Building a Strong Trauma-Informed Community Workshop
We all know individuals and families who have suffered the trauma associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These are stressful or traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect and family dysfunction that change how a child’s brain develops and which can lead to long-term challenges in health and behavior. As a result, the effects of ACEs ultimately impact the future of our workforce and economic development. Addressing these situations is a challenge and that is why Crossville Mayor Mayberry and I are lending our support to a county-wide effort to promote a Call to Action to lessen the effects of ACEs.
The keynote speaker for the event held today was Becky Haas, a nationally renowned ACEs expert who serves as a consultant to the East Tennessee State University/Ballad Health Strong Brain Institute and was one of the pioneers of the Northeast Tennessee ACEs Connection. Known for her contagious enthusiasm, she is a seasoned presenter on the ACEs study. She is widely recognized for her innovative work in developing a trauma-informed region throughout northeast Tennessee. Her accomplishments in Johnson City serve as one of the most dramatic examples of how a trauma-informed approach can change a community.
This training is made possible through a District 6780 Rotary Grant jointly sponsored by the three Rotary Clubs in Cumberland County and in cooperation with local community leaders and agencies who are passionate about building a strong trauma-informed community.
My daughter, Brooke Wright, is the first one that talked with me about ACEs as ACEs in the clinical setting is the subject of a project that she is doing to complete her doctorate to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Thank you to everyone involved in putting this workshop together including Colleen Mall and Donna King (that first presented the idea to me)! Many others were involved in today’s activities. I would name them, but I know I would forget someone.
There will be more to come.
Update on Governor Lee’s Executive Orders
Yesterday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the end of statewide public health orders and signed Executive Order 80 to address economic and regulatory functions. EO 80 also ends the local authority to issue mask requirements in the 89 counties directed by the state health department.
“COVID-19 is now a managed public health issue in Tennessee and no longer a statewide public health emergency,” said Gov. Lee. “As Tennesseans continue to get vaccinated, it’s time to lift remaining local restrictions, focus on economic recovery and get back to business in Tennessee.”
EO 80 contains the following provisions and is effective through May 31, 2021:
Removing Local Mask Authority
While Tennessee has never had a statewide mask mandate, EO 80 removes the local authority for county mayors in 89 of the state’s 95 counties to require face coverings throughout their jurisdictions.
Gov. Lee has requested counties with independent health departments – Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, and Sullivan – that have remaining business restrictions or mask requirements to lift all measures no later than the end of May.
Extending Deregulatory Provisions
EO 80 extends helpful deregulatory provisions to enable individuals, businesses, and other organizations time to adapt their operations in anticipation of ending said provisions.
Maintaining Federal Funding
EO 80 maintains Tennessee’s access to federal funding, including SNAP benefits and cost reimbursements for the Tennessee National Guard’s testing and vaccination efforts.
In addition to EO 80, the following provisions are effective immediately:
Offering Walk-Up Vaccine Option
While the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be available to Tennesseans aged 16 and older by appointment, local health departments will now offer a walk-up option.
Retiring Optional Business Guidance
The Tennessee Pledge business guidelines issued at the start of COVID-19 have been officially retired.
Cumberland County Population Vaccinated
- Number of vaccines reported (including first and second doses): 36,728
- County Population with at least one dose of any manufacturer: 20,779
- County Population Fully Vaccinated: 17,087
State Vaccination Dashboard:
https://data.tn.gov/t/Public/views/TennIISCOVID-19VaccineReporting/SUMMARY?:showAppBanner=false&:display_count=n&:showVizHome=n&:origin=viz_share_link&:toolbar=no&:embed=yes
COVID-19 Update (difference from previous day)
The following are the numbers from the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) for Cumberland County as of the date of this newsletter. The change from the prior day, not my prior newsletter, is in parenthesis.
114 active cases (-9)
6,423 inactive/recovered (+14)
128 deaths officially reported (+0)
6,665 positive cases (+5)
160 cumulative hospitalizations (+0) *
16.53% positivity rate – 7-day average
96.37% Inactive/Recovered
11.96% cumulative positivity rate (positive cases / positive cases + negative tests)
11.01% of residents have tested positive
0.19% of residents have active cases
* Hospitalization data reflect the cumulative (total) number of cases of Cumberland County residents that were ever hospitalized AT ANY HOSPITAL from COVID-19. It does not reflect the number of people currently hospitalized.
Vaccination Phase Update
The 89 Health Departments operated by the State of Tennessee, including the Cumberland County Health Department, announced that all Tennesseans age 16 and up are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
Vaccination appointments are widely available across the state, with many rural Tennessee county health departments seeing only a fraction of their daily COVID-19 vaccination appointments filled. Tennesseans eligible for COVID-19 vaccination can visit https://vaccinate.tn.gov/ to book their vaccination appointment at their county health department.
Information on other vaccination locations in the community is available at https://vaccinefinder.org/search/. These sites include retail pharmacies, independent pharmacies, hospitals, federally qualified health care centers, and faith-based health clinics.
Vaccination and Testing Locations
COVID-19 vaccination and testing are both conducted at the Community Complex grounds on Livingston Road. Although both are on the same grounds, the locations are different. Vaccinations are held closest to the Taco Bell entrance on the Highway 127 side of the grounds and are located close to the 3-way stop at Industrial Boulevard and Livingston Road. Testing is located closest to the Farmers Market entrance on the West Avenue (Highway 70N) side of the grounds.
Please watch the signs as they are located to help you get in the correct line.
COVID-19 Information and Vaccine Key Links
- Vaccine Information and Appointments:
https://covid19.tn.gov/ - Vaccination Locations:
https://vaccinefinder.org/search/ - State of TN COVID-19 Vaccine Resources:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/ - TDH COVID-19 Vaccine Information:
https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov/covid-19-vaccine-information.html - County Phase Status:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/CountyPhaseStatus.pdf - Tennessee COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccination_Plan.pdf - Frequently Asked Questions:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/COVID-19_Vaccine_FAQ.pdf - COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Calculator:
https://covid19.tn.gov/covid-19-vaccines/eligibility/ - Click here for the TDH Quarantine & Isolation Calculator:
https://covid19.tn.gov/prevention/quarantine-isolation-calculator/ - A new dashboard has been released for each county. You can now view the Cumberland County COVID-19 dashboard here:
https://covid19.tn.gov/data/dashboards/?County=Cumberland - School level COVID-19 data is now available online. Click this link to see the information available for Cumberland County:
https://districtinformation.tnedu.gov/covid-information/search/-1/180
Thank you for being part of the solution and thank you for the opportunity to serve as your County Mayor. If you are interested in hearing my thoughts and views on news, events, and activities in Cumberland County, please subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Thank you,
Allen Foster
Cumberland County Mayor
http://allenfoster.net
allenfoster.com 