Category Archives: Ascension

Nearly a third of the of the Northwoods population falls into the 65 and older category that will soon be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Ascension Wisconsin, Aspirus, and Marshfield Clinic will all be helping vaccinate this group.

Ascension will be contacting current patients that qualify to set up appointments. Its asking people not to call hospitals and clinics at this time.

Both Marshfield Clinic and Aspirus have phone lines and an online system to set up appointments.

Your name will get added to a list and someone will reach out to you as vaccine doses become available to schedule a time for an appointment.

Marshfield Clinic said its gotten vaccine requests from thousands of people. It says wait times on its phone lines are lengthy. It recommends using its online system.

Aspirus Senior Vice President Jesse Tischer says appointments will be set up much like when you see your provider.

Weve chosen to administer the vaccine utilizing our clinic structure. We encourage folks, because of that approach, to utilize those care locations where they normally receive care for most of their communication and the vaccine distribution, said Tischer.

Part of the reason for the clinic structure is to make sure theres staff on hand to monitor people after they get their shot.

Dr. Susan Schneider is a primary care physician with Aspirus. She says allergic reactions have been rare. There have been some mild side effects reported.

[We] really have not seen anything that has caused us any concern about the safety of these vaccines. Theyre incredibly safe and theyre incredibly effective and theyre going to be one of our most effective tools for end this pandemic, said Dr. Schneider.

You can find the links and phone numbers to put your name on a waitlist for the vaccine on WXPR's COVID-19 Vaccine Information page.

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Northwoods Healthcare Systems Working to Vaccinate 65 and Older Group - WXPR

Nursing student Brandi White, right, injects her mother, Angie Stark, left, with the Pfizer vaccine at Ascension St. Vincent William K. Nasser, MD, Healthcare Education, and Simulation Center: 1801 W. 86th Street, Indianapolis, on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021.

INDIANAPOLIS Nursing student Brandi White, 43, was a little nervous vaccinating her mother in mid-January.

Angie Stark, 62, was initially hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, even though she works at a long-term care facility for the elderly. But pride quickly replaced that hesitancy when she saw her daughter at work on the evening of Jan. 16.

After White was done, her mother stood up, gave her a big hug and said, thank you.

It was amazing, White said, who also vaccinated her 21-year-old daughter that night. The three generations of health care workers volunteer at Ascension St. Vincent William K. Nasser, MD, Health Education and Simulation Center in Indianapolis.

While White and Stark administer vaccines to Indiana residents, the youngest registers patients at the front desk. Shes also very proud of her mom.

It was nice for all of us to be there together, White said. It feels good to be doing something.

Medical students are expected to be an increasingly important part of the nation's unprecedented vaccination effort. President Joe Biden's National COVID-19 strategy says clinical students, retired health care professionals and health workers who normally do not give vaccinations should all be called upon to deliver vaccines.

In White's case, her chance to administer vaccinations came through her school. It worked with the Students Assist America program, an initiative spearheaded by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations by using qualified medical students.

Watch: Fortunate few win coronavirus vaccine lottery

The effort comes as the nation faces a surplus of distributed but unused vaccines, with about 20 million doses currently waiting to be administered, according to Friday data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Theres no doubt that we have not been able to vaccinate as many people in an efficient way that we want in part because theres not enough people involved at all levels, Virginia Bader, director of Students Assist America and senior adviser to the president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic medicine. If we could fully engage the million students in SAA, theres no doubt that wed be in a far better position than we are now.

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More than 830,000 students educated by institutions in Students Assist America are trained to vaccinate with supervision during their education. An additional 147,000 students who are trained in social work, psychology and other areas of public health are available to assist with nonclinical aspects of mass vaccination.

Many of these students still attend classes virtually and are eager to begin clinical work as part of their training.

These students have been asking for ways to help for months, their lives have been really disrupted by this and their education process has been upended, Bader said. (Volunteering) is a good way for people to gain some sense of control and agency."

White has volunteered a total of seven times. In six-hour shifts, she vaccinates between 50 to 60 patients.

That has been possible because Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb extended an executive order Dec. 23, first issued in March in response to the pandemic, to grant temporary licensing to retired or student health care workers. This included authorizing qualified students to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

In New Jersey, students from the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford began administering vaccines after Gov. Phil Murphy issued a similar executive order. The school vaccinates 300 to 400 patients per day on campus, according to the schools dean Dr. Thomas Cavalieri. That amounts to one in every 95 patients vaccinated in the state.

Initially, we had an internal discussion as to whether we had the resources to do it. We came to a conclusion, no wasnt an option, he said. Its not a matter of should we, its a matter of we must.

Students say they feel a similar sense of duty.

MacKenzie North, a student at Marian Universitys College of Osteopathic Medicine, doesnt have the credentials to administer vaccines yet, but she jumped at the chance to assist with registration.

