Salvation Army reps hope ‘Red Kettle Campaign’ can raise $75,000
Salvation Army Major Norman Grainger announced a $75,000 fundraising goal at the organization’s “Red Kettle Campaign” kickoff Friday evening.
Norman Grainger and wife Claire have been in Henderson for a few months. Both said that Henderson is a very generous community. Norman Grainger said, though, that “we see need all around us.”
Salvation Army Advisory Board Chair Butch Puttman asked for any help the community can provide now through the end of December when bell ringers will be out throughout the community. He said the “Red Kettle Campaign” is the major fundraiser for Salvation Army each year.
Those interested in volunteering to ring a bell can go to Register to Ring.
Audubon State Park displays state park traveling exhibition
In collaboration with the Kentucky Historical Society, a traveling exhibition commemorating Kentucky State Parks’ centennial anniversary will be coming to John James Audubon State Park, according to information on the Audubon State Park Facebook page.
The exhibition presents the history of Kentucky State Parks from 1924 to the present, exploring various themes and featuring images of artifacts, archival materials, and photographs from the collections of both the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Department of Parks.
This exhibit will be on display in the Friends of Audubon Room of the museum through Dec. 8 and is free to view.
The museum is open every day 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in November.
Sheriff’s office says beware of phone scam
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is alerting residents of a phone scam.
According to a sheriff’s office release, a resident received a call from a scammer, who identified themselves as a member of the sheriff’s office. Additionally, the phone number and caller ID on the resident’s phone showed that the call was coming from the sheriff’s office, said the release.
The caller said they were a member of the sheriff’s office and told the resident that they had missed jury duty and needed to pay fines or have a warrant issued for their arrest, said the release. The victim was told that cash was not acceptable because the sheriff’s office was getting a lot of counterfeit bills, and the scammer told the victim to purchase loadable credit cards with the funds to pay the fine, the release said. The victim did this and then the scammer asked for the card information, said the release.
The scammer then told the victim to report to the HCSO for confirmation of the payment, said the release. The sheriff’s office then opened an investigation.
HCSO said the public needs to be aware of this scam. No law enforcement agency will ever contact a resident by phone advising them that they missed jury duty and instructing them to pay fines to avoid having a warrant issued, said the HCSO. The sheriff’s office said that if anyone receives a call like this, they should immediately hang up and report the call to local police.
Henderson County Schools installs Centegix Crisis Alert System
Henderson County Schools has recently installed the Centegix Crisis Alert System in every school building in the district, according to an HCS release.
The system includes wearable badges for staff with an emergency button. Once the button is pressed, audio and visual notifications are sent facility-wide using colored strobe lights, desktop alerts and building intercoms, said the release.
This will allow the entire building to go on lockdown instantly, according to the release. Strobe lights are installed in classrooms, hallways, gymnasiums, cafeterias and around the school property.
“Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff. By implementing the Centegix Crisis Response Solution, we are adding another layer of safety and taking a proactive step to ensure that we are prepared for any situation that may arise,” said Dr. Bob Lawson, superintendent of Henderson County Schools.
Three Deaconess hospitals receive ‘A’ safety grade
Deaconess Midtown and Henderson hospitals as well as Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper all earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog for fall 2024, said a Deaconess release.
Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.
“We are immensely proud of the ‘A’ rating earned by these hospitals,” said Deaconess CEO Shawn McCoy in a prepared statement. “This recognition highlights our team’s commitment to providing the safest, highest quality care for our communities. Our constant focus on safety and excellence ensures that every patient can trust the care they receive. This achievement by Leapfrog reaffirms our dedication to keeping exceptional healthcare close to home, and we are deeply grateful to our staff for their hard work and unwavering dedication.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally, said the release.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
To see Deaconess’ and Memorial’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram and via The Leapfrog Group newsletter.