Issuu

A Quarterly Business Publication of the Newnan-Coweta Chamber

Issue 7 | Spring 2020

THEN IT ALL STOPPED.

Cowetaâ€™s business, industry, and community respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

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F E AT U R E S

10 6 Letter to the Reader

10 COVID-19 encroaches existence in Coweta

Deja Flu The 1918 flu pandemic in Coweta County

Neither Millie nor her family knows who masked the horse; City Hall approved the project, but could not confirm the masked mask artist. While the benefactor remains elusive - whoever you are - thank you for expressing your creativity in such a universal and thoughtful way. While commuting for essential errands or taking a walk in our quieter-than-ever city, you have demonstrated that laughter truly is the best medicine.

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Our cover model graces the lawn of the McRitchie Hollis Museum and is the creation of Millie Thomasson Gosch, who grew up in what was once the family home. The daughter of Dr. Jimmy and Susie Mann-Thomasson, Millie adorned the horse with symbols representing local business and industry that is part of her family legacy.

When the mask first appeared on the horse at the museum, as well as several others throughout Newnan, a sign accompanied it that read, “Wash your hooves.” However, a storm wreaked havoc shortly after, rendering the artist’s name illegible.

A Flicker of Light at Exit 41

When the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon Georgia, citizens took to wearing masks while on the quest for toilet paper and sanitizing wipes, otherwise dutifully sheltering in place. During this time, a mystery artist was busy creating oversized masks for Newnan’s fiberglass decorative horses.

The sexy stockings, for example, represent the Newnan Hosiery Mill, which was established by Millie’s greatgrandfather L.B. Mann.

Then it all Stopped

ON T HE C OV E R

Masked horse greets passersby in Newnan’s Cranford Park on Jackson Street

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Spring 2020

LETTER TO THE READER SUSAN M. KRAUT VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS NEWNAN-COWETA CHAMBER

UST

over two months ago, we were daring to “Dream Big,” launching a multi-faceted initiative to lead Coweta business to a heightened level of success and prosperity. Now, I write to you dreaming of escape from stir-crazy adolescents, barking dogs, a mountain of post-it notes, an overcommitted Zoom schedule...and for positive outcomes for our residents, workers, and businesses. The past few months have been an exercise in adaptability and resilience. In the weeks following Governor Kemp’s stay-at-home order, the NewnanCoweta Chamber team spent countless hours reaching out to our members, calling businesses one-by-one to checkin and assess needs – a practice that will absolutely persist in the months ahead. Over 1,000 conversations spotlighted the questions that keep local proprietors up at night - from federal programs and policies to relief measures and liability. We did our best to respond quickly and decisively, maintaining our essential role in advocating for businesses. This role is apparent and relevant now more than ever. In addition to connecting with each of our members, we established a weekly virtual series featuring local and regional leaders, designed to ensure the timely dissemination of fact-based information to business owners, proprietors, and managers. The U.S. economy lost a staggering 20 million jobs in April as small business owners continue to struggle across the nation to protect their livelihoods 6

in the wake of an unrelenting series of challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis. As devastating to the physical health and well-being of Americans as it is to global and local economies, the pandemic persists in threatening life as we knew it just a few weeks ago. Bearing no exception, those businesses which seem to suffer the most are our beloved small businesses - born of passion and ingenuity, susceptible to insolvency. Coweta County truly represents a microcosm of America, home to sprawling farms, manufacturers, regional healthcare resources, hotels, distribution centers, and unique boutiques and restaurants, as well as a once-thriving environment for film and television production. While the west Georgia region fared quite well – better than neighboring communities – following the 2008 recession, it’s still too soon to know whether our collective forethought, determination, and proactivity will see us to the other side of this challenge unscathed. There has never been a more critical time for our community to come together, and the Chamber team will continue to operate in high gear to make the essential connections to help businesses adapt and recover. We look forward to the future of business in Coweta, whatever that may look like, and will persevere as a trusted resource and partner in the months and years ahead. We remain committed to our community, and we are here for you. Stay safe, keep innovating, wear your mask, and be kind to one another.

Susan Kraut

PUBLISHER Newnan-Coweta Chamber EXECUTIVE EDITOR / CREATIVE DIRECTOR Susan M. Kraut susan@newnancowetachamber.org SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Colleen D. Mitchell colleen@newnancowetachamber.org GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Susan M. Kraut, Newnan-Coweta Chamber Paul Lewis, Luz Design Nikki Rich, Rich Graphics, Inc. PUBLICATION LAYOUT Nikki Rich, Rich Graphics, Inc. CONTRIBUTORS Carla Cook-Smith Melissa Dickson Jackson Susan M. Kraut Larisa Mitchell Scott W. Winston Skinner PHOTOGRAPHERS Brittlynn Brown Photography Ethan Kush Productions W. Winston Skinner TO CONTRIBUTE: THRIVE welcomes your ideas. Please send inquiries to Susan M. Kraut at susan@newnancowetachamber.org for consideration. THRIVE is published quarterly. Neither the Newnan-Coweta Chamber nor THRIVE is responsible for unsolicited material. Such material will become the property of THRIVE and is subject to editing and digital use. Reproductions of this publication in part or whole is prohibited without the express consent of the publisher. THRIVE is available at various locations throughout Coweta County. You can also email info@newnancowetachamber.org to request a copy.

A Quarterly Business Publication of the Newnan-Coweta Chamber 23 Bullsboro Dr. | Newnan | 770.253.2270 susan@newnancowetachamber.org

Spring 2020

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Then it all stopped

COVID-19 Encroaches Existence in Coweta

written by

photographs by

W. Winston Skinner

Brittlynn Brown Photography Spring 2020

C OV I D-1 9 I N C O W E TA

few years back, Dr. Steve

testing, and, for Cade Barker and his

Barker,

fellow seniors, graduation.

Coweta

school

County

superintendent,

calculated that he could retire

Residents had eyes on the presidential

at the end of the 2020 school

primaries and a looming April 15th

year, the year his son Cade

income tax deadline, while daring to

would graduate.

consider

summer

camp

and

family

vacations. At the onset of the new decade, the

Then it all stopped.

Barkers envisioned attending the Newnan High School commencement ceremony at Drake Stadium together as a family, and Steve had already pictured himself beaming with pride as he handed Cade his diploma.

COVID-19 had already made the news, but in a distant – all the way on the other side of the world in China – sort of way. Just weeks ago, the coronavirus seemed

Yet, “Here we sit at the house,” the superintendent said – a touch of irony in his voice. To describe the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as surprising does not do the experience justice.

akin to a few unenergetic mosquitos at the July 4th fireworks – a slight aggravation, but not much more. Then COVID-19 made it to the United States, then to Georgia and Coweta County. A rolling sequence of lifealtering personal, business, government, and healthcare decisions commenced.

late

March,

Shoppers quickly stripped local store

ever.

shelves of toilet paper. Health planners

Solopreneurs and business leaders alike

were on high alert – working tirelessly

were making plans for what looked like

as hospital workers turned their focus

would be an economically prosperous

toward personal protective equipment

year.

and increasing patient capacity.

Students and teachers looked toward the

Many facets of everyday life evolved

Cowetans

February were

and as

early

busy

close of the school year - fifth-graders parading the halls to applause from younger peers, annual field day activities and celebrations, prom, annual milestone Spring 2020

overnight. Golden’s on the Square, like many local establishments, closed its dining

room,

then

offered

curbside

service and ultimately locked its doors.

C O V I D - 1 9 I N C O W E TA Medical practices stationed staff members at office

Of course, more will become known once additional

entrances to take temperatures and inquire about

testing becomes available. At the time of publication,

travel and symptoms. Soon, many of those same

143,778 of Georgia’s 10.5M residents have been tested,

offices delayed non-emergency visits and procedures,

according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

incorporating telemedicine to an extent unknown

“Knowledge will continue to grow. Treatment plans will

before COVID-19.

improve; tracking will improve as we develop rapid testing systems,” said Dr. Sara Molesworth-Kenyon,

Federal, state, county, and municipal offices took

associate professor and co-director of the microbiology

certificate program in the biology department at the

communicating

with

constituents

and

peers

electronically or by appointment only. Coweta County schools closed for a few weeks – a decision that ultimately extended through the end of the term in May, pushing over 18,000 students and families into a premature summer break to last, at minimum, nearly five months.

