New EMS
base opens
November 9
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
* Cleveland County Emergency
Medical Service has found a
new permanent base at 102
Commerce Boulevard in Kings
Mountain. The department
started out in two cramped
rooms in Kings Mountain
Hospital in the 1990s. As the
hospital expanded, they moved
into an old house owned by the
hospital located at the corner of
Juniper Road and King Street.
After moving around a couple
of times, they have finally found |
a place to call home at the
Cleveland County Industrial
Park. County EMS began occu-
pying and utilizing the building
in mid-September. A Grand
Opening to celebrate their new
base is scheduled for November
9, from 3-4 pm at 102 Commerce
Boulevard.
Cleveland County Medical
Services Dir. Joe Lord said that
finding the right EMS base in
Kings Mountain has been a
working progress for quite some
time. He is excited about the
location in the Industrial Park
because it is in the central vicin-
ity of the areas that they cover.
“It will give us better access to
our areas extending from
Buffalo Creek to the Bethlehem
Community, portions of Grover,
all of Kings Mountain, the
Stoney Point area east of Moss
Lake and up to the Washington
Elementary school vicinity
where our trucks from Waco
kick in,” he said. “It grants us
lots of access to the community
that we serve.”
The new facility has a living
space of about 1800 sq. ft. and
indoor garages. for their trucks.
The two units inside will house
4 people functioning 24 hours a
day and seven days a week.
EMS paramedics and intermedi-
ates are divided into three shifts:
A, B, and C, he said explaining
that A shift will work 24 hours
from 7 am-7am and will then be
off for two days, continuously
repeating the cycle with Band C
crews filling in on A’s days off.
“The technicians have a possi-
bility of working either 48 or 72
hours every week,” Lord said.
“The facility was built this year
on; and owned by the county in
the Industrial Park, but within
the ET] (Extra Territorial
Jurisdiction) of Kings Mountain.
According to ccncems.com,
“There are nine stations
throughout the county to pro-
vide the fastest, safest care to the
residents of our community.
CCEMS is continually growing
and has nine paramedic ambu-
lances and three QRV's in serv-
See EMS, 3A
Gaston College Bonds
Healthy College. aT 137
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
As confusing and exasperating
as Medicare Part D may be for
senior citizens, there may be a lit-
tle bit of relief for some.
Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue pre-
sented two new cost-free supple-
mental programs that will begin
on January 1, 2007, to help very
low-income seniors with their
Medicare prescription plans on
Friday afternoon at the H.
Lawrence Patrick Senior Center.
The two new programs available
through the North Carolina
Health and Wellness Trust Fund
(HWTEF), NCRx and NCRx Care,
bring more hope to seniors strug-
gling on a tight budget, but less
hope to those struggling on a
slightly-less tight budget.
Perdue said that although
Medicare Part D is good, "there
are still some real challenges to
getting all the drugs you need,
especially when you don’t have
the income to pay for the co-
pays, the deductibles, and the
Po that you still have to
The new program, NCRx
Rati help folks that are very, ory
low income, she said.
The NCRx program that will
be offered to eligible seniors on
January 1, 2007, is a supplement
to a senior’s existing Medicare
plan. Seniors must sign up for
this free program by December
31, 2006. In this program, eligible
seniors will receive up to $18 a
month to pay for their Medicare
drug plan premium. If premiums
are less than $18 a month, then
NCRx will pay for the entire
monthly premium. Seniors who
fall under the restrictions listed
below will qualify for NCRx.
« 4 North Carolina resident age 65
or older
# Income at c or below $17, 150 for
EERE
Lt. Gov. Perdue provides information on
Medicare Part D in meeting at Senior Center
EMILY WEAVER / HERALD
Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue explains Medicare Part D to meeting
of senior citizens at the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and
Conference Center.
individuals and $23,100 for mar-
ried couples
4 Combined savings, invest-
ments and real estate (other than
your home, car, and $1,500 per
person to cover burial expenses)
of $200,000 or less for individuals
and $30,000 less for married cou-
ples
® Enrolled or will enroll in a
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
that participates with NCRx
# No other form of drug cover-
age that is as good or better than
Medicaré Part D
"Extra Help" for
Medicare Part D
The second program, NCRx
Care, is anticipated to help with
the "doughnut hole" effect in
Medicare Part D, which is a sig-
nificant gap in federal drug cov-
erage. Perdue expects that the
deficit of coverage will be less-
ened by the NCRx Care program
by free pharmaceutical counsel-
ing. According to the HWTF, in
2006, Medicare Part D covers 75
percent of the first $2,250 worth
subsidy
: of prescriptions that a a senior and
"# Not'eligible for the full féderal *
the plan have paid for in a year.
Social workers endorse Moore
The Kings Mountain Herald
a
After that, however, the
Medicare subscriber is not finan-
cially helped at all with any med-
ications until he or she reaches a
yearly prescription cost of $5,100
in drugs. At that point of expen-
sive medication and if a person
has used their Medicare card for
every prescription purchase to
show that they are at that point
of needed assistance, the federal
government will then step in and
pay for 95 percent of drug
expenses thereafter. The gap in
between the coverage (doughnut
hole) amounts to a total of
$2,850, out-of-pocket expenses
for seniors. This, unfortunately,
has created the possibility of
death for those who cannot
afford to survive the leap of cov-
erage.
