Mattress storein Walterboro, SC

A new, $87.3 million nursing home for veterans is planned for Orangeburg County.

The home is needed because nearby facilities are full with waiting lists, Orangeburg County Veteran Affairs Officer Kenisha Grimes said.

“Many Orangeburg County vets are being housed at private facilities,” Grimes said. “With this new veterans home, that will save many veterans money. Their families won't have to travel so far to see their loved ones.”

“Private pay facilities place a financial strain on many veterans’ families who cannot afford it,” Grimes continued.

The Orangeburg nursing home would have between 200 and 220 beds in a mixture of private and semi-private rooms.

It would be located on U.S. 301 off of exit 154 on Interstate 26.

Grimes said Orangeburg County provides an ideal, central location.

It about 35 miles from the nearest veterans hospital and even closer to a private hospital.

The area also provides easy access to the facility because of its proximity to an interstate exit.

“It will bring jobs to the area and also support the local colleges who have nursing programs,” she said.

The new State Veterans Nursing Home is expected to address the needs of veterans who will reach retirement age in the next two decades.

The home would be funded by the federal and state governments as part of the VA State Home Construction Grant Program.

It’s projected that federal funding could become available for the home by federal fiscal year 2031, if it’s included in the federal fiscal year 2023 VA priority list, according to the S.C. Department of Mental Health.

The SCDMH recommended a new veterans home be built in the county.

The recommendation was based upon the request of the state's Joint Bond Review Committee that the department determine the needs and feasibility of additional state veterans homes.

The JBRC is a 10-member legislative body that oversees state capital improvement projects.

The JBRC approved the SCDMH's recommendation late last year.

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, who sits on the JBRC, says she has advocated for a veterans nursing home in Orangeburg County for some time.

“A few years ago, the late Howard Metcalf, former state director for Veteran Affairs, suggested to me that Orangeburg County would be an excellent site for a nursing home,” Cobb-Hunter said. “I agreed and began working then on securing approval of a facility for the county.”

Metcalf made the suggestion based on his knowledge and experience of the needs of veterans in the area, said Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg.

“I was thrilled when the recommendation to site the next facility in Orangeburg County was approved and see it as the next step in my efforts to make sure that Orangeburg County gets its fair share,” Cobb-Hunter said. “Of course the process is just beginning and I will remain vigilant to ensure that this facility becomes a reality.”

The SCDMH estimates the base cost of the home constructed in federal fiscal year 2031 at $87.3 million. It would be funded by the federal VA at $56.7 million, with the state matching $30.6 million.

The SCDMH will submit the state portion of the funding in its 2022-2023 fiscal year capital budget.

“While awaiting state and federal funding for the facility, the agency will be working with Orangeburg County officials to identify and secure an appropriate site for the future SVNH,” said SCDMH Director of Governmental & Legislative Affairs Mark Binkley.

Orangeburg County was chosen for the new veterans home because of:

• The projected number of veterans over age 65

• The location of existing homes

• Geographic characteristics, including locations within evacuation zones, accessibility for veterans and their families, and availability of an adequate health care workforce

“Orangeburg County brands itself as the Global Logistics Triangle because of its location,” Cobb-Hunter said. “That plays a key role in providing access to veterans living in a number of counties in proximity to Orangeburg.”

“For Orangeburg County veterans who need that level of care, the facility would eliminate the need for out-of-pocket expenses some veterans are currently having to pay to receive such care at private facilities,” she said. “It would also help address the waiting lists that exist at the Columbia and Walterboro facilities.”

According to the 2020 census, about 6,066 veterans live in Orangeburg County. About 3,102 are over 65.

By 2030, the projections are the county will have 4,919 veterans, with 2,741 over 65. By 2040, 3,828 veterans are projected to live in the county, with 2,029 over 65.

While the county is projected to rank 20th in the number of veterans 65 and older in future decades, it either borders or is geographically accessible to six of the 13 counties projected to have the most veterans, according to a SCDMH study.

In Calhoun County, there are 1,031 veterans, with 501 of them over 65. In 2030, there’s projected to be 941 veterans, with 555 over 65 and, in 2040, there’s projected to be 788 veterans, 460 of them over 65.

In Bamberg County, there are currently 1,210 veterans, with 645 over 65. In 2030, there’s projected to be 1,060 veterans, with 598 over 65, and, in 2040, it’s projected there will be 870 veterans, with 436 over age 65.

Orangeburg County is in relatively close proximity to coastal counties with large populations of veterans age 65 and older, yet it is well away from evacuation zones.

Currently, all or portions of six of the 20 counties heavily populated by veterans are included in coastal evacuation zones: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown and Horry counties.