Feeling like you are a part of the solution is a very rewarding feeling and puts in perspective of why youre going into medicine to begin with, she said.

Dr. Amanda Wright, interim school dean, is proud of the how professional and selfless the student volunteers have been in helping to streamline the vaccination process.

She said students help offload work from other health care workers who may need a break or dont have the extra time to volunteer after working at strained hospitals.

It's also a unique learning experience for students that licensed doctors today may never have had, Wright added.

Theyre going to be our future leaders, she said. When I trained, I never saw something like this happen. These learners have, so theyll be very prepared for future crises because theyve gone through it.

Jan. 21: Amazon offers to help Biden administration with COVID-19 vaccine distribution

COVID-19 cemented Whites decision to switch her career to nursing in March 2020 and volunteering has made her feel prepared to join the workforce battling the pandemic when she graduates in December 2021.

As White and her family volunteer side-by-side to immunize Indiana residents, she felt proud to be a part of this historic effort.

This will be a defining moment in all of our lifetimes, she said. We will be a part of history.

Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19: Medical students administer vaccines, speeding up rollout

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'We will be a part of history': Eager medical students are helping speed up US vaccine rollout - Yahoo News

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, Mayors Office, Trevecca announce updates

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital has named Doris Price director of its emergency department.

Price (pictured) most recently served as director of critical care services for Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, according to a release. In her six years with the states largest faith-based, nonprofit health system, she oversaw an emergency department, intensive care unit, catheterization laboratory, and trauma and dialysis services. The hospital underwent a multimillion-dollar ER expansion under her watch.

Prior to that, Price spent five years in nursing and clinical leadership roles at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee.

In addition to a doctoral degree from Chamberlain University College of Nursing in Addison, Illinois, Price holds masters and bachelors degrees from Milwaukees Cardinal Stritch University. She is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives andPhi Beta Sigma Honor Society.

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital is honored to welcome industry veteran Doris Price to our growing emergency department, Teresa Collins, chief nursing officer, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, said in the release. We are certain that Doris offers the expertise and passion needed to lead in these unprecedented times.

Cooper taps deputy chief of staff

Mayor John Cooper has named Robert Fisher as deputy chief of staff.

In June 2020, Fisher joined Coopers team as senior advisor for education, responsible for supporting Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), Nashvilles higher education institutions and other public, private and nonprofit organizations dedicated to learning.

Fisher will report to Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff Bill Phillips and will continue as a senior policy advisor with an emphasis on education, according to a release.

Last fall, Fisher helped MNPS design its plan for spending $24 million in federal pandemic relief dollars allocated for the system including laptops and internet hot spots for virtual learning. Fisher also supported Coopers advocacy efforts to secure more local education dollars from Congress latest round of pandemic relief funds, as well as move Nashvilles K-12 teachers closer to the top of Tennessees COVID-19 vaccination distribution schedule.

Fisher is a Rhodes Scholar and holds a masters degree in education and a masters degree in public policy from the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, as well as a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Robert brings a deep commitment to public service and organizational excellence to our team, Cooper said in the release. Im confident his leadership abilities will help everyone on our team to maximize their own talent and dedication as they serve the people of Nashville.

(Click on View Gallery in the above image to see a photo.)

Trevecca names VP of marketing and communications

Trevecca Nazarene University has tapped Mollie Yoder to serve as associate vice president of marketing and communications.

According to a release, Yoder is responsible for leading the universitys marketing, branding, media relations and communications efforts.

Yoder began her marketing career as Liberty Universitys director of marketing from 2009-16. Yoder most recently served as the director of marketing and membership at the Pocket Testament League, a Christian nonprofit.

Yoder holds a bachelors degree in communications and public relations and a masters degree in business management and leadership, both from Liberty University.

We are excited for Mollie to join the Trevecca family, Holly Whitby, TNU vice president of enrollment and marketing, said in the release. Not only is Mollie a great mission fit for the university; but she also brings a wealth of experience in higher education, donor relations, and spurring exponential growth.

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Send personnel info to wwilliams@nashvillepost.com.

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On the Move: 19 January 2021 - Nashville Post

Ascension Sacred Heart plans to open two community clinics on Wednesday in Escambia County and Santa Rosa County that will provide COVID-19 vaccinations to local residents who are age 65 and older.

All available appointments for the 1,000 vaccine shots at each clinic were filled Tuesday morning.

Ascension Sacred Heart plans to hold additional vaccination clinics for seniors as soon as more COVID-19 vaccine is available from the state. We anticipate that will happen next week, and we will announce plans on our website and on social media once plans are confirmed, the hospital said in a statement.

The clinics were organized in coordination with the Florida Department of Health and officials from each county.

