Author Archives: Miranda Reynolds

Soul Food Comes to Jonesboro

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – The opening of a small restaurant in the downtown area uses family recipes to bring new customers in.

Cynthia Jones, owner of Addie’s Soul Food and Grill, named her restaurant after her mother Willie Addie, who died about 10 years ago. She learned everything she knows from her mother and wants to share her recipes with others.

“I always cooked for my family. I come from a family of 10, but I never knew people enjoyed my cooking until I actually started cooking for the church and that’s when I thought ‘Maybe I should venture out and do it,'” Jones said.

Many family members work with Jones in the restaurant. A sister, nephew, cousins and friends help out when needed. Lacretia Ray, assistant director of Addie’s Soul Food and Grill and sister to Jones, said family remains important to her.

“Cynthia is a very family-oriented person. They push her to keep going. They know she likes to cook and her kids do, too. Her family steps in and helps when they can, so her family, they do a lot. They encourage her a lot,” Ray said.

Not only did Jones learn a few recipes from her mother, but so did Ray.

“When my siblings eat my food, they say, ‘This reminds me of Mom.’ She left a big impact, so every time they eat they always think of her because they say it tastes just like hers,” Ray said.

Among some favorite recipes, Jones remembers her mother’s favorites.

“Her favorite recipe, maybe her turnip and mustard greens, and her dressing was probably her favorite,” Jones said.

One of the restaurant’s employees working under Jones, Amber Hunter, says the atmosphere reminds her of family.

“The sense of family, like it feels like family even though I’m not a part of her family, I feel like I am in a way,” Hunter said.

Jones hopes many people come out and try the new restaurant in the community.

“My goal is for everyone to come out, enjoy and just try it to see if they enjoy it. Just share some of the recipes and stuff, and if they really enjoy it or not, and tell me what I can do to make it better. It’s just for the community. I enjoy to give to people,” Jones said.

Hunter said she plans on working at the restaurant for Jones in the future.

“Working for someone like Cynthia is amazing. You’ll see me here for a while,” Hunter said.

While the restaurant’s soul food cooks, it can be smelled from blocks around in the downtown area.

Gym Helps Combat Veterans

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

PARAGOULD – Organizations across Northeast Arkansas work with veterans to get them more involved; gym memberships give some another option.

CrossFit Cathal, located in Paragould and owned by Randy Vest, reaches out to veterans in the surrounding communities to help those in need. The gym has been supportive of nonprofit organizations since opening.

CrossFit Cathal joined forces with Rivers of Recovery to reach out to more veterans. Rivers of Recovery works to take veterans on trips at no cost to the veteran. Vest and Levi Crawford, Rivers of Recovery’s marketing director, knew each other from a previous encounter.

They met in 2009 during a tour in Afghanistan. During the one-year tour, Crawford suffered serious injury from direct and indirect fire. It caused him to lose vision in one eye. This caused Crawford to become involved in Rivers of Recovery.

“Upon coming home and transitioning from military life to hospital life, to civilian life, is when I was fortunate enough to go on a trip with Rivers of Recovery.  It helped me a great deal in a very hard and uncertain time in my life. After the trip, I stayed in contact with the organization and decided that it was my duty to help the organization and provide other combat veterans with the experience and help I was to grateful to receive,” Crawford said.

Vest’s decision to join forces with Rivers of Recovery came easily to him due to the local aspect of the organization.

“The reason I chose Rivers of Recovery is because it supported local veterans. These are people that are walking around in your community, they’re actually veterans I served with,” Vest said.

CrossFit Cathal gives veterans an opportunity to work with other veterans in a more personal way, said level one instructor Caroline Jarrett.

“It’s more personal this way because every class has a coach and you find your members coming to you with issues going on in their lives whereas in a regular gym, there’s somebody probably manning the door and they’re letting you do whatever you want to do,” Jarrett said.

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects many veterans. Vest said CrossFit Cathal can be one way to battle it.

