County Clerk’s Office Receives Visit from State Liaison

October 7, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A liaison with the Vehicle Services Division of the Tennessee Department of Revenue paid a call on the DeKalb County Clerk’s Office last week.

Tanner Poss stopped by to greet County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss and the staff and to learn firsthand what the department can do to assist the local office in providing better service to the people.

“I am a state liaison with the county clerk’s offices mainly for the eastern part of the state. I listen to concerns from the different counties on what they deal with on a day to day basis. We don’t deal with customers everyday on the state level like the county clerks do so we want to get a sense of what the main issues are at the local level and what we can do to best help them,” said Poss.

County Clerk Poss said although he is in regular contact with the state department on matters related to his office, this is his first visit from a state liaison since he took office in 2014.

“Tanner and others at the state are always available to assist us with concerns that our office or the people of our community may have related to motor vehicle transactions and we appreciate their help,” said County Clerk Poss.

“We’re in contact with the county clerks every day. We have a good support team who works with them but my main job is to listen to any kind of concerns they have been having and bring them back to my superiors. Our goal is to make the state and county relationship stronger,” added Tanner Poss.

Although Tanner does not reside in DeKalb County, he and County Clerk Poss recently discovered that they are distantly related. Coincidentally, Tanner shares the same name as Jimmy’s youngest son.

“I was a hockey player in high school and college and I was looking at my stats on line one day and noticed the name Tanner Poss from DeKalb County who played basketball. I wondered if we were somehow related so I asked my grandfather Harry and he said “yes”.

October 6, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital is upgrading and expanding services thanks to investments by Ascension, the parent organization of Saint Thomas Health.

According to Brad Mullinax, Chief Administrative Officer of Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital the improvements include a new CT scanner, pharmacy renovations, and cardiac rehab sevices among others.

“Ascension has really invested back into our hospital. We have some new renovations going on. We have a new CT scanner, a GE optima 540 that will bring some advanced technology as far as CT imaging back to the hospital. Our old machine was about 15 years old and was getting less reliable and efficient. That new CT scanner is now on line,” said Mullinax.

“Our pharmacy is also under renovation here to make us more compliant with new standards coming out from the Joint Commission next year. We’re projecting that  renovation to be finished up by the first of November,” he continued.

“After the first of the year we have a new service line coming to DeKalb in which we will be offering phase II and phase III cardiac rehab services. Any patients who have been at Saint Thomas West, Mid Town or Rutherford for cardiac procedures like stints or bypass surgery will no longer have to travel to another county to get their cardiac rehab done. That is a pretty big investment of about $100,000 that Ascension has made to make that service available and we are happy to be adding it at Saint Thomas DeKalb,” added Mullinax.

“We have more new equipment coming our way soon for pulmonary function testing and new IV pumps that will be more focused on safety and quality for the patients to help prevent any kind of medication errors”.

“Middle Tennessee Emergency Physicians has also taken over our emergency room services. They have been in the Rutherford and Mid Town West area for about 25 years and they are here now providing 24/7 care”.

“We’re excited about these investments Ascension has made into our hospital to better serve the people in our community,” said Mullinax.

October 6, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Nearly a quarter of a million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Chances are you’ll know at least one of those people. It could even be you.

In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Hospital,  Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital is offering a $94.00 mammogram special during the month of October. To take advantage of it call the hospital at 615-215-5000 and follow the prompts to schedule your visit and make your payment at www.mdsave.com.

“It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we are offering a special through our radiology program here at Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. We are offering a 2D (two dimensional) screening mammography during the month of October for anyone who wants to come in. The cost is $94.00 for the procedure and radiologist reading the exam. That is a flat fee and you pay it through  www.mdsave.com.,” said Brad Mullinax, Chief Administrative Officer of Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital.

“Last year we partnered with the Susan G. Komen Foundation to bring awareness and promote screening of Breast Cancer for the month of October and this year we are really trying to follow up on that and push this to improve the lives and health of our community,” said Mullinax.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. A mammogram can detect cancer early, when it is most treatable.