Author Archives: Robyn Marlow

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, North Sunflower Medical Foundation has generously donated a month’s lease payment to the Sunflower Diagnostic Center’s NEW 3D Mammographic machine which was over $8,600.

Stacy Davis, Associate Executive Director, of North Sunflower Medical Foundation (NSMF) explains, “Although breast cancer receives the most attention during the month of October, it is important to support patients and families in treatment and recovery, while searching for a cure.”  Stacy added, “the mission of North Sunflower Medical Foundation is to promote health and wellness for the residents of Sunflower County and surrounding areas by assisting with the enhancement of quality healthcare. As well as to partner with local government agencies in matters related to healthcare.”

Although prevention, research, and treatment have made tremendous strides over the past two decades, breast cancer continues to be a major threat to women throughout the world.  Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, no matter their race or ethnicity.

In addition each year, the NSMF donates $10,000 in educational grants and $10,000 in equipment grants to the North Sunflower Medical Center.  These grants help to ensure the availability of healthcare professionals, new equipment and better services.

“People give to the foundation for numerous reasons but more often than not they believe that they are contributing to a better health care in their community,” explains Stacy Davis.    

NSMF raises money in several different ways, including:

• Annual Gifts: support through a variety of programs which encourage entry level giving. Approximately 380 employees give an annual percentage of their salary to the foundation.
• Gifts of Tribute: provide an opportunity to remember those, living or deceased, whose kindness and love have touched our lives. A gift could be made in memory of someone who has passed away, or in honor of someone celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, wedding or retirement. The honored person or family will be notified of the tribute in their honor or memory.
• Planned Gifts: when a person leaves part of his or her estate for the hospital foundation in a will, or establishes a charitable gift annuity or trust.
• Corporate Gifts: businesses joining hands to improve the healthcare of tomorrow.
• Programming: Special events, such as golf/tennis tournaments, Breakfast with Santa, Relay for Life and galas.
• Special/Signature Gifts: large one-time donations from individual donors. Naming opportunities are available.

By Robyn Marlow

Every October, we go all out to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month. We pink it out every Friday where the whole staff wears pink. We run specials on mammograms. North Sunflower Medical Center is the first hospital in the Delta to offer 3D mammograms. It’s a great deal. Everyone should take advantage of it.

But here’s an even sweeter deal …

Because we believe there is Just-No-Reason women should not get regular cancer screenings, we partnered up with the Mississippi Department of Health to provide free mammograms and cervical screenings for women 40 to 64 who do not have insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

Let me say that again: Free Mammograms and Cervical Screenings!

Free Mammograms and Cervical Screenings

It’s called BCCP – Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. If you have insurance, most all carriers cover wellness checks that include mammograms and cervical screenings. If you are on Medicare or Medicaid, they pay for your screenings. And if you don’t have either, there is still no charge.

That’s not just in October. That’s all year round.

And that includes our state-of-the-art 3D mammography’s. We talked to Alice Pyles, the Director of Radiology at NSMC, and she told us the 3D mammography is saving women time and money. “You are able to see the tissue so much more clearly, it is cutting down on call backs.”

She told us that with the old technology, frequently they had to call people back in for a closer look when things in a 2D mammogram looked suspicious. Now they are able to identify problems more clearly and rule out most false alarms. “You save them time and you save them money. But just as important, you save them the worry that something might be wrong when it’s not.”

Watch our new video about the First in the Delta 3D Mammography available at North Sunflower Medical Center:

And speaking of saving time, if you are unable to get away from work, North Sunflower Medical Center is open late every Thursday all year round. Alice told us, “Regular hours are 8:00 to 4:30 Monday to Friday. On Thursdays, our mammographers and cervical screeners are around from noon to 8:00 pm. As I said, there is Just-No-Reason for a woman to skip her mammogram.”

