The DeKalb County Commission will enter into a new agreement with Southern Health Partners to provide inmate medical care at the DeKalb County Jail. The cost to the county will increase by 4% going from $96,463 to $100,322 per year.
The commission approved the contract during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting.
During a workshop meeting with the County Commission Thursday night, Sheriff Patrick Ray said it’s time for a renewal of the contract but that Southern Health Partners is asking for a 4% increase. The county currently pays $96,463 for the service each year. With the increase, the cost to the county would go to $100,322 per year.
According to Sheriff Ray, the county could choose not to pay the 4% increase, but if it exercised that option, the county would have to pick up the tab for all the inmates major prescription drug costs while in jail, an expense Southern Health Partners currently covers. “Our current contract is for $96,463. They want us to do either a 4% increase and them cover major drugs or keep it the same that we have it and let us cover the drugs. Those drugs are medications used to treat HIV AIDS, Renal failure, Hepatitis, Cancer, MS, Crohn’s disease, tissue organ rejection drugs, etc. I asked them to go back and look over this last year and see how much they were paying for those type drugs. We had an inmate during that time in jail who stayed there quite a few months who had one of these major diseases. Their (Southern Health Partners) costs was over $3,400 a month. You can see that a 4% increase would be less than $4,000. It would probably be cheaper on the county to do a 4% increase than to take a chance on inmates coming in with these type diseases if we have to furnish their medication. Any inmate that we have that comes in, whatever their disease is we have to treat,” Sheriff Ray told the county commission.
Southern Health Partners provides medical, dental, and mental health services to inmates in county jail facilities including on-site nurse staffing and regular physician visits— both of which also remain on-call.
The county commission could take no action Thursday night because it was only a workshop.

Sheriff Patrick Ray has negotiated terms of a new contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide extra patrols at five designated lake sites this summer.
The commission approved the agreement during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting.
During a workshop meeting with County Mayor Tim Stribling and members of the County Commission Thursday night, Sheriff Ray said that while there will be fewer patrols and the overall revenue from the deal will be less this year, the county is to receive more money per patrol. The contract runs from May 4 through September 7. “I got with the Corps and negotiated back and forth and came to an agreement. We’re looking at somewhere around 95 patrols at $202.50 each which comes to around $19,440 for the year or $40.50 per site. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays their crowds down there are near nothing through the week. Weekends is when they have most of their camping and things like that. We will only run one time on Fridays, two times on Saturdays, two times on Sundays, and then Labor Day and Memorial Day we’ll be running two times. On Friday before the 4th of July, we’ll run twice that day. Of course, If they have trouble we’ll go anyway,” Sheriff Ray told the county commission.
For three decades the Corps has contracted with and compensated the county to provide extra sheriff’s department patrols at certain lake sites.
Sheriff Ray said the new terms are better than the deal originally offered by the Corps for the upcoming year which would have reduced the number of patrols as well as the rate of compensation to the county. The Corps had proposed 219 patrol periods this year at five lake sites. The county would have received a total of $35,040 to provide the service. That would have been down from the 229 patrol periods in 2014 and 236 in the year 2013. The Corps’ rate of compensation to the county has also been declining in recent years going from $37,760 in 2013 to $36,640 last year.
The sheriff’s department must only use full time POST certified officers to conduct the patrols during the designated time periods specified by the contract.
During February’s county commission workshop meeting, the emergency services committee recommended that Sheriff Ray ask the Corps to increase the rate of compensation from $32 to $40.50 per lake site in the proposed new contract which would be $202.50 per patrol period.

Being physically active is one of the best things you can do to improve and maintain your health, yet nearly two-thirds of Americans aren’t getting the activity they need. Consider taking up walking with friends or your family by participating in Walk Across Tennessee, which is an eight-week program that will spark some friendly competitions in DeKalb County. The event is being conducted by the University of Tennessee Extension office in partnership with DeKalb Community Hospital. Beginning Thursday, March 19th teams of eight will compete to see who can log the most miles walking, jogging, biking, and other forms of exercise in their community. Biking or jogging teams can have a team of four. The miles walked are not literally across the state, but reported on a map posted at the UT Extension Office, Greenbrook Park, Smithville Review and online.
Since everyone participates in a variety of sports, the Walk Across Tennessee program also has an exercise conversion chart so that participants can count aerobics, swimming, weight lifting, etc. For example, 16 minutes of high intensity aerobics would equal one mile. To make the contest more fair participants are not allowed to count any exercise done while on the job.