University of West Georgia.

home - some with pay, some without.

safety personnel, medical and support

the crisis unfolding, “There was no

staff at clinics and hospitals, grocery

playbook,” said Newnan City Manager

employees,

Cleatus Phillips. “We didn’t have a

restaurant

workers

providing drive-thru, curbside pickup,

playbook.”

or delivery services – are working, but also thinking about their families.

doption Airfare, a mission and adoption travel agency, was one of the first Coweta companies to feel the impact

of COVID-19, as the niche firm had families abroad in China as the strange, new, deadly disease began to spread through the Wuhan province. Co-owner Tabitha Lovell and her staff had

Adoption Airfare provides missionary and humanitarian airfare for missionaries and adopting families all over the world.

to figure out how to get those people home quickly. “It was just unprecedented, unlike anything that has ever happened,” Lovell said. Dr.

people across all ranks of society. Many are at

Workers at essential jobs - public

When asked about responding to

motionally, COVID-19 has taken a toll among

Jeff

Metts,

chief

medicine

and

“We’re doctors, but we’re husbands and fathers and brothers,” Metts said. Many have worked to counter emotional swells or feelings of helplessness by coordinating local projects aimed at assisting essential personnel and at-risk communities. Some projects – chalk art, children’s pictures of rainbows in windows – have been centered on lifting spirits.

Serendipity met necessity as the Coweta County School incident

commander for the COVID command team with Cancer Treatment Centers of America observed,

“It’s a transcendent experience. You can read about pandemics in the medical literature, but it’s not like this. Never have I seen anything like this at all.”

System joined forces with Newnan’s BackPack Buddies to provide food to students during the statewide shelterin-place order. Keshia Williams, school nutrition director, preempted the Coweta County Board of Education about a similar program in February. Williams spoke with the board about the potential of the school system serving as a summer feeding site for county children. The board reviewed Williams’ proposal and approved it at their March meeting, just

“We’re learning a lot of things very quickly,” Metts said.

days before students were sent home for what turned

“We’re probably always five steps behind where we’d

out to be the rest of the school term.

like to be.” 12

Spring 2020

Coweta County schools served over 27,000 meals to children in the first three weeks of school closures. Photo:The City Menus

School nutrition employees Barbara Williams and Connie Osborne bag fresh baked cookies at Newnan High School. Photo: Coweta County School System

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Because of the approval, Williams was able to launch the meal program early and in response to the state mandate. “That put us in a better position to do this very quickly … much, much more

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rapidly than if we had started to do this right out of the blue,” Superintendent Barker said. The first county-wide distribution of meals was on March 17th,

initially

launching at seven sites where School Resource Officers and faculty handed

Hours of Operation

24/7

out breakfast and lunch. “District-wide free and reduced-price lunch participation is right around 40 percent. We have very affluent areas and areas not so much,” Williams said. While sites for the distribution of meals were strategically designated,

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Williams said. “Our mission every day is to feed children and prepare them to

Dean Jackson, public information officer for the school system, said the meal program also employs 20-25 foodservice employees and seven bus drivers who transport meals to the sites each day. “They distributed 27,000 meals in the first three weeks,” Jackson said. During the week of April 13-17, the program was handing out more than 2,200 breakfasts and lunches each day. “Our focus through all this has been the health, wellbeing, and safety of our

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students and faculty. Providing food for these kids during times when they otherwise would not have what they need, that’s very important,” Barker said.

dditional steps to be taken by government entities moving forward will have a lot to do with how well society makes it through the pandemic.

“Preventative and supportive measures given now will have long-term benefits for all,” said Dr. Elroi Windsor, a sociologist who chairs the sociology department at the University of West Georgia. Throughout the COVID crisis, there have been ample anecdotes of people

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helping one another, including neighbors bringing food to someone who is ill or quarantined in an at-risk category or people taking to their sewing machines to make masks to share with friends and essential workers. However, “Western societies tend to be more individualistic than other societies that are more community-oriented. So, these stories stand out to us because we’re not used to seeing strangers extending themselves to aid in this way,” Windsor said.

“In some cultures, it would not be newsworthy that a neighbor assisted another older neighbor with food offerings or that a family took in a student who’s been displaced from campus housing,” Windsor said. The United States tends to foster “a survival-of-the-fittest ideology, telling folks to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” COVID-19 may have altered that philosophy. “This crisis has shifted that way of life for some people. And, in my opinion, these gestures in the U.S. are great for everyone. They feed into the hope that we’re all in this together, and we will get through it.” Windsor also reflected on recent media coverage of the virus’s spread. He said, “what’s represented in mainstream media tends to vacillate between images of hope – neighbors making music from their fire escapes in Italy – to placing blame on countries – calling COVID19 ‘the Chinese virus,’” he said. “How we in west Georgia view our fellow Americans is going to be informed by what we see in media. Although inspiration lies in many of these stories,

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there is also a lot of displaced anger,” Windsor said. Windsor pointed at an increase in anti-Asian bias across the country as some have blamed “an entire race of people” for the pandemic. A unique aspect of COVID-19, however, is that, for the first time for Cowetans living today, we are sharing in a collective experience with virtually everyone else on the planet. Many Cowetans have family and friends across the country and in other nations. All are dealing with sheltering in place, at best, or losing people they know and love to this deadly contagion. “The entire world is involved and engaged,” Metts said. “It resonates with all of us.”

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Origin Story 16

fred, george, & covid-19 written by W. Winston Skinner

photographs by Brittlynn Brown Photography

Spring 2020

C OV I D-1 9 I N C O W E TA

few weeks ago, most people had never heard of COVID-19. Since then, this novel virus has upended the planet – sending workers home, confining most people to their households, filling

hospital beds, and causing thousands of deaths across the globe. “We know that it came out of Wuhan, China. It first goes from animal to animal, then from animal to person and then from person to person,” said Dr. Jeff Metts, chief of medicine and incident commander for the COVID command team with Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Dr. Sara Molesworth-Kenyon, associate professor and co-director of the microbiology certificate program in the biology department at the University of West Georgia, stressed that the ultimate origin of the virus remains unknown. “Virologists have obtained samples from patients in Wuhan and sequenced the genome – genetic information – of this virus, and demonstrated that it evolved/mutated from SARS -CoV. This is why the new virus is named SARS-CoV-2,” Molesworth-Kenyon said, explaining that COVID-19 is the name for the disease that the virus causes. The cell protein in the bats that transmitted COVID-19 Metts noted there was a SARS-CoV-1, which did not

to humans “was similar enough to the protein on our

cause significant health problems on a wide scale.

cells to permit infection,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. “The receptor which COVID -19 is using to get into our cells

“The genome of the virus continues to change as it replicates in each infected patient, so the virus changes

and infect us is called ACE-2. A version of this protein is also present on the cells of bats.”

slightly as it moves through a population and spreads to new countries,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. “Because of these small changes, you will hear scientists referring to the Asian strain and European strains of the virus.” Viruses move from animals to humans continually. “If

“It is simply a game of chance – with every exposure to an animal virus, there is a chance that it has mutated to infect us,” Molesworth-Kenyon said.

viruses are provided with the opportunity to transmit to any other living organism, they will,” Molesworth-

Sometimes infection involves an intermediate host –

Kenyon said. Sometimes a virus can attach to proteins in

from birds to pigs to humans in the case of influenza,

the cells of a different species. Sometimes they cannot.

for example.

Spring 2020

C O V I D - 1 9 I N C O W E TA

available. “We will continue to learn more each day as we have more information,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. Human infection was at first thought to occur via airborne droplets. Now, Metts said, it appears that someone could get the disease from being a closed room with a person infected with SARS-Co-V-2, even if that person was not coughing or exhibiting other symptoms.