North Sunflower Medical Center Poll: Our Favorite Mississippi Authors

As a follow up to our last story about the Ruleville Little Free Library Conner Seely built for his Eagle Scout project, the results of the poll are in. Your favorite Mississippi author is:

• John Grisham – 80%
• William Faulkner – 15%
• Richard Wright – 1%

No great surprise that John Grisham is most every Mississippian’s favorite author. But what is surprising is that not a single person cast a vote for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mississippi author Eudora Welty. In addition to winning the Pulitzer for The Optimist’s Daughter, Welty was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980, was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000 and her home in Jackson has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

By Robyn Marlow

You might have noticed a new addition around North Sunflower Medical Center.  This past summer, Conner Seeley built a Little Free Library right in front of the Sunflower Rural Health Clinic on N. Oak Avenue.

Little Free Libraries are part of a national movement that began in 2009. Most are small boxes in which anyone can take or place a book to share. The Little Free Library Association says there are over 90,000 free book exchanges like Conner’s in 91 countries.

The Little Free Library [LFL] in Ruleville is part of a network of four that Conner built and stocked as part of his Eagle Scout Project this year. Two are in Cleveland, and one in Boyle in addition to the LFL outside NSMC.

Becoming an Eagle Scout

Only four out of 100 Boy Scouts make it to Eagle Scout. As soon as he finishes all the paperwork that goes with becoming an Eagle Scout, Conner will be in elite company with President Gerald Ford, Astronaut Neil Armstrong, Director Stephen Spielberg, and doctor William DeVries – the surgeon who transplanted the first artificial heart.

Conner said, at first the hardest part was building the boxes.  Making sure everything is completely waterproof protects the books from the elements. It also makes sure each LFL will last for years of inclement weather.  But keeping each location stocked with good books makes this project an ongoing endeavor.

Keep the Little Free Library Going

The Cleveland Public Library has stepped in to donate enough books to keep the Bolivar County locations stocked with books.  Conner and his family are taking donations from families all over the Delta to keep the Ruleville location replete with a plethora of fine literature.

Conner’s love of reading makes this a perfect Eagle Scout project.  His mom, NSMC’s own Kristi Seeley, said he used to get in trouble for staying up late reading. She said, “I guess there are worse things to get in trouble for.” Conner’s favorite Mississippi author is John Grisham.

Conner and his family have restocked the Ruleville LFL seven times since it was built this summer.  Conner said, “It’s nice to see it empty because it means people are using it”.  The bad news is not enough people are replacing the books they take with a book of their own.  If you are interested in helping keep the Conner Seeley Ruleville Little Free Public Library going, you can donate books – ESPECIALLY CHILDREN’S BOOKS. Contact Kristi Seeley here at NSMC to donate.

Or, just go by the Little Free Library outside the Sunflower Rural Health Clinic and leave a book when you take a book.

By Robyn Marlow

As of today, we are EIGHT days away from the Great Ruleville Roast 2019!

Next Friday and Saturday – September 27 and 28 – is the time when folks from all over Sunflower and surrounding counties make their way to Ruleville to enjoy music, an amazing car, truck and tractor show, and some of the best barbecue in the whole world. This year’s theme is Boots and Barbecue.

This year marks the 14^th annual Great Ruleville Roast and Run, a festival hosted by the Ruleville Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds of this event benefit the Chamber’s beautification efforts for Ruleville. This weekend is one of those special events that makes Ruleville a place we all love to call home.

Food and Fun

By Robyn Marlow

CNA Training

You have heard us talk here a lot about how we are frequently in need of Certified Nursing Assistants. A quick check of our Careers Page will show you we are regularly looking for bright people to join our NSMC family at many levels in nursing.

It is a challenge every hospital has to deal with – recruiting and retaining new people to help serve our patients and our community. There are not enough nurses in the world. So we are always looking to find people who are willing to help by getting their nursing career off on the right foot.

In August, we are working with Mississippi Delta Community College on the start something really exciting. Beginning this Fall semester, MDCC will offer a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program in Ruleville.

Build a Career

If you have ever wanted a job in health care, this is a fantastic opportunity. And it’s right here in Ruleville. Patricia Kelly, Dean of Health Sciences at MDCC told us, “Anyone that is interested in health care, it is a great start to your career.”

