Yang to host radio show, publish newspapers
Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Tong Yang, who has led the United Hmong Association of N.C. for eight years, is stepping down from his post as executive director to host a local radio program and publish a bilingual Hmong newspaper.
Yang, 38, has acted as a liaison between the Hmong community in Western North Carolina and government and law enforcement and has helped foster cultural understanding of the Hmong, who fled Laos following the Vietnam War. About 15,000 Hmong settled in North Carolina since the late 1970s.
In the three decades since, they have been trying to make North Carolina their home without losing their Southeast Asian identity. In 2006, Yang and the association released a report identifying the social and cultural needs of their community, focusing on education, health care and relationships with law enforcement and other government agencies.
In addition to hosting "Hmong Talk" on WCXN 1170 AM in Hickory and publishing Hmong Journal, Yang will work as a consultant with Cultural Insights, a competency training firm in Winston-Salem.
Yang came to the United States in 1988, and in 1998 received a master's in business administration from Wayne State University in Detroit. His last day was Friday.
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Showing posts with label online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online. Show all posts
1/31/08
Woman in court in deputy shooting
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Morganton woman involved in a December shooting that critically injured a Burke County Sheriff's deputy made her first appearance in Superior Court this week.
Eva Joyce Smith Nelson, 60, is charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, assault on a law enforcement office and two counts of discharging a firearm onto an occupied property, all felonies.
On Dec. 11, Nelson forced members of the Burke County SWAT team into a 12-hour standoff after a deputy tried serving her involuntary mental health commitment papers.
Detective Martin Lawing was shot in the neck in the standoff and is still in critical condition at an Atlanta hospital that specializes in spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions.
Nelson was taken to Broughton Hospital, a state psychiatric facility in Morganton, following the Dec. 11 shooting, said Sheriff John McDevitt. She was transferred to the Burke-Catawba jail on Jan. 25 and is being held there on a $500,000 bond. Her next court date is scheduled for March 3.
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By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Morganton woman involved in a December shooting that critically injured a Burke County Sheriff's deputy made her first appearance in Superior Court this week.
Eva Joyce Smith Nelson, 60, is charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, assault on a law enforcement office and two counts of discharging a firearm onto an occupied property, all felonies.
On Dec. 11, Nelson forced members of the Burke County SWAT team into a 12-hour standoff after a deputy tried serving her involuntary mental health commitment papers.
Detective Martin Lawing was shot in the neck in the standoff and is still in critical condition at an Atlanta hospital that specializes in spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions.
Nelson was taken to Broughton Hospital, a state psychiatric facility in Morganton, following the Dec. 11 shooting, said Sheriff John McDevitt. She was transferred to the Burke-Catawba jail on Jan. 25 and is being held there on a $500,000 bond. Her next court date is scheduled for March 3.
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1/29/08
Hickory man hit by train
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Hickory man hit by a train Monday night was in serious condition Tuesday after coming out of surgery, authorities said.
John Kirk Neal, 42, was standing too close to the railroad tracks that cross through downtown Hickory and was hit when a train passed through about 10:30 p.m. Monday, police said.
Authorities said Neal was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where he had surgery and is in serious condition. They are not sure whether alcohol was a factor.
It was the third time in six months that a passing train in Hickory has hit a person near the railroad tracks.
On Nov. 5, a train hit and killed Mack Junior Johnson when he lost control of his bicycle in a crosswalk near the railroad. On July 31, another train hit and critically injured Lester Glass, who was walking near the tracks in southeast Hickory.
All three accidents happened less than a mile from each other.
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By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Hickory man hit by a train Monday night was in serious condition Tuesday after coming out of surgery, authorities said.
John Kirk Neal, 42, was standing too close to the railroad tracks that cross through downtown Hickory and was hit when a train passed through about 10:30 p.m. Monday, police said.
Authorities said Neal was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where he had surgery and is in serious condition. They are not sure whether alcohol was a factor.
It was the third time in six months that a passing train in Hickory has hit a person near the railroad tracks.
On Nov. 5, a train hit and killed Mack Junior Johnson when he lost control of his bicycle in a crosswalk near the railroad. On July 31, another train hit and critically injured Lester Glass, who was walking near the tracks in southeast Hickory.
All three accidents happened less than a mile from each other.
