamer Garas,who performed the first procedure in Jacksonville in 2012as well as Jackson's in 2018.

With age, the heart's aortic valve thickens or calcifies, preventing the valve from opening fully, which limits blood flow. Symptoms can be shortness of breath,chest pain, fainting, fatigue andleg swelling. High-risk patients have a 50 percentchance of dying within twoyears of diagnosis.

Jackson said hisvalves "weren't working at all."

In most cases, transcatheter aortic valve replacement eliminates the need for open-heart surgery. A catheter issnaked to the heart through an artery in the thigh and a covered metal valveis inserted inside the diseased valve. Only patients who are relatively young or need bypass surgery as well would be candidates for open-heart surgery, Garas said.

"It's the most amazing advance in my career," he said. "I tell them, 'I can't believe you're going home in a day.' It would be 10 days if it was surgery."

The cause of heart-valve diseaseagingcannot be treated per se. But for the senior populationmost likely to have the disease, transcatheter aortic valve replacement "is the most preferred approach" to treating the symptoms, he said.

"Older people want to live healthier," he said, citing many elders' desire to playgolf, travel and otherwise keep active.

In the procedure's early years, its usage was slow going because of a lack of awareness in the medical community. That has improved somewhat, but Garas wants to spread the word about how the procedure changespatients' lives.

"The main thing is awareness. A lot of patients, alot ofdoctorsstill…don't know they have an option," he said.

Providing such an option, he said, is "rewarding" for him and for Ascension St. Vincent's.

"We take pride in our cardiovascular program," Garas said.

Related: Ascension St. Vincent's to host clinical trial for 'revolutionary' stroke-prevention device

When he recommended thetranscatheter aortic valve replacement to Jackson, the patient was a bit reluctant. Those 500 or so successful procedures still seemed like a small number, Jackson said.

"I didn't want to be a guinea pig," he said.

After some research, he agreed. And now he is an advocate, urging patients with similar symptoms to take action.

"I've got to say, anybodythat has this condition adversely impacting their life… don't hesitate," Jackson said.

Beth Reese Cravey: (904) 359-4109, bcravey@jacksonville.com

TO LEARN MORE

For more informationgo tohealthcare.ascension.org/Specialty-Care/Cardiology/Structural-Heart-Valve-Care-Jacksonville.

Read more from the original source:

'Easy' heart-valve fix takes Jacksonville man from shortness of breath back to 'normal life' - The Florida Times-Union

(WXYZ) In the middle of this pandemic and with the civil unrest still simmering across the nation due to the Capitol insurrection and now the George Floyd trial, first responders are under tremendous stress.

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That's why as a community service Ascension Michigan brings a mobile unit to our local police and fire departments to screen for the number one killer of men and women, but what they're uncovering goes far beyond.

Novi Police Officer Tim Farrell has been suiting up in the blue for 31 years. For him, it's a calling especially when someone's life in on the line, as it was during a recent motorcycle accident.

"We were able to save a gentleman's life; he lost two limbs," said Officer Farrell.

Now our men and women in blue and fire rescue are under more stress than ever before.

"Stress can play a significant role in any person's health especially in a police officer who will go to work every day wondering if he is going to come home alive," said Dr. Jerome Seid, a medical oncologist with Ascension Michigan.

According to the online database ScienceDirect.com, 80-percent of first responders report dealing with traumatic events on the job, and nearly 15 percent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"We see a lot of good things and we see some sad things as well," said Farrell.

Death, car accidents, police shootings -- all can cause your blood pressure to rise, heart rate to go up and that creates a perfect storm for the number one killer of men and women.

That's why Ascension Michigan has committed to screening 1,000 police officers and firefighters from Metro Detroit with their mobile heart unit, and they come directly to our first responders.

"This is really our way for not just a health system but the community to give back to a lot of these folks that put their lives on the line, they run toward the fire not away from it," said Dr. Shukri David, Chair of Cardiovascular Services at Ascension Michigan.

This mobile unit screens for vascular disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and more, and for Officer Farrell, who had no idea he had a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball growing inside him causing acid reflux, the screening was a wake-up call.

"I had a feeling something was going on as the tech was doing it cause she was asking me about my abdomen and if I had prior surgery," he said.

From there a CAT scan, MRI, and then surgery to remove the tumor, which is called a GIST, a gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

"This is really a cancer of the wall, the material that holds that stomach wall together," said Dr. Jerome Seid.

Dr. Seid put Officer Farrell on targeted oral chemotherapy, which is a once-a-day pill for three years to reduce the chance of a recurrence.

"The likelihood of him being cured is extremely high," he said.

For Officer Farrell, who works sun-up to sundown and risks his own life daily just by the profession he's chosen, the results of this simple screening are just another reason to be grateful to see the sunrise.

"Every day is precious and this is a chance for anybody who can do any type of preventative testing, taking those measures so you don't run into something that can cost you your life," said Officer Farrell.

These screenings are $60-$70 and covered by Ascension as a community service, but certainly life-changing for first responders like Officer Farrell who have little time to make it to the doctor's office for a routine physical let alone a screening like this one.

Read more here:

Novi police officer discovers he has a tumor thanks to Ascension Michigan's mobile health clinic - WXYZ