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Military Outreach Center just a phone call away

March 31, 2009 by

Military service members and veterans receive various forms of medical and psychological care from centers located across the country including The Johnson V.A. Medical Center in Charleston, The Dorn V.A. Medical Center in Columbia, and the 11 community based outpatient clinics around the state. The Department of Defense has recently taken a further step in taking care of the needs of soldiers, veterans and their families by introducing a 24-hour outreach center. Opened on January 12th, the center provides information and referrals to military personnel, veterans, their families, and others with questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury. Brig. General Loree Sutton is a licensed physician and director of the center. Sutton says the center is staffed by behavioral health consultants and nurses who handle routine requests for information as well as more urgent calls.”We’ve already gotten calls from individuals who are at that desparate point and seriously considering suicide. I’m so thankful to be able to say that our coaches were able to engage and establish relationships and talk those desparate individuals back in off the ledge, to give life another try, to get treatment and to get help and reunite with their families and communities.”

Sutton says the center was born out of numerous requests from soldiers, veterans and family members concerned about having a place they could call for answers if they have medical or psychological issues that may crop up at anytime of the day or night. Sutton says service personnel and their families expressed that they were hungry for information and a sympathetic ear. “We need a place, we need a trained professional, when in the middle of the night, we want to reach out and have someone there who can help us sort out what’s going on, that we in the privacy of our own home can contact that trained professional and get the help that we need confidentially.”

Sutton says medical care providers, ministers, and friends who have concerns about soldiers or veterans they know are also calling the center for information, advice or consultation.

Sutton says the center can deal with everything for routine requests for information about psychological health and traumatic brain injury, to questions about symptoms that a caller is having, to helping a caller find appropriate health care resources. “One of the calls we’ve gotten already has been from an individual who needed some medication and was on leave and didn’t have the number back to their physician and didn’t have the number to the pharmacy so our coach was able to help that individual and make the contact and make sure they got the medication they needed to continue to enjoy their vacation.”

the center serves members, leaders, and healthcare providers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves and veterans of all services and their families.

The center can be contacted around the clock at 866-966-1020 and by e-mail at resources@dcoeoutreach.org.

 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Military, News

After letters exchanged with governor, Senate begins budget

March 30, 2009 by
Monday afternoon, the state Senate Finance Committee began work on one version of the state budget (Audio from hearing). That is, a version that does not take into account $700 million of federal stimulus money. Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman says it would be “foolhardy on the part of us, the Senate, to do that.” He says if the governor decides to request the money by the Friday deadline, then they will draft another with the stimulus money in it.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Legislature, News, Uncategorized

Obama Administration proposal could close doors of State Education Assistance Authority

March 30, 2009 by

The Obama administration has proposed a big change in the $85 billion-dollar-a-year student loan industry. The proposal would end a program that pays government subsidies to private student loan companies. That means that all federal loans would come directly through the government, saving $4 billion dollars annually. The change would be a big blow to companies such as Sallie Mae, that receive subsidies to originate federally backed student loans. It would also affect many state-based student loan offices across the country, like South Carolina’s State Education Assistance Authority, established under the state government 36 years ago. Chuck Sanders directs that organization. He says there are two ways that college students receive government loans. One is through the Federal Family Loan Assistance program, with which South Carolina’s state loan organization is associated. In South Carolina, there are 55 institutions of higher learning and 93 percent of those schools are with signed up with that state-based program. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, News, Politics & Government

$500,000 gift will establish financial journalism endowment at USC

March 30, 2009 by

A University of South Carolina School of Journalism alumnus believes that these current tough economic times have taught us many things including the fact that we need journalists who are better trained in the fields of Business and FInance and Kenneth Baldwin is willing to put his money on it. A Columbia native and 1949 alumnus of the University, Baldwin has presented a $500-thousand gift to the USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications to establish the Baldwin Business and Financial Journalism Endowment Fund. It is the school’s largest gift that is aimed at teaching and learning. A former business editor and executive with Landmark Coimmunications in Norfolk, Virginia, Baldwin says young jourmalists need to sharpen their understanding of reporting on Business and Financial matters.

“There is a real need for it. Reporters need to be equipped with all the skills that they can garner. They need the specialized training which may not have been part of the curriculum in years past.”The income generated from the endowment will provide students with training that will support research, student assistantships, and related programs.

USC College of JournalIsm Director Dr. Carol Pardun says the funds will allow the College more flexibility in the offerings and opportunities it presents to students and faculty year to year. “One year we might give scholarships to a group of students who are studying Business Journalism, one year we may have research opportunities for faculty to work with students, and we might create a course one year. The possiblilities are limitless.” Pardun says financial literacy is integral to an informed citizenry, especially in today’s uncertain times.

USC Dean of the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies Charles Bierbauer is a former CNN senior White House correspondent. Bierbauer says when he thinks of the opportunities Baldwin’s gift will create for young Journalism students, he reflects on his early years in college. “When I was in college I had one course in Economics and when I was A White House correspondent I spent about a decade reporting on the federal budget year after year. time after time. So when you look back you say it would have helped me if I’d spent more time taking a look at areas related to business.”

Bierbauer says thanks to Baldwin’s generous gift a number of Journalism students at USC will have that opportunity.

Filed Under: Economy, Education, News

Gambling hearing scheduled for Greenville Monday night

March 30, 2009 by

A panel from the South Carolina Senate will hold its second hearing conduct two public hearings on “social” gambling and charity raffles, in Greenville, the center of opposition to the issue. The meeting will be held in the Greenville County Council chambers, today at 5:30pm.

Charleston Senator Robert Ford, a long-time gambling advocate, led last week’s meeting in Charleston and will lead this evening’s hearing. Ford says he knows some conservatives will be at the hearing who don’t like any gambling. “What I hope will happed is that a lot of religious people will come, not because they support legalized gambling, but everytime they get a raffle ticket, they violate the law.  In South Carolina you cannot do raffles.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Legislature, Politics & Government
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