“People deal with their PTSD differently: some seek counseling, others have hobbies, some people come in here and just want to sling some weight and breathe heavy, get it out of their system. That’s their therapy,” Vest said.

The partnership between the two allows Crawford to see veterans focus on their personal health.

“A goal I am already seeing being accomplished is providing our past participants a place welcoming of veterans to socialize and focus on their physical health which plays a large role in a person’s mental health,” Crawford said.

In 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, a total of 252,279 veterans reside in Arkansas. CrossFit Cathal, Rivers of Recovery and numerous other organizations continue to serve veterans in the natural state.

Childhood Obesity: How One Arkansas School Fights It

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

As childhood obesity rates rise in America, one school in the northeastern part of Arkansas actively works toward lowering the rates in their school.

Helping Hands provides to schools in need by helping financially disadvantaged students. A special committee formed in 2017 by Rector school district and Helping Hands addressed physical activity among students. Elementary principal Anthony Dowdy said Helping Hands contributes a lot to the school.

“Helping Hands is a tremendous help to our school. They give in a lot of ways, not only in volunteering their time, but they also provide extra funds when we need it,” Dowdy said.

The school’s teachers requested outdoor and indoor equipment for the students, including:

  • Basketballs
  • Hula Hoops
  • Kickballs
  • Skip-balls
  • Scooters
  • Basketballs
  • Balance Boards

Rector School District administrators knew about the high rates of obesity in Arkansas. While tackling the rates, they tried to keep the focus of the students in the classroom as well. Dyslexic Therapist Lynnette Trail said burning off energy helps the students focus.

“They’re getting up and using those large motor (skills) and developing those skills and that helps to burn off some of that energy so that when they go back to the classroom, they’re more focused,” Trail said.

For the younger grade levels, burning off energy before returning to the classroom helps the teachers, too. First grade teacher Sara Rabjohn said a break from the classroom helps.

“Once they get that brain break, you can pull them back in for a little bit longer rather than trying to do it all without a break,” Rabjohn said.

The school formed a Health and Wellness Committee to also help with obesity problems. The committee consists of a cafeteria supervisor, the elementary principal, school nurse and a few teachers.

The committee met to make plans throughout the year to address obesity and make sure the students get enough physical education, Dowdy said. Keeping the students active in the school helps see the plan through.

“We try to keep them active as much as we can. We have extracurricular activities and provide them opportunities to participate in physical education,” Dowdy said.

Schools addressing obesity in children helps redirect the outcomes for adulthood. Rector School District actively works toward keeping their students active and healthy.

Veterinarians: Pets suffer from allergies, too

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Pet Allergies from Miranda Reynolds on Vimeo.

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – The changing of the seasons mess with everyone’s allergies; for furry friends, this is no exception.

Dogs and cats can be prone to allergies or sensitivities to proteins found in pet food. In Arkansas, the common allergies in the region affect pets as well. Archie Ryan, veterinarian at Southwest Drive Animal Clinic, said allergies for pets and humans can be different.

“Humans build up an immunity to some allergies over time. For dogs, they typically get worse every year,” Ryan said.

Certain breeds of dogs commonly associate with allergies, e.g.

  • Shih Tzu
  • Golden Retriever
  • Maltase
  • Labradors

“Allergies are a dysfunction in your immune system that affect all pets but allergies have a genetic component to them so you can inherit allergies from your breeding,” Ryan said.

Lauren Rhue, associate veterinarian at Jonesboro Family Pet Hospital, said keeping a regular visit for pets is key.

“We like to get them in here every four-to-six months to make sure everything is going OK,” Rhue said.

Pets can be allergic to any type of food. This can start as soon as six-to-eight weeks, Ryan said.

The most common food allergies:

–       Red Food Dye
–       Dairy Products
–       Peanut Butter
–       Beef
–       Poultry

Some cases of skin disorders vary between different breeds. Genetics prove Labradors to be more prone to skin issues.

