The Starke County Commissioners have taken another step in providing Advanced Life Service to the County’s residents by signing a contract with IU Health Starke Hospital to be the sponsoring hospital. Also approved was a contract with a physician to be the Medical Director. That person will reportedly be Dr. Almuhannad Alfrhan.
We received word that former WKVI morning on-air personality, Tom Belcher, passed away early Tuesday morning. His health had been failing in recent months and was just transferred to Golden Living Center in Knox this week and he passed away at IU Health Starke Hospital.
Tom graduated from Knox High School in 1987 and began as the morning DJ at WKVI in the mid-1990s. He had a great talent for music, singing, dancing and entertaining the residents in the Kankakee Valley. He was 42 years old.
Funeral services are pending with the Braman and Son Memorial Chapel in Knox.
An accident claimed the life of Joann Rannels of Koontz Lake yesterday morning. The accident happened at 1100 East on U.S. 30 at 11:00 a.m. Officers on the scene reported that Rannels proceeded through an intersection and was struck by an eastbound pickup truck driven by Lukas Holcomb of Indianapolis.
Stacie Brown is due in Starke Circuit Court today for an initial hearing on charges brought against her in the death of her three-year-old stepson, Ethan Brown. Stacie Brown was arrested on Friday, August 5th and Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff filed official charges against her that include Battery Resulting in Death and Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, both Class A Felonies.
Brian Ball of Bass Lake experienced a very scary event Friday afternoon at his home. While erecting a tent in his yard, he was struck by a falling tree. Because of the force, he apparently suffered a concussion, but was not killed.
Fortunately a neighbor, Jim O’Hara, was nearby and rushed to his aid. O’Hara told WKVI News that he administered CPR twice when he didn’t detect a pulse.
Formal charges are pending against a Knox resident who reportedly left her two dogs in a hot car and one expired due to the heat.
The Knox City Police Department were called to IU Health Starke Hospital where a citizen called to report that two dogs were left in a car on a hot summer day and did not look well. Officers arrived and noticed a little crack in the window, but the dogs were panting heavily. One was laying down and was drooling due to being hot and dehydrated. The dog did expire due to the heat. The dog owner was not arrested at the scene, but police continue to investigate this incident.
Students who never had been in a school setting and who will be entering Kindergarten at the Knox Community School Corporation this Fall have been in a Kindergarten Countdown class for the past two weeks. The students have made great strides since their first day, according to Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Peggy Shidaker.
“They have been learning their numbers, their letters, their colors, their shapes and they have learned not only how to get acclimated to the school, but to their peers, to the bus, to the rules and to the cafeteria,” said Miss Shidaker. “Most importantly, they have started to learn the process of learning. We just couldn’t be more pleased.” Continue reading
IU Health Starke Hospital has implemented a new hospital information system.
“IU Health Starke Hospital implemented a new hospital information system which includes computerized provider order entry and electronic medical records,” said I.T. Director, Ashley Norem. “What this means is that IU Health Starke Hospital now operates all patient related procedures and processes digitally, improving the quality of care for our patients.”
A Child Passenger Safety Certification Course at IU Health Starke Hospital begins today at 1:00 p.m. CT. The class is approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Riley Hospital for Children. Police officers, firefighters, healthcare providers and other interested individuals from the area are invited to participate in this 32 hour course.
The classes go through Saturday June 25th. Upon completion of the course, newly certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will assist with a free car seat check up event Saturday in the I.U. Health Starke Hospital parking area.
The Knox Community School Corporation, along with IU Health Starke Hospital and Starke United, are teaming up to offer a Kindergarten Countdown program that will begin Monday, June 20th. The two week Kindergarten mini-camp is for those students entering Kindergarten who have had no exposure to Pre-School. Peggy Shidaker, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Knox schools, says this is a great jump start program for these children.
James Childress III, of Rolling Prairie, was arrested by Knox City Police Wednesday after an accident and a brief foot pursuit from police.
According to the police report, Childress was reportedly driving his vehicle in the Giles Court area and went off the road a hit a tree. Childress fled on foot. The vehicle caught fire in the engine area after the incident and the fire was extinguished by the Knox-Center Township Fire Department. The vehicle displayed false and fictitious plates.
