The
SOUTHERN OCEAN Times Vol. 7 - No. 39
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Patients Face Health Care Costs, Bureaucracy
Shelter ‘Adopts’ Pets While Another Shelter Renovating
In This Week’s Edition
−Photo By Bob Vosseller Third District Congressman Andy Kim, left, speaks with Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospitals patient Joe Taylor, Lakewood, and his staff therapy worker Patricia Henk.
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Community News! Pages 8-12
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Pages 14
Inside The Law Page 17
March 21, 2020
−Photo by Patricia A. Miller (Above) Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter Director Patricia McCallum discusses the increase in population at the shelter on Haywood Road. (Right) Simba is sitting pretty at the shelter waiting to be adopted. By Patricia A. Miller STAFFORD − Simba, a young adult male cat with thick fur the color of smoke, loves to play at the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter. The friendly, outgoing kitty spent quite a bit of time last week chasing and catching a feather-like (Pets - See Page 6)
County Increases Homeless Spending
By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – The county will be spending more money this year to care for the homeless having increased the amount in a line item of this year’s budget. The county previously spent $100,000 every year, and also allotted $10,000 to Just Believe, a community group that cares for homeless. In the budget that the county just put together, they added $150,000 to this, Freeholder Gary Quinn said. Based on some statistics studied by the
county’s Human Services department, they determined that the $250,000 would be an appropriate amount to care for the homeless while long-term solutions can be found, Quinn added. This comes as welcome news to Toms River Councilman Terrance Turnbach, who had been advocating for an increase. He had been one of the officials pushing for an expansion of Code Blue, the law that opens shelters when it gets too cold. Toms River changed their own rules
on it, opening up shelters when temperatures hit 35 degrees. The state had a different rule, allowing the homeless to be out in freezing temperatures as long as it wasn’t snowing. Through the push of Toms River officials, and the state senators and assembly members that represent the area, the state law changed to more resemble the township’s. “We changed the law in the State of (Homeless - See Page 4)
By Bob Vosseller TOMS R I V ER – Three years ago Joe Taylor sailed and raced boats along Toms River and then he suffered an injury which stopped all that. Taylor is a diabetic and his insulin usage is around 90 units at night and 30 units in the morning. “I eat up insulin like it’s going out of style” the Lakewood resident told 3rd District Congressman Andy Kim during his recent visit to the Toms River facility of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospitals. Kim’s visit to Encompass, which is a joint commission certified for disease specific care for brain injury rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation, advanced inpatient diabetes care, pulmonary rehabilitation, stroke rehabilitation and wound care, was a fact-finding mission to help him gather information about health care issues so he could bring
back that feedback to Washington D.C. “Every American, rich or poor, should be able to get the health care that they need, and no American should be denied because of a pre-existing medical condition,” he said, adding that he is seeking to “expand access and protect the 129 million Americans living with a pre-existing condition.” “I am lucky to have a doctor who I can ask for (insulin) samples and he gives me samples. It is really terrible,” Taylor said regarding the cost he faces as a diabetic. Taylor was a patient at Encompass Health during Kim’s visit. W hen Taylor was asked how many prescriptions he’s on, his response was, “probably 14 different drugs I use.” Staff member Patricia Henk, who was assisting Taylor with his rehabilitation that day, explained “His is a very common story. There (Patients - See Page 4)
Free Transportation • In-Home & Outpatient PT Physical Therapy Center
1-(855)-3ALLCARE • www.AllCarePTC.com
NEW MANAHAWKIN LOCATION 24 Nautilus Drive • Suites 3, 4, 5 Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Come experience the All-Care difference for yourself!