“My family had a Labrador. She was a dermatology train wreck, poor thing. She had allergies, ear infections, the works. We had to take her to a dermatology specialist and found out what she was allergic to,” Rhue said.

Veterinarians commonly speak about the commitment owning a pet takes.

“It’s a commitment. It’s a long-term commitment because they’re a puppy now but they’ll grow up and they’re going to live 10-15 years,” Rhue said.

April Morgan owns a Miniature Dachshund and works with animals. She says commitment to owning a pet should be taken seriously.

“People don’t take it seriously sometimes. They think, ‘Oh, I want a dog.’ Well it’s a big responsibility, it’s just like a child. I have three children and she is my fourth one,” Morgan said.

Pet owners can take some preventative measures to avoid allergies and food allergies.

–       Use fresh food
–       Store food in an air-tight container
–       Never pour new food over old food
–       Rinse your dog off with cool water after playing outside
–       Do not bathe too frequently and dry out the pet’s coat

Keep in mind, one human year can be worth about seven to a dog’s life, Ryan said. Bringing in the family pet routinely can prevent serious health problems in the future for your pet.

Honey Bees Impact Arkansas

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Honey Bees in Arkansas from Miranda Reynolds on Vimeo.

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – Honey bees in Arkansas create endless benefits for agriculture and give economic opportunities for businesses.

The bee industry involves many different avenues for businesses to take advantage of:

  • Cultivating honey
  • Provide pollination services for farms
  • Raising bees to sell
  • Raising queen bees for people wanting to start their own beehives

David Coy with Coy’s Honey Farm grew up around honey bees from the age of 2.

“All of my life I’ve been around honey bees. A lot of people think of beekeeping as a hobby, but it’s a business for us,” Coy said.

Coy’s business revolves around family. His dad introduced him and his brother to beekeeping and they have created a business from it. The family owns 10,000 hives at their farm north of Jonesboro.

Providing pollination services allows the family business to assist farmers. They pollinate close to 1,000 acres of watermelons in portions of Northeast Arkansas.

The honey farm produces anywhere from 500,000 to 700,000 pounds of honey in Arkansas. However, the production of honey per hive continues to decrease and Coy sees the trend continuing.

According to Steve Culp with Northeast Arkansas Beekeepers Association, 4,000-5,000 commercial beekeepers reside in Craighead County.

The loss of bee habitat in the Delta region impacts the honey bees. Farm chemicals spreading to areas of wildlife impact the honey bees. Coy says only one type of crop in a single area also impacts bees.

“Bees need a variety of plants to gather nectar and pollen from to maintain their health,” Coy said.

Kim Pittcock, associate professor of horticulture at Arkansas State University, said there must be a preservation of bees.

“We need to preserve the diversity that we’ve got in all of the plants that we have to help the bees. It’s a mutual hand-in-hand relationship with it. We need to maintain part of their habitat to use them to continue to help us work and to continue their populations,” she said.

Pittcock noted certain crops must have pollinators to remain yielding.

“Some crops could not be pollinated at all without some insect of some sort, and bees are the biggest and most natural pollinator due to the structure and the type pollen that needs to be transported,” she said.

The Coy’s business tries to adjust to supply and demand. In California, the almond industry drives the beekeeping industry on a commercial level. Coy’s Honey Farm sends bees to California in February to provide pollination services for almond orchards.

“We try to have income from several different areas that the bees can give us income from so that we’re not totally reliant on bee production,” Coy said.

With the changing of the bees’ environment, Coy hopes to remain in the beekeeping industry for many years to come.

“I hope to continue to be a beekeeper. I hope to maintain the opportunity for my children, too, if that’s what they want to do,” he said.

A honey bee pollinates plants that makeup of one-third of humanity’s everyday diet. The reality is, without bees, humans will not have food.

Cellphones Pinpoint Emergencies

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – In a life-threatening situation where seconds matter, Craighead County’s dispatch service uses advances in technology to find someone’s location and provide them help.

