Local News – Wednesday, April 27th, 2022
Dent County Health Center Administrator Zach Moser reports the Dent County Health Center has received a 1.215-million-dollar grant that was designed to address the health disparities created or worsened by COVID-19. The three main issues the grant will address will be the access and affordability of childcare, access to primary care and the access to care due to immobility and distance. The health center has a plan to address the access and affordability in Dent County by working with existing and new childcare providers to provide free and reduced cost childcare for all Dent County residents. The goal is to increase the capacity of childcare providers in Dent County by 50 children by June of 2023. This will allow more parents to look for jobs and return to work. One of the health center’s goals was to provide access to affordable laboratory testing. The Dent County Health Center plans to increase their laboratory capacity and provide a limited number of free tests. To help with the expected increase in demand, the health center will be hiring a nurse practitioner to help provide screenings and treatment for acute illnesses. The health center also wanted to address the vulnerability of the elderly, disabled and immunocompromised patients. They plan to use project funds to facilitate the implementation of a mobile team that can deliver immunizations, draw blood for lab tests, offer COVID and flu tests and more. The Dent County Health Center is excited to have chance to improve the health of Dent County residents. They are still in the early stages of implementing the program and will continue to keep the public informed on their progress.
Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley reports on a court case heard Thursday in Dent County held in front of Judge Nathan Kelsaw. In court, Carlton Curtis from Licking, Missouri pled guilty to two counts of felony stealing. He was sentenced to serve four years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The sentencing was derived from incidents where Curtis was hired as a contractor to perform construction services with substantial down payments were made by people for labor and materials. According to the report from Curley, there was no effort to start or complete the projects as previously agreed with his clients.
National Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, April 30th. The drop boxes are provided to keep unwanted and expired medication away from kids, persons struggling with substance use disorder, and out of the water supply. Medications can be left in the drop boxes located at the Dent County Sheriff’s Department and the Salem Police Department. Items not accepted include needles, blood/infectious waste, hydrogen peroxide, aerosol cans, and inhalers. Drug Take Back Day is supported by Four Rivers Community Health Center, Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition, and Prevention Consultants of Missouri.
A special waste collection for residential and farm electronics, appliances, metals and tires will be held from 8:00 until noon this Saturday, April 30th, at Brewer Science located at 2401 Brewer Drive in Rolla. Brewer Science, the City of Rolla, and Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), with funding through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD), are partnering on the April 30th collection. The collection is for residential items only – no materials from businesses will be accepted – and is open to residents from Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski, and Washington counties. To minimize personal contact, those bringing items to the collection are asked to stay inside their vehicles and assistants will unload items. Stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, and other appliances will be collected free of charge. Free electronics also include computer components, laptop computers, keyboards, hair dryers, VCR/DVD players, cell phones or anything that runs on a cord or battery. Oil and gas must be removed from tanks of any items such as push mowers, weed eaters, etc. Please note the following items will NOT be accepted: CDs, DVDs, VHS and data tapes; floppy disks; transformers, capacitors or ballasts not clearly marked “No PCBs”; smoke detectors; thermostats; medical waste; gas containers such as propane, oxygen, nitrous oxide; anything leaking oil or acid, such as batteries; broken ink or toner cartridges; alkaline batteries; light bulbs and fluorescent tubes; broken CRTs, TVs or monitors. Fees on certain items will be collected as follows: $25 for CRT TVs over 27 inches and wood console TVs, $20 for CRT TVs under 26 inches, $15 for flat screen TVs, $10 for all computer monitors and refrigerated appliances with Freon. Fees for tires are as follows: $2 each for passenger tires, $7.50 each for semi-truck tires and $35 each for tractor tires. For more information on items accepted or the fee structure, please contact Tammy Snodgrass at MRPC at 573-265-2993 or at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.
A couples or singles paint-n-sip with Danielle Norris will be Friday from 6:30 until 8:30 @ the Creative Arts Center. Let Danielle lead you step-by-step through a spring painting. Bring a beverage and a friend or family member to enjoy and evening away from the stresses of the day or week! This is a perfect way to get into the spring vibe. Be prepared to get creative. All the supplies for the class are provided and the cost is $25. For more information or to register, call 247-0651 or e-mail salemartscouncil@outlook.com.