IU Health Starke Hospital employees will be participating in the third annual Day of Community Service event today at the Knox Elementary School. The staff members will work with the Knox Elementary PTO to assist with landscape upgrades to the playground facilities at the school.
The project will begin at 7:00 a.m. today. The Hospital gave the PTO $3,000 to buy mulch and two semi loads of mulch was delivered to the school this week for the project. The PTO purchased an additional $1,000 worth of mulch to fully complete upgrading the playground facilities.
IU Health Starke Hospital is helping prepare the next generation of nurses by allowing college nursing students to shadow registered nurses at the hospital.
“We are having two clinical rotations each semester and these are usually second or third year Med-Surg students that are coming,” said Clinical Manager of Patient Care Services, Janet Gillon. “We’re very excited about the relationship because it’s something that brings about the autonomy of nursing – bringing them forward from where they are in their school curriculum into the actual working patient care centers.”
Starke County Sheriff’s Department officers responded to a one vehicle car accident Wednesday on 600 E. near 400 North in Hamlet. A red pickup truck was located in the ditch and was occupied by Don Paul, 74, of Grovertown. Paul was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A medical condition is believed to have caused the accident. Assisting at the scene were the Hamlet and Knox Fire Departments.
In a devastating blow to LaPorte County, 112 people were laid off in a cost saving measure at IU Health LaPorte Hospital. It is not known at this time how many were Starke County residents. The LaPorte facility employs 1,700 people. Continue reading
Free diabetes screenings will be held at IU Health Starke Hospital Tuesday from 7:00-11:00 a.m. CT.
“I, and a nurse from LaPorte Hospital, who is certified Diabetes educator, will be set up in the hospital lobby for free screenings for anybody who would like to come in and get their blood sugar tested and screened for diabetes,” said Dietitian, Deb Meznarick. “Following that, on May 10th, we’re going to start diabetic classes. Dr. Holm, who is from Holm Clinic in Plymouth, will be assisting and teaching the classes. It will be a four week series on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00 p.m.”
To set up a time for your screening, please call IU Health Starke Hospital and speak to Deb Meznarick.
Members of the Starke County Board Commissioners and County Council met Tuesday evening in a special session with representatives of IU Health Starke Hospital to discuss options available for operation of the healthcare facility. The County leases the aging building at the corner of U.S. 35 and Culver Road to IU Health, which operates the hospital.
Representatives of Indiana University Health Starke Hospital will meet next week with members of the Starke County Board of Commissioners and the County Council to discuss the future and continued use of the facilities leased from the County. The current lease expires in 2016.
“We are committed to be here, we want to stay here, but we also know that improvements are going to have to be made along the way, particularly in relationship to the building” stated hospital CEO Linda Satkoski. Continue reading
Is Starke County going to get out of the ambulance business? That was one of the questions several County Councilmen and one Commissioner attempted to answer this week.
Getting out of the ambulance business was only one of the proposals made in a session on upgrading the county’s ambulance capabilities to Advance Life Service (ALS) status.
Three vehicles were involved in an accident in front of the Knoll Brothers Truck Stop in Starke County at about 7:23 p.m. CT Friday, April 1st.
According to Starke County police, Charles Peterson, of Dysart, Iowa, was crossing the median into the parking lot pulling an oversized load. His trailer was just short of clearing the westbound lanes when Virginia Doenges, of South Whitley, Indiana, crashed into the middle axle of the trailer. Peterson continued into the parking lot and stopped. Doenges was incapacitated and could not be questioned about the crash; However, a witness told police that she never slowed down and crashed into the axle of the trailer and then spun around, coming to rest with no lights on in the middle of both westbound lanes. A third driver, Jamshid Nazari, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, never saw Doenges’ vehicle and was unable to avoid striking the car in the front right fender. A witness told police that Nazari never slowed to avoid the crash. The Ozeri Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyers brain injury attorney in Brooklyn has been contacted for guidance and to help in the investigation, If you are ever in this position hire a lawyer from Montagna Law .