Cellphones allow people across the nation to quickly access information at a touch of a button. In an emergency, it provides a lifeline to help. E911 Director Jeff Presley said GPS technology is vital for first responders in the line of duty.

“With smartphones that we’re using today, they’ve actually got GPS readers built into that phone. So when you activate a call for service or a 911 call, it automatically tracks that cellphone,” Presley said.

Dispatchers in Craighead County work around the clock, seven days a week. Mellenee Bennett actively works in emergency services and began her career in 2001. The public’s access to cellphones sometimes overflows the dispatchers.

“The thing is, if you’re going to take the time to call, give us pertinent information because our phone will just be ringing off the hook with everybody that has a cellphone,” Bennett said.

Last month, 90 percent of 911 calls came in from cellphones, Presley said. Sprint store sales associate Zach Vickers said the E911-texting option gives people another way to contact 911, but with a cost.

“It wasn’t just an inconvenience on consumers. I know it did raise cellphone bills up a small margin. But in doing so, it enabled consumers to be able to make emergency phone calls,” Vickers said.

Downloading emergency cellphone apps onto phones allow for third parties to be involved, not putting you directly with emergency services.

“I would be really weary of any third-party apps or anything that does not connect directly to your local 911 center because it could delay services getting to you,” Presley said.

The dispatchers in Craighead County rely on training and experience and are ready to take emergency calls, Bennett said.

“We’ve got probably 60-to-70 years of experience in here. So if I don’t know where they’re at, somebody’s going to know,” Bennett said.

When an emergency arises, remain calm and pay attention to surroundings, Bennett said. By listing personal information on smart911.com, first responders can use that to help police, fire and EMS in an emergency.

Solar Panels Energize Brookland

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By Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

BROOKLAND, Ark. – With the progression of modern technology and increasing use of electricity, Craighead Electric Cooperative spread its initiatives in solar panels to help power part of Craighead County.

The ongoing project located off Highway 230 involves a total of 3,888 panels. From these panels, the power will supply 135 homes with electricity. The area chosen by Craighead Electric Cooperative did not happen by chance. Craighead Electric Cooperative predominately supplies Brookland’s electricity and met the criteria for the placement. Jon Carmack, communications coordinator with Craighead Electric Cooperative, gives the company’s outlook on the project.

“The goal is to provide a cheaper source of electricity for our members and to kind of get into this idea of community solar,” Carmack said.

In the near future, the company plans on leasing or renting solar panels out to specific homes in the area. This will allow for that panel’s electricity generated to go directly to the home owner’s electricity bill. A unique aspect of rented or leased solar panels resides in the maintenance and upkeep of the equipment. Craighead Electric will be solely responsible for the panels, meaning residents can rest assured with the rental.

For those interested in at-home panels, the company also has net metering to be installed on the side a house. This meter measures electricity used and the solar electricity a household is using in excess. Some homes in Craighead County run entirely from solar panels, Carmack said.

Steven Evans owns VanGuard Mechanical in Jonesboro, a company that installs solar panels for at-home use. An issue for solar panels revolves around supply and demand. Evans sees potential in the solar panels, but there must be demand from the public for it to become what he works on regularly.

“If enough people get behind and push this, yes, I see it’s coming and I know we have to make the change,” Evans said.

Tommy Sims, a 40-year resident of Brookland, said he appreciates Craighead Electric Cooperative’s efforts to reduce the town’s electricity use.

“I think it could be good for it if it works. They’ve got to do something to keep up with all of the technology nowadays. This world is so high-tech, they have to move forward,” Sims said.

Remembering the Westside Middle School Tragedy

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Sculpted sundial by Curtis Steele at Westside Middle School Memorial Garden

by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – School shootings continue to bombard America; for some schools, it serves as a reminder of the past.

Westside Middle School experienced a school shooting March 24, 1998. This month marks the 20-year anniversary of the tragedy that killed five people.