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11/8/07
Troopers investigate case of child being hit by SUV
Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities are trying to determine if the caution lights were blinking and the stop sign was extended on a Caldwell County school bus Wednesday morning when a kindergartner was hit by another car.
Trooper M.T. Stutts of the state Highway Patrol said Thursday that 5-year-old Dancy Porter was crossing the street near the intersection of Calico and Autumn roads at about 6:45 a.m. when she was struck by a sports utility vehicle.
She was taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where she was in critical but stable condition, Stutts said.
The driver of the SUV, 22-year-old Karmen Stewart of Lenoir, was not speeding and has not been charged, Stutts said.
Authorities have heard conflicting reports about whether the caution lights were flashing and the stop sign was extended, Stutts said.
"Until we get something concrete, that’s the question mark," he said.
Dancy’s mother, Melissa Porter, was waiting at the bus stop with her daughter, Stutts said, when the bus stopped at the intersection. Porter told authorities that the bus’ caution flashers were not activated and the stop sign was not extended from the side of the bus when her child stepped out into the road and was hit, Stutts said.
But Cheri Mayberry, who was driving the bus, told Stutts that she had turned on the orange, flashing lights and that the stop sign arm was out, he said.
A witness behind the bus told authorities that the bus was stopped and the rear, brake lights were, but was not sure if the caution lights were flashing or if he saw the stop sign arm extending from the driver’s side of the bus, Stutts said.
Authorities inspected the bus, Stutts said, and found that the lights and extendable stop sign were not broken.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities are trying to determine if the caution lights were blinking and the stop sign was extended on a Caldwell County school bus Wednesday morning when a kindergartner was hit by another car.
Trooper M.T. Stutts of the state Highway Patrol said Thursday that 5-year-old Dancy Porter was crossing the street near the intersection of Calico and Autumn roads at about 6:45 a.m. when she was struck by a sports utility vehicle.
She was taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where she was in critical but stable condition, Stutts said.
The driver of the SUV, 22-year-old Karmen Stewart of Lenoir, was not speeding and has not been charged, Stutts said.
Authorities have heard conflicting reports about whether the caution lights were flashing and the stop sign was extended, Stutts said.
"Until we get something concrete, that’s the question mark," he said.
Dancy’s mother, Melissa Porter, was waiting at the bus stop with her daughter, Stutts said, when the bus stopped at the intersection. Porter told authorities that the bus’ caution flashers were not activated and the stop sign was not extended from the side of the bus when her child stepped out into the road and was hit, Stutts said.
But Cheri Mayberry, who was driving the bus, told Stutts that she had turned on the orange, flashing lights and that the stop sign arm was out, he said.
A witness behind the bus told authorities that the bus was stopped and the rear, brake lights were, but was not sure if the caution lights were flashing or if he saw the stop sign arm extending from the driver’s side of the bus, Stutts said.
Authorities inspected the bus, Stutts said, and found that the lights and extendable stop sign were not broken.
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10/30/07
Man charged in Newton stabbing
Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Newton police have charged a man in last week's stabbing of another man, who fled in a car for help and was spotted driving erratically by police.
Horace Eugene Bost, 24, of Newton was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury; and armed robbery, both felonies, said Detective Spencer Cline.
On Thursday night, officers stopped Stephen Lewis Norman, 32, when they noticed his burgundy, 1996 Oldsmobile Cierra swerving through Newton's streets, authorities said.
Norman twice ran off the side of the road, hitting an embankment, mailbox, fire hydrant and a home. When police approached Norman, who was still in the car, they discovered that he had been stabbed in the abdomen.
Norman told police, authorities said, that he had been robbed by two men at E-Z Way Food on East D Street. Newton police are still trying to identify the second man involved in the robbery, Cline said.
Norman was at Catawba Valley Medical Center Tuesday and in critical condition. Bost was being held at the Catawba County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
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By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Newton police have charged a man in last week's stabbing of another man, who fled in a car for help and was spotted driving erratically by police.
Horace Eugene Bost, 24, of Newton was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury; and armed robbery, both felonies, said Detective Spencer Cline.
On Thursday night, officers stopped Stephen Lewis Norman, 32, when they noticed his burgundy, 1996 Oldsmobile Cierra swerving through Newton's streets, authorities said.
