482-4418 Wednesday, May 24, 201 7 50« Hospitals oppose ‘need’ m c.miucHRVww u^usiubui '&• MUO hl'wh cm law’s repeal BY JON HAWLEY Daily Advance The version of the pro posed state budget that passed the Senate Friday would expose health care sys tems operating in the state to more competition — a move hospital officials warn would be detrimental to the delivery of rural health care. The Senate budget would repeal the state’s “certificate of need” law that requires health care providers to get approval from the N.C. De- SACKRISON partment of Health and Human Ser vices before building or adding facilities or major equipment. As the name implies, the certifi cate of need law requires health care providers to prove there is a need for additional services before adding them — the ratio nale being that excessive or duplicative health services don’t improve health care and can increase costs. The Senate budget would phase out CON require ments over the next eight years. The spending plan also provides new exemp tions from CON review that would take effect in October. The exemptions from CON review include enabling ophthalmologists to license their practices as ambulatory surgical facili ties, allowing physicians to operate ambulatory surgi cal facilities in collabora tion with nearby hospitals, and enabling community hospitals with 200 or fewer acute care beds to offer new health services and buy ma jor medical equipment such as MRI scanners. State Sen. Bill Cook, R- Beaufort, who voted for the Senate budget and supports repeal of the CON law, de scribes the law as govern ment overreach driving up health care costs. He said in an email last week that “states with CON laws have 30 percent fewer hospitals, including 30 percent fewer rural hospitals, than those that do not.” Cook called the CON law “one more example of government overreach that may be well-intended, but in reality only serves to curb patient choices and drive up the already spiraling cost of health care.” Hospital officials, includ ing the presidents of local Vidant and Sentara hos pitals, disagree with both Cook’s characterization of the CON law and the effort to repeal it. “I don’t think repeal will lower costs,” Jeff Sackrison, president of Vidant Chowan and Vidant Bertie hospitals, said in an interview Friday. Sackrison said he be lieves the CON law created burdensome steps for pro viders and it does need “re vamping.” However, the law ensures, he said, rural hos pitals can generate revenue to offset costly services like See HOSPITALS, 2A Educator thanks mentor BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer When South Greenville Elementary School teacher Michael Bonner made a sur prise visit to Edenton last Wednesday, only a hand ful of people knew he was coming. Among the few who’d been tipped off about his impending visit to an end- of-year celebration for be ginning teachers, mentors and support coaches was White Oak Elementary School teacher Tracy Fair cloth. Faircloth served as a mentor for Bonner during his student teaching days at White Oak and has re mained in touch with him ever since. “He had a passion for stu dents from the get-go,” Fair cloth said in recalling what it was like to work with him and observe him interacting with children in her class- room. “I knew he was going to go far.” And he has. Bonner, who is a native of Perquimans County and a graduate of Elizabeth City State Univer sity, saw his name become a household word follow ing an unexpected offer to appear on the Ellen DeGe neres show earlier this year. He won praise from the day- time talk show host for his innovative teaching meth ods including a rap video he created as a teaching tool to inspire his second grade students went viral on the Internet and caught the at tention of DeGeneres and her show’s producers. But it almost didn’t hap pen. During his presentation at the John A. Hohnes media center last week, Bonner shared the story of how he experienced a turning point in his own teaching career See MENTOR, 9A Paint Your World Purple Cancer survivors and their caregivers walk the track at John A. Holmes High School during the opening ceremony for Chowan-Perquimans Relay for Life. Seventeen teams raised almost $67,000 in supporting the American Cancer Society’s search for a cure. Relay for Life raises about $67K BY REBECCA BUNCH , Staff Writer Seventeen teams took part in Fri day night’s Chowan-Perquimans Re lay for Life, raising close to $67,000, according to Lynn Ambrose Knapp, who co-chaired the event with Sh eryl Alligood. This year’s theme was “Paint Your World Purple.” The Relay event took place on the track at John A. Holmes High School in