  • Natalie Brooks, 11
  • Paige Herring, 12
  • Stephanie Johnson, 12
  • Brittheny Varner, 11
  • Shannon Williams Wright

The anniversary of the shooting remained in the Westside Consolidated School Board members’ thoughts in the February meeting. Vice President Darren Harpole addressed the board and audience with information regarding the Florida school shooting.

“We are working on this as a district. Our security team, we looked over our procedures. We talked about ways we can tighten stuff up so that we don’t leave anything out there,” Harpole said.

In further discussion of the topic, Harpole said the school strives to keep students safe.

Brandy Myatt, a student of Westside Middle School at the time of the shooting, remembers the day vividly.

She said talking her experiences through with friends and family proved to be difficult.

“With them not being there that day, they honestly don’t understand fully what we were going through,” Myatt said.

Myatt did not begin coping with the experience until the following summer.

Myatt does not support guns in school as a protection of students.

She said many ways exist to help those trying to coping.

“Take their time. Don’t rush the healing process, honestly. That’s where the ‘take their time’ comes in. Talk it out, if they can. If they can’t talk to their parents, then talk to their peers. If they can’t talk to their peers, then seek help. Get help any way that they can,” Myatt said.

Listen to more of Myatt’s interview with Miranda A Reynolds

Richard Carvell, retired department chair of Arkansas State University’s Radio and TV Department, worked from 1971 to 2008 in various positions. Carvell and his students stayed very hands on during the Westside Middle School shooting media coverage.

One of the more vivid memories Carvell explained dealt with the aftermath of the shooting.

As school shootings continue to occur, Carvell said he reacts in three ways.

“Of course I’m saddened at the loss of life and then I get angry. I think to myself and sometimes I say out loud, ‘Why aren’t we doing something to help the people who are going off the deep end and take out their frustration?’ We just don’t know enough to help those with mental problems,” Carvell said.

Listen to more of Carvell’s interview with Miranda Reynolds.

The Westside Middle School keeps those lives lost in a Memorial Garden located on campus.

Harvest Affects Asthmatics

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

Eli Norton (photo courtesy of the Norton family)

MCCRORY, Arkansas – Harvest season in the Delta creates turmoil for residents who annually suffer from asthma and allergies.

Eli Norton, age 7 of McCrory, has severe allergies requiring shots every other week. Aside from the shot, he uses nose spray and allergy medication in the mornings and at night. Lesley Norton, Eli’s mother, said she notices a change in Eli’s condition during harvest season.

“He gets more headaches and he has a more stuffy, runny nose,” she said. “Sneezing, coughing, just the typical symptoms you would have with allergies. When it’s not harvest season, we can do the shot once a month. With harvest season, we sometimes have to do it once a week depending on how severe his symptoms are.”

The farmers of rural communities in Arkansas cultivate their yields and feed its country’s residents during the fall season.

Billy Holmes, a farmer in Woodruff County, harvests about 1,600 acres of rice and soybeans. Holmes said soil types, residue, weather and the location of the fields determine whether to burn the rice stubble.

Safety is a concern for Holmes’s employees. Holmes said the employees keep themselves out of smoke as much as possible while doing the same for the neighboring farms. Laborers work mostly in tractors with cabs equipped with filtered air conditioning to protect them from dust.

Melissa Alumbaugh, advanced practiced registered nurse with ARcare, sees most of her patients suffering from allergies in the spring and fall. Alumbaugh said harvest season absolutely affects those with asthma.

Alumbaugh said preventative measures that asthma suffers can take include:

  • Avoid irritants. Use prescribed allergy medications, including antihistamines and nasal steroids.
  • Use dust mite covers on beds.
  • Use humidifiers at night.

The dust and smoke that harvest season produced may affect children, adults and the elderly.

Knowing personal conditions regarding dust and smoke can help with better preparation for this time of year. A health care provider can assist with a plan of action when harvest season occurs in Arkansas.