Norman twice ran off the side of the road, hitting an embankment, mailbox, fire hydrant and a home. When police approached Norman, who was still in the car, they discovered that he had been stabbed in the abdomen.
Norman told police, authorities said, that he had been robbed by two men at E-Z Way Food on East D Street. Newton police are still trying to identify the second man involved in the robbery, Cline said.
Norman was at Catawba Valley Medical Center Tuesday and in critical condition. Bost was being held at the Catawba County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
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10/29/07
Man killed during home invasion
Monday, Oct. 29, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Valdese man died early Sunday morning after a botched home invasion at a neighbor's apartment, authorities said.
Joseph Jay Durkee, 35, was stabbed six times in the chest and the back and died shortly after midnight at Valdese General Hospital, said Chief John Suttle of the Valdese Police Department.
Henry Jackson, 59, told officers that he and his wife were sleeping in their Valdese home at about 11:55 p.m. Saturday when they heard glass shatter and found someone climbing into their apartment through a rear bedroom window, Suttle said.
Jackson and the man, who was wearing a stocking mask and gloves and was carrying a knife, Suttle said, began fighting and moving from one room to another.
"It was evident that there was a significant struggle," Suttle said.
Jackson told police he grabbed the mask off the man's head and recognized him as Durkee, who moved into the neighborhood from Florida a few months ago, Suttle said.
During the fight, Suttle said, Jackson grabbed the knife and stabbed Durkee several times. Durkee was taken to Valdese General Hospital, where he died.
Jackson received a few minor cuts on his hands during the altercation, Suttle said, and his wife, who called police during the break-in, was not injured.
Police have not charged anyone in the death and have turned their investigation over to the District Attorney's Office, Suttle said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A Valdese man died early Sunday morning after a botched home invasion at a neighbor's apartment, authorities said.
Joseph Jay Durkee, 35, was stabbed six times in the chest and the back and died shortly after midnight at Valdese General Hospital, said Chief John Suttle of the Valdese Police Department.
Henry Jackson, 59, told officers that he and his wife were sleeping in their Valdese home at about 11:55 p.m. Saturday when they heard glass shatter and found someone climbing into their apartment through a rear bedroom window, Suttle said.
Jackson and the man, who was wearing a stocking mask and gloves and was carrying a knife, Suttle said, began fighting and moving from one room to another.
"It was evident that there was a significant struggle," Suttle said.
Jackson told police he grabbed the mask off the man's head and recognized him as Durkee, who moved into the neighborhood from Florida a few months ago, Suttle said.
During the fight, Suttle said, Jackson grabbed the knife and stabbed Durkee several times. Durkee was taken to Valdese General Hospital, where he died.
Jackson received a few minor cuts on his hands during the altercation, Suttle said, and his wife, who called police during the break-in, was not injured.
Police have not charged anyone in the death and have turned their investigation over to the District Attorney's Office, Suttle said.
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10/25/07
Rains cause another Hickory sinkhole
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Rain that has pounded Hickory for three days caused another sinkhole to open Wednesday afternoon.
The Hickory Fire Department was responding to a call at a southwest Hickory business on U.S. 70 when they noticed the sinkhole in the parking lot of a neighboring building, said Capt. Farrell Duplain.
The hole was already at least 10 feet wide, Duplain said, and the pavement was giving away around the tire of a car parked in the lot.
The owner of the building, Duplain said, was in the parking lot and had called a tow truck to pull the car away from the sinkhole before it was swallowed.
Within hours, Duplain said, the hole had grown to at least 15 feet in diameter and was surrounded by another 5 feet of loose pavement that looked unstable and ready to collapse, he said.
He was not sure how far into the earth the hole went but said it was several feet deep. He recommended the building owner contact an irrigation or plumping company to pump water out of the hole.
"I told him it was not safe to put anyone near the edge of it at all," Duplain said.
Rain began falling in Hickory Monday evening and was expected to fall through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Hickory gained national attention in 2002 when two huge sinkholes, about a mile from the hole discovered Wednesday, opened up in restaurant parking lot and swallowed a new Corvette. Three other sinkholes in the Catawba Valley opened in 2005.
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By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Rain that has pounded Hickory for three days caused another sinkhole to open Wednesday afternoon.