NCRx Care is North Carolina’s
new statewide medication thera-
py management program for
seniors enrolled in Medicare. It
will be a supplement to a
senior’s pre-existing Medicare
coverage. Under NCRx Care,
retail and community pharma-
cists will provide free prescrip-
tion drug counseling to seniors
who are struggling or will soon
have to breach the "doughnut
hole." The HWTF has set aside $2
million for the next three years to
compensate pharmacists partici-
pating in the NCRx program.
The pharmacists will provide
seniors with information on how
to best utilize their Medicare
drug benefits and delay or avoid
becoming victim to the coverage
gap. "As many as 200, 000 people
in our country, many of them in
NC, die every year because they
take their medicines wrong.
They mix up their medicines or
they're taking too many of one
kind and not enough of another
kind. I believe with all my heart
this opportunity to sit with your
pharmacist is going to actuall)
make you feel better and maki
me feel better. At the end of th
day, it’s going to save money an
lives in NC," Perdue sai
Seniors can receive this help
no cost, by filling out an applic
tion and sending
are available online at ncrx.gov. ,
"Over a three year period, we W A
will invest about $24 million to
help these very low income peos
ple get their drugs," she said;
Perdue urged the seniors im 8
attendance to tell their friends to
sign up for these programs, stats
ing it will help about 50,000 peo-
ple (about 6 percent of the popu-
lation) in North Carolina. NCRx
Care is for all seniors age 65 and
older, not just for the very low=
income crowd.
The short 20-minute talk;
which seemed like more of a
political campaign than a presen,
tation, left more questions unan<
swered rather than answered,
among the seniors who attended:
Perdue and state Sen. Walter
Dalton, unfortunately, could not
stay to answer them all because
of an engagement planned at the
county Chamber to welcome a
new business to Kings
Mountain. Many seniors, like
Jane Martin, said that they will
not be helped by the new pro-
grams because they just aren't
quite poor enough. Medicare is
for people age 65 and older,
some disabled people less than
65 years of age, and people with
End-Stage Renal Disease (perma-
nent kidney failure treated with
dialysis or a transplant).
For more information on
NCRx and NCRx Care or to get
an application call 1-888-488-
NCRX (6279), log on to ncrx.goy,
or pick up an application at the
Patrick Senior Center.
Ly
it in a 1
December 31, 2006. Applications
Don Fite
Rep. Tim Moore was recently endorsed by the
National Association of Social Workers, NC
Chapter. The organization works to represent
those employed in the field of child protective
services and for improvements in laws concerning
child protective services.
Moore said of the endorsement: "The endorse-
ment of those who are on the front lines working to
Kings Mountain Truck Plaza’s s thodified applica-
tion for a video poker conditional use permit for
two gaming machines and six video non-gaming
tinued from October 17.
Trent Testa, officer of the Dixon School Road
machines was approved unanimously by the
Kings Mountain Board of Adjustment Tuesday .
morning after a short public hearing that wads con-.
A Tribute to Rev. Buddy Williams
This is in honor and tribute to my father, Rev.
James “Buddy Williams. He is the founder and
builder of Piedmont Baptist Church.
prevent child abuse and child neglect means a lot
to me. I have worked to toughen the laws on child
predators, domestic abusers and those who would
harm children. Their support in my election is
appreciated and I look forward to returning to
work in the legislature to continue working on
these issues."
Truck Plaza gaming permit approved
truck plaza, made the request, saying he was
unaware of the state law phasing out gaming
machines when he filed the original application for
a permit for three gaming machines.
The board stipulated state law requires one of
“the gaming machines to be removed by March 1,
2007 and the other to be removed July 1, 2007.
EE Er
January 22, 1938 to
November 8, 2001
“Gone but not
forgotten. We love and
miss you dearly and we
will see you again one
day in heaven.”
Love your wife Lore Fite; daughter and son-
in-law, Jennifer and Dwayne Hord;
Grandchildren, Kristina and Ashlee Owens
and Matt, Cameron and Mitchell Hord.
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Published every remo
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Postmaster, send address changes to:
P. O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086
Phone (704) 739-7496 © Fax (704) 739-0611
The following community groups have
proclaimed their support for the $24.9 million
Gaston College Bond Referendum.
Gaston Chamber of Commerce
Belmont Chamber of Commerce
Cherryville Chamber of Commerce
Gaston County Health Department
Gaston County Board of Education
Republican Party
Democratic Party.
: Gaston Together
heb Gaston 2012.
Gaston County Homebuilders
Gaston Association of Realtors
Gaston Memorial Hospital Board
Join them and Vote Yes for
Gaston College Bonds on November il
RR RE REE RR
My father, friends, members and his brother
Floyd Williams, “now gone on to his rewards”,
begged, borrowed and sweated blood for the
land on which Piedmont Baptist Church now
sits.
From the land, the foundation to the roof,
from the original plans my father drew for this
church, they saw their visions and dreams
become a reality.
Many charter members have long ago gone
on to heaven. Changes have taken place,
people have come and gone, but my father is
still ministering and still holds these memories
in his heart. iA:
Although the church has had its name
changed a couple of times, to all of us who
came up during those years, it was then and will
giways remain Piedmont Baptist Church.
- Sylvia Williams Mason
Ee EE Ri EE Re RE i Ra he 4
Office: 824-1 East King Street ® Kings Mountain, NC 28086
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