In Escambia County, the first series of clinics in January will take place in the gym of Olive Baptist Church at 1836 East Olive Road from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In Santa Rosa County, the vaccination clinic will be located in the basketball gym of Milton Community Center at 5329 Byrom Street in Milton. Appointments are required. Walk-ups will not receive a vaccine.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced a new executive order directing that the next priority group for vaccinations in Florida should be persons age 65 and older. The seniors group follows the first priority group, which is healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents and staff.

After receiving a supply of the Moderna vaccine, Ascension Sacred Heart recently began to vaccinate its hospital staff and healthcare personnel in the community. To support the Florida DOH as it develops a long-term, comprehensive approach to community vaccinations, Ascension Sacred Heart also will assist the state health department and collaborate with other community partners to deploy vaccines to other priority groups.

Because of the limited amount of vaccines available in the U.S., it will likely be months before the state is able to successfully vaccinate all the individuals in priority categories, according to Ascension Sacred Heart. There are almost five million people in Florida who are 65 and older.

Our hospitals are continuing to provide clinically excellent, safe, compassionate care for every patient and loved one whether for COVID-19 or for any other health condition and need, said Tom Van Osdol, president and CEO of Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast.

At the same time, we are working hard to vaccinate our own hospital employees, physicians, community health care workers and those aged 65 and older throughout our communities, in accordance with Governor DeSantis executive order. We are blessed that we have the resources of our Ascension Medical Group to assist the two local counties in vaccinating and helping to protect our senior citizens and those most potentially at-risk against COVID-19.

Written by William Reynolds Filed Under FRONT TOP

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COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics To Open Wednesday For Persons 65 And Older; All Appointments Filled - NorthEscambia.com

MILTON, Fla. (WKRG) The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be able this week for those 65 years and older in Santa Rosa County.

At a press conference Monday, health and emergency management officials announced the Santa Rosa County Health Department will start administering vaccines to those 65 and older starting Tuesday.

Appointments will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The health department has an vaccine allotment able to vaccinate 2,800 residents.

You can call 850-983-4636 to schedule your appointment.

In addition, 1,000 vaccines will be able for those 65 and older at the Milton Community Center, 5629 Byrom St., on Wednesday. Another 1,000 vaccines will be available at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.

Officials described these events as mass vaccinations.

These vaccinations will be administered Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by health officials with Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital.

Call 833-981-0712 to make an appointment.

Officials emphasized that residents must register for an appointment in all cases.

Those who receive the vaccine must receive the second COVID-19 vaccination 28 days after their appointment.

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Santa Rosa County, Ascension to administer thousands of COVID-19 vaccines this week - WKRG News 5

AUGUSTA Portraits of white men from Maines past stare out at all who pass through the halls of the State House. Not a single person of color or woman appears on any of the canvases that hang outside the House and Senate chambers.

The irony was not lost on Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, as a newspaper photographer shot her portrait near the gilded-framed paintings during a recent interview at the Capitol building.

In every room, theres no place for me to see the contributions of my ancestors, of my people in this building, and yet Maine benefited from the global slave trade, Talbot Ross said. The profits from enslavement helped build this state and thereby this institution.

The Portland Democrat has secured her own place in Maines 200-year history by becoming the first Black person elected by her colleagues to a leadership post in the Legislature. In November, she was unanimously chosen by Democrats in the House to be their assistant majority leader.

The role, known as the whip, makes Talbot Ross the third-highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber, behind Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford and Majority Leader Michelle Dunphy of Old Town.

Talbot Ross ascension to the post comes at what many hope will be a pivotal moment in U.S. history, as a rekindled movement for racial justice and equity takes root across the nation in the aftermath of protests over the unjustified police shootings of Black people.

For Talbot Ross, a ninth-generation Mainer, the moment is a personal milestone that brings mixed emotions.

While I am humbled and feel privileged every day every day, she said, Im also ashamed and angry and frustrated that we have not come any further in the 21st century. Its something I have to try hard every day to reconcile.

Elected in November to her third consecutive two-year term, Talbot Ross has served on the Legislatures Judiciary and Health and Human Services committees. Legislation she authored in 2019 led to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Population. She now chairs that 15-member commission, which in July issued a list of recommendations and proposed legislation aimed at ending systemic racism in Maine.

Talbot Ross has also been involved in the work of the NAACP in Maine, including serving as president of the now disbanded Portland branch. She said she remains active with the two other Maine branches of the NAACP, at the Maine State Prison and in Bangor, and has sponsored bills in cooperation with members of those branches.

Talbot Ross declined to give her age or marital status. According to a brief member profile published on the House website, she is single and has one child.

In many ways Talbot Ross is following in the footsteps of her father, Gerald Talbot, who became the first Black person to be elected to the Maine Legislature in 1972. Unlike his daughter, he was not tapped for a leadership position in the 186-member Legislature, which has never seen more than two Black lawmakers serving at the same time.

Gerald Talbot, 89, said he is tremendously proud of his daughters accomplishment, and while she occasionally asks his advice, he encourages her to make her own decisions and use her own judgment.