Getting a CNA certificate is a very good way to start building a career. Some eventually become registered nurses or even eventually Certified Nurse Practitioners. “But a lot of people choose to make being a CNA their entire career,” Patricia said. “Once you get your CNA, you can get certified in a number of fields like phlebotomy or assisted-living. It’s a good way to make a stable living.”

The Health Care Assistant Program prepares the individual to assist in providing health care as a member of the health care team under the direction of a health care professional. Greenville Higher Education Center in Greenville and Golden Age Nursing Home in Greenwood also conduct programs. But this is the first program in Ruleville.

How to Apply

This is part of the New Pathways to Health Program, a collaboration between the Dreyfus Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation to support the workforce in the Delta.

To be eligible for the class, you need to be a high school graduate or have a satisfactory High School Equivalency score (GED or HiSET) OR be currently enrolled in the MDCC MiBest program. You also need to complete preadmission Accuplacer test OR have an ACT score of 14 (9 to10 if taken before October 28, 1989) or higher.

Completing the course earns 16 hours of college credit. Completing this course would count towards an Associate Nursing Degree and other advanced degrees. If you decided you wanted to further your education in nursing, you need to act fast. Contact Mrs. Maegan Applewhite at 662-246-6503 or mapplewhite@msdelta.edu to apply.

Are you are a compassionate person who enjoys helping others? If so, we hope you’ll consider joining the North Sunflower Medical Center family. This is a fantastic way to begin a career that can last your lifetime.

By Robyn Marlow

You have heard us talk about the Sunflower Diagnostic Center a lot around here.  And there is a really good reason for that:

BECAUSE IT’S AWESOME!

For a couple of years now, the Sunflower Diagnostic Center has been one-stop shopping for ultra-sounds, pap smears, and women’s wellness visits. The Medspa even provides hydra facials, and once a month Dr. Erica Bass offers Botox, fillers, and injectables.

Now you don’t have to drive to Jackson or Grenada to get the best breast cancer screenings available.  You can get  the state of the art screenings that are available at Johns Hopkins or the Mayo Clinic just by saying “Take me to Ruleville!”

“With the old machine, if the Radiologist saw something that looked suspicious on a 2D mammogram, the patient would need to come in for ‘magnification’ so the doctor could look more closely at the problem areas,” Alice told us.  “With the new 3D mammograms, they are able to see it well enough in most cases do not need a second or third visit.  That saves the patient time, money and needless stress of coming in for additional visits.”

Watch the video and learn more about 3D Mammograms at the Sunflower Diagnostic Center:

Aster Awards
The Aster Awards for Excellence in Healthcare Adverting came out this week.  We are proud to announce North Sunflower was recognized for seven Aster Awards, Including four Gold Awards for Logo Design, Newspaper Advertising, Special Events, and Special Video Production—for our Ruleville Police Department/NSMC LipSync production. We love that video and bring it up every chance we get.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here it is:

It’s that time of year again!

By Robyn Marlow

This Thursday, May 30, is Birdies and Backhands 2019.

We never expected Birdies and Backhands to be some kind of tune-up event for Wimbledon in June or the U.S. Open. That’s good because it hasn’t…yet.

We wanted to create an event that got people in the community out and active while trying to raise a little money for the North Sunflower Foundation.  And on that score, it has been a smashing success.

The mission of the North Sunflower Medical Foundation is to promote health and wellness for the residents of Sunflower County and surrounding areas by assisting with the enhancement of quality healthcare, to provide grants for educational purposes to ensure the availability of healthcare professionals, and to partner with local governmental agencies in matters related to healthcare.”

The Foundation provides funding for equipment, educational grants, programs and services that otherwise would not be possible.

Birdies and Backhands 2019 Registration

Registration for golf is tomorrow (Thursday, May 30) at 11:30 am. Shotgun start is 1:00. You can register for tennis starting at 3:00 and the tournament first round begins at 4:00.

