BUSINESS
Nearly 500 employees, 25 counties
Business is quite healthy for Comprehensive
By Marybeth Bianchi
Feature Editor
Eleven years ago the county health
director, burned out on Brunswick
County politics, quit his job and
started his own company.
The company was designed to pro
vide 24-hour, seven-day-a-week
health care to county residents in
their homes. That was something the
county health department was un
able to do, and something Ed Harris
of Shallotte believed was needed.
Today, Harris is president of Com
prehensive Home Health Care, Inc.,
a growing company which expects
iio IU IU& U/J,UUU HUMIC
visits and 1.4 million miles by the
end of the year.
"Twelve years ago I never
dreamed it would be this big. I did it
just to get away from government
and bureaucracy," Harris said Tues
day during a breakfast at Palm Tree
Passage, recognizing the company’s
employees as part of National Home
Care Week.
Three of Comprehensive Home
Health Care’s original 13 employees
were there. Shirley Evans of Bolivia
and Mazie Pankey and Pauline
Hecnan of Southport started out in
July, 1981, caring for residents in a
four-county area that included
Brunswick. Today there are nearly
500 employees working in 25
counties. Harris said he hopes to ex
pand the service to South Carolina,
While homcbound elderly men
and women make up 60 percent of
the patients seen, Harris said home
health care is provided to all ages,
including prenatal and pediatric ser
vices. Most patients are referred by
one of the 600 physicians with
whom Comprehensive works close
ly. Typical services include skilled
nursing, physical therapy, personal
care, medical supplies as well as
chemotherapy, pain management
and treatment for AIDS.
Home health care is a low-cost
alternative to in-patient hospital care
or nursing home residency. Harris
pointed out that the cost of a home
visit is S50 to S60 compared to
$1,500 a day for hospital care.
"It’s cost-effective. The patient is
where they want to be and it’s less
expensive," he said. Many services
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1-800-336-0155
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are covered by private insurance,
Medicare or Medicaid.
Frances McGee headed up the
physical therapy department at
Dosher Memorial Hospital but de
cided she preferred working in
patients’ homes rather than in a
clinical setting.
"I really like the freedom to be
able to go house to house. You can
get really close to people," McGee
said.
"And, you can sec the results bet
ter," veteran employee Pauline
Heenan added. The registeted nurse
said she likes being able to work
closely with patients and see them
return to a normal lifestyle.
"The contact with the patients is
better. Patients like being at home
and for the most part they look for
ward to you coming in," Darlene Ot
ten said.
Ruth Somers of Long Beach, who
has been with Comprehensive since
May, said working with the families
and helping them adjust to a mem
ber’s illness or injury is important.
"There’s a whole new set of cir
cumstances," she said. "The whole
family is affected. We can provide
support for the family. That’s the
key really.
"It’s a thrill to see somebody be
come independent again and to see
that the family feels more confi
BUSINESS BRIEFS
CP&L receives safety award
The National Safety Council has presented its most prestigious award,
the Award of Honor, to Carolina Power and Light Co.
This is the 17th consecutive year the council has presented either its
Award of Honor or its Award of Merit to the Raleigh-based utility.
"The award is for CP&L’s rate of work time lost due to employee acci
dents or illness on the job," said Robert Barham, CP&L’s manager of
safety and occupational health. "It’s much better than the average for our
industry. We appreciate this recognition."
The National Safety Council is described as the largest organization in
the world devoted to saving lives, time and other resources through im
provements in personal safety and health." It is a non-profit organization
chartered by Congress in 1913.
‘Stress’ is subject of seminar
Professional motivator May Craven will present a Brunswick Com
munity College Small Business Center seminar on "Stress Coping and
Energizing" Thursday, December 3. ’ *•'
The seminar, held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., will enable participants to
identify what stress is and how to handle it day-to-day. Pre-registration is
required of all participants but there is no charge for the seminar.
The presenter recently received the Jaycees Distinguished Service Award
for "community service, success, integrity and serving as a role model for
others." She is listed in Who's Who in Professional Speaking in America.
In this seminar, participants will learn practical coping techniques in
dealing with stress, energy renewal exercises and attitude. They will also
learn about coping mechanisms, nutrition and its role with emotions and
defining stressors. The speaker will also indicate ways of coping with
stressful organizational policies and procedures.
Those who wish to attend are encouraged to contact Brunswick Com
munity College Small Business Center at 457-6329 from the Southport
Oak Island area, 343-0203 or 754-6900.
Class on best businesses
Brunswick Community College’s Small Business Center is offering a
seminar for individuals interested in venturing out on their own in busi
ness.
Scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, December 10, the three-hour program
entitled "Best Small Businesses in North Carolina for the 90s" will look at
the North Carolina economic and business growth patterns in this decade.
It will examine how national trends will affect small business growth in
North Carolina, the types of businesses that will flourish in the 1990s and
the specific types best suited for Brunswick County.
Basic information on starting a new business will also be discussed, in
cluding resources, owner personality profile, the business plan, legal
basics, marketing and personnel needs.
There is no charge for the program, which will be held on the BCC
campus at Supply.
Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling 457-6329 from the
Southport-Oak Island area, 754-6900,343-0203 or fax 754-7805.
Seminar on economic growth
A seminar looking at the North Carolina economic and business growth
patterns in the 1990s is scheduled Thursday, December 10, from 6:30 to
9:30 p.m.
The Brunswick Community College Small Business Center seminar will
examine how national trends will affect small business growth in North
Carolina.
Participants will also learn basic information about starting one’s own
business. Information such as resources, personality profile, a business
plan, legal basics, marketing and personnel needs will be discussed. Mike
Collins, author of North Carolina Job Hunter's Guide, will present the
seminar.
There is no registration fee for this Brunswick Community College semi
nar, but pre-registration is requested.
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Southport, Next to Lowe's, 457-6667
dent," she said.
"I like home health because you
become part of the family when you
deal with these people," Hilda Bax
ter of Southport said, plus she likes
the freedom of setting her own
schedule and being responsible for
her own work.
Harris said home health care is
destined to play an increasingly
larger role in the health care
delivery system as changes arc made
in the industry.
"Our nation’s health care system is
Speaker to discuss
‘People Dynamics’
May Craven will discuss the prin
ciples of "People Dynamics" on Fri
day, December 4.
She is scheduled to speak from 1
to 4 p.m. in the teaching auditorium
at Brunswick Community College at
Supply. Among the topics she will
cover are making a good first im
pression, difficult people, gender
differences, communication and
listening.
The program is free, but pre
registration is required by calling
457-6329 from the Southport-Oak
Island area or 754-6900.
A Wilmington resident. Craven
has trained and entertained thou
sands with her humorous and
motivating talks. She is a former
stutterer who grew up on a North
Carolina tobacco farm. She went on
to be a beauty queen and was edu
cated at the University of North
Carolina at Wilmington, the College
SKIPPER
Skipper receives
$l-million award
Kim Skipper of Art Skipper
Realty, Inc., has reached the level of
million-dollar producer for the 1992
calendar year.
Skipper has completed over $1
million of actual closed real estate
transactions. She has received a spe
cial recognition certificate from Art
Skipper Realty, Inc.
Skipper is a member of the Bruns
wick County Board of Realtors. She
recently acquired her GRI (Graduate
Realtor Institute) certification and
finished her final course in the top
ten of the class.
CRAVEN
of William and Mary and the Uni
versity of South Carolina.
Craven is a member of the Nation
al Speakers Association, Toast
masters International, the Greater
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce
new business task force and the
United Way’s speakers bureau. She
has received the Distinguished
Toastmaster Award and the Jaycees’
Distinguished Service Award and is
featured in Who's Who in Profes
sional Speaking.
Vn crisis. And if we do not work both
swiftly and boldly our generation
and those to follow may not find
available the health services that
should be standard in a country as
advanced and prosperous as ours,"
he said. "Home health care
represents a major part of the resolu
tion of this crisis.”
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Eye Appointments
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Senior Citizens Discount
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Linda's
Vision Center
209 Yaupon Drive
Yaupon Beach, 278-3182
clrieWs On ®
Cental Healtti
Larry Hemby, D.D.S.
SPACE BETWEEN FRONT TEETH
Too much space between teeth can
detract from your appearance, espe
cially if the unwanted space is in
front of your mouth where it is easily
seen. This is sometimes caused by a
congenital condition, one that you
have inherited. It can also result from
harmful habits in childhood, such as
thumb-sucking. When the force of
the thumb is exerted against the front
teeth it can move them into a forward
position, making spaces appear be
tween the teeth. Another cause is
tongue-thrusting or reverse swallow
ing. This also puts pressure on the
front teeth and pushes them forward,
creating unwanted spaces.
If you have this problem, you
should discuss it with your dentist to
find out what kind of treatment he
recommends to eliminate the spaces.
Straightening misaligned teeth by
orthodontic means may be one solu
tion. If it's not a case of misaligned
teeth, he may be able to rebuild some
of the teeth cosmetically to improve
your appearance.
Prepared as a public service to
promote better dental health.
From the office of:
LARRY IIEMBY, D.D.S.
621 Fodale Avenue
Southport, N.C. 28461
(919) 457-5026

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