I try not to get in where Im the boss, he said. Shes the boss and she knows what she is doing.

He described the movement for racial equity and justice as a slow but steady struggle in Maine, just like elsewhere in the U.S. But little by little it gets better and better, he said.

Former state Rep. Craig Hickman, a Democrat from Winthrop, was the only Black lawmaker when Talbot Ross was first elected to the House in 2016. Hickman said he took inspiration from Gerald Talbots service in the Legislature and encouraged Talbot Ross to join him when she expressed reluctance to run.

Her determination has been to make life better for all Maine people, but especially her people, our people, Hickman said. That hasnt been really appreciated until now, and she is absolutely the right person and the best person to be the first Black person to serve in this leadership role.

Talbot Ross election to leadership is especially meaningful because it occurred in the 200th year of Maines statehood, said Hickman, who recently became the Democratic nominee in a March special election for state Senate District 14.

In 1820 Maine joined the Union as part of the Missouri Compromise, well before the Civil War and the end to slavery in the U.S. In the compromise Maine was granted statehood as a free state and Missouri as a slave state.

During her time in the Legislature, Talbot Ross has been a champion for criminal justice and other reforms, including legislation that would restore sovereign rights to tribal populations.

As assistant majority leader, she may have to set aside her own agenda for the priorities of the Democratic caucus and the partys legislative leaders, or to support important bills that rise from rank-and-file members. Talbot Ross said her focus is on the immediate future and on building caucus cohesion among her Democratic peers.

I dont see it as separate, Talbot Ross said of her own legislative work. I see it as our work (that) needs to be done. I include the things that Im interested in moving forward in our work.

Her new position has also proven to be a springboard to higher office, at least for her immediate predecessors. Fecteau, the new speaker of the House, served in the role from 2018 to 2020. And 2nd District U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Lewiston Democrat, held the post before Fecteau.

The election of Kamala Harris as the first Black woman to serve as vice president is an important milestone in the struggle for racial equity, but that so many Americans didnt vote for Harris both in Maine and nationally is telling as well, Talbot Ross said.

These arent glass ceilings we are breaking through these are concrete walls and ceilings, she said. So if you understand that metaphor, then you can understand that while one has broken through that similar to finding me in leadership breaking through that has taken centuries. And while one person has cracked through, or broken through, that does not absolve all of the responsibility to widen that pathway to bring others with you and there is enormous responsibility in that.

Talbot Ross said the Black Lives Matter movement that swept the nation last spring and summer, inspiring protests and resistance in Portland and other Maine cities, was a time when many more white people were accepting the truth that we had lived with for generations.

I just remember that I was grieving, and Im still in a period of grief because this never stops, Talbot Ross said. We have got a whole group of people who are in a generation of transference of grief and trauma and I think that weve been patient for your awakening. But I also think that brings a sense of hope and certainly opportunity.

Its work thats far from finished, said state Rep. Jeffrey Evangelos, an independent from Friendship. Evangelos, who has served on the Judiciary Committee with Talbot Ross, calls her a key ally in a struggle against racism that gained vigor in the 1960s but was derailed by the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Kennedys younger brother Robert Kennedy.

We have regressed badly since 1968, Evangelos said. We have a lot of prejudice to overcome in Maine still.

He pointed to recent forms of racial disparity, that Blacks make up just 1.5 percent of the states population but account for 12 percent of those incarcerated in the Maine State Prison, and that the states Black communities experience COVID-19 infection at a rate 20 times higher than those of white residents.

Evangelos said Talbot Ross has a broad vision of justice and has been a leader in her work to bring greater equity to people of all races, including impoverished whites who struggle to gain a foothold and better themselves.

When Talbot Ross and her colleagues return for this years legislative session, the rows of white male portraits will still gaze down from the State House walls, even as incremental change happens in the battle for racial equity.

But theres also one area where a different Maine vision is on display. In the State House Welcome Center closed to the public because of COVID-19 restrictions but still open to legislators and staff the walls are hung with a series of paintings by Ashley Bryan.

Bryan, a World War II veteran who landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day, is a celebrated Black writer and artist. He retired to Cranberry Island off Maines coast after a career as a professor of art at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

Talbot Ross asked a newspaper photographer to take her picture near the exhibit, to allow more people to see his beautiful artistry and to include Bryan, now 97, in her story as she makes history in a space dominated by white men.

Because there is some affirmation for me in that work, she said of Bryans art. And having that in this building starts to interrupt that space.

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Ascension to legislative leadership is bittersweet for Talbot Ross - Press Herald

SAGINAW, MI - Ascension St. Marys Hospital of Saginaw announced that it is planning to open the doors to its brand new Emergency Care Center addition at its 800 S. Washington Ave. location in early January.

The new addition is a part of a six-phase $17.6 million expansion, which began after Ascension St. Marys broke ground on the project in fall 2019. The entire project is on track to be completed in fall of 2021.