SCDMH estimated it could cost up to 20% more to build to evacuation zone construction specifications.

Cobb-Hunter says the nursing home for veterans is a “game changer” for the county and veterans in the area.

“In addition to increasing the quality and level of services available to veterans, the economic impact and opportunities for workforce development are significant,” Cobb-Hunter said. “The number of jobs created and the spin-off from other amenities built to service the facility will have a positive impact on the local economy.”

Orangeburg County has several higher education institutions and nursing pipeline programs which can help fill the need for health care workers. The county is home to South Carolina State University, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and Claflin University, with Denmark Technical College nearby in Bamberg County.

Cobb-Hunter said these institutions will have an opportunity to, “work with the facility on securing student internships, practicums and other hands-on experiences that will help grow the health care workforce.”

“Additionally, I think the untapped potential for research in a number of areas can lead to interesting treatment applications in the future,” Cobb-Hunter said.

The SCDMH currently operates three veterans nursing homes – in Columbia, Anderson and Walterboro. A fourth home has been licensed by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control in Florence.

Construction of a fifth home in Cherokee County has been completed, and that facility is awaiting DHEC licensure prior to admitting new residents, Binkley said.

The VA has approved conditional grant funding for a home construction project in Sumter County, which will be the state’s sixth veterans nursing home. The project is on schedule to complete grant award requirements, with construction likely to begin in late spring 2022.

SCDMH, at the JBRC’s earlier direction, also submitted an application to the VA for an additional construction grant for a home in Horry County.

That application has not yet been approved for VA funding, Binkley said.

“In the meantime, the Department of Mental Health has been working with Horry County officials to identify a suitable site for the future facility, which will become the state’s seventh SVNH," Binkley said.

Based on 2020 population projections, the state needs 1,089 beds.

Following the opening of the new state veterans homes in Florence and Cherokee counties, the state will have 738 state nursing home beds, with an additional 208 beds approved for future construction in Sumter and Horry counties.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Lowcountry Urgent Care in Walterboro is facing a challenge keeping up with all of the patients walking through its doors.

On Tuesday, staff took to social media to ask for patience as the parking lot filled up and the time in the waiting room increased.

“It’s crazy. . . In the last 5-6 days we have seen it absolutely skyrocket,” said Megan Gibbons, director of clinical services for Lowcounty Urgent Care. “Typically, I would say we are probably seeing up to three times our normal amount of patients. So currently, we’re seeing well over 120 patients a day. We have seen two and a half, three hour waits because of the volume influx.”

The Walterboro clinic has just two providers and Gibbons says some patients are not taking the longer wait times in stride.

“There has been, you know, some threats and some cursing, issues with our patients and our staff,” Gibbons said. “We just ask that everybody show patience and kindness because we all are trying to do everything we can to support the community. We are seeing as many people as humanly possibly each day.”

The demand for testing is the number one driver of wait times for the urgent care. Bridget Winston with the South Carolina Office of Rural Health says they’re hearing from rural hospitals that staffing can be as equally challenging as the surge of patients continues.

“They’ve got staff who are getting COVID themselves or you know, perhaps caring for a family member at home who has contracted covid,” Winston said. “So then they are short staff in a time where demand for testing is very high. So that has been a problem.”

Winston says many of the rural hospitals are transferring covid patients to larger hospitals. While that may take a patient away from family and friends, it is helping to keep the doors open at some of these scattered facilities that are sometimes the only option for miles around.

“Certainly, there is burnout and certainly they are working nonstop. Certainly, they have staffing shortages that they’re trying to keep up with, but, you know, we have not heard from any of them that it has been a dire situation or a catastrophic situation,” Winston said. “No one has had to close their doors, to our knowledge.”

Winston says their biggest concern is simply making sure that rural clinics continue to receive the same resource and supplies as more urban centers.

She says they aren’t seeing shortages now, but are watching the availability of testing supplies as the omicron surge continues. She says it’s imperative to make sure rural residents have equitable access to healthcare.

Gibbons says one problem that is bogging things down is people who think they were exposed to covid but don’t have symptoms and can’t accurately be tested yet. She says if you have been exposed you need to wait 2 to 3 days before getting tested, unless you have symptoms for a test to be accurate.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s been five years since Kamiyah Mobley was reunited with her parents.

Kamiyah was found safe in South Carolina in early 2017 when she was 18 years old, after being kidnapped from a Jacksonville hospital as a newborn in 1998.

More than 2,500 tips were given to officials that led to the arrest of then-51-year-old Gloria Williams.

Pretending to be a nurse, Williams kidnapped Kamiyah just hours after the little girl’s birth at University Hospital, which is now known as UF Health Jacksonville.