Initially, many studying the disease thought the elderly were the most at risk for COVID-19. “That has changed with time as we get more cases in the middle-aged,” Molesworth-Kenyon noted. “The most susceptible are infected and die first, so this can skew the media into thinking that this is the only at-risk group. More time equals more information,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. “Scientists also need time to research the virus in the lab, which also provides new information on the mechanisms of cell infection, such as the binding attachment protein on our cells. This information could be used to investigate drugs that we already know work to ‘block/protect’ the cellular Photo courtesy The National Institute of Allergy

protein,” Molesworth-Kenyon said.

and Infectious Diseases

If someone has had COVID-19, that person will probably have immunity that prevents them from getting “Coronaviruses are RNA viruses which, because they replicate so quickly, make lots of copying mistakes in their genomes of the progeny viruses,” MolesworthKenyon said. Those mutations increase the chance of a virus moving from one species to another. SARS-CoV-2 is sometimes referred to as the “novel coronavirus.” “The ‘novel’ terminology is used because genetically, this is a brand new virus,” MolesworthKenyon said. While it is a new version of the virus which causes SARS, “because the virus has mutated and modified from the parent coronavirus, it may act very differently from SARS.” SARS-Co-V-2 appears to transmit more readily than SAR-CoV does. Since SARS-Co-V-2

is a new virus,

knowledge about it changes as additional information – statistics from more significant numbers of patients – is 18

COVID-19 again – at least for a time. “Our immune systems have evolved to protect us from infection when we are first exposed,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. She said the body makes “specialized memory cells that will last for the rest of your life” in response to an infection by a virus. “These cells remember how to kill the virus and will be immediately engaged if you are ever exposed to the same virus again,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. Doctors can test for immunity by testing blood for antibody proteins. “These proteins bind to and recognize the pathogens and neutralize them.” One of the issues with a coronavirus, however, is its tendency to mutate. Molesworth-Kenyon gave the hypothetical example of an imaginary disease, Fred. “If you are infected with the Fred virus, you make a set of anti-Fred antibodies.” Spring 2020

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If Fred is a coronavirus that is mutating, Fred may eventually mutate into a new disease, George. “AntiFred antibodies do not recognize anything else, they won’t recognize the George virus,” she said. “Most changes/mutations are unfavorable to the virus, as they damage it and cause its proteins to lose function,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. But since viruses replicate so quickly and in such large numbers, “a rare favorable mutation which allows it to infect a human more readily is possible.” Molesworth-Kenyon also said the presence of COVID-19 antibodies could enable a person to have milder symptoms if exposed to a mutated, but similar virus

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Metts noted there are reports of a 2-3 percent reinfection

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rate in China. “We have to be very careful in analyzing that data,” Metts said. “There may be certain people who, for reasons we don’t know yet, could be reinfected. We have to keep that in mind going forward, at least until we have a vaccine.”

much it will change. People currently think that it may act like flu and reappear during next year’s cold and flu season,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. In cold and flu season, viruses move “from one country’s population to another and continue to change, (to) drift genetically,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. “This is why you have to be vaccinated against influenza each year. The new vaccine shows the immune system the new versions of the virus that have developed, and you can generate antibodies to them to add to your previous influenza set.” The COVID-19 virus “is here to stay in one form or another,” Molesworth-Kenyon said. “You would have to eradicate it like smallpox to remove it from the planet.” Doing so is not feasible.

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“Smallpox was eradicated because it only infected humans and did not produce asymptomatic infections. You could see who had it and isolate them,” MolesworthKenyon said. “Slowly, they squeezed the virus out of the natural environment, and no new cases developed.” Spring 2020

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Profiles in Determination

tough choices & creative solutions

written by

photographs by

W. Winston Skinner

Brittlynn Brown Photography Spring 2020

C OV I D-1 9 I N C O W E TA

OVID-19 has impacted nearly every business in Coweta County. Some responded by ramping up the pace of work. Others have reduced hours and furloughed staff. Some simply closed – ordered to do so as a non-essential business or because social distancing rules were too difficult to implement safely.

A few have volunteered to share their stories, lending insight into the front lines of operations in the greater Coweta business community.

The Mad Mexican, Chad Smith “As for my family and me, we will serve tacos.” – Salsa 24:7 The bogus Bible verse on the sandwich board at The Mad Mexican in downtown Newnan is a slight variation of a sign someone brought to Chad Smith, the genial restaurant proprietor. The verse – which draws inspiration from Joshua 24:15 – elicited some chuckles as the COVID-19 crisis took hold but also represents the resilience and determination of Smith and his family and staff to keep the restaurant going. “It’s not quite 100 percent of what we’ve been doing, but we’ve been blessed. We have really good customers and friends. Downtown Newnan has really supported us,” Smith said in late April. Photo Credit: Winston Skinner Chad Smith has been able to keep The Mad Mexican open – takeout only – during the pandemic. His sandwich board offers a bit of humor to customers and passersby downtown.

The Mad Mexican transitioned to takeout only following Governor Brian

Kemp’s

March

24th

executive order. “We did wings that Wednesday, and the next day we were takeout only,” Smith said. “It’s been a real challenge, but we adapted to it.” Although Kemp allowed restaurants to resume operations effective April 27th, Smith said he would

probably continue the takeout operation until social distancing guidelines lift. Opening for dine-in customers would likely require extra staff, and the safety requirements would render it difficult to serve enough customers to justify the additional expense, he believes. “We’re a family business. Even our employees are part of our family. We’re here to feed the community because they’re what keeps us going,” Smith said.

Spring 2020

C O V I D - 1 9 I N C O W E TA

Baby Dimensions, Jill Daniel and Stacey Livingston Baby Dimensions allows prospective parents to peek in on their unborn little ones while still in the womb. Gatherings in their Newnan facility are typically festive, with grandparents or other family members surrounding the beaming parents. The coronavirus pandemic, however, forced proprietors Jill Daniel and Stacey Livingston to close the curtain, uncertain as to whether they might find the means to reopen.

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Road business resumed appointment scheduling.

businesses could reopen effective April 24th, the Baker

Jill Daniel began appointment scheduling at 5 pm that day and finally called it quits – after booking 37 ultrasounds At Georgia Power, we do more than make energy, we fuel our economy by bringing new companies to Georgia. Our efforts have resulted in almost 154,000 new jobs in the last 10 years alone, creating better communities and stronger families. And showing people across our state more possibilities than ever before. To see how we’re generating opportunity, visit georgiapower.com/growth. ©2019 Georgia Power. All rights reserved.

– later that night at 11 pm. It continued at a fast clip the next day. “I had to make lunch for her. She made so many appointments, I made lunch so she could work straight through,” said Stacey Livingston, Daniel’s partner, and the nurse who performs the ultrasound procedure. Both women agreed it was time to reopen, despite uneasiness. “We had to reopen because we got zero stimulus money,” Daniel said.

Spring 2020

They applied for Small Business Administration loans

Customers are paying their bills on an app. “I’ve got all

through both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

their information,” Daniel said. “We’re not getting close

and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL)

to them.”

as soon as they opened, receiving a surprisingly quick response to the former – no funds available.

“We’re completely wiping everything down before the next people come in. We’re trying to go to extra lengths

The partners submitted their EIDL application on

to keep everybody safe,” Livingston said.

April 3rd, with the promise that applicants would hear something within 72 hours. When that didn’t happen,

Livingston’s training informed her it was time to close on

Livingston began calling.

March 15th as COVID-19 began moving closer and closer. She worked in Corpus Christi, Texas, during a tuberculosis

“I couldn’t get hold of anybody,” she said. On April 20th,

outbreak in 1994 and was a nurse in the early onset of HIV

she finally talked with an official who told her it could be

when people did not know how it might spread.

several months before receiving a decision on the EIDL application and that the amount Baby Dimensions might

“When this thing came out, my memories came back.

receive was not yet determined.

I said, ‘No, no, no. Nobody knows what this is about,’” Livingston said. “I could see the handwriting on the wall.”

Livingston said she also applied for unemployment but had not received a determination as of Kemp’s order

Livingston was blunt about the decision to reopen: “I

allowing businesses to reopen. Meanwhile, operating

don’t have a choice.”

expenses persisted. “You’ve got to pay your lease,” Livingston said. “There’s no slacking off on that.” Still, the nurse in Livingston lacked enthusiasm about reopening with COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in Georgia. “I think it’s stupid for us to open it up. If you don’t want to get this virus, the smart thing is to stay in,” she said. From a business perspective, however, the reopening was a necessity. “In order to survive, you have to risk the virus to keep the longterm of your livelihood,” Livingston said.

Every kid is smart. We just make them smarter.

Restarting the ultrasound apparatus also fits with another longterm goal of Baby Dimensions – keeping debt to an absolute minimum. “I’m not going to get in a lot of debt,” Livingston said. Daniel said people have been “so understanding” as she has explained that only two people can come to each appointment and that people must wait in their cars until called. For appointments, Livingston is wearing an N95 medicalgrade mask, gloves, and a facial shield. She is hoping to get her hands on some disposable gowns.

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Spring 2020

C O V I D - 1 9 I N C O W E TA

CMIT Solutions of Atlanta Southern Crescent, Doug Bates As

businesses

throughout

Coweta

County initiated efforts to transition staff

home-based

work,

CMIT

Solutions got busier and busier. Founded in 2010, CMIT Solutions of Atlanta Southern Crescent serves small businesses in Coweta, Carroll, Fayette, Coweta, Henry, and Spalding counties. It is one of 175 offices affiliated with CMIT Solutions around the country. Doug Bates, the president of CMIT, said his staff of twelve was “slammed for three weeks” as COVID-19 concerns grew

stronger.