DeltaYou: EMTs Serve the Community

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

Andrea Yates

Angela Yates at work. Yates first became interested in becoming an EMT while working in Wynne. Photo courtesy of Angela Yates.

AUGUSTA, Arkansas – When medical emergencies arise in rural areas, Emergency Medical Technicians are responding to the life-threatening calls.

EMTs certifications depend on their level of education. A Basic EMT requires the least amount of schooling, whereas Intermediate EMT and a Paramedic EMT require more. Angela Yates, a Basic EMT,  received her certification at East Arkansas Community College, located in Forrest City. Yates said her certification prepared her for real-life emergencies.

“I think for the most part it did. But — also because I’m older than most people who enter this field — I did it when I was already turning 40 and most people are doing this in their 20s,” Yates said. “I had more life experience behind me already.”

Yates said paramedics and EMTs working in the Wynne hospital influenced her with their exciting stories of helping people. Yates said she believes being a woman is not a challenge in her line of work.

Yates said within rural areas, emergency airlift systems are something to consider.

“Because of my standpoint in EMS, I know it’s important to have (an emergency airlift system),” Yates said. “Being rural, we have different helicopter services available, and not everybody will accept the other’s insurance or the other’s coverage. It’s not feasible to have a membership with every service, but you never know what service you are going to get.”

Emergency Medical Technicians are vital to all communities because of their role in the emergency response chain. Yates said a patient’s medical insurance does not impact the work she does. Members of Pafford Emergency Medical Service provide emergency care while the hospital collects information; insurance comes after that.

The duties of an EMT vary among its members. Yates explained her duties to provide a full understanding of her everyday tasks.

Recertification for all EMTs is inevitable. As a Pafford EMS employee, Yates’ re-certification can be completed online by entering in her numbers, information and amount of hours taken. As far as original certification goes, members of Pafford EMS must meet in hands-on classes or groups.

Yates said prevention of accidents in emergency vehicles is important to the certification process. During an emergency that requires lights and horns to be activated, Yates is only allowed to drive 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.

Jay Atkins, police officer for Augusta and McCrory, said drivers on the highway do not pull over when meeting oncoming traffic and even drive close behind vehicles in pursuit of an emergency.

Yates said she built an endurance for coping with traumatizing calls after six years in the field. Yates’ husband, in his 25th year in the EMT field, helps her cope. Yates said having someone to confide in and someone who can relate to what she goes through is helpful.

Atkins said he finds other methods of coping.

“Separate myself from that call or if it’s ending my day … when I’m off, I’m off. I do not have a radio on, I don’t associate with this place,” Atkins said.

 

A Plan for Downtrodden Properties

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — The Jonesboro City Council recently hosted the Little Rock Land Bank Commission to learn how it can positively impact the city.

Mayor Harold Perrin said he kept up with the Little Rock Land Bank Commission for two years and thinks that it could benefit the city.

“The biggest thing is that you are trying to clean up your entire area or neighborhood and concentrating on them. That’s the key,” Perrin said.

In 2008, the city of Little Rock started the Land Bank Commission in hopes of increasing home ownership, stabilizing property values, improving the health and safety of neighborhoods, and maintaining the architectural fabric of the community. The Commission sent Doug Tapp as a representative to inform Jonesboro’s City Council of its goals.

“The goal of the Land Bank in Little Rock is to take these properties that have issues, acquire those properties, have them cleaned up and get them back on the tax rolls,” Tapp said.

Tapp said the properties the Land Bank Commission prefers to have cleaned up include those with city liens, unsafe and vacant structures, vacant lots and properties that are being cleaned by the city.

Target areas in Little Rock include blocks with several properties or lots that need attention. Targeting specific areas allows for those communities to have a better selling point for potential buyers.

Neighboring houses to Land Bank Commission properties that are scheduled for demolition are offered to neighbors in the community for $500. Tapp said adding lots together can increase property values. If the property is between two neighbors, each neighbor can buy half of the property.

Selling these properties to neighboring citizens comes with regulations. Tapp said buyers must maintain the properties once they are bought to ensure that the properties do not fall into despair again.