MLive - The Saginaw News previously reported that the first phase of project required the relocation of St. Marys dialysis unit from the emergency department area. Those services are now provided in a dedicated dialysis area.

Phase two was recently completed, which included the the construction of a 12,600-square feet addition, renovating existing space, infrastructure improvements for electrical, heating, ventilation and information technology systems, and improving access for ambulances and the public. The newly constructed addition provides patients with an airport style drop-off/pick up and continuous drop-off canopy for inclement weather.

As part of the planning work, we identified that a new emergency entry for ambulances and the public was a top priority. Significant excavation and construction to reduce the gradient to the Emergency Department has taken place to create a safer entryway for ambulances and our community, said Stephanie Duggan, MD, Regional President, Ascension St. Marys.

The enhancements will transform the facility into a level II trauma care center with 24 exam/treatment rooms and two trauma rooms, according to Ascension, and boost the hospitals ability to provide stroke care as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Individuals coming to the new Emergency Care Center will also find a new registration and triage area which will improve patient flow and increase capacity and efficiency and a larger waiting area, according to Ascension. Ambulances will also have a new multiple parking bays to utilize.

We are very excited and looking forward to opening the new addition and ambulance bays, said Duggan.

The next phases of the project will involve renovating the existing emergency department space to create new, larger exam rooms and trauma suites. The work will continue to be staged so there is no disruption of services, according to Ascension. Emergency and trauma care will continue to be provided through the existing emergency care in downtown Saginaw and at Ascension St. Marys freestanding emergency care center located in Saginaw Township, at 4599 Towne Centre Blvd., at the corner of Towne Centre and Schust. Both locations are open 24/7.

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Ascension St. Marys preparing to open new Emergency Care Center to public - MLive.com

The East Ascension boys basketball team heads into 2021 with a team first mentality, no stars on the team and a work ethic that is contagious.

Our team plays together, said coach Tyler Turner."No one on this team cares who scores or gets the spotlight; they play as one."

The Spartans, 5-5 at press time, head into district 5-5A play this week. The Spartans finished last season with a 25-9 record and a playoff loss to eventual state runner-up Bonnabel. Gone from last year's team are Hobert Grayson IV (Northeast Mississippi Community College), Tre Joseph, Javon Carter, Cameron Dunbar, Nicholas Hills and Jarvon Anderson. Camryn Carter was expected to return for his senior year and would have been one of the top players in the state, but he transferred to the famed Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

Despite losing their top eight players, the work ethic and attitude of this year's team is positive. The boys are working on cleaning up some small mistakes; that comes from being so young and inexperienced on the varsity level, Turner said.

With district play beginning this week, there will be no easy nights for this young squad. Our district is very competitive, Turner said."I believe the district is wide open; it will be a battle in each game."

The Spartans will battle McKinley, Catholic, Woodlawn and parish rivals St. Amant and Dutchtown. The Spartans are ranked 12th in the 5A power rankings. The top teams in 5A are Hahnville, West Monroe, Zachary, Natchitoches Central, Northshore and Bonnabel. Whomever wins 5A will have earned it, Turner said."This class is tough from top to bottom and all of the teams are well coached."

As the Spartans continue to gain experience, with most players playing varsity for the first time, the key will be to build confidence and play as a team. You have to bring your A game every time you step on the floor, practice or games; it is the only way we teach it, Turner said.

The All-District ranking are out, with Ascension Catholic well represented inDistrict 7-1A and Ascension Christian receiving recognition.

Take a look.

First team offense:

Quarterback, Bryce Leonard, Ascension Catholic

Running back, Khai Prean, Ascension Catholic

Running back, Barry Richards, White Castle

Running back, Skylar Jones, East Iberville

Wide receiver, Troy Cole, Ascension Catholic

Wide receiver, Brooks Leonard, Ascension Catholic

Wide receiver, Joseph Schlatre, St. John

Tight end, AZarion Ross, East Iberville

Offensive line, Fred Villavaso, White Castle

Offensive line, Owen Smith, Ascension Catholic

Offensive line, Devin Pedescleaux, Ascension Catholic

Offensive line, Lance Captain, East Iberville

Offensive line, JQuinn Williams, East Iberville

Athlete, Roderique Valentine, East Iberville

Kicker, Jacob Dunn, Ascension Catholic

Kicker, Casey Mays, Ascension Catholic

Co-MVPs: Khai Prean, Ascension Catholic, and Roderique Valentine, East Iberville

First team defense:

Defensive line, JMond Tapp, Ascension Catholic

Defensive line, Tre Williams, Ascension Catholic

Defensive line, Brandon Garner, East Iberville

Defensive line, Nick Davis, Ascension Christian

Linebacker, Brayden Duhon, Ascension Catholic

Linebacker, Jacob Dunn, Ascension Catholic

Linebacker, Deshawn Alexander, East Iberville

Linebacker, Josh Daigle, St. John

Defensive back, Trey Perkins, East Iberville

Defensive back, Lex Melancon, Ascension Catholic

Defensive back, Matthew Lafleur, Ascension Catholic

Defensive back, Joseph Schlatre, St. John

Flex, Skylar Jones, East Iberville

Punter, Matthew Lafleur, Ascension Catholic

Defensive MVP: JMond Tapp, Ascension Catholic

Coach of the Year: Ascension Catholic staff

Donaldsonville High School also was honored to have coach Brian Richardson named co-coach of the year and the following players named to their district's first team:

All purpose offense, Joshua Collier

All purpose offense, Raeland Johnson

Offensive line, Christian Howard

Defensive end, Randell Oatis

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Unselfish play and teamwork fuel East Ascension basketball - The Advocate

A two-story rectory on Main St. was built one year after the church, providing living space for Ascensions rector.

A $38,000 gift from an anonymous donor has paid for a new roof and professional painting inside and out, and ownership has been transferred to the Wellsville Historical Society,

Any visitor driving down Main Street will cast an admiring eye on this rare and charming expression of 19th century Carpenter Gothic architecture, never guessing how close it came to being lost.

The old church would have fallen in or been demolished years ago had it not been for the Friends of the Ascension Church, a nonprofit organization created in 1982 to undertake the major salvage and renovation necessary to save it, and which eventually assumed ownership from the Episcopal Diocese of Cleveland. The Friends group was founded and led by Wellsville native and former Columbiana County sheriff Robert Brass Beresford and his wife Bonny. Brassys mother, Anna Metsch Beresford, was a longtime member and he grew up in Ascension Church.

Jack Glover, Margaret Deeley and Betty Lowther Rager were among former parishioners and among last attendees who joined the Friends group. The community took the project to its heart.

Ascensions brick parish hall on 11thStreet was used as extra classroom space by the nearby Catholic school, and also was a meeting place for Boy Scouts. It and the rectory were demolished in November 2004.

It was in bad shape. The corner of the building on the right side (of the pulpit) was completely open, said Bonny. When I walked in there I said you guys are out of your minds. But she added, Every time we came to a stop, somebody always came along who knew what to do. We felt like we were being blessed.

THE BERESFORDS, with help from Jack Glover and others, remained caretakers over two decades after the 1980s renovation. The church was used on an occasional basis for meetings, weddings, community Christmas celebrations and Garfield school programs. Sharon and Bob French were married there on the hottest day of June 1994. Tiffanie Hartman, a granddaughter of the Beresfords, was married to Kevin Grimm there in 1998. Kevin was a U.S. Marine; he and an honor guard of comrades were in full dress uniform, Bonny recalls.

Friends group members have fallen away with age and the church has rarely been used in the past decade. Only three trustees remained Brass, Bonny and Ruth Weekley when ownership was transferred two years ago to the Wellsville Historical Society, an eventuality planned for by Brassy. Former Common Pleas Court Judge David Tobin provided the legal work at the request of Peter Russell, a former Wellsville banker. Brassy passed away in 2019 at age 93. Ruth Weekley died in June 2020; she was 94.

In 2017-18, the church was again in need of upkeep. An anonymous donor stepped forward, giving $38,000 to put on a new roof with historically correct shingles and to repaint the church interior and exterior.

Thus the physical existence of the Ascension Church is secure into the foreseeable future. The building has electrical service for lighting, but no heating or plumbing systems, limiting its use as a community meeting place. Those involved are open to suggestions and offers of help.

Noted local artist Hans Hacker was commissioned to paint this picture of Ascension Church, which hangs in the museum of the Wellsville Historical Society. The original steeple shown was later removed.

IT WAS IN 1870, a full century and a half ago, that Ascension Church was built, providing a parish home for a fledging Episcopalian congregation.

For some time prior to September 1863 a few church men and women had been meeting in a hall over Wm. C. Brights drug store on East Main Street . . . for an occasional service as they could secure the services of a clergyman. A Sunday school was formed and conducted by Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Ayer which was attended by a large number of children, according to a 1950 church history.

On Aug. 21, 1863, 28 adults signed their names to a draft resolution of formation, giving the name Parish of the Church of the Ascension, and adopting the constitution and canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church USA.

Following publication of their intentions in The Wellsville Union newspaper, members met on Sept. 6 and formally organized the parish. On Sept. 19 a Rev. Mr. Lee, who now and then had led services there, was called to be its first rector.

WELLSVILLE WAS A RAILROAD town then, site of the maintenance shops of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. Creation of Ascension Church was a direct consequence of railroad men of Episcopalian heritage locating with their families in Wellsville in the early 1860s.

This photo of an Ascension Church picnic from the 1940s includes members of the Glover, Hands, Kerr and Lowther families. Brass Beresfords mother, Anna Pearl Metsch Beresford, is second from the left in the back row, wearing a hat.

