News of events in the North Mississippi area, present or past, that shape or celebrate the lifestyle, well-being, and heritage of the community as a whole.

NEMiss.News Autism Awareness Day proclaimed

 

 

AUTISM AWARENESS DAY!
New Albany, MS

King Therapies and Pilot Club of New Albany gathered at Mayor Tim Kent’s office on Friday, March 24th. Mayor Kent officially proclaimed that April 1st is Autism Awareness Day in the The Best Southern Small Town.

Autism Awareness Day is observed annually to raise public awareness and understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a complex developmental disability that affects communication and social interaction. The day encourages people to educate themselves about autism and support individuals with ASD and their families. Autism Awareness Day aims to eliminate discrimination against individuals with autism and promote their inclusion in society.

World Autism Awareness Day was first introduced by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, with the aim of raising awareness about autism and promoting acceptance and inclusion of individuals with autism. The day has become an important opportunity to educate people about autism spectrum disorders, address stigmatization faced by individuals with autism, and mobilize support for those living with the condition. The day has also inspired organizations around the world to host events and initiatives that promote autism awareness, research, and advocacy.

-Kenny Stancil

I Love NA New Albany Main Street Association Union County Development Association, NEMiss.News.
#autismawarenessday #autismawareness #autismacceptance #AutismSupport #bestsouthernsmalltowm #visitnewalbany

 

 

 

NEMiss.News Mississippi Boychoir

 

 

 

“Mississippi BOY CHOIR” coming to Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany, Mississippi, Saturday, April 1, 2023, for two concerts. April 1, 2023 at 1pm and 3pm.

Join us for this amazing choir from all over Mississippi!

2022-2023 marks the 28th Season of Mississippi Boychoir, but the Boychoir tradition began fifteen centuries ago with boys singing in the great cathedrals of western Europe.

Local School Choirs and Church Youth/Children’s Choirs are encouraged to attend this event!

See you at the Museum for this musical memory in the making! Message us for more information or call 662-538-0014.

NEmiss.News Tammy Greer, PhD

 

Museum Moments on Thursday, March 16, at 12 noon will feature Medicine Wheel Gardens. This topic will be discussed by Tammy Greer, Ph.D., a member of the United Houma Nation, and a faculty member at the University of Southern Mississippi. She is Director of the Mississippi Center for American Indian Research and Studies and is faculty advisor of the Golden Eagles Intertribal Society.

The program will be at the Union County Heritage Museum, located at 114 Cleveland Street in New Albany. A sack lunch will be available, courtesy of the New Albany Garden Club at 11:30.

Dr. Greer developed the Medicine Wheel Garden in 2005 along with others to highlight the plants that were used by the indigenous peoples of this area, and to promote awareness of the rich histories and cultures of Southeastern Native Americans.

Programming associated with the Medicine Wheel Garden includes the many uses of native plants from natural dyes to cordage to making medicine. Greer has a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to explore these uses.

These circular gardens are considered places for healing and tranquility. They are considered by some to be sacred spaces within certain cultures. The gardens follow simple, circular designs based around the number four for each of the four cardinal directions. Each direction represents a unique spiritual connection with the earth.

NEMiss.News Aerial view of Majorville Medicine Wheel

Aerial view of Majorville Medicine Wheel, circa 3200BCE

Medicine wheel gardens have been built and used for ceremonies for thousands of years. Each one has enough unique characteristics and qualities that archaeologists have not deciphered them in their entirety. One of the older wheels, located in Canada, has been dated to 3200 BCE (5200 years ago).

Museum Moments is a monthly lecture program which is free. It is made possible by the Community Partners of the museum. For more information contact the museum at 662-538-0014.

 

Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany,MS 38652
662 538-0014

NEMiss.News Pysanky Egg Workshop

 

Easter and symbolic egg traditions go deep into the history of our community and even deeper into our collective history.  Before Easter frocks and bonnets – there was the egg.

NEMiss.News Pysanka eggs

Union Co. Museum offering Pysanka egg class.

As Easter Sunday approaches, The Tallahatchie Arts Council and the Union County Heritage Museum will host a Pysanky Egg Workshop on March 4, from 1pm to 3pm and March 7, from 5pm to 9pm.