The signup forms can be found on the North Sunflower Medical Foundation’s Facebook page or by clicking here. OR you can register by calling (662) 719-6661 for golf or (662) 719-6140 for tennis.

By Robyn Marlow

In addition to being National Hospital Week, it is also National Nursing Home Week. Mary Rose with the Walter B. Crook Nursing facility – which is part of the North Sunflower Medical Center family – was going a million miles an hour when we talked with her this week.

“Every day when I walk in, I go straight to the dining room and talk with all the residents. I want to see how they are doing, talk with them about their families and catch up on how things are going,” Mary told us. “As soon as I’m done with that, I start going room to room, talking with every single resident that lives here.”

That seems like a lot of work, but Mary tells us she can’t wait to get to work in the morning. “I have a smile on my face as soon as I walk in the door.” Working in a nursing home can be a hard job with lots of responsibilities but clearly, Mary loves her job.

Walter B Crook is a 60-bed facility with only private rooms, four atriums, in house therapy and great food. Mary told us about the residents that all feel like family to her. “When someone goes home for Christmas of Thanksgiving, we can tell when they come back they are smiling and happy to see us.”

If you’ve been to our careers page, you might have noticed, the Family at Walter B. Crook is looking for people to add to the North Sunflower Family. They are looking for an RN Weekend Supervisor, a Licensed Practical Nurse, and a Certified Nurse’s Assistant.

We asked Mary what it took to be part of the Walter B Crook family. She said, “If you don’t have a big heart, this is not the job for you.”

Employee Appreciation Day

Tomorrow is a big day around here. For Employee Appreciation day, we wrap up a fun week of celebration with FreeStyle Friday. Wear your ‘Dancing through the Decades’ T-shirt, and join us from 11:00 to 1:00.

You may have noticed, we named Tyler Slaughter RN as Clinical Hero of the Month here at North Sunflower Medical Center. In fact, the award surprised Tyler. “Working night shift, not a lot of people see what you do.”

Another reason he was caught off guard was that his time at North Sunflower has been shorter than a lot of people, having just started in July as an extern. “There are a lot of very deserving people who have worked very hard here for several years. Just to get noticed for your hard work is a real accomplishment. It was awesome.”

But it was after he was handed the award that a lot of people really started to notice. The folks at Facebook analytics tell us that our post announcing Tyler’s award reached over 25,000 people. The total population of Ruleville is just over 2,600 people. 128 friends and family shared it, with almost 2,000 likes and loves. That’s a lot of people from all over the country saying, “Take me to Ruleville.”

Tyler was also surprised to learn he was the Kim Kardashian of Greater Ruleville. “I really don’t spend a lot of time on social media. I guess I have a lot of family and cousins cheering me on.” A mountain of likes, emojis and “Congratulations, T-Slaw” covered his post.

Tyler’s Story

Tyler’s aunt inspired him to get into health care after doctors diagnosed her with Leukemia when he was a child. “She passed when I was 12. I was always pretty good at science and thought about going to Med School.” But after playing football at Mississippi Delta Community College and then at Mississippi College, he decided that working as an RN was the right career path for him.

“I’m from a small place called Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Growing up in a tight community like that, you just want to help bring health care to rural parts of the Delta.”

Tyler wanted to give a shout out to the Certified Nursing Assistants who work at North Sunflower. “Our jobs would be 10 times harder without the CNA’s. We could not do our jobs without them.”

And … it just so happens, North Sunflower is looking for more CNAs, LPNs, and RNs to join the North Sunflower family. If you are interested in seeing Tyler up close, instead of just following him on social media, go over to our North Sunflower Careers Page and see if there is a job that is right for you.

We love it when people say, “Take me to Ruleville.”  Well, this Spring, Angela Lang of North Sunflower Pharmacy decided to bring Ruleville to people in need.

Angela has been volunteering with Baptist Medical Dental Missions Inc. for the past five years, helping bring medical care to people in Honduras.  BMDMI has been conducting missions to Guatemala and Honduras for decades. Angela works with a team led by Dr. Walter Rose and Rev. Jim Woods, who have been leading the same team to Honduras for 38 years.

