MCT 8-22-24

4A —The Marion Tribune, Thursday, August 22, 2024 CHI Memorial Named ‘Best Regional Hospital’ for Tenth Straight Year F or the 10th straight year, CHI Memorial has been named a Best Regional Hos- pital by U.S. News and World Report. On the list of Best Hospitals in Tennessee, CHI Memorial is ranked num- ber fi ve. Vanderbilt Univer- sity Medical Center is ranked number one in the state, fol- lowed by hospitals in Mem- phis and Knoxville. Only 10 of Tennessee’s 138 hospitals meet U.S. News’ standards and are ranked. In addition, CHI Memorial received the number one ranking for hos- pitals in Chattanooga. CHI Memorial also re- ceived a ‘high performing’ rating in 11 surgical proce- dures and chronic conditions evaluated by U.S. News. It is the only local hospital rated as ‘high performing’ in heart by- pass surgery, leukemia, lym- phoma, and myeloma, lung cancer surgery, and stroke. It also received ‘high perform- ing’ ratings for COPD, colon cancer surgery, heart attack, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement, and pros- tate cancer surgery. U.S. News evaluated nearly 5,000 hospitals in 15 special- ties and 20 widely performed procedures and conditions; only 160 hospitals ranked in at least one of the specialties. Hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, lev- el of nursing care, and patient experience. The rankings as- sist patients and their doctors in choosing the right hospital for them. The evaluation of CHI Me- morial Hospital also includes data from CHI Memorial Hos- pital Hixson. A complete list of Best Hospitals in Tennessee is available at health.usnews. com/best-hospitals/area/tn. About CHI Memorial CHI Memorial is a not- for-pro fi t, faith-based health- care organization dedicated to the healing ministry of the Church. Founded by the Sis- ters of Charity of Nazareth and strengthened as part of CommonSpirit Health, it of- fers a continuum of care in- cluding preventative, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cancer, cardiac, neuro- science, and stroke care, and orthopedic and rehabilita- tion services. CHI Memorial is a regional referral center of choice with 4,600 employ- ees and almost 600 a ffi liated physicians providing health care throughout Southeast Tennessee, North Georgia and Northwest Alabama. To learn more, visit memorial.org. LACIE SILVA Editor A t the recent Kimball Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, the agenda included approving Vinson’s Lawn Service to install catch basins near the playground by the barn. This recommendation came from the Kimball Park and Recreation Board. Currently, during heavy rains, water fl ows from the asphalt into the playground area, causing the mulch to be washed away. The water does not drain into the pond but instead spreads out to the side, creating erosion problems. To address this, the proposal involves placing two catch basins next to the asphalt to capture the runo ff . Additionally, a trench will be dug across the playground to install a six- inch pipe that will redirect the water away from the area. After this work is completed, the playground will be re fi lled with new mulch to prevent further erosion. The proposed cost for this project by Vinson’s Lawn Service is $4,871.98. The board unanimously approved this addition to Kimball Park. LACIE SILVA Editor A t the recent Kimball Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, the agenda included approv- ing the purchase of a new sewer pump for the main lift station by the mainte- nance department. Two quotes were presented: one from Carolina Pump for $20,962.86 and an- other from Washcon for $14,516.90. Mayor Rex Pesnell explained that the price di ff erence was mainly due to the horsepower of the pumps, with one bid re fl ecting 40 horsepower and the other 41.6 horse- power. Mayor Pesnell noted that this di ff er- ence in horsepower was not signi fi cant enough to justify the higher cost. He also mentioned that Washcon is the same company used by South Pittsburg Water and Gas and that they have their own equipment for in- stallation. In contrast, choosing Carolina Pump would require hiring an additional company for installation. After a motion and second, the board unani- mously approved the bid from Washcon for $14,516.90. O ne of the best ways to keep your house cooler during the summer is to keep the sun and the heat outdoors. You’ll be able to inch the thermostat up a few degrees, so you could see a reduction in your cooling bill this summer. Plus, your family will feel more comfortable. A few tricks: •Replace your window curtains with a style that has a white backing on the window side, and then close them during the day. TheU.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says the heat-de fl ecting white can reduce the amount of heat that gets into the house by up to 45 percent. •Hang window awnings on south-, west- and east-facing windows. DOE says you can reduce solar heat gain on the hottest days by up to 65 percent on south-facing windows and 77 percent on west-facing windows by covering them with awnings. •Trysunscreens. Thesearedi ff erent from insect screens. Sometimes called solar shades, they are made from see-through mesh that’s woven tight enough to block a lot of heat and UV rays, but transparent enough that you can see through them, so they don’t block your view. •Plant shade trees near windows that get the most sunlight during the summer. A young tree won’t keep you cool this year, but as it grows, it will keep more sun out and allow your home to stay cooler all day. •Caulk around windows and doors to keep your air-conditioned air in the house and the hot air out. Also, look for and patch other holes in indoor walls that are on the perimeter of the house — especially around electrical, cable and phone outlets. Doing all this will help you stay cooler while also helping your wallet down the road. For more energy saving tips go to svalleyec.com. Only Local Hospital Rated ‘High Performing’ in Heart Bypass Surgery and Stroke TN Tech’s Center for Rural Innovation partners with South Central Tennessee Tourism Association Cindy Dupree Holloway TN Tech Contributor T ennessee Tech Uni- versity’s Center for Rural Innovation an- nounced a partnership with South Central Ten- nessee Tourism Associa- tion to enhance tourism branding in the region. The creative collabo- ration provides student- produced branding as- sets for SCTTA partners, including website de- velopment, marketing materials and logos. Tourism participants are presented with state-of- the-art resources, and the students receive real- world application to their work. “Our organization’s mission is to provide guidance and fundamen- tal tools for our partners to drive tourist activi- ties in their communi- ties,” said Ryan French, SCTTA executive director and CEO. “Developing branding has long been an expensive obstacle for some communities, but essential to doing busi- ness. This strategic move directly addresses that. The partnership with SCTTA and Tech will al- low us to take our funda- mental marketing e ff orts to the next level.” The goal of Tech’s Center for Rural Innova- tion is to transform rural communities through collaborative and inclu- sive e ff orts in innovation, entrepreneurship and community and econom- ic development by creat- ing partnerships in re- gional economic ecosys- tems, conducting applied research, and providing technical assistance that addresses rural chal- lenges. A U.S. Economic Development Adminis- tration University Center program, TCRI seeks to develop replicable and scalable strategies while enhancing quality of life and place within rural Tennessee. “Tourism IS eco- nomic development, and we’ve made that a large initiative within TCRI. Partnering with SCTTA and further expanding our reach beyond the Up- per Cumberland lines up perfectly with the cen- ter’s mission,” said An- drea Kruszka, TCRI as- sistant director at Tech. “In addition to our very talented Tech students getting real-world experi- ence that will make them more career-ready upon graduating, the work they are doing creating assets to bene fi t tourism in some of Tennessee’s rural communities will make a real impact where it is needed. We’re excit- ed to work with SCTTA to make a di ff erence.” SCTTA launched a branding program two years ago and helped create assets for Wayne, Hickman, Marshall and Lincoln counties and the town of Lynchburg. TCRI has provided destination branding assets as well as economic impact studies for communities includ- ing Monterey, Algood, Jackson County, Fen- tress County and others. SCTTA’s partnership with TCRI will not only create enhanced brand- ing support for these partners by expanding the sub-branding portfo- lio but will also help ex- pedite branding e ff orts for many more partners. “Creative branding at- tracts visitors, and more visitors will increase the economic impact on our region. That’s a fact,” French said. Learn more about TCRI at www.tntech. edu/tcri. Tennessee Tech University’s Center for Rural Innovation announced a partnership with South Central Tennessee Tourism Association to enhance tourism branding in the region. From left are Dominic Gialdini, SCTTA; Andrea Kruszka, Tennessee Tech University; Ryan French, SCTTA. Kimball playground to add catch basins Maintenance for City of Kimball to purchase new sewer pump Keep the sun outdoors; keep cool indoors