Denise Brown of New Albany, an artist in multiple mediums, will teach the classes.  She is also a member of the Mississippi Craftsman Guild.  One of Ukraine’s most famous Easter traditions is the psyanka, an intricately decorated Easter egg. The name derives from the Ukrainian verb “pysaty,” meaning “to write.”

NEmiss.News Pysanky Egg Workshop

Pysanky Egg Workshop 2022

This is a type of folk art from the Ukrainian culture.  This famous Easter tradition is the psyanka, an intricately decorated Easter egg. Using a wax resist method, the eggs are created before Easter. Pysanka eggs are given to friends and are sometimes decorated to match the personality of the receiver. To give a pysanka is to give a symbolic gift of life. In the Ukrainian culture everyone from the youngest to the oldest would receive an egg. A bowl full of the eggs was kept in every home. Some were put in the hen’s nests and near bee hives in hopes of a good harvest.

Cost of the March 4 workshop is $60, and it will cover all materials for a joint activity of one adult and one child.  The March 7, workshop is $30 and will consist of adults only.  You can begin registering for this event immediately by calling Stephen Bennet at 1-601-415-7283. Class size is limited.

Saturday, April 1, there will be an  Easter Parade and Egg Hunt in New Albany, as Part of new Albany Main Street Easter Events. The Hip Hop Hurray Parade will begin at 9:30 and the egg hunt will follow on the lawn of the Union County Courthouse.

NEMiss.News Pysanky Egg Workshop

Pysanky Egg Workshop 2022

The tradition of Easter egg hunting or gifting of eggs originated approximately around the 16th century and has been carried on for many centuries.  The great State of Mississippi hosts an Egg Hunt started in 2012 by our Governor Tate Reeves wife, Elee Reeves at the Capitol in Jackson, MS.

Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. The Christian holiday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after he was crucified by the Romans on Good Friday more than 2,000 years ago.

Jill Smith, Director

Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652
NEMiss.news Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union Countyl 2019 Leapfrog award

 

 

 

NEW ALBANY, Miss., Feb. XX, 2023— Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County has been recognized for its contribution to community health and well-being, receiving an ‘A’ grade in community benefit on the Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility.

“Baptist Union County is honored to receive this recognition for our commitment to community health and well-being,” said James Grantham, CEO and administrator of Baptist Union County. “Providing affordable and quality health care for our community is central to our mission.”

The Index is the first ranking to measure social responsibility for more than 3,600 U.S. hospitals nationwide and applies metrics, such as racial inclusivity, avoidance of overuse and community benefit.

“America needs socially responsible hospitals,” said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute. “The hospitals topping our index have proven they have what it takes to be great community partners.”

Community benefit performance on the Lown Index is based on hospitals’ charity care spending, Medicaid share of patient revenue and spending on other investments that have direct benefit to the community, such as health clinics, preventive health services and food security. Data sources include hospital cost reports filed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and IRS 990 forms, both from 2019. Learn more about the Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility by visiting www.LownHospitalsIndex.org.

Baptist Union County offers a variety of services, including adult and pediatric inpatient care, a sleep lab, maternity, surgery, a 24-hour emergency department and diagnostics. The hospital also has PET/CT scans, 3D mammography, telemedicine services and an eICU. Baptist Union County has an excellent reputation for providing quality care and recently earned an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group and multiple Outstanding Patient Experience and Patient Safety Excellence awards from Healthgrades. For more information about Baptist Union County, please call 662-538-7631 or visit www.baptistonline.org/locations/union-county.

 

NEMiss.News Dr. Ethel Scurlock

 

 

Museum Moments

Museum Moments on Thursday,  February 16,  features Dr. Ethel Young Spurlock, PhD  talking about “The History of Mississippi Black Physicians and Their Medical Journey.” The program will begin at noon and is free.  A lite lunch is provided by the Museum Guild beginning at 11:30.

NEMiss.News R.f.Boyd, MD, DDS

R. F. Boyd, MD, DDS practiced medicine and taught school in New Albany in the late 1880s.

Dr. Spurlock is Dean of the Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi and is Associate Professor of English and African American Studies.  A Memphis native she joined the faculty of the university in 1996.  She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and from Bowling Green Sate University of Ohio. She has published numerous articles and reviews of African American literature.