Mike Gilbow got Angela involved. “He went the year before I did.  We go to a different village every year.  Some years we both go and set up a pharmacy for people coming in for care. Sometimes I go by myself,” Angela told us.  “Every year, when I feel like I’m too busy to go, something tells me I need to go.  I don’t know who gets a bigger blessing — me or the people we treat.”

Angela told us the team sets up camp usually in a school where she sleeps on a floor with 10 other women. “If you get a quick shower from a garden hose, you’re lucky to have it.” Angela said the rough and tumble conditions don’t put a damper on things. “Everybody is happy.  No matter the conditions, no one complains or argues. This is one week out of the year, you are there for one common purpose.”

The mission is part-aid and part-spiritual.  They bring with them doctors, nurses, dentists, cooks, and construction workers. “As a Christian organization, the mission is to bring people together.  Many of the people we see have never seen a doctor before. They need clothes, food, and treatment for all sorts of things. And we share with them that we are there as part of our faith.”

This year, Angela brought along a new recruit, Emory Davis, an employee at NSMC and the daughter of North Sunflower Foundation’s Stacy Davis.  The thought of international travel to a developing part of the world almost scared Emory away before she left. “I nearly missed it, due to some anxiety hearing stories from others who have traveled to that part of the world.  I’m so happy I didn’t.”

“The appreciation on the faces of people I distributed food to … many who looked as if they hadn’t eaten in days, touched my heart,” Emory told us.  Seeing and assisting children who received medical, dental and optometry care for the first time made me realize how blessed we are to have it so readily available here at home.”

Angela agreed, “I think it’s wonderful for teenagers to go and experience. And Emory did a fabulous job. It was a blessing for her.” Angela told us her own daughter, Peyton Scott, has been part of mission trips in the past and loves it. “She went when she was in high school.  Now she’s in nursing school and she wants to go as soon as she gets out.  People are so appreciative for what you give to them.”

Angela said she will continue to go on mission trips “as long as they continue to let me.”  Glad to know, if you can’t make it to Ruleville, there are people like Angela and Emory in the North Sunflower Medical Center Family who are willing to bring Ruleville to you.

By Robin Marlow

High School Prom is right around the corner. First responders from all over Sunflower County – including a number of us from the North Sunflower Medical Center family – joined forces to help the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services get the word out about their safety initiative, PROM (Please Return on Monday).

At an event with Ruleville High School and North Sunflower Academy students at North Sunflower Medical Center, members of the Highway Patrol, Ruleville Police Department, and the Ruleville Fire Department provided a dramatic reenactment of what happens when they all too frequently respond to a deadly crash involving drugs and alcohol.

A video of the event can be found by clicking HERE.

An Inspirational Story

The event included an inspirational story by Dwight Owens. He survived being struck by a drunk driver when he was 23. Owens challenged students to know better understand their own self-worth. “I want you to understand how important you are. Know your value. Because when you understand that, peer pressure can’t get to you.”

Owens was struck by a drunk driver on his way to school by a drunk driver clocked driving 120 miles per hour. At first, doctors thought Owens was dead. But he went on to become an inspirational speaker, and an advocate fighting against the use of drugs and alcohol. “I’m a victim of someone else’s negligence, Owens said. “I’m in this chair because someone else chooses to drive drunk. I want you to be better than that.”

PROM Initiative

In 2018, Mississippi led the nation in traffic deaths, with 175 DUI related deaths and almost 7,000 DUI arrests. PROM is part of a statewide partnership between the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitative Services. It urges students to make good choices, including buckling up, no texting while driving and not drinking and driving.

“While Prom Night is one of the most significant nights for a high school student, it is significant for the parents as well,” said Colonel Chris Gillard, Director of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.  “The parents stay up all night after the photos, after their child leaves, to see that they return home in the same condition he or she left. Our goal is to help ensure that the child makes it back to the parent.”