During

those

three

weeks, Bates’ technicians often worked as late as 10 pm each evening, equipping approximately 700 people to office from home, usually working to ensure that home computers interfaced with their company’s computer system. Bates instructed technicians to solve problems and keep people working rather than worrying about billable hours, waiving after-hours fees for clients.

“I told them, let me worry about the rest,” Bates said. “We are blessed in that we are needed in a market where people are being laid off right and left,” Bates said. “We’ll do what we need to do to keep everybody up and running.” Bates said COVID-19 impacted his company “more so from an operations standpoint

than

from

business

impact.” He explained, “Because we’re IT, we can work remotely.”

He said his technicians exhaust all remote options before going onsite. They also know how to go to a home office and serve a customer while following the Centers for Disease Control guidelines. “We’re very careful,” Bates said. CMIT’s clients include a broad scope of businesses, from small beauty shops and large hotels to medical offices. The company’s manufacturing clients include companies that produce aircraft components, hardware, filters, and veterinary pharmaceuticals. “The client base,” Bates said, “has allowed us to weather the storm.”

Spring 2020

Dry Cleaning Connection, Glen Gould

Similar to Daniels and Livingston at Baby Dimensions, Gould

Dry Cleaning Connection picks up and delivers laundry in Newnan, Sharpsburg, Senoia, Palmetto, Peachtree City, Tyrone, and Serenbe.

about 3,000 customers, and we serve approximately 25 medical facilities,” said owner Glen Gould.

want to think about it if I were an over-the-counter dry cleaner,” Gould added. a

significant

Business

Administration

programs quickly. Like them, he has not received funding. Gould said that he maintains his full staff but on a reduced schedule. In retrospect, he suspects that it workers and allow them to draw unemployment. Although overall business is down for Gould, he described “pretty good.” “We’ve

been

fortunate

add

additional

laundry

customers because people just don’t want to do that,” part

Dry

Cleaning

Connection’s regular clientele is in the medical industry, the COVID pandemic adversely affects that business segment. “A lot of the elective stuff is not being done,” he said. Many medical offices are closed; others are open but working with a reduced staff or with many people working remotely.

Small

the future he envisions for Dry Cleaning Connections as

“We’re down about between 50-60 percent. I wouldn’t

though

for

might have been more helpful for him to lay off some

“We pick up and deliver at homes and offices. We have

Even

applied

Gould said. People prefer to send more frequently used linens out, preventing overuse of their home washers and dryers. “There’s a lot of opportunity for a company like us,” Gould said, looking to the days when COVID-19 is no longer the headline. “People didn’t really understand the pickup and delivery of dry cleaning. We’ve gotten some new customers, and we’ve been marketing.”

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Adoption Airfare, Tabitha Lovell Adoption Airfare is one of several Coweta companies

Thank you for believing in our mission and Abby’s legacy. Your support SAVES LIVES & SHARES SMILES Keeping with Abby’s love of friendship and shopping for school supplies 50 Abby’s Closets have been gifted to schools providing inspiration and support through school supplies in Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Carroll Counties, 4 in WV, also Angel’s House and Our House in Auburn, AL. Kindness Week is celebrated for a week in February in each school who have an Abby’s Closet sharing the beauty of the simple act of being kind.

that has seen a spike in work during the COVID-19 crisis without a commensurate increase in income. Adoption Airfare is a travel agency – but one with a unique mission. “We do about 60 percent adoption travel and about 40 percent mission travel,” Tabitha Lovell said. The coronavirus crisis hit Adoption Airfare before most Coweta firms. “We had a lot of families who were in China when COVID-19 broke out and began to proliferate throughout Wuhan province,” Lovell said.

The TVOC (Teen Vehicle Operations Course) is held in Coweta County monthly training hundreds of young drivers each year. AAF offsets the cost of the class by sponsoring each month. Approx. 500 + teen drivers have been skillfully trained since 2014.

That was in January.

Approx. $22,000 in college scholarships have been awarded to students locally. The foundation of these scholarships is our safe driving mission and how each recipient will continue to share our #1Life1Choice safe driving message.

“The airlines were immediately canceling flights as

A partnership began in the fall of 2019 with Atlanta based Kate’s Club katesclub.org providing much needed free grief services to children/teens in our community. Kate’s Club Coweta meets the third Sunday of each month in a safe, comforting and healing atmosphere. These services are made possible through a grant generously awarded by the Newnan Junior Service League. Abby gave the Gift of Life through organ donation Christmas Day 2012 at the tender age of 9 years old. We strive to share the importance and hope of organ donation. For more information or to register as an organ donor visit abbysangelsfoundation.org or donatelife.net Every April, we celebrate Abby’s exuberant life at the colorful Rainbow Run & Family Fun Day. This is a day that reflects Abby’s fun loving spirit and desire to bring people together. Our only fundraising event is held each April. April is a month of awareness for organ donation and distracted driving. Two topics that are very important to Abby’s Angels Foundation’s mission. We invite our community to join us April 24, 2021 to smile, laugh, and make memories together supporting the life and legacy of Abby Bacho. All proceeds support the growing and evolving work of Abby’s Angels Foundation in our community. Psalm 91:11 Registration available at abbysangelsfoundation.org or active.com

Then, on the heels of China’s contagion, European customers faced similar COVID related challenges. soon as we’d have them booked. That was probably the roughest time,” Lovell said. Some of the families eventually got home on repatriation flights coordinated through embassies – including three families in India and one in Kenya. “We were hit with multiple requests from people all over the world and all at one time,” Lovell said, “doing everything we could to get our families home,” often working day and night. Because Adoption Airfare customers are across the globe in every time zone, Lovell often takes calls in the middle of the night. She remembers a late-night call informing her that the president of Uganda shut down travel. Adoption Airfare had three families in Uganda at the time. “We worked for 72 hours - day and night,” she recalled. The airport officially shut down on Sunday, but Lovell heard of a possible flight out on Tuesday. Successful in booking her passengers before the flight disappeared just thirty minutes later, “It just magically appeared. We had prayed for three days straight for this flight. It was a costly flight, but they were able to get on it,” said Lovell.

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“We’re still canceling more flights than we’re booking,” she said. Considering a staff of 12, including Lovell and her husband, she applied for PPP funds without success. More recently, she started a GoFundMe page.

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“Agencies like ours are going to be hard hit. People are going to be apprehensive about traveling in the future,” Lovell said. She has already received cancellations for July, August, and September flights. However, she believes that parents looking to adopt a baby overseas will help Adoption Airfare move closer to a normal state of operations. “The adoption side of things will pick up pretty quickly. They’re going out of love that crosses oceans,” Lovell said. “That love is going to inspire them to get back in the air as soon as possible.”

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Insights

written by W. Winston Skinner with contribution from Carla Cook-Smith

photo courtesy of Ethan kish productions

Cowetaâ€™s Healthcare Teams Share a Peek Behind the Curtain

Spring 2020

C OV I D-1 9 I N C O W E TA

ollowing months of business and

to coordinate with Cancer Treatment Centers

school

and

of America (CTCA), Encompass Health, and

celebration cancellations, and toilet

other community healthcare entities, and

paper shortages, Coweta County is

we are exploring synergies among other

slowly starting to re-open.

organizations.”

closures,

gathering

While many have suffered illness, loss, and

Following the declaration of a national state of

grief as a result of the pandemic, many have

emergency, Piedmont tightened up its policies,

spent their time gardening, sheltering in place

including

with family, or completing home improvement

with some exceptions for births and end of

projects. Others have sewn masks, participated

life. Visitors must pass a health screening,

in prayer vigils, or delivered food to those in need.

administered by the hospital’s patient care

Companies that routinely manufacture non-

team, and wear Personal Protection Equipment

strict

“no

visitor”

essential items have used the

(PPE)

time to produce masks and

Employees

other healthcare essentials.

daily screenings, including

While

of strife and

fever scans. Only essential

crisis, the community has

vendors are allowed access

come together and made a

to the facility under the same

difference.

restrictions as visitors.

While the populous keeps

Robertson’s best guess as

born

busy learning new skills and adapting to the new norms, lauded

across

the

globe

are the world’s healthcare workers,

pressing

under often stressful – and dangerous – circumstances as they care for patients suffering

from

the

coronavirus. No exception are Coweta’s doctors, nurses, administrators, and staff.

