{"id":6148,"date":"2023-04-13T04:07:09","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T08:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citizensforgoodgovernment.org\/online\/?p=6148"},"modified":"2023-04-13T04:07:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T08:07:09","slug":"cleveland-county-is-not-a-healthy-place-cc-health-is-way-above-nc-average-in-disease-and-death-rates-dss-cant-find-its-way-on-any-front-like-a-timebomb-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citizensforgoodgovernment.org\/online\/2023\/04\/13\/cleveland-county-is-not-a-healthy-place-cc-health-is-way-above-nc-average-in-disease-and-death-rates-dss-cant-find-its-way-on-any-front-like-a-timebomb-r\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland County is NOT a Healthy Place!! \u00a0 CC Health is Way above NC Average in Disease and Death rates!! \u00a0 DSS can\u2019t find it\u2019s way on any Front!! \u00a0Like a Timebomb, ready to explode!! \u00a0Mental Health-So bad that People just ain\u2019t talking!! \u00a0 DSS Calling for Citizens Engagement Meetings this week!! \u00a0 Report, analysis and conclusions by Robert A\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Preface<\/b><\/u><\/strong>: A few years ago, Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0was in the bookstore at Cleveland Community College and happened upon a big stack of textbooks titled Social Issues of Our Times<\/b><\/u><\/strong>. Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0picked up one of the textbooks and just happened to flip-it open to a chapter titled Duty to Die<\/u>. This term \u201cDuty to Die,\u201d Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0soon learned, refers to a concept that when a person outlives their ability to be a working, productive and taxpaying member of society, they have a \u201cduty<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0to die.\u201d Many believe that medical treatments and services should not be wasted *withheld\u201d on a person who has reached the end of their normal or useful lifespan. Many also believe that \u201cHospice\u201d services are based along that very same concept.<\/p>\n

At the April 4, 2023 Cleveland County Commissioner\u2019s meeting, one of the main Agenda Items was a presentation by the CC Health Department Director regarding the The \u201cState of Health in Cleveland County Report\u201d as well as a Proclamation that that particular week would be proclaimed as \u201cHealth Awareness Week for Cleveland County. The State of Health Report for CC was included as an attachment to the online meeting agenda and Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0reviewed it before the April 4th<\/sup>\u00a02023 Commissioner\u2019s Meeting and was shocked. For various reasons that Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0intended to talk about during \u201cCitizens Participation.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, during the Citizens Participation segment of the April 4th<\/sup>\u00a0meeting, Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0first brought up the fact that during the previous Commissioner\u2019s Meeting on March 21, 2023 that three women came before the Commissioners with reports that big and vicious dogs were roaming around their neighborhood in the 800 block of Kings Road in Shelby and attacking people. At least 3 and possibly 8 people had been bitten and the women claimed that the Shelby PD as well as the CC Animal Control had been called out but did nothing. The women were not advised of whether or not the dogs had been vaccinated and were afraid they would have to undergo painful treatments for Rabies that cost $40,000 per treatment. The women were coming before the County Government, whose first order of existence is to maintain the health and welfare of citizens.<\/p>\n

Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0reminded the Commissioners of this and informed the Commissioners that he had read the draft copy of the Minutes of the March 21, 2023 Commissioners meeting and had read the passages of these three women and the entry in the minutes where the county had inserted that staff had been advised of the dog biting episodes and that some actions had been taken. Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0noted that the \u201cactions taken\u201d had not been identified or defined in any way and wondered if that \u201cwas also the Commissioners, way of saying that Nothing was being done about the vicious dogs biting people.\u201d The Commissioners did not respond.<\/p>\n

Then Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0proceeded into his observations of the draft \u201cState of Health in Cleveland County Report. Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0noted that he would probably not have enough time left to fully describe what he had learned from the Report, so he would state up front his conclusion. Which was \u201cCleveland County is NOT a Healthy Place!!\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and that his conclusion was based on a \u201cHealth Score Card\u201d that was on page 9 of the Health Report.<\/p>\n

That the Report had listed the top 10 causes of death in Cleveland County and the death rates per 100,000 residents. Next to the County\u2019s Top 10, there was a listing of the NC Top 10 causes of death and the rate of deaths per 100,000 residents of NC. But the Top 10 lists were not in the same order and were not always the same causes of death. But when Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0compared those causes of death that were the same on both lists and found that Cleveland County\u2019s death rate<\/i><\/b><\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0for every similar cause of death was much, much higher in Cleveland County than was the State Average death rate for that particular cause of death<\/i><\/b><\/u><\/em><\/strong>. A CLEAR INDICATION<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0that there are big problems with \u201chealth\u201d in Cleveland County. That apparently the older residents of Cleveland County have a DUTY TO DIE and are fulfilling that DUTY TO DIE much, much more than the average resident of North Carolina. Then, the three-minute time to speak during Citizens Participation ran out before Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0was finished. The Commissioners, by a motion to extend, should have extended the time for this important issue and Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0was the only speaker, but did not do so. They also asked no questions for clarification.<\/p>\n