“When we go in and do work on homes, we see neighbors see that and start doing the same thing,” Tapp said.

Crowley’s Ridge Development Council agreed to work with Jonesboro. Perrin said further research is needed and will then be presented to the council for further discussion.

Editor’s Note: The featured photo depicts a representation of nearly 3,450 vacant commercial and residential properties in Jonesboro, based off records from Craighead County. (Courtesy of City of Jonesboro)

Flu Shots Provide Protection

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by Miranda Reynolds
Delta Digital News Service

MCCRORY, Arkansas – Doctors strongly encourage Arkansans get the flu shot to ensure their health and the health of their families.

The time for flu shots in Arkansas approaches rapidly as winter draws near. Getting an annual flu shot better protects one’s health and deters the possibility of spreading the illness to others.

Melissa Alumbaugh, advanced practice registered nurse with ARcare, said getting the flu shot decreases the risk of getting the flu. If you do get the flu, it is likely the symptoms would not be as severe. She said some older generations believe the myth that getting the flu shot gave them the flu, as patients were once vaccinated with a live strand of the influenza virus. This caused older generations to believe the myth.

The Youth

The McCrory region expects to receive flu shots at the end of October. For McCrory High School and McCrory Elementary School, this will be a busy time.

Amanda Brewer, nurse at McCrory public schools, said the Arkansas Department of Health will administer the flu shots to the students.

Brewer decides school procedure for dealing with sick students. She evaluates the student’s illness and checks for a high fever. If the student is suspected of the flu, the parents are contacted and advised to get the child a flu test by a local doctor. If parents cannot pay for testing, there are other methods of payment services available. Brewer said she recommends those who cannot afford a flu test to ask for payment assistance.

Alumbaugh said the flu shot affects everyone differently. Size, weight and how staff distribute the shot play a role. The way people absorb the shot along with exposures in their surrounding environment also play a role.

“The healthy should avoid the sick, practice good handwashing and quarantine those sick family members to help stop spreading the flu virus,” Alumbaugh said.

Alumbaugh said she advises getting flu shots in October since it takes 14 days for the vaccine to be active.

Public’s Impact

Experts anticipate the projected strain of the flu virus by the previous year’s flu virus. Alumbaugh said multiple strains of the flu exist and experts find it difficult to predict exactly what strain will be the most effective.

The flu shots Arkansans receive cover three to four different types of strains predicted to hit the region. The ARcare clinic’s flu shot in McCrory will cover these basic flu shot types.

Alumbaugh said that if projections miss the exact strain, the clinic would not administer a second dosage of flu shots to the public. If a clinic runs out of flu shots, it cannot easily receive more. However, the clinic may receive more, depending on availability.

The Elderly

Latricia Milton, director of nursing at the Woodruff County Health Center, said, “Patients at the Woodruff County Health Center will receive a mandatory flu shot.”

The Woodruff County Health Center houses 96 residents who need help with everyday life. Facility directors mandate nurses and staff receive a flu shot as well. Milton said valid reasons for denial of the flu shot include being sick, having a fever or being allergic to eggs.

In cases where patients are not of sound mind, families determine if staff members administer the vaccine. Staff separates patients who contract the influenza virus from other roommates and the doctor is notified. Milton said the doctor of the patient then decides if they should start Tamiflu or other medications.

Treatments of outbreaks of influenza in the Woodruff County Health Center begin with testing of the original patient suspected of the flu, testing surrounding neighbors and keeping identified patients separated.

Alumbaugh said flu shots in Arkansas are very much a necessity for those wishing to avoid the flu.

“A lot of people are hospitalized every year for the flu. They’re very ill, and some of them end in death,” Alumbaugh said.

Alumbaugh said she encourages doing something that can prevent a hospital stay or death. Prepare for the flu season by getting your flu shot.

Editor’s Note: Featured photo by Patrica H [CC BY-SA 2.0]