The Hickory Fire Department was responding to a call at a southwest Hickory business on U.S. 70 when they noticed the sinkhole in the parking lot of a neighboring building, said Capt. Farrell Duplain.
The hole was already at least 10 feet wide, Duplain said, and the pavement was giving away around the tire of a car parked in the lot.
The owner of the building, Duplain said, was in the parking lot and had called a tow truck to pull the car away from the sinkhole before it was swallowed.
Within hours, Duplain said, the hole had grown to at least 15 feet in diameter and was surrounded by another 5 feet of loose pavement that looked unstable and ready to collapse, he said.
He was not sure how far into the earth the hole went but said it was several feet deep. He recommended the building owner contact an irrigation or plumping company to pump water out of the hole.
"I told him it was not safe to put anyone near the edge of it at all," Duplain said.
Rain began falling in Hickory Monday evening and was expected to fall through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Hickory gained national attention in 2002 when two huge sinkholes, about a mile from the hole discovered Wednesday, opened up in restaurant parking lot and swallowed a new Corvette. Three other sinkholes in the Catawba Valley opened in 2005.
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Teens charged with making bomb threat
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2005
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Two Catawba County teenagers were charged Wednesday with making a bomb threat at their high school, authorities said Thursday.
Brett Aaron Lytton, 16, and Spencer Logan Belair, 17, were charged Wednesday afternoon after school officials found two teenagers in a boys' bathroom at Bandys High School, Reid said.
One of the teens was writing a threat on the bathroom wall, Reid said, while the other watched to make sure no one walked in.
Lytton and Belair were charged with making a false bomb report, which is a felony. No bomb was found.
Bandys High School has initially suspended the teens for 10 days, said Catawba County Public Schools spokeswoman Carleen Crawford, and Superintendent Tim Markley will decide if the students will be suspended for longer.
Markley could not be reached Thursday but has said he'll impose the maximum penalty -- a year-long suspension -- for students caught making bomb reports, Crawford said.
"We take these bomb threats or copycat bomb threats very seriously," Crawford said.
Lytton and Belair were released to their parents' custody on $1,500 bonds.
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By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Two Catawba County teenagers were charged Wednesday with making a bomb threat at their high school, authorities said Thursday.
Brett Aaron Lytton, 16, and Spencer Logan Belair, 17, were charged Wednesday afternoon after school officials found two teenagers in a boys' bathroom at Bandys High School, Reid said.
One of the teens was writing a threat on the bathroom wall, Reid said, while the other watched to make sure no one walked in.
Lytton and Belair were charged with making a false bomb report, which is a felony. No bomb was found.
Bandys High School has initially suspended the teens for 10 days, said Catawba County Public Schools spokeswoman Carleen Crawford, and Superintendent Tim Markley will decide if the students will be suspended for longer.
Markley could not be reached Thursday but has said he'll impose the maximum penalty -- a year-long suspension -- for students caught making bomb reports, Crawford said.
"We take these bomb threats or copycat bomb threats very seriously," Crawford said.
Lytton and Belair were released to their parents' custody on $1,500 bonds.
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10/16/07
Trial in fatal DWI case begins
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Jurors heard opening statements and witness testimony Tuesday in the trial of a Catawba County man charged with murder and drunken driving charges after a fatal car wreck last year.
The trial against 21-year-old Enrique Cardenas Zavala started Monday in Catawba County Superior Court with opening statements and testimony by responding officers, said Capt. Clyde Deal of the Hickory Police Department.
Cardenas Zavala is charged in the Sept. 29, 2006 accident in downtown Hickory that killed 55-year-old Rena Moore and critically injured her husband, 58-year-old Jerry Moore.
Cardenas Zavala was indicted on several charges, including felony murder, felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, driving while impaired, driving by a person less than 21 years old after consuming alcohol and failure to stop at a stoplight.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Jurors heard opening statements and witness testimony Tuesday in the trial of a Catawba County man charged with murder and drunken driving charges after a fatal car wreck last year.
The trial against 21-year-old Enrique Cardenas Zavala started Monday in Catawba County Superior Court with opening statements and testimony by responding officers, said Capt. Clyde Deal of the Hickory Police Department.
Cardenas Zavala is charged in the Sept. 29, 2006 accident in downtown Hickory that killed 55-year-old Rena Moore and critically injured her husband, 58-year-old Jerry Moore.