Mr. John Thomas, superintendent of the C&P Railroad, was senior warden of Ascension at the time the parish was legally incorporated at the county seat in Lisbon, April 1, 1870.

Of the total cost of $6,489.89 to build and furnish the church, $2,500 was raised through a grand excursion to Lake Erie including an outing on the steamer Northwest.

An entry in parish records dated Sept. 5, 1870, states: Wardens and Vestry sent thank you to manager of Cleveland & Pittsburgh RR for their generous action toward us in connection with the excursion train of June 23rd the profits of which have enabled us to complete our little church without the burden of debt. A thank-you was sent to Capt. J.E. Pierce and officers of the Northwest. A Pierce family shows up in parish records, perhaps a local connection to Capt. Pierce.

The second largest individual source of funding was $1,421 in subscriptions from church members.

Whomever did the accounting wanted to make sure that the contributions of railroad people were recognized, showing donations (separate from subscriptions) from citizens not connected to RR of $572, while donations connected with RR totaled $1,333.95.

This undated photo, dating from around the turn of the 19th century or before, shows Christmas decorations and a rector in his vestments standing at the pulpit. The pipe organ at left was donated by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. The large stained glass window shown was the original, created by William Nelson Manufacturing of Pittsburgh. That large window was blown out some years ago and never replaced, but whether it was still the original or a 1925 replacement is not known at this writing.

A BREAKDOWN OF building expenses includes $1,100 to buy the lots, $4,060 for construction of the building (contractor William Wood of Cleveland), $281 for furniture, $175 for carpeting, $110 for a stove and heating pipes, $59 for (oil?) lamps and globes, $53 for three years of fire insurance and $310 paid for stained glass Wm. Nelson Mfg. Pgh.

That points up a small mystery. Church history says the present stained glass windows were installed in 1925, and dedication names on the windows support that date. What, then, happened to the windows originally installed by William Nelson, early (1852-1892) Pittsburgh stained glass maker?

The centuries-old practice of selling, and later, renting, pews was quite common in Protestant churches as a method of raising funds for construction. By the mid-19th century the practice was falling into disfavor, yet the Ascension Church Vestry felt a need to put upon record their wish and resolve (that) the seats of the church shall be entirely free so that no man however poor shall feel himself excluded from Gods House.

(The pews are very low to the floor. Bonny Beresford thinks thats because people were generally smaller 150 years ago. Or perhaps it was to facilitate kneeling during services.)

The cornerstone was laid July 16, 1869, with items placed inside including current newspapers, a Book of Common Prayer, and a Bible.

Ascensions handsome wooden pews, pressed metal ceiling and 1925 stained glass windows are visible in this present day view from the pulpit area. (Photo by Fred Miller)

On the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, Sept. 29, 1870, the building was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. G.T. Bedell, Third Bishop of Ohio, the building being free from debt when completed. A two-story rectory was added on the adjacent lot a year later, making the parish more attractive to prospective rectors, and a brick parish house behind the church provided meeting space. Both were demolished in 2004.

THE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE of the Church of the Ascension is a reminder that, like the Episcopal Church itself, its roots are English but its expression American.

After the Great London Fire of 1666, architect Christopher Wren turned to Italian and Greek styles for inspiration. He termed what had burned Gothic; a disparagement of the architectural style of cathedrals and other heavy stone buildings of the Middle Ages, equating them with the Germanic tribes (Goths, Visigoths, Vandals) that sacked Rome.

Architects in America followed the styles of Wren, including Greek Revival and what is now called Colonial or Georgian, but at length a reaction sent in and a Gothic revival ushered in new expressions. The abundance of timber in America, coupled with the introduction of steam-driven sawmills led to interpretations of Gothic style in wood instead of stone. Architects Alexander Jackson Davis and Andrew Jackson Downing published influential books of Gothic Revival building plans in the mid-1800s.

Ascension Church has the steep gabled roof, fancy scrollwork bargeboards (trim), pointed-arch windows and doors, and vertical board-and-batten wooden siding of classified as Vernacular Carpenter Gothic. Vernacular as opposed to high style is a reference to rural site and use of modest materials.

Preservation of its architectural significance gave Ascension Church status for placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, the application prepared by Jack Lanam of East Liverpool, a local historian and member of the Friends group.

ASCENSION CHURCH was always small compared to other area churches, but families were close-knit and the parish enjoyed good years in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th. Some 75 parishioners attended a celebration for their rector in 1915. A Womens Auxiliary, Daughters of the Auxiliary, Junior Auxiliary, and Little Helpers were popular steppingstone womens groups. A dozen men were guided to create a Mens Club.

Meticulous record books were kept in those years for memberships, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials, often including personal data such as parentage, sponsors, date of birth, and cause of death. Family names included Keay, Kerr, Mills, Bowers, Haslet, Hand, Deeley, Lower, Jobling, Rushton, Bailey, Andrews, Allcock, Furniss, Gardner, Jones, Jenkins, McKinnis, Starrett, Robinson, Pritchard, Morris and others.