Edenton. In a break with tradition, participants enjoyed mild rather than inclement weather and were at the track for a total of six hours, from 6 p.m. until midnight, rather than the normal overnight event Relayers have experienced in previous years. Knapp said she thought the change in format had worked well. “I think we had more people that stayed until the end,” she said. This year’s Relay was dedicated in memory of Jack Evans, founder of the local Relay’s best fundraising effort, Rocky Hock Opry shows that over the past 14 years have raised nearly $500,000 to help in the fight against cancer. During the opening events at Re lay, his wife, Frances, was presented with a plaque honoring him for his extraordinary efforts to fight a dead ly disease that had claimed the fives of so many members of his family. Bills join DSS agencies One of the most special features at this year's Chowan-Perquimans Relay for Life was this Garden of Hope that contained colorful, handcrafted flowers that contained handwritten messages of hope and encouragement from cancer survivors and their caregivers that were created at the kickoff dinner for Relay held at Edenton Baptist Church. Arranged close by were luminaria bearing the name of Jack Evans to whom this year's event was dedicated in recognition of his extraordinary efforts to raise money for a cure. Evans died of an unrelated illness at age 80 on Nov. 21,2016. Bonnita Dunham, a Relay spokes woman from the regional American Cancer Society in Greenville, recalled meeting Evans during previous Relay See RELAY, 5A BY JON HAWLEY Daily Advance State lawmakers are pro posing to replace comity de partments of social services with new regional entities, a move that would reshape how the state provides child protective services and other programs that protect North Carolina’s most vulnerable residents. Local DSS directors, how ever, are leery of the idea, warning it could be a one- size-fits-all approach that doesn’t improve services. Under proposals before both the wmemm state House j and Senate, 1 county de- partments j ofsocialser- I vices would be merged 1 U into 30 or • fewer re- COOK gional entities by Jan. 1,2022. In addition to standalone House and Senate bills, the proposal is included in the Senate version of next year’s proposed state budget. Leading up to 2022, the legislation requires the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and a work ing group of state and lo cal officials to plan how to implement the merger. The group would report back to the General Assembly before April 1,2019, and the merger wouldn’t happen without an other act of the General As sembly. Both state Sens. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, and Sen. Erica Smith-Ingram, D-Northamp- ton, expressed support for the legislation last week. Cook said the legislation — House Bill 608 and State Bill 594—is needed to “over haul” social services in the state after numerous reviews See DSS, 2A f West Point cadet to speak at Chowan County Memorial Day service Town Council mulls food trucks 6 Like us on Facebook at /EDENTON-CHOWANHERALD l 89076"44813 l 0 From staff reports The annual Chowan County Memorial Day Ser vice will take place at 11 a.m. at the Chowan County Veterans Memorial in Eden ton. Keynote speaker will be West Point Cadet Riaz Lane of Edenton. Before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point, Lane was home-schooled LANE by his par ents, Ra- khsheed and Alton Lane. Riaz Lane is an Eagle Scout as well as a proud member of the Sons of the American Legion and the Air Force Auxiliary. In his free time, he enjoys run ning — he ran his seventh marathon in March — and spending time with his best friend, role model and older brother, Razi. Come join the members of American Legion Post 40 as they host this free celebration for everyone to reflect and remember the sacrifices made by our departed veterans for the good and honor of our country. BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer The town council is considering amending the town’s Unified Develop ment Ordinance to allow food trucks on private and public property. A public hearing on the issue that began at council’s May 9 meeting has been continued until a meeting that at press time was scheduled to take place Monday evening. In a May 19 memo to council members, Town Manager Anne-Marie Knighton said that town staff has “tweaked the proposed food truck UDO See TRUCKS, 3A ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved Season Opener Historic Hicks Field -FMI Call 252-482-4080 www.edentonsteamers.com MAY 30TH @7PM VS MOREHEAD CITY MARLINS VIDANT HOSPITALS NIGHT TASTY TUESDAY A