Cardenas Zavala was indicted on several charges, including felony murder, felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, driving while impaired, driving by a person less than 21 years old after consuming alcohol and failure to stop at a stoplight.
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10/1/07
Custody battle over leg postponed
Monday, Oct. 1, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A custody battle over a South Carolina man’s amputated leg was postponed Monday while the man tried to find a ride to Maiden, where the limb is being stored.
John Wood and Shannon Whisnant are trying to come to an agreement about the leg, which Whisnant found last week in a used barbecue smoker he bought at an auction in Maiden.
Wood stored his leg, which doctors cut off after a plane crash three years ago, in a smoker he kept at a Maiden storage facility. But when he fell behind in payments, the facility owner auctioned off the smoker.
Whisnant bought it last week. When he looked inside, he found the leg – a foot, ankle and most of the calf – wrapped in a wire screen.
Now, each man claims the leg belongs to him. Whisnant said he has a receipt showing he bought the smoker and its contents. Wood was born with the leg, but it was amputated after a plane crash three years ago.
"I told him I’d share custody of it," Whisnant said. "Kind of like young ‘uns."
They had planned to met Monday to talk about ownership, but Wood was not able to find a ride from Greenville, S.C., to Maiden, Whisnant said. He said they are planning to meet later this week.
Whisnant said he would take legal action if the leg is not returned to him by next week.
"Everybody know it’s mine, period," Whisnant said. "And if anyone tries to take it, I want everything they got."
Police gave the leg to a Maiden funeral home to store until Wood could pick it up.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A custody battle over a South Carolina man’s amputated leg was postponed Monday while the man tried to find a ride to Maiden, where the limb is being stored.
John Wood and Shannon Whisnant are trying to come to an agreement about the leg, which Whisnant found last week in a used barbecue smoker he bought at an auction in Maiden.
Wood stored his leg, which doctors cut off after a plane crash three years ago, in a smoker he kept at a Maiden storage facility. But when he fell behind in payments, the facility owner auctioned off the smoker.
Whisnant bought it last week. When he looked inside, he found the leg – a foot, ankle and most of the calf – wrapped in a wire screen.
Now, each man claims the leg belongs to him. Whisnant said he has a receipt showing he bought the smoker and its contents. Wood was born with the leg, but it was amputated after a plane crash three years ago.
"I told him I’d share custody of it," Whisnant said. "Kind of like young ‘uns."
They had planned to met Monday to talk about ownership, but Wood was not able to find a ride from Greenville, S.C., to Maiden, Whisnant said. He said they are planning to meet later this week.
Whisnant said he would take legal action if the leg is not returned to him by next week.
"Everybody know it’s mine, period," Whisnant said. "And if anyone tries to take it, I want everything they got."
Police gave the leg to a Maiden funeral home to store until Wood could pick it up.
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9/25/07
Investigators probe attorney's drowning
Awaiting final autopsy report
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007
Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
The drowning of a prominent Charlotte lawyer on Lake Norman last week may not have been an accident, Catawba County authorities said.
Darryll Walter Bolduc's body was pulled from the Catawba County side of Lake Norman on Sept. 18, a day after he disappeared while Jet Skiing. The preliminary autopsy showed he died from a freshwater drowning, said Capt. Roy Brown of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities are still waiting for the final autopsy report, Brown said, but investigators do not think Bolduc's death was accidental.
Investigators do not think foul play was involved, he said. Brown would not say whether they are treating Bolduc's death as a suicide.
Bolduc, who started the Bolduc Law Firm in Charlotte in 2003, received national attention in the 1990s over a lawsuit he filed against Bank of America predecessor NationsBank. He had recently remarried, Brown said, and was living in the Mooresville area.
Searchers spent parts of two days searching the lake for Bolduc, who was last seen riding his Jet Ski. Less than 10 minutes later, a fisherman saw the abandoned watercraft circling in the water.
The next evening, sonar found an object that resembled a body, and divers recovered Bolduc's body about 90 minutes later.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007
Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
The drowning of a prominent Charlotte lawyer on Lake Norman last week may not have been an accident, Catawba County authorities said.
Darryll Walter Bolduc's body was pulled from the Catawba County side of Lake Norman on Sept. 18, a day after he disappeared while Jet Skiing. The preliminary autopsy showed he died from a freshwater drowning, said Capt. Roy Brown of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities are still waiting for the final autopsy report, Brown said, but investigators do not think Bolduc's death was accidental.
