WATCH seeks improved relations
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 28, 2016 1:46 PM
A discussion about teen pregnancy rates at two high schools at the WATCH board meeting Wednesday segued into ways to improve relations with Wayne County commissioners.
Efforts to secure funding for the coming year had again stalled at the commissioners' July 19 meeting, after medical director Dr. Clark Gaither and representatives from the non-profit made a plea to restore $35,000 cut from the clinic's budget.
This year's request for $220,000 had been cut in half, for $110,000. Following June budget workshops, the commission voted to increase funding to $145,000. Less than two weeks later, commissioner Bill Pate made a motion to revert back to the $110,000 figure.
During the recent presentation, Gaither mentioned three of commissioners who had voted down the increase. The fourth was not at the meeting. When put to another vote, it was split 3-3.
WATCH, or Wayne Action Teams for Community Health, is not the typical non-profit, several on its board said this week, and is more than just a large van that travels the county providing health care to the uninsured.
Its other efforts include substance abuse prevention, the Healthy Wayne Task Force, which spawned "GoWayneGo," and addressing teen pregnancy prevention in the county.
"There were only seven pregnancies at Goldsboro High School this year," announced Sissy Lee-Elmore, executive director of WATCH.
She said the rates have been decreasing every year, attributing some of the success to the full-time health educator placed at the school, along with WISH, the school-based health center, support from the Health Department and a team within the school.
"I think with everybody working together, it has really made an impact," she said. "I think having the added health educator there helps -- she's there all day, goes to graduations, goes to ballgames, answers questions."
"We need one at every school," said board member Jana Blackman. "Because while Goldsboro's numbers have gone down, Southern Wayne's have gone up."
Southern Wayne, the only other high school with a WISH site, had nearly three dozen pregnancies over the past year. The school does not have a health educator.
"Last year when the school board called and wanted statistics and hours and that type of thing and they were looking at (the health educator) is doing such a good job at GHS, perhaps we should put her at Southern Wayne half-time," Mrs. Lee-Elmore said. "I said, 'If you pull her from here (GHS), these numbers are going to go up. They may go down at Southern Wayne but they'll go up at GHS because you're taking our resource.
"You would be better off hiring another person at Southern Wayne."
Board member Jack Best suggested making that request to the school board.
Several questions were raised about the aforementioned programs, including the ties each had with the hospital. WISH, WATCH and the school nurse programs all have affiliations with Wayne Memorial Hospital, be it in-kind contributions or funding.
Board member Susan McCall suggested some of the issues with the county commission might be a comprehension problem.
"I think what bothers me is I think WATCH has gotten thrown into something with the hospital and it's the hospital that needs to improve the relationship with the county commissioners," she said.
"Absolutely," Best said.
"I don't think they have anything against WATCH per se," Ms. McCall said. "I think it's more of an adversary relationship that has developed for some reason the past couple years with the county commissioners with the hospital."
Ms. McCall and new board member Dr. Amita Shreenath suggested putting together a comprehensive, but concise, booklet on the services WATCH provides.
Best, a former commissioner, said one belief held by the current board is that the non-profit should stand on its own. He said WATCH just needs "a different approach."
"If you go to a foundation or you request a donation, you request a donation," he said. "You don't demand. You don't beg for it. You request it.
"You give them that booklet you're talking about and you show them what good this organization is doing to deserve (their) donation."
Best added that the presentation made at the recent commission meeting contained some good points, except for the "10-second glitch" made when Gaither called out opposing vote commissioners by name.
"You're talking to county commissioners. You're not talking to individuals. You're talking to the whole board," he pointed out. "You're asking for consideration. You're not begging.
"But they'll get over that, too. They'll figure out that that was not his intent."
Board member Joe Gurley, a county commissioner whose vote had been to fund WATCH, agreed.
"The glitch kind of hurt things, but that's OK. We'll continue to work with WATCH," he said, likening it to an onion, peeling back one layer at a time.
Best schooled the board on a better approach.
"I think you really need to think about the gift that the county commissioners are giving you," he said. "I think we ought to really consider what they're asking us to do because what they see is a perception, is the van.
"Whether you like or not, they see that as the van. It costs $225,000 to run that van four, four-and-one-half days a week."