As the crisis unfolded regionally in March, medical providers in Newnan were ahead of the curve, collaborating to ensure improved Public Information

Officer Nicole Dillon of Piedmont Newnan Hospital reports, “Piedmont Newnan continues Spring 2020

permitted

entry.

participate

to when these policies may relax and additional visitors will be allowed is mid-June, but he reports that this will primarily depend

the

supply of PPE. At the onset of the pandemic, early COVID-19 test-takers had to wait up to five days for results from the Department of Health. “The stats on any given day were 200 to 300 positive COVID

“It has been a long eight weeks and an amazing time to be in healthcare,” shared Piedmont Newnan Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mike Robertson.

access to healthcare.

provision,

cases,” said Robertson of the eleven hospitals in the Piedmont system.

“Currently, testing

components are better, and PPE is generally available, and that fact has increased the confidence of staff, but if the volume of COVID cases increases, we will wipe out our inventory of tests and PPE pretty quickly,” he warns. Piedmont Newnan developed a protocol to increase the number of available beds, which now totals 150 divided between COVID and non-COVID care.

“As CEO, it has been my

number one priority to keep my staff safe and 31

have beds available,” Robertson declares. “The challenge

patients with thermometers grew out of one of those

has been the unknown. There was no way to predict how

discussions and we are staying in constant communication

many beds might be needed when the crisis began. For

with Piedmont Newnan Hospital and District 4 Health

example, there might be 30 COVID patients in Newnan

Services.”

and 60 COVID patients in Fayetteville, but there was no rhyme or reason to it. The increase came for intensive

The Samaritan Clinic has not yet set a date to re-open, but

care unit beds,” Robertson recalls.

plans are in the works to put COVID protocols in place for the protection of patients and staff. In the meantime,

Cancer

Treatment

Centers

America

(CTCA)

Samaritan utilizes a patient assistance fund that helps

representative Kristin Schaner adds, “We have a high-

clinic patients who have lost their jobs to buy groceries

risk population. Our goal is to keep cancer and COVID

and pay rent during the crisis. Because the clinic is a non-

on separate fronts by screening everyone who is coming

profit organization, it depends on donations from the

through our doors to protect our patients and our hospital

greater Coweta community.

team while preserving PPE.” Coweta County falls under the umbrella of District 4 CTCA patients are screened by phone before traveling to

Health Services, which staffs public health departments

any of its centers. Patients are again subject to screening

and coordinates with medical facilities. As to navigating

upon arrival at the hospital, each evaluated on a case-

the post-COVID climate once the crisis has ebbed, the

by-case basis, according to Dr.

state agency hopes that its Points of

Jeff Metts, Chief of Medicine and

Distribution (PODS) program will

Incident

the

serve as an efficient means by which

CTCA COVID Command Center.

Commander

for

to widely administer vaccines once

Separate entrances exist for both

available.

patients and staff, and the facility now offers a 24-hour turnaround

“It is going to be a while before we

for COVID-19

testing.

Onsite

can say that we have no COVID

testing

surgeries

yields

positives in the hospital,” notes

before

results in 15 minutes or less.

Michael Robertson.

“It may be a

year. As businesses re-open and Dr.

Metts

explains,

“If

people return to work, we are ready.

anyone

The re-opening of the economy

tests positive, they cannot have chemotherapy,

radiation,

surgery. Fast turnaround testing makes a big difference.” We have also been using telemedicine for some of our work. It is something that has been developing for quite a while. The pace accelerated with COVID-19 to maximize

is good, but we have to be safe. I think we are going to see people wearing masks and using sanitizer for a while. The virus is going to dictate what happens next. We have a good supply of PPE right now. It is when the crisis spikes that we will have a need,” he adds.

our healthcare force to serve our patients.” “My greatest concern is waiting for the surge. We cannot Telemedicine is the order of the day at Coweta Samaritan Clinic, which provides medical care for low-income Cowetans.

Executive Director Kelly Hines notes,

“Telemedicine has worked very well for our patients who appreciate that we have been able to continue care in these crazy times.” She adds, “If patients require diagnostics other than what the clinic may handle remotely, we refer them to Piedmont Newnan Hospital.” A weekly Samaritan staff meeting via Zoom offers clinic staff an opportunity to give COVID-19 updates and talk

prepare for when it is coming or how many will come. We are concerned about the availability of supplies, staffing, and the confidence of staff. People are rightly scared, so we need to balance the new normal and keep things moving.

We are thankful for the support of the community. We are grateful for the food support and the prayer vigils. Coweta County is a special place, and it is making a difference.”

about patient needs. Hines relates, “A project to provide 32

Spring 2020

Photos courtesy of Piedmont Newnan Hospital Spring 2020

Unmasking THE USE OF MASKS AND OTHER PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

Piedmont Newnan Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mike Robertson offers the following advice: A cloth mask will not protect from the virus. Only an N95 mask is going to do that. Wearing a mask is still advisable as the mask helps people not to touch their face (a common habit which helps the virus spread).

Gloves are harder to maintain. If you wear gloves and touch other things and then touch your credit card, your steering wheel, whatever, you could spread more germs. The correct way to use gloves would be to use a new pair every time you touch something new. You would need to be diligent in that regimen, and you would go through a lot of gloves. It might be better to wash your hands and use sanitizer more.

How to correctly put on a mask: Pick up the mask by the loop, careful not to touch the front or back of it. You may identify the top of the mask by the peak in the middle. Secure loop behind one ear, and once in place, pick up the other loop and stretch mask across your face with the bottom half resting on your chin. Be sure to remove the mask using loops and not touch the part which covers your face when taking your mask off.

Frequently wash hands with soapy lather in hot water for 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer routinely when touching things in public places.

Launder cloth masks or leave a mask out for three to four days without touching it. The virus will die in that length of time. If you have a disposable mask, discard it after one use.

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Deja Flu THE 1918 FLU PANDEMIC TOUCHED COWETA COUNTY By W. Winston Skinner

Camp Funston: Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine

MIXED BLESSINGS HUGH BUCHANAN WAS A BRIGHT YOUNG MAN, A SHINING STAR AMONG COWETA’S PROMINENT FAMILIES AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

orn in Newnan in 1888 and reared in Buena

Hugh’s maternal grandfather, of near-equal distinction,

Vista, a local residential landmark on LaGrange

was Willian Boyd Pinson, a pioneering Cowetan who built

Street, Hugh is the namesake of his paternal

a home that still stands near Moreland. Pinson served as

grandfather in a lineage of Buchanan’s immigrating from

an inferior court justice, an appointment with a broad

Scotland to settle in Newnan. His elder sat as a superior

range of authority in the 19th century.

court judge before serving two terms in the U.S. Congress. Spring 2020

Hugh attended the nearby Alabama Polytechnic Institute,

Flu was played down by leaders in

then commonly referred to as “Auburn College.” He

many countries to keep military

studied electrical engineering and pledged the Kappa

foes in the dark about the wave

Alpha fraternity before graduating.

of death at the hands of the new, invisible enemy.

Degree in hand, Hugh was eager to launch his career, accepting a post-graduate position at the University of Georgia. Steady in employment and life, he married newnanite Helen Carpenter in 1916 at an accomplished age of twenty-eight. Hugh was contentedly working at the University of Georgia when one of his fraternity brothers shared an opportunity with a railroad company on Long Island. Awarded the position, Hugh and his young bride adventured north.

Employment with the railroad was as exciting as it was promising, offering an opportunity to earn an excellent living. Years later, Helen related that, once married, she never expected to work outside the home. Both envisioned Helen raising their children, maintaining their home, and entertaining as Hugh moved up the corporate ladder. Her

Sparing no particular class or disposition, the virus made its way to the Buchanan household. On October 24, 1918, during the early onset of what would become a global pandemic, Hugh died at the age of twenty-nine. “All of a sudden, Helen and Edward

Helen Buchanan is inthe front row, sixth from left, in this circa 1924 photograph of the Ladies’ Bible Class at Central Baptist Church. Six years earlier, she returned to her hometown from New York after her husband died in the 1918 flu epidemic. She spent the rest of her life in Newnan as an educator.

fled New York,” recalls Libby Buchanan,

who

later

married

Edward in Newnan.

Libby recalled that her mother-in-law returned to New York for a short time following Hugh’s death. Soon, however, Helen was back in Newnan with her young son and a plan to enroll for education and subsequently teach elementary school to provide for her small family.

vision began to take shape following the birth of their son Edward in December of 1917.