She was named the College of Liberal Arts Teacher of the Year in 2003, UM Humanities Teacher of the Year as well as other honors.  She has been recognized by the Mississippi House of Representatives honoring her work promoting diversity.

NEMiss.News Croup vaccine administration

Administration of croup vaccine

Flag Program for Fourth Grade

Other activities during the month of February include a flag program for all of the fourth grade students in Union County and the City of New Albany .  All of the students will receive both national and state flags and curriculum materials related to the flags.  The museum will have an exhibit featuring  objects invented by African Americans through the years.

African American Community  Businesses

An ongoing project of the museum is collecting information and photographs related to the African American business which closed following desegregation as well as the communities that once existed.  If anyone has information to share on this project, please contact the museum so that the photos can be scanned and the information documents, said Jill Smith, director.

B. F. Ford and The Sporting Life exhibits

The museum is continuing to schedule videos on the history of B.F. Ford and for the upcoming exhibit The Sporting Life of Union County.  If you would like to participate in this, please call the museum to set up a time on the schedule call 662-538-0014.

The deadline is approaching for submitting photos to the sports exhibit, which is expected to open in April 2023.

The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street, New Albany. Call 662-538-0014 for more information.  Follow the museum on Facebook at Union County Heritage Museum.

NEMiss/News Baptist Cancer Center

 

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 3, 2023 – Baptist Cancer Center-Union County has been awarded the Integrated Network Cancer Program Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer, a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.

The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for patients with cancer by setting and raising standards. Commission on Cancer promotes cancer prevention, research, education and monitoring of comprehensive quality care. Commission on Cancer-accredited programs undergo an on-site visit to review documentation for compliance with set standards on a triennial basis.

“We are thrilled to be granted the elite Integrated Network Accreditation by the American College of Surgeons,” said Ann Bishop, system administrator of Baptist Cancer Center. “This accreditation takes years of programmatic development, physician and administrative leadership and impeccable patient-centered care. This award demonstrates exceptional cancer care is provided at all of our locations across Baptist.”

The Commission on Cancer accreditation program provides the framework for Baptist Cancer Center to improve quality of patient care through various cancer-related programs that focus on the full spectrum of cancer care, including prevention, early diagnosis, cancer staging, optimal treatment, rehabilitation, life-long follow-up for recurrent disease and end-of-life care.  When patients receive care at a Baptist Cancer Center facility, they also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatments, genetic counseling and patient-centered services, including psychosocial support, a patient navigation process and a survivorship care plan that seeks to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.

Baptist Cancer Center maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Database, a joint program of the Commission on Cancer and the American Cancer Society. This nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world.

The Commission on Cancer was established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons. Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. To earn voluntary Commission on Cancer accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. For more information, visit www.facs.org/cancer.

Baptist Cancer Center provides world-class cancer care close to home throughout Baptist Memorial Health Care’s tristate service area of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. The center takes an interdisciplinary approach to patient care and offers treatment, research, support services, community education and the area’s first genetic counseling and testing program for cancer.

In addition, Baptist Cancer Center has the Mid-South’s first adult adult, which provides specialized care for patients who have received chemotherapy that interferes with blood cell production or stops bone marrow activity. In 2019, Baptist Cancer Center was awarded a second $9 million research grant from the National Cancer Institute to continue building out its clinical research infrastructure to expand lifesaving, leading-edge treatment across the Mid-South, including overcoming disparities in cancer care under the Minority-Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research Program, known as NCORP. In 2021, Baptist Cancer Center launched a multifaceted initiative called the Mid-South Miracle aimed at reducing lung cancer deaths in the Mid-South 25% by 2030.

For more information, please visit baptistcancercenter.com or follow us on Facebook.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

NEMiss.News Joann Burks Service First Champion

 

NEW ALBANY, Miss., January 19, 2023 – Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County recently announced that Joann Burks, RN, has been named Service First Champion for the quarter. Burks, a nurse in the emergency department, was nominated by a colleague for going above and beyond to help an out-of-town visitor in need of a part for a suction device for her son.

Service First Champions are individuals who consistently exceed all expectations for the purpose of serving others and are nominated by colleagues, physicians, patients and their family/support persons for outstanding service.

In the nomination, the colleague shared that Joann asked what she could do to help, pulled some supplies, and assessed the situation. The colleague stated, “I really appreciate the attention Joann gave to the out-of-town visitor, and I am sure she left a good impression of Baptist Union County on the visitor.”