Some other issues Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0had written down to talk about were: (1) The State of CC Health Report spent much more time with underage smoking, teenage pregnancy, a survey of what teenagers thought about using condoms and \u201cequity<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u201d in prenatal care. And (2) the lack of anything in regard to high death rates and poor health of residents past their teenage years was included in the Report, except for the Health Scorecard on Page 9. Just another indication of the \u201cfocus\u201d of the health department NOT being on adults. Which is at least 80% of the population. Folks, you readers can easily figure that one out.<\/p>\n

Also, the focus on EQUITY<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0in prenatal care was a concern. \u201cEquity\u201d is NOT typically a term used in relation to a person\u2019s health, but a buzzword for liberal, left-wing, socialist and racist Democrats that means whatever they want it to mean for every subject they want it to apply to. It was concerning to Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0that the Commissioners, later during the actual presentation of the State of Health of Cleveland County Report presented by the Health Department Director, had NO questions, comments or directions for the CC Health Department Director about this \u201cEquity\u201d issue, the Death Rates as incorrectly compared in the \u201cScorecard\u201d or anything else. Instead the Commissioners just voted unanimously to approve the Report as is, as well as to proclaim that week as \u201cHealth Awareness Week\u201d in Cleveland County. (For the Commissioners it was all in one ear and out the other ear. Not hitting on anything in between. Unfortunately, as usual.)<\/p>\n

The CC Commissioners were obviously the first in line for NOT being aware of Health issues in Cleveland County. The Commissioners also were obviously NOT providing leadership and direction to the CC Health Department as well as the CC Department of Social Services as will be shown in the continuation below of this article.<\/p>\n

The Cleveland County Department of Social Services, (DSS<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>): Community Engagement Flyer.<\/i><\/b><\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Monday, April 10, 2023, Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0found a letter in his Post Office Mailbox that was without a return address. This was NOT unusual as Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0often gets his \u201csource\u201d information that way. A letter in the mail, no return address and an unsigned message inside that report\u2019s problems at DSS, CCS, the Commissioners, the School Board and just about everything else. Cleveland County is well known to take retaliatory actions against ANYBODY<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0that tells on them for their dirty deeds. This is the source\u2019s way to protect themselves. Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0knows this and respects their concerns and fiercely defends and protects their privacy,<\/p>\n

On this occasion, the anonymous letter contains a single sheet of what appears to be a \u201cFlyer\u201d of some sort put out by the Cleveland County DSS seeking \u201cCommunity Engagement\u201d on a number of poorly defined purposes. According to the Flyer, the Purpose of these Community Engagement meetings was: \u201cTo engage the Community on ideas and solutions around <\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>Substance Abuse<\/b><\/u><\/strong>, <\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>Mental Health<\/i><\/b><\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and <\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>Economic Stability<\/i><\/b><\/u><\/em><\/strong>.\u201d <\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>The Flyer also offered \u201cGift Cards\u201d to the first 25 guests in attendance at each of the two sessions as well as surprise \u201cDoor Prizes.\u201d Also, \u201clight refreshments\u201d would be served.<\/p>\n

All this puzzled Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>. <\/b><\/strong>Was this letter without a return address genuine? Had DSS purposely sent this to Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0expecting Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0to attend and pass the news along to others? Or was this whole thing a farce? Sending Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0off in one direction in order to divert attention away from some other major problems at CC DSS? Further checking around a little, Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0is led to believe that the letter was sent by a source wanting to inform Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0of major problems and to be on the lookout in other directions. This conclusion was not just based on the letter itself. Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0always double-checks his information. He did some \u201cgoogling\u201d on the CCDSS official website and then picked up the telephone.<\/p>\n

First, there was no such \u201cFlyer\u201d on the CCDSS Official Website about any such Community Engagement<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0efforts by the CCDSS. So, Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0called the CCDSS telephone number with some questions. After dialing the CCDSS number, the recording\u2019s first instructions were, \u201cIf your call is in English, Please press ONE<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>.\u201d Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0pressed ONE, wondering how many illegal immigrants have been bused to Cleveland County from President Donald Trump\u2019s unfinished wall at the Southern border? Also wondering how many New Orleans folks are still in Cleveland County from the Hurricane Katrina disaster evacuation in 2005.<\/p>\n

When Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0got to the Administration reference, he pressed that number and finally got to a real live human being. That particular person had not heard about this Community Engagement Flyer, but called another person that knew that there was something like that going on, but had no details. Finally, I was instructed to call back and punch in Extension 312 for CJ. When Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0did this twice, all he got was a \u201cclick\u201d then silence. But this was Easter Monday and lots of people were probably taking off for the Easter-Spring Break. One thing Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0learned from this exercise is that DSS only uses first names. Why, is a question and speculation Then for another time.<\/p>\n

Then, information was received directly and indirectly from two DSS Advisory Board members who did not know about these Community Engagement meetings.<\/p>\n

But, not being a quitter, still having the CCDSS Website open on his computer, remembering some info previously obtained from the CCDSS from a Public Records Request and info gathered from DSS Reports presented in Commissioner\u2019s Meetings; Robert A<\/b><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0continues:<\/p>\n