“She came back home to go to school. She stayed in school for most of her life. Every time I turned around, she was

The onset of 1918, however, carried the news of a new

going to take courses,” Libby remembered.

strain of influenza taking hold around the globe. At the time, the United States and many European countries were fighting World War I, and the impact of the 38

Teaching at Atkinson Elementary School in what was then a multi-story wooden building, Helen enjoyed her role and cherished her students, even decades later. Spring 2020

“I don’t think she ever forgot anyone,” Libby said.

Students remembered Mrs. Buchanan, too, often for more than just her lessons, as Mrs. Buchanan had a legendary wooden paddle that she didn’t hesitate to use.

Before losing her beloved to the 1918 Flu, Helen may have dreamt of a different life. “I think she thought she would be married again,” Libby said of the years immediately following Hugh’s death.

Wedded to her profession, instead, Helen taught for decades in both the original school and in Atkinson’s brick building that now stands today. She was a member of Central Baptist Church and well known throughout the community. She retired as the principal of Atkinson’s elementary – six decades after becoming an unexpectant widow.

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Helen died in 1983, at the age of 92, and is buried beside Hugh at Newnan’s Oak Hill Cemetery. But, Helen’s contributions to education in Coweta County still have ripple effects. And, as fate would have it, her teaching career wouldn’t have evolved if the 1918 pandemic had spared the life of the man she loved.

Every day, in every way, we encourage our kids to Every day, in every way, we encourage our kids to

Think Think Beyond: Beyond:

St. Louis Red Cross Motor Corps on duty during influenza epidemic (1918). Original from Library of Congress.

Beyond the walls of the classroom. Beyond the walls of the classroom. Beyond standardized test scores. Beyond standardized test scores. Beyond getting into college. Beyond getting into college. Beyond themselves, their high school, their town. Beyond themselves, their high school, their town. Beyond stereotypes. Beyond stereotypes. Beyond their own perceived limits. Beyond their own perceived limits. To experience The Heritage School in person, To experience The Heritage School in person, schedule a tour today. schedule a tour today. Contact: Contact: Lory Pendergrast, Director of Admissions Lory Pendergrast, Director of Admissions 678-423-5393 678-423-5393 admissions@heritageschool.com admissions@heritageschool.com

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Think Heritage.

Walter Reed Hospital Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine

co-director of the microbiology certificate program in the biology department the University of West Georgia.

Between 20 million and 50 million people died around the world of the Spanish Flu. There were 12.5 million deaths in India alone. There also were lessons learned. “The Spanish Flu was

LESSONS LEARNED ON APRIL 21, 2020, STAN DEATON, PRESIDENT OF THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ADDRESSED THE 1918 FLU ON GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING’S

the first pandemic to be bolstered by global travel. The soldiers moving around in the war increased the spread of the disease, necessitating that countries isolate and close borders,” Molesworth-Kenyon said.

“POLITICAL REWIND.”

Hayla Folden, public information officer for District

4 Public Health Services, added that several of the hile the virus likely found its beginnings in the United States, Spain was the first

preventative measures used today found their start during the 1918 pandemic.

country to report widespread infection – in part because Spain was a neutral country

“One of the things that came out of that was the distance

in WWI. The disease then became widely known as the

- social distance. Really, it’s a physical distance,” Folden

Spanish Flu.

said. “People needed to be far enough apart that the droplets didn’t go from one person to another.”

Most countries went into quarantine,” Deaton said. Hugh Buchanan’s death was one of 675,000 in the United States,

Banning large gatherings was also part of the picture in

and he was in the age category at the highest risk.

1918, even as practiced in Coweta County.

“People would die, sometimes in hours. It hit the 20-40 age

“Influenza raged so that at one time the schools and the

group very hard,” Deaton noted, acknowledging that the

movies were closed to prevent the spread of it,” according

untimely deaths of the young and healthy “compounded

to “Coweta Chronicles,” a 1928 history of the county.

the misery.”

Church services were also canceled locally.

It was widely believed that the deaths of so many

Masks were widely and publicly used for the first time on

young and healthy victims during the Spanish Flu were

record in response to the rapidly spreading virus. Though

attributed to the release of a high number of proteins

employed for both patients and medical professionals, the

called cytokines. Cytokines usually help defend the body

main focus in 1918 – as is the case today – was preventing

against infections, but this “cytokine storm” led to death

infected people from further spreading the virus.

instead. “Putting a mask on a sick person does a whole lot of good Because of the cytokine storm, “patients died quickly –

to keep a sick person from getting a lot of other people

three days or so after the onset of symptoms,” affirmed

sick,” Folden said.

Dr. Sara Molesworth-Kenyon, associate professor and 40

Spring 2020

YOU CAN’T HELP GETTING OLDER, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO GET OLD. - George Burns

WELCOME TO GOING, SEEING, DOING.

Looking for a word to describe our residents? You can’t beat “active.” They delight in taking in all that Newnan has to offer. From shopping at Ashley Park to catching a play at the Newnan Theatre Company. From taking a yoga class to eating out (literally) at one of downtown’s popular restaurants. It’s the perfect place for a life of happy times.

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Infection

By W. Winston Skinner The surest way to avoid Covid-19 is to stay at home, but there are some things that people can do to reduce their chances of contracting the disease. Dr. Sara Molesworth-Kenyon, associate professor and codirector of the microbiology certificate program in the biology department the University of West Georgia, offered some tips for staying safe. “If you can stay at home, that is great. Have your groceries and medications delivered. Many stores are waiving delivery fees,” she said. Molesworth-Kenyon said people should “assume contamination” of anything coming into the home – mail, packages. Her suggestions: 1. Designate a receiving area for packages 2. Disinfect the package - Lysol spray works 3. Open the package and immediately wash your hands 4. Remove the contents from the receiving area 5. Dispose of the packaging outside the house 6. Backtrack and clean surfaces that you touched - the door, the receiving area and your hands. She stressed that you should not touch your face during any of the outlined procedure. “This is laborious but should work,” Molesworth-Kenyon said.

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For those who recommends:

must

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• Think barriers. Anything that you can put between you and contamination - physical distance, cloth, plastic. • Any type of face mask will help to reduce particle flow into your nose and mouth. The mask must be washed daily. • Wear glasses, sunglasses, safety glasses, googles. They should be cleaned regularly with soap and water or Windex. • Wash your hands and face throughout the day. Baby wipes will work if you are traveling. Wipe with a scrubbing action and throw the wipe in the trash.

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A FLICKER OF LIGHT AT

exit 41 By W. Winston Skinner

AMAZON AND GOODYEAR PROJECTS A BRIGHT SPOT FOR COWETA’S ECONOMY While Coweta’s main focus in recent weeks

“It’s going to explode around there. It’s

has been on keeping everyone safe during

already starting,” said Moreland mayor Dick

the coronavirus pandemic, there may be a

Ford in February. A resident of the area since

flicker of light on Coweta’s economic horizon.

1978, he has operated the Huddle House at the

No one will head to work at the forthcoming

interchange for 23 years, recently selling to

Amazon or Goodyear warehouses for a while,

developer Milan Patel, who already owns an

but the mere prospect of these local projects

adjacent tract.

lend area business leaders a bit of optimism. A new hub of commercial and industrial growth seems imminent for the Exit 41 area, which is about two miles south of Newnan city limits at the north end and hugging the town limits of Moreland, at the south end.

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n November 2019, Goodyear Tire and Rubber officials announced the construction of a 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center on the former site of the Orchard Hills Golf Club on Highway 16, just north of the interchange. Before the course closed in 2017, an affirmative vote of the Coweta County Board of Commissioners rezoned the 281-acre property for industrial use, including a commercial strip.

Trae Westmoreland, president of the Coweta County Development Authority, told the Atlanta Business Chronicle that the Goodyear project

would create 250 jobs and represent a $140 million

investment.

The Amazon news broke in January when Governor Brian Kemp announced the plans, reflecting the state-level interest and longterm efforts to market the large property, often referred to as “the mega-

OPENING

M A Y, 2 0 2 0

site,” just south of the interchange.

The mega-site is a large tract of land, and once sprawling farmland passed through generations by the Camp family before initially hitting the market in 1999. A significant industrial site with a view toward easy access to a state highway, an interstate, railroad lines, and the Newnan-Coweta Airport, the facility is part of the Cubes at Bridgeport development, with 684 of the 1,063 total acres under development. Amazon will lease more than 1 million square feet.

The release from Kemp’s office stated: “Starting on day one, the retail e-commerce company will create 500 new, full-time jobs with industry-leading pay and comprehensive benefits.”