The Walk Across Tennessee kickoff for DeKalb County is set for Thursday, March 19 at Greenbrook Park at 6:00 PM. “Teams will keep track of their miles, which will be posted in the Extension office, Greenbrook park, Smithville review, and online. Teams can be composed of coworkers, teachers, students, neighbors, etc. This is an excellent team competition for the workplace, neighborhoods, and families” said April Martin, DeKalb County Extension Agent. For general reporting purposes, 20 minutes will equal one mile, but people can use a pedometer or measure out their distances.”
According to Martin, “There will be cash and other prizes for the winning teams and individuals. There is a small $10 registration fee for each team member. At least half of each team should be residents of DeKalb County to participate.”
To participate in Walk Across Tennessee, first get a team together. Biking and jogging teams are limited to four people. Choose a team captain and name your team. Team captains need to download a captain’s packet, available at the UT Extension of DeKalb County website at http://dekalb.tennessee.edu, at the DeKalb County UT Extension Office or County Complex located at 722 South Congress Blvd. in Smithville. Packets will also be available the day of the sign up on March 19.
Each team member will need to complete a registration form which is included in the team captain’s packet or online. Individual as well as team forms should be returned to the Extension office. Cash awards and prizes will be given to the individuals who walk the most miles as well as the team who walks the most miles.
For more information, call the Extension office at 597-4945 or visit the website.

Sixty-one students entered their projects into the annual DeKalb West School Science Fair. Held March 12 and 13, students in Kindergarten through 8th grade participated in one of three categories– research, experiment or model.
There were several intriguing entries. For the experiments students tested their hypothesis. Jaxon Humphrey investigated the practical question of “Which Carpet Cleaner Works Best?” while Dawson Bandy wanted to find out how two different candies, Skittles and Mentos, would perform in Diet Coke. Aniston Farler made a sharp point with her bed of nails experiment that demonstrated the importance of weight distribution. Students researched volcanoes, where electricity is derived, stinging insects, and whether Atlantis was fact or fiction, and numerous other topics. Mileena Rodriguez decided to compete in the model category with her “Earth Layers.” Mariah Mofield had a model of “Organs of the Digestive System” and Hailey Bogle explored the solar system. While there were many excellent entries, judges picked the following students as the official winners.
Here are the results from K-2 grades (Research): 1st place, Michael Justice with “Rocks of Tennessee” and 2nd place, Caitlin Shoemake with “Trees”; K-2 (Experiment) tied for 1st place, Kenson Moss with “Inside Out Easter Egg” and Thomas Damron with “The Science of Hot Wheels”, and tied for 2nd place, Chaylea Lunsford with “Rainbow Water” and Conner Talley with “The Super Magnet.” There were no model entries in the K-2 grade band.
Here are the results from 3-5 grades (Research): 1st place, Isaac Brown with “Stinging Insects,” 2nd place, Luke Driver with “Gardening in New Ground,” and 3rd place: Devon Maxwell with “Life Cycle of a Butterfly”; 3-5 (Model): 1st place, Gavin Conger with “Two Ideas for Setting a Single Circuit,” 2nd place, Izzy Haugh with “Volcanoes,” and 3rd place, Jarrod Smith with “Life Cycle of a Tadpole”; 3-5 (Experiment): 1st place, Zoi Hale with “Tooth or Dare,” 2nd place, Matt Nokes with Gears: Torque vs. Speed, and 3rd place, Madison Martin with “Rocket Car.”
Here are the results from 6-8th grades (Research), 1st place, Holly Evans with “How Do Some Body Noises Occur,” 2nd place tied between Callie Mulloy with “Mercaptopurine and You” and Grayson Redmon with “Sea Frogs,” and 3rd place, Haley Dies with “The Heart”; 6-8 (Model): 1st place, Garrett Driver with “Electricity,” 2nd place, Janelle Rodriguez with “Organization of Life,” and 3rd place, “Hailey Bogle” with “Our Solar System”; 6-8 (Experiment): 1st place, Christian Trail with “Heart Health,” 2nd place tied between Emma Damron with “Walking on Water” and Peyton Harris with “Re-evaluate Your Drinks,” and 3rd place, Elijah Aucoin with “Glowing Water.”
Receiving Honorable Mention from all grades were Mariah Mofield, Cody Woodham, Jaxon Humphrey, John Ellis, Brayden Antoniak, Kortnee Skeen, Aly Griffith, Noah Evans, Aniston Farler, Jake Christian, Bonnie Hale, Ellie Vaughn, Cameron Bailey, and Bralin Moss.

Members of the DeKalb Animal Coalition for the Humane Treatment of Animals are seeking financial support from the County and City of Smithville to help build an animal shelter.

Sue Puckett Jernigan, a member of the Coalition addressed County Mayor Tim Stribling and members of the County Commission in an informal workshop meeting Thursday night at the courthouse. Other members of the Coalition in attendance were President Marsha Darrah, Jason Ray, Dr. Hugh Don Cripps, and Renee Ferguson. David McDowell and Jason Murphy, also members of the Coalition, were unable to attend.
The Coalition, a 501 (c) 3 charity organization, is reaching out to city and county leaders for help in next year’s budgets but also plans to have fundraisers and seek grants and tax deductible donations from the public to obtain the money needed to build and start up a shelter.
The Coalition’s goal is for the county to have a permanent and safe location for neglected, abandoned and abused animals; to provide an alternative low-kill policy so these animals receive medical attention, reduce overpopulation, and be cared for until they can be placed in permanent homes.
The Coalition would like to build a shelter on a four acre site near the solid waste transfer station, behind Tenneco off of Highway 70 east. The property is currently owned by the Smithville Industrial Development Board.
In her remarks Thursday night, Jernigan asked county leaders to consider partnering with the city and share in the estimated cost of $150,000 to build a shelter. The Coalition would raise money for the furnishings. Under the proposal, the city and county would share in the cost of hiring two persons to staff the facility.
“I’m really excited about our DeKalb Coalition for the Humane Treatment of Animals,” said Jernigan. “This has been a headache for the city and county for many years and it’s the aim of our Coalition to assume the burden of the operation for a suitable animal shelter that is yet to be built.”
“We hope to locate the building over behind Tenneco. There’s a few acres over there that would be just perfect for us. We’re hoping that the city and county will share in the approximate cost of $150,000 estimate for constructing the building. This is not going to be any frills building. It’s just going to be bare essentials that’s necessary to do what it is supposed to do. It’s going to be about 3,500 square feet. It would house 28 dogs and I don’t know how many cats because cats are not as big as dogs so we can have more of those,” she said.
” We hope to assume the responsibility of raising the funds to furnish the interior of the facility and that would be the cat cages, the washer, the dryer, the tub, the office equipment, doors, beds, bowls, and things like that which would be a substantial cost of $75,000 to $100,000 but our coalition will assume that cost”.
“Once we have the building we’ll be eligible for grants to defray some of the operating expenses. We’re hoping that the city and county will cooperate and join together in a way that will be acceptable to both entities to have two qualified energetic hard working employees for the shelter. We would assume oversight of the employees and carefully help screen them for the day to day operation of the facility,” she said.
“We want to have an active fostering and adoption program as well as an animal control operation. We will have a spay and neuter program which we are in the process of applying grants for at this time and we will have a very active education program”.
“We would appreciate any help you can give us. We’re all in this business together. We’re in a county that we love and cherish and we want to take care of God’s little creatures,” said Jernigan.
Following Jernigan’s remarks, members of the commission asked some questions of the Coalition.
Sixth District Commissioner Betty Atnip: “Why this location?”
Sue Puckett Jernigan: “It’s an Ideal place with easy access. There are no residents around where neighbors would be complaining about dogs barking. It’s a perfect site we would hope to use”
Atnip: How did you arrive at the $150,000 figure?
Marsha Darrah: “We had a contractor go over this roughly for us. Our next step is to meet with Mary Johnson in Cookeville. She was the architect for the Cookeville Animal Shelter and she has volunteered to help us with some things. We’re hoping that she will do a little free service with us since ours is going to be so small compared to what they did there. We’re hoping that from our meeting with her we’ll be able to get some renderings . But whatever we say (cost estimate), a building is going to have to be put out for bids so it’s only going to be what the acceptable bid is.”
Second District Commissioner Joe Johnson: “What is your time frame?”
Dr. Hugh Don Cripps: “Realistically we were looking at a completion maybe by the end of this year. I don’t know how long it will take to build a building but it’s going to be a shell. We’re hoping that between the county and city they will appropriate enough money to do that then we will individually and through personal donations and money raising events raise enough money to put the inside part to it and that’s probably going to run about as much as the building. Everything said and done it would probably be $300,000. We hope to be able to help staff it with volunteers. We have lots of people who want to volunteer. I know things have been started in the past and not followed up on but we intend to follow up on this even if it’s just us against the world. We’ll try to raise the money. But we hope that you will help us by realizing your responsibility.”
Betty Atnip: “What type of grants are available?”
Renee Ferguson: “There are grants available that would allow us to buy certain equipment. There are grants available for spay and neuter programs. There are grants available for food. There are grants for education purposes. There are lots of grants available but we must have a physical address to apply for a lot of these grants”.
Betty Atnip: ” Who would these people report to? Who would be their boss?”
Marsha Darrah: “We envision it being with the Coalition simply because I doubt that the county would want to fool with the day to day operations of an animal shelter. I know the city is tired of it. We would assume the oversight and let them report to us. That way nobody could call you up and complain. The complaints would go to us”.
Fifth District Commissioner Jerry Adcock: “Who would do the hiring?”
Marsha Darrah: ” We would hope that the city and county would do the hiring but that they would let us (Coalition) have an opportunity to recommend or review their employment”.
Joe Johnson: “I think any hiring and firing should be left to you. I don’t think the county and city should be involved in the hiring and firing. Just let you be a separate entity and if we give you the money, you take care of it. It would be best to let you have control of that. I think you could make better decisions than we could”.
The county commission’s budget committee will soon begin work on the 2015-16 budget but whether funding for this project will be included has not yet been decided .
Meanwhile, the public is invited to attend monthly meetings of the DeKalb Animal Coalition which are held on the first Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Smithville city hall building

Hundreds of people from DeKalb County and other areas will be able to obtain free health care services on Saturday and Sunday, March 28 & 29 in Smithville
Remote Area Medical will be setting up a Free Health Care Clinic at DeKalb County High School for anyone including those without medical insurance, or those who are un-insured, under-insured, unemployed, under-employed, and/or who cannot afford to pay for services.
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The clinic operates on a “first-come, first-served basis” and will open for registration at 6:00 a.m. each day. Patients may show up as early as 3:00 a.m. to obtain a ticket. Be prepared for a long wait.
The following services will be available at this RAM clinic: Dental (cleaning, fillings, and extractions), Vision (eye exams, eyeglass prescriptions, and eyeglasses made on-site – as time and supplies allow), and Medical (general medical consults, women’s health exams).
“Patients needing care will be seen on a first-come, first served basis regardless of income qualifications,” said County Mayor Tim Stribling. “Patients will have to choose between dental and vision services but they will be able to seek women’s health or a general medical consultation in addition. They will be doing pap smears for women. They’re talking about maybe being able to do mammograms. They are not for sure yet. They will be giving flu shots. Dental care is limited to cleanings, extractions, and a small number of fillings. Vision care will involve an eye exam, with glasses often made on site depending on the complexity of a patient’s prescription,” he said.
Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a non-profit, volunteer corps dedicated to serving mankind by providing free health care, dental care, eye care, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and the world.
Founded in 1985, Remote Area Medical is a publicly supported all-volunteer charitable organization. Volunteer doctors, nurses, and support workers participate in expeditions (at their own expense). Medical supplies, medicines, facilities and vehicles are donated.
“The number (patients) to be served depends upon how many medical professionals they have. The more dentists they have on site the more tickets they can give out. The same way with the vision. The more doctors they have there to do eye tests the more tickets they will be able to give out. I talked with them Wednesday and they plan to have a good general support staff coming and they look for a good clinic,” said County Mayor Stribling.
Medical professionals along with anyone else wishing to volunteer may sign up at www.ramusa.org. or you may call the County Mayor’s office at 615-597-5175.
The county will be responsible for making sure the medical professionals and staff who visit here have a place to lodge for two nights and that their meals are provided. “We are going to feed them and we’ve got some churches and organizations that have volunteered to do that. On Saturday morning, the Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church will be feeding breakfast. Lunch on Saturday will be by the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department. Supper on Saturday night will be by the Smithville Church of God. Then on Sunday morning the Smithville First Baptist Church will provide breakfast and lunch will be by the Smithville Church of Christ. We must house the doctors and their staff. We’ll be doing that at Lakeside Resort. We’ll put them up Friday and Saturday night. They will try to finish by noon or 1:00 p.m. Sunday so they can pack up all their equipment and move off campus by about 4:00 p.m.” County Mayor Stribling said.
Anyone who wants to make a donation may contact the County Mayor’s Office at 615-597-5175. “We’ve had some businesses and civic organizations that have donated. None of the money donated will go to pay medical professionals. It’s just to house and feed them and for other expenses while they are here,” said County Mayor Stribling