The only picture of Kamiyah was a composite because she was abducted just hours after being born. Police were able to compile a few sketches of Williams.

On Jan. 13, 2017, police tracked down Kamiyah, who was going under the name Alexis Manigo, in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Police in Walterboro matched up the birthday of the missing girl with a different name and fraudulent documents. DNA tests confirmed that the girl was the missing newborn.

The fake birth certificate listed that Kamiyah was born at Trident Medical Center in Charleston.

Kamiyah was reunited with her mother and father, Shanara Mobley and Craig Aiken, just a day after being found.

Williams was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the first charge of kidnapping and five years for the second charge of interfering with custody. The sentences run concurrently and Williams received credit for 511 days of time served.

In 2019, Kamiyah’s father Craig Aiken said that Kamiyah was moving with him in Jacksonville.

The story got national coverage and was made into a Lifetime movie, “Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.” The family told Action News Jax that they did not have a big part in helping with the film. The movie premiered in January 2020.

RELATED STORIES:

1998 missing Jacksonville newborn found in South Carolina; 51-year-old woman arrested

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Kamiyah Mobley’s dad on Lifetime movie about daughter’s kidnapping: ‘This is not us. This is not our life.’

©2022 Cox Media Group

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Colleton County School District, through the Insurance Reserve Fund, paid out $67,500 after rumors of an adulterous illicit affair between two employees allegedly damaged the reputation of one so badly, she lost her job and moved away from the area.

In a 2017 libel and slander lawsuit, a former Forest Hill Elementary School employee claimed that she was embarrassed, humiliated and endured physical suffering due to the actions of the district and its staff.

The lawsuit identifies the employee as an occupational therapist and as close friends with the female assistant principal.

It describes how in 2015 gossip that the two were in a relationship began to spread, something that is pointed out several times in the document as false, by school staff.

The assistant principal, who was married to the district’s high school band teacher, filed for divorce in 2016 citing his “controlling and abusive” behavior.

He is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, accused of originating the idea of the affair because he “could not fathom the notion that two women could be friends without being lesbians.”

The band teacher is also accused of telling “anyone who would take the time to listen” that his wife had left him for the assistant principal including the district, her elderly parents, and her husband, who later filed for divorce citing adultery.

The Plaintiff claims that the district treated her unfairly, reassigning her to a new school two days before the start of the 2016 academic year and questioning her ability to perform her job due to the false allegations.

The move in the lawsuit is partly blamed for her two months of unpaid medical leave after physical manifestations of stress, including nightmares, headaches, and nausea left her unable to do her job.

Eventually, the Plaintiff became unemployed and moved away from the Charleston and Walterboro communities.

A band teacher of the same name as the defendant is still listed as an employee on the high school’s website, while the two women appear to no longer work for the district.

Live 5 News has reached out to both defendants listed as well as their attorney and have not yet heard back.

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc., a mattress manufacturing company, today announced plans to establish operations in Colleton County. The more than $1.9 million investment will create 50 new jobs.

Established in 2021, APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. produces mattresses for retail stores and e-commerce businesses.

Located at 304 Thunderbolt Drive in Walterboro, APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc.’s new facility is the company’s first manufacturing operation.

The new facility is expected to be operational by January 2022. Individuals interested in joining the APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. team should email jackhung@jonaglobal.com.

QUOTES

“APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. is delighted to announce the presence of our first U.S. mattress manufacturing facility in Walterboro, South Carolina. Through our comprehensive strategic planning and study, South Carolina offers the best climate for new business, and Colleton County offers the best location for being close to both the Charleston and Savannah ports. Thank you, South Carolina, for offering the business-friendly environment and warm welcome!” -APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. President Jack Hung

“South Carolina continues to drive in economic growth across our state and specifically in our rural communities. I congratulate APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. on their new facility in Colleton County, and I look forward to watching them grow in the Palmetto State.” -Gov. Henry McMaster

“We are excited that APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. has chosen South Carolina for their new operating facility. Today’s announcement is another indication that companies recognize the benefits of doing business in the Palmetto State. We are thankful to this company’s investment and the 50 jobs it will create.” -Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III

“This is another win for Colleton County! We are excited that APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. has decided to locate in Walterboro and look forward to forming a partnership with their management team to ensure that they have what is needed to be successful. I am excited to see the finished product they are manufacturing. Thank you for bringing jobs to our region.” -Colleton County Council Chair Steve Murdaugh

“Congratulations to Colleton County and APEX Mattress Manufacturing, Inc. on this important job-creating announcement in Walterboro. Every job created provides a better opportunity for a family in our region, and we are pleased to assist Colleton County and APEX in any way that we can.” -SouthernCarolina Alliance Chair Marty Sauls