Family Owned & Operated 91 Millard Farmer Industria l Blvd. Newnan, GA

The new package distribution center is part of a broader expansion

7 70 -2 5 2 -223 7

the same timeframe.

Serving lunch from 11-2 and dinner from 4-10

of mammoth retailer Amazon with the company announcing plans for a similar project providing 1,000 jobs in Gwinnett County during

Coweta County Board of Commissioners Chairman Paul Poole expressed optimism about what is happening on either side of Exit

G R AYSONSNEWN AN .COM 46

41. “I’m surprised the Camp property hasn’t gone earlier. It’ll provide Spring 2020

some jobs, and the pay will be above average for what we have in Newnan for warehousing,” he said. Ford and Poole both acknowledged that some area residents are not happy with the plans.

At a city council meeting earlier this year, Ford broke a tie to allow the development of a subdivision on Victoria Drive. The plans called for 1.6 acre lots with homes in the $300,00-$400,000 price range.

The subdivision backs up to the mega-site.

“Growth is coming,” Ford observed. Regarding Amazon, he cautioned that Moreland’s wisest course is to work with the developer. “We can fight this thing, and we’ll lose. If we work with them, we’ll get some enhancements,” he said.

“I understand people moved down here and want to be in the country,” Ford empathized, noting that the area is adding more public amenities, including the LINC and the Sprayberry Road Dog Park. “Now, we’ve got everything here,” he said, adding that there are more rural areas not far away, but they do not offer many of the recreational and cultural perks that are part of life in Coweta.

While Poole would love to attract some Class A Headquarters to the county, he noted that both the Goodyear and Amazon projects sit on property zoned for warehousing, close enough to the highway and interstate that they simply make sense for these developments.

“It’s an ideal location,” he said. “The quicker we can get trucks on the interstate, the better.”

Dr. William J. “Joey” Smith, chair of the department of economics at the University of West Georgia, acknowledged that distribution centers do not bring a lot of additional support jobs, compared with a manufacturing plant, for example. He added, however, that there could be support businesses, such as those that provide boxes and paper materials that might locate close to Goodyear and Amazon.

Spring 2020

Great Schools the Heart of

Coweta County

Further, “This kind of job is going to attract workers to the area,” Smith said, and retail development in the area surrounding the sites is likely.

“That’s the way it typically works,” Smith said. “There are developers who are looking to capitalize on the fact that you have a significant number of new employees coming into the area.”

Retail development could include the addition of more national chains, “because they see an increase in the

“A passionate and caring school system dedicated to excellence, energized by the notion of family, and committed to the success of each student.” That is how the AdvancED Accreditation Review Committee described the Coweta County School System, following their review for five-year reaccreditation of our schools in 2016. According to the independent team’s evaluation, Coweta Schools performed at much higher levels than the average AdvancED-accredited learning institutions, in terms of teaching and learning, leadership capacity, and management of resources. During accreditation, school system stakeholders – including students and parents, teachers and community members – described Coweta Schools in several ways:

“Student-Centered” “Caring” “Amazing” “Exceptional” “Accountable” “Safe” “Nurturing” “Rigorous” “Committed” “I would not want to be anywhere else.”

density and demand for their services,” Smith said.

Interviewed before the pandemic, Smith surmised that people who have been thinking about a retail project in the Exit 41 area might move forward in the coming months. The addition of the two warehouses, along with initial commercial growth, “may make people think it’s time to pull the trigger on this deal,” Smith said.

Poole stresses the strength of the economy as the key to whatever happens around Amazon and Goodyear. “Businesses are not going to take a risk if the economy is bad,” he said. “It just depends on the economy.”

There are additional challenges concerning the projects, In the Coweta County School System, you will find schools among the top-performing in the state of Georgia and the nation:

however. “Amazon is a company that ships. That’s probably

• On-time graduation rates and student performance on Georgia Milestones exams that well exceed state of Georgia averages.

area,” Smith said, adding that having quality housing that

• Student SAT and ACT performance that exceeds state and national averages. • High rates of participation in Advanced Placement, college dualenrollment and apprenticeships and work-based learning.

going to have an impact on traffic in an already congested new employees can afford is a must.

“You do want to have a significant housing stock that

• Distinctions such as robust fine arts curriculum, outstanding athletic programs, a sophisticated technology environment including 1-to-1 pairing of students with Chromebook devices, and other advanced opportunities for students.

supports the kinds of jobs you’re trying to grow in the

• Honors that include a AP Stem and Humanities distinctions, state Reward schools, Georgia School Boards Association Exemplary School Board, state financial awards, and the Center for American Progress’ “Best Return on Educational Investment” distinction.

stock.”

From academics to the arts to athletics – from college prep to career readiness – Coweta County Schools are committed to ensuring the success of every student. We invite you to visit our schools, tour the Central Educational Center College and Career Academy, or attend a performance at the Donald W. Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts.

area,” Smith said. “They may not be able to support as many workers as they expect if they do not have housing

The simultaneous additions of the two large warehouse projects speak to what potential developers see when they visit Coweta County. What’s more, is that both Goodyear and Amazon chose to locate here without an offer of abatements or other tax incentives.

“Newnan and Coweta County as a whole has done an excellent job of balancing competing interests. They’ve

To learn more go to cowetaschools.net or call 770-254-5551

also fared the last recession better than any county in the west Georgia region,” concluded Smith.

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Family Patterns Matter Helping families in crisis find belongings and stability By: Larisa Mitchell Scott

uch like a car spinning out of control, families in crisis often find themselves with loss of traction. Linda Kirkpatrick, Director of Coweta’s Family Patterns Matter, has witnessed the all-too-familiar scenario time and again with families in the throes of a divorce, job loss, death, parent imprisonment, or homelessness. The impact of such domestic realities on children struggling to succeed at school can be debilitating. Often, children fall into academic or behavioral free fall and ricochet from one negative experience to the next as they stack up life experiences rife with failure, shame, pain, and hopelessness. Family Patterns Matter exists to help apply

the brakes and tailor a plan to get things back on track. It starts with a sense of belonging, and Kirkpatrick ardently emphasizes the need to instill this in the youth that she serves. And it seems as though she is onto something. New York Times Bestselling self-help author and popular motivational speaker Brene Brown notes, “A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we are meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache.”

Family Patterns Matter Youth in Action program meets monthly at the Coweta Veteran’s Club Spring 2020

n a cold mid-winter Monday evening, Coweta’s children referred to Kirkpatrick mostly through the local school system, court system, or DFACS - gather around a table to create vision boards. They talk and laugh as they cut out magazine pictures depicting children playing games, cooking, or listening to music. They illustrate their vision of how they’d like their group “Youth In Action” to take shape. They appear to be at ease and speak to one another in respectful tones. When asked to take a group photo, they stand to hold hands and look as if they are as familiar as family. And even though they are calm and content at the moment, the scene is quite different from what many of them may experience at home, from where dire circumstances have led them to Famly Patterns Matter for healing, hope, and that elusive sense of belonging.

KIRKPATRICK OFTEN OVERHEARS PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS DISCUSSING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THEIR LIVES. “THEY OPEN UP TO ONE ANOTHER AND ENJOY THE FELLOWSHIP. THEY DISCUSS HARD SUBJECTS SUCH AS BULLYING, SELF-HARM, ISOLATION, AND THE STRUGGLE TO MAINTAIN GRADES, AMONG OTHER CHALLENGES,” SHE SAYS. Kirkpatrick addresses the burden of such challenges in many creative ways, often by bringing in guest speakers to help make sense of their often complex environments and life circumstances. Usually, the group meets during the academic year on the first Monday of the month at the Coweta Veterans Club, with an open invitation to all interested youth. Kirkpatrick adds that, in addition to creating an atmosphere of inclusion and belonging, bolstering self-esteem is also core to the group’s mission. “We want these kids to know they are part of something positive,” says Kirkpatrick. She goes on to say that encouraging the youth to “take ownership” of the program and – eventually – their lives is critical. Individual development and a focus on becoming the person they aspire to helps the kids grow into thinkers, with the tools necessary to gain some measure of control. “Making good choices is something we talk about a lot,” says Kirkpatrick. She says, on average, youth stay in the program for about three years. Aside from regular meetings, members participate in community service projects like collecting peanut butter for a women’s shelter. They also participate in field trips, including Newnan’s Central Educational Center where they cook meals in the school’s classroom kitchen. They’ve decorated cookies and practiced cooking safety - learning empowering basic life skills.