The name Elizabeth DeTemple is one of the first to appear in the record books, but the reason was not a happy one. The churchs first baptism was on Aug. 28, 1865, for infant son Jacob Emmanuel DeTemple, and was followed by his burial three days later. Elizabeth and her husband Matthew DeTemple went on to have at least eight more children, and lived to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 1915. One of the 1925 stained glass windows in Ascension Church is dedicated to her.

(The second baptism listed was for George Edward DeTemple on Aug. 30, 1865, apparently a twin of Jacob. George survived infancy but died of typhoid fever at age 16, March 22, 1882.)

Other windows are dedicated to the memory of: Harry Jobling (there were two Harry Joblings, father and son); Grace and Charles Keay (Grace Keay, age 20, was buried Feb. 2, 1919, and a Charles Emerson Keay died Dec. 31, 1916, at age 16 months); and Levison Rushton, (died Nov. 5, 1920, age 15). Windows were dedicated to the Womens Auxiliary and the Sunday School. Church stalwart John Hands name was painted in after his death on a window. He died in 1947 at age 55.

The circular stained glass window high on the Main Street gable-end wall was dedicated to my beloved wife Elizabeth Thomas.

With the transfer of Ascension Church to the Wellsville Historical Society, its church record books and other documents will be preserved for genealogy and history researchers.

Entries in the record books became sparse beginning in the 1940s, with perhaps the last permanent rector a Rev. Gillette in 1946. Rectors from St. Stephens in East Liverpool kept an association with the Ascension congregation, including Rev. D.R. Salsberry Jr. in 1965 and Rev. Paul Heckters in 1976.

Notebooks of attendance records show 10 or 20 regularly came to church on Sundays in the 1960s. By 1974, that number had dwindled to five or six older members. Betty Rager and Jack Glover in a 1980s Review article stated there was no last Sunday. The church simply fizzled out.

THE WELLSVILLE HISTORICAL Society faces the same problem of an aging organization with fewer members and less money. President Bob Lloyd who with sardonic wit says, I woke up one morning and was told, You own a church' said Society trustees do not have the resources at present to do much with Ascension Church, but do accept responsibility for it, and will do the best they can.

There are developments, however, suggesting that help will be forthcoming from those who love Wellsville and its history, and that good news for the Church of the Ascension is in the offing.

Donations from families allowed them to memorialize loved ones in Ascensions 1925 stained glass side windows, including this one to Elizabeth DeTemple, who spent her adult life in the church and raised a large family. (Fred Miller photo)

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Wellsville's Church of the Ascension | News, Sports, Jobs - The Review - The Review

Tamiko Francis-Garrison, wearing a white suit, placed her hand on a family Bible as she was sworn in Dec. 31 by Judge Erin Wiley-Lanoux as the justice of the peace for the 1st Justice Court.

Francis-Garrison is the first Black woman to serve in the office, she said. But she's not the first in her family elected to an office or use that Bible to take the oath of office. Her father, the late Bernard BJ Francis Sr., used the same Bible in 1992 when he was sworn in as mayor of Donaldsonville and her uncle Reginald Francis Sr. used the family Bible when he took his oath as a Donaldsonville city councilman.

The swearing-in was a private ceremony due to COVID-19 restrictions held at City Hall in Donaldsonville. Francis-Garrison took office Jan. 1 and one of her first duties was swearing in her uncle to his seat on the City Council.

Francis-Garrison's attire was a nod to the suffragettes of the womens suffrage march held on March 3, 1913. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., she also honored the 22 founders of the sorority, who were among those at that march.

"I promise to work hard, to be fair, and to ensure the 1st Justice Court is fully accessible to the community that I love," said Francis-Garrison.

The Democrat was elected Dec. 5, winning a runoff against the 42-year incumbent, Andrew Falcon.

Francis-Garrison, 52, is not new to public service. In 2006, she served as the interim Ascension Parish councilwoman for District 1, making history as the first Black woman to serve in that role.

She is the daughter of the late Bernard BJ Francis Sr. and the late Janet Ganes Francis, who was affectionately known as the woman who brought Juneteenth to Donaldsonville.

Francis-Garrison found out a few weeks ago that she is not the first in her family to serve in the role as justice of the peace. Her maternal great-great-grandfather, Louis Butler Sr., was elected as justice of the peace for the First Ward in Ascension Parish on Nov. 7, 1876. Butler served in various roles over the years: distinguished of the Convention & Assembly of the Reconstruction of the State of Louisianain 1867and state representative in 1874.

She has been married to her husband, Ira, for over 13 years and they have one daughter, Tamiko.

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Ascension Parish westside elects first African-American woman to serve as Justice of the Peace - The Advocate