“Joann’s willingness to take time to help a visitor in need exemplifies what a Service First Champion should be,” said James Grantham, CEO and Administrator. “It is outstanding team members like Joann who truly make a difference at Baptist Union County.”

 

Baptist Union County offers a variety of services, including adult and pediatric inpatient care, sleep lab, maternity, surgery, a 24-hour emergency department and diagnostics. The hospital also has PET/CT, 3D mammography, TeleHealth services and an eICU. Baptist Union County has an excellent reputation for providing quality care and recently earned an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group and Outstanding Patient Experience and Patient Safety Excellence awards from Healthgrades.
For more information about Baptist Union County, please call 662-538-7631 or visit unioncounty.baptistonline.org.

NEMiss.News January Museum Moments: Winter Backyard Birds

 

Museum Moments is beginning the 2023 season with a program all about birds.

NEMiss.News Hooded Warbler Museum Moments

Hooded Warbler
Photo by Chara Megelsh; birds are handled by a licensed professional.

Chara Megelsh, Wildlife Conservationist, will talk about “Winter Backyard Birds” on Thursday, January 19, at 12 noon.

Lunch begins at 11:30 and is courtesy of the Museum Guild.

Museum Moments is made possible by the Museum Community Partner Program. It is free.

For more information call the museum at 662-538-0014 . The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street in New Albany.

Attached photos are by Chara Megelsh and the birds are handled by a licensed professional.


Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652

NEMiss.News Bill Steber returns to museum

 

 

Musicians Bill Steber and Libby Rae Watson will be at the Union County Heritage Museum for a live performance on Thursday, December 15, 6:30 until in a closing reception for the Spirit in the Soil Exhibit.

Steber, Nashville photographer, artist and musician has spent the last 30 years photographing Mississippi blues musicians. He also collected bits and pieces of artifacts from locations the blues musicians played and lived.

With these remnants and artifacts he has created portraits of those legendary musicians.

This exhibit at the museum will end in December.

Steber who is an accomplished musician plays the blues along with longtime friend Libby Rae Watson who has also played with and studies under some of the blues greats of the Mississippi delta.

The exhibit has been at the museum since September and will close at the end of December. The public is invited to this free holiday event at the museum in New Albany located at 114 Cleveland Street. For more information call 662-538-0014.

More about “Spirit in the Soil” Exhibit

 

Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652

NEMiss.News Santa

 

 

The traditional visit of  Santa at the Museum with crafts is set this Saturday, December 10, from 9 – 12 noon at the museum in New Albany.  Santa arrives at 9 a.m. and will leave at 11 a.m.  The elves will be on hand to help with Christmas Crafts, and with  Santa Science.

The event is free, thanks to the museum’s Community Partners.  Bring the kids, have hot chocolate and cookies and visit with Santa.  Bring your camera and take photos.

The Historical Northside Garden Club members are helping with this event.

For more information call 662-538-0014.  The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street in New Albany.

NEMiss.News Baptist Leap Frog Grade A

 

UNION COUNTY, Miss., The Leapfrog Group awarded Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County an “A” Hospital Safety Grade.

This national distinction celebrates the hospital’s achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.

“Baptist Union County is honored to receive this ‘A’ rating from LeapFrog,” said James Grantham, CEO and administrator at Baptist Union County. “The health care professionals at Baptist Union County work hard every day to ensure the quality and safety of the health care we provide. We’re thankful to have such a talented and dedicated team.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.

“I applaud Baptist Union County’s leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so they can best protect patients. This hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”

To see Baptist Union County’s full grade details and to access tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.

Baptist Union County offers a variety of services, including adult and pediatric inpatient care, a sleep lab, maternity, surgery, a 24-hour emergency department and diagnostics. The hospital also has PET/CT scans, 3D mammography, TeleHealth services and an eICU. Baptist Union County has an excellent reputation for providing quality care and recently earned an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group and Outstanding Patient Experience and Patient Safety Excellence awards from Healthgrades. For more information about Baptist Union County, please call 662-538-7631 or visit www.baptistonline.org/locations/union-county. 

-Caroline Gillard | Coordinator | Communications | BMHCC Corporate Office

Please share any thoughts, comments or questions in the Comments section below!