Investigators do not think foul play was involved, he said. Brown would not say whether they are treating Bolduc's death as a suicide.
Bolduc, who started the Bolduc Law Firm in Charlotte in 2003, received national attention in the 1990s over a lawsuit he filed against Bank of America predecessor NationsBank. He had recently remarried, Brown said, and was living in the Mooresville area.
Searchers spent parts of two days searching the lake for Bolduc, who was last seen riding his Jet Ski. Less than 10 minutes later, a fisherman saw the abandoned watercraft circling in the water.
The next evening, sonar found an object that resembled a body, and divers recovered Bolduc's body about 90 minutes later.
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9/24/07
State to reorganize Broughton hospital
Monday, Sept. 24, 2007
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
The state today announced a reorganization of Broughton Hospital after spending nearly a month looking at problems there.
Last month, the federal government stopped Medicaid and Medicare payments at the hospital in response to a February patient death and an injury to another patient in August.
Broughton, one of four state mental health facilities, is in Morganton, about 75 miles northwest of Charlotte.
A team sent by the state Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate Broughton found that clinical staff was not being supervised by clinical professionals, according to the state agency. For instance, nursing staff did not report to the hospital's director of nursing.
Michael Lancaster, the state's chief of clinical policy, said Monday that Broughton needs to be realigned so it is clear that the clinical team is supervised by professional staff that understands the role of clinical staff.
Lancaster led the team, including nursing and administrative assistants, in the review of the hospital and will direct the reorganization there. He hopes to have a plan in place within a month and hopes that federal government will approve Medicaid and Medicare payments to Broughton within two months, he said.
Broughton receives about $1 million a month in Medicaid and Medicare funding.
"We have to be comfortable that this is the right thing and staff is comfortable," Lancaster said. "We do not want to be premature. I'm more considered about getting it right than doing it quickly."
The federal government stopped Medicaid and Medicare payments to Broughton last month because of concerns over the February death of 27-year-old Anthony Lowery and an injury to another patient in August.
An autopsy said that Lowery, who had a history of schizophrenia, died of asphyxia after a staff member sat on his torso. Lowery tried to bite the man during that time, the report said.
On Aug. 19, a patient who was supposed to be under close supervision fell, prompting the federal government to look more closely at staff supervision at the hospital.
The federal government will review the plan and make at least one unannounced visit to the hospital to check its progress before deciding whether it should reinstate payments, said Mark Van Sciver, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
The state today announced a reorganization of Broughton Hospital after spending nearly a month looking at problems there.
Last month, the federal government stopped Medicaid and Medicare payments at the hospital in response to a February patient death and an injury to another patient in August.
Broughton, one of four state mental health facilities, is in Morganton, about 75 miles northwest of Charlotte.
A team sent by the state Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate Broughton found that clinical staff was not being supervised by clinical professionals, according to the state agency. For instance, nursing staff did not report to the hospital's director of nursing.
Michael Lancaster, the state's chief of clinical policy, said Monday that Broughton needs to be realigned so it is clear that the clinical team is supervised by professional staff that understands the role of clinical staff.
Lancaster led the team, including nursing and administrative assistants, in the review of the hospital and will direct the reorganization there. He hopes to have a plan in place within a month and hopes that federal government will approve Medicaid and Medicare payments to Broughton within two months, he said.
Broughton receives about $1 million a month in Medicaid and Medicare funding.
"We have to be comfortable that this is the right thing and staff is comfortable," Lancaster said. "We do not want to be premature. I'm more considered about getting it right than doing it quickly."
The federal government stopped Medicaid and Medicare payments to Broughton last month because of concerns over the February death of 27-year-old Anthony Lowery and an injury to another patient in August.
An autopsy said that Lowery, who had a history of schizophrenia, died of asphyxia after a staff member sat on his torso. Lowery tried to bite the man during that time, the report said.
On Aug. 19, a patient who was supposed to be under close supervision fell, prompting the federal government to look more closely at staff supervision at the hospital.
The federal government will review the plan and make at least one unannounced visit to the hospital to check its progress before deciding whether it should reinstate payments, said Mark Van Sciver, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
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