Around The Town

First National Bank names 2021 Blue Diamond award recipient:

The First National Bank of Arenzville is pleased to announce the winner of the “Blue Diamond Community Service Award” for 2021. This is the eighth year of the award, created by FNBA to recognize outstanding volunteers in the First National Bank service area and the work they’ve done to benefit the people of West Central Illinois.

The announcement was made by First National Bank President Kai Schnitker. “We are proud to announce Janet Chipman as the winner of the Blue Diamond Community Service Award for 2021. Janet is a force in the West Central Illinois education community and a staunch supporter of Jacksonville.” The selection was made from a strong field of nominees.

According to Schnitker, Ms. Chipman graduated from Triopia, Illinois College, and the University of Illinois at Springfield. She has a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. Ms. Chipman has taught at Triopia Unit #27, North Jacksonville Elementary and Jonathon Turner Junior High School in District 117. She is currently teaching part time at Routt Catholic High School.

Schnitker says Chipman is an active participant in the Passavant Area Hospital Auxiliary and The Art Association of Jacksonville. She is a former member of the Jacksonville Symphony Board and the I.C. Alumni Association. She is a member of the Ladies Education Society, on the Board of the David A. Smith House, a member of The Wednesday Class and a member of Delta Kappa Gamma. Chipman and her husband, Bob, are the co-chairs of the Illinois College Society. She also serves on the Prairieland United Way Board. Along with her family, Chipman served as co-chair for the 2016 Annual Campaign. She is also an Elder at First Presbyterian Church and a former youth leader. She continues to serve as a church school teacher.

Schnitker said the award was created, “to honor those who are delivering a truly outstanding level of service to our community. These are people who are going above and beyond to serve their neighbors.”

As a recipient of the 2021 Blue Diamond Community Service Award, Ms. Chipman was presented with a commemorative award statuette. She has also had her name placed on a perpetual plaque displayed at the First National Bank of Arenzville. Schnitker says awarding the BDCSA is a high point each year for the bank.

Nominations for the 2022 BDCSA award will be open starting Nov. 1st.


Jacksonville Memorial Hospital nurses honored with DAISY awards:

Seven registered nurses at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital were recognized for their adaptability during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the nurses – all members of the nonprofit hospital’s post anesthesia care unit and ambulatory surgery teams – were asked to serve as intensive care unit nurses.

“We were experiencing a COVID-19 surge and we did not have enough ICU beds or ICU nurses to provide care to the critically ill COVID-19 patient population,” said Leanna Wynn, vice president and chief nursing officer at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital. “These nurses and their families made sacrifices so they could work 12-hour shifts, night shifts and weekend shifts during the holiday season so our patients could receive care.”

The nurses who received DAISY Awards were Sadie Coursen, Marissa Lindsey, Laura Ward, Kali Gutierrez, Jessi Evans, Cassidi Ladely and nurse manager Jamie Smith. They were honored for their contribution to improve safety, quality, coordination and experience of patient care, Wynn said.

“They had to quickly learn new drugs such as sedation and paralytics and ventilator management, along with new skills, such as pressure injury prevention and central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention,” said Wynn. “Yet all of these nurses’ patients received excellent care with zero catheter-associated urinary tract infections and central line-associated bloodstream infections and zero falls.”

The nonprofit DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died from complications of an autoimmune disease. Barnes’ family was inspired to create the DAISY Award, which recognizes nurses for providing extraordinary patient care, based on the care they received.

Health Officials say alcohol abuse, misuse in Morgan County on upswing: Experts on health and well-being in Morgan County have targeted alcohol abuse and misuse as a root cause of poor health indicated by recent community surveys.

“Mental health and substance use disorders have been at the top of our priorities list for many years, and alcohol abuse and misuse is a part of that,” said Lori Hartz, director of community health at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital. “Due to the many stresses brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, what was already an issue in our community has become even more of an issue.”

According to data collected prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 19.4 percent of adults who consumed alcohol engaged in binge drinking. That’s nearly 3 percent higher than the national average. The same data indicated 44 percent of surveyed teens consumed alcohol – about 4 percent higher than the state average.

“[In 2018 and 2019], Morgan County was experiencing significant levels of alcohol abuse and misuse even before the stress of the pandemic was introduced,” said Hartz. “Since the pandemic, studies show the number of adults who consume alcohol has increased by about 14 percent; but especially concerning is a 41 percent increase in alcohol use among women.”

Visits to the emergency department to address alcohol-related accidents and illnesses have increased locally, said Hartz.

“We’ve seen an increase in cases tied to alcohol abuse and misuse, and also tied to mental illness – such as depression or anxiety – that has been exacerbated by alcohol use,” she said.

Jacksonville Memorial Hospital is teaming with other local health and community agencies and organizations to raise awareness of the risks associated with alcohol use.

Groups participating in the Substance Use Prevention Coalition include the Morgan County Health Department, Jacksonville Police Department, Family Guidance Centers, Gateway Foundation, Community Hope and Recovery and Midwest Youth Services.

“You don’t think of alcohol as being dangerous because it’s so accessible and because it’s not illegal for adults to consume it,” said Hartz. “But it can be the cause of many problems, both social and physical, that negatively affect a person’s health, which, in turn, affects the health of the community.”

Issues stemming from alcohol abuse and misuse include injury, such as motor vehicle crashes, falls, drownings and burns; violence, including homicide, suicide and sexual assault; alcohol poisoning; risky sexual behavior, including unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners that result in unintended pregnancy or STDs; and miscarriage and stillbirth or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders among pregnant women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

Long-term health impacts associated with binge drinking include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease and digestive problems; certain types of cancer; learning and memory problems, including dementia; mental health problems, including depression and anxiety; and social problems, including homelessness and unemployment.

For those seeking support in addiction recovery, the following resources are available:

Gateway Foundation in Jacksonville offers customized recovery services to people overwhelmed by alcohol addiction or drug abuse. For more information, call 877-377-4206.

Community Hope and Recovery Center Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program offers dedicated treatment and rehabilitation programs and services to people battling drug and alcohol addiction. For more information, call 217-800-6622.


Local Rotary Club holding food drive:

The Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary Club will be collecting non-perishable food items at Jacksonville County Market from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday, April 9. “We’re calling the event a Food Raiser,” said Jane Becker, the club’s president. Instead of raising money for a cause, the club instead is raising stocks of non-perishable food items to help replenish the stock at the Salvation Army for their food distribution program. “Just purchase some extra cans of vegetables, or boxes of oatmeal or pasta when you do your grocery shopping, and on the way to your car, drop those items off at our table in front of County Market between 8 a.m. and noon.”

The local Jacksonville Salvation Army was asked if there are any items in particular, that they need and they acknowledged that just about any non-perishable food item will do. Lists of food items will be provided to shoppers as they enter the supermarket.

“We are especially aware that the Easter holiday is approaching and many of us will be celebrating with a meal with our families, “Becker went on. “But there are some in our community who could use a little help during this special time of the year.”

Last year the club received 1,180 pounds of non-perishable food items in the four hours of their first food raiser. The club also extends thanks to the management and staff of Jacksonville County Market for this special service project opportunity.

Sunrise Rotary meets 7 a.m. every Tuesday morning at the Holiday Inn Express in South Jacksonville.

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