Spring 2020

e invite them to experience success. They feel beat down. They may not have their own home or the best clothes. We’ll take them to a restaurant and practice etiquette,” says Kirkpatrick. She continues, “We also take them to Chattahoochee Bend State Park to experience the calm and healing effects of nature.” Another primary focus at Family Patterns Matter is the issue of bullying, and Kirkpatrick works diligently to educate families about the perils of intense bullying, and the often damaging effects. “We want to spread the word about kindness and respect,” she says, noting the implementation of the organization’s anti-bullying program within the school system. Kirkpatrick hopes to resume efforts to launch the “Ambassadors 4 Kids” program soon.

KIRKPATRICK STRESSES THAT THE ONGOING NEED IS FOR VOLUNTEERS, SPEAKERS, AND SPONSORS FOR THE YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAM. “We want to break the generational pattern so that these kids can experience success in life,” she says. By promoting awareness of the program, Kirkpatrick hopes to garner more support from the community. In addition to Youth in Action, FPM’s other programs include a free tutoring program to assist children who are at risk for failure and left behind while struggling in school. Tutors work with students in grades K-10. When not social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mentors and students meet at Central Library on Literacy Lane on Thursdays and also on Tuesdays at the Asa Powell Library on Hospital Road. Kirkpatrick says, “We have seen the same families struggle, and the resources are not there for them. Everyone is in agreement that our community can do better in finding the solutions to allow these families to become stable.”

MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT FAMILYPATTERNSMATTER.ORG OR ON FACEBOOK AT FAMILYPATTERNSINC.

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Family Patterns Matter Answers the Call during COVID-19

mid the COVID-19 outbreak, Linda Kirkpatrick continues to finetune Family Patterns Matter programs and services to meet the highest number of those in need. The non-profit remains focused on engagement and connections with the families who receive services. New families receive consulting virtually, collecting information about resources and food and supply deliveries when transportation is an issue. The organization is following CDC guidelines, but still offers many services and emotional support to families during the crisis. Domestic violence calls receive immediate attention to ensure help, transportation, and safe shelter. FPM also actively reaches out to those who may be isolated and alone. Virtual tutoring continues through the summer to avoid educational backslide before the new school year. Virtual Youth in Action meetings are in process so that the group of 11 to 16-year-olds can stay intact and informed. The hope is that youth in the program can share and realize a continued voice within the group. Fundraising efforts are available through the FPM website, and Georgia Gives website at gagives.org. In this time of need, it is more important than ever for Family Patterns Matter to answer the call of Coweta families in crisis.

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mental health By M.D. Jackson

ental health issues cost money and destroy human capital. Is Coweta ready for an epic solution to a crisis that leads to addiction, obesity, autoimmune disease, and diabetes?

Epic problems require epic, visionary solutions. For example, Newnan and Coweta have matched the challenges of contemporary education with successful innovations that have become national models. Can the community now tackle the escalating challenges of mental health care? Can it imagine a future in which citizens get the care they need to thrive? Can it attract new businesses and enterprises by becoming a role model for public health stewardship? According to local stakeholders, the mental health care system, nationally and locally, is “broken, subpar, and inadequate.” Resources are scarce, and demand is high. Harvard Health reports that one in ten adults suffers from depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34 and one in eight of all visits to U.S. emergency departments are related to mental and substance use disorders.”

“DEPRESSION IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY WORLDWIDE.” National trends in suicide, depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns continue to trend upward. While homicide rates among youths appeared to trend down in the decade from 2007 to 2017, the CDC reported a 56% increase in suicide in the same demographic. In fact, according to the 56

Spring 2020

National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), suicide is a

Scott says the lack of safe and available inpatient

leading cause of death among youths and young adults

treatment for children and students is “still a gap” the

in the United States, second only to unintended injury.

community needs to address.

The NIMH website reports figures from the Center for

that the population explosion Coweta continues to

Disease Control’s 2017 report:

experience brings a corresponding demand for health

She also points out

care support, including mental health. Coweta needs

SUICIDE WAS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG INDIVIDUALS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 10 AND 34 AND THE FOURTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG INDIVIDUALS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 35 AND 54.

more inpatient care and more providers, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors. To support students, Scott pioneered a program that places therapists in schools one day a week. These therapists can help support the work of on-campus counselors who are now often asked to manage several duties beyond the counseling role. The school counselors

There were more than twice as many suicides (47,173) in

also proctor tests, serve as lunch and bus monitors and

the United States as there were homicides (19,510).

manage ESL and Gifted Programs. As a result, they often don’t have the time to serve students in crisis. With the

Like much of the rest of the country, Newnan and

help of the therapist, they can improve their response

Coweta suffer from too few mental health professionals,

and issue referrals for students in critical situations.

too small facilities, and too little support. The effort

Scott says these students could benefit from small

to build a much-needed inpatient facility, Newnan

group counseling, coping skills training, and individual

Behavioral Health, at the former Piedmont Newnan

interventions to help head off crises, including self-

Hospital on Hospital Road, received approval in 2016

harm or suicidal ideation that may necessitate inpatient

from the Georgia Department of Community Health.

care in distant facilities.

The facility would have provided 60 inpatient beds and would have served inpatient and outpatient clients

While Pathways, also on Hospital Road, offers some

seeking acute care, psychiatric support, and substance

relief, most local care providers feel it is too small to

abuse treatment. The following year, however, the panel

meet the demand of the seventeen Georgia Counties

reversed its Certificate of Need decision when a Carroll

it supports. The facility provides 12 beds for juveniles

County facility received permission to expand.

ages eight to 18 and 24 beds for adults. Local mental health professionals confirm that those beds are

As a result, children and adults in immediate need of

generally occupied, and finding other facilities proves

inpatient care are often left in perilous situations or

problematic, if not impossible.

sent to facilities far from familial support units. Coweta county school system Mental Health Coordinator Ruth Scott laments the unavailability of a local facility and has seen first hand the impact on Coweta’s children and families. Spring 2020

As a result, Scott’s innovations seek to support students proactively. “We need to stop asking, ‘What’s wrong with this child,’ and start asking, ‘What happened to this 57

child.” Scott dreams of creating “wrap-around” services that can help sustain and support students who suffer from situational depression and anxiety often induced by family stress or poverty. Some of these kids, she points out, don’t have access to laundry facilities much less wifi and quality nutrition. One of the interventions she shares with students is Progressive Muscle Relaxation. This protocol helps students learn to control their physical and emotional state while giving them some sense of agency in otherwise erratic circumstances.

SCOTT POINTS OUT THAT KIDS BRING THEIR TRAUMA WITH THEM TO SCHOOL, AND THAT TRAUMA AFFECTS THEIR ABILITY TO PROCESS INFORMATION, ENGAGE SOCIALLY, AND PERFORM. “Trauma is at the root of all these problems,” she asserts. New research in the mental health field supports Scott’s observation that trauma is more complex and prevalent than previously understood. Trauma can come from common

stressors

divorce,

poverty,

moving,

homelessness, abuse, and family crisis, but it can also originate in-utero and through generational transfer. “Trauma can be passed down through your DNA,” says Scott.

Researchers

the

Max

Planck

Society

for

the

Advancement of Science published findings in 2012 that claimed, “Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists have now documented that genetic variants of the FKBP5 gene can influence epigenetic alterations in this gene induced by early trauma.” The result of these alterations leads “to a lasting dysregulation of the stress hormone system. As a result, those affected find themselves less able to cope with stressful situations, frequently leading to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety disorders in adulthood.” Dr. Louis Boynton, a Newnan-based psychotherapist, agrees that local access to mental health care is not as robust as it should be in an otherwise thriving environment. “We don’t have enough beds, service is subpar, and facilities are filled to the brim,” says Boynton. He worries that too many providers are ill-equipped and under-experienced due to the high rate of burnout and turnover in the field. He dreams of creating a community with “high quality” facilities and clinicians who serve “the whole community.” Boynton believes that proactive intervention with quality providers could help prevent significant problems that cost the community. “For every dollar spent in preventive care, the state saves $13,” Boynton claims. That’s due in large part to the reduction

Spring 2020

of emergency room visits and paramedic calls. Like Ruth Scott, Boynton believes that educating individuals from a young age on wellness and wellbeing, and reducing the stigma of prioritizing mental health could go a long way in resolving the crises that lead to problems like diabetes and the opioid epidemic. Boynton explains that many people still don’t understand the relationship between mental and physical health. Mental hygiene begins with sleep, diet, and exercise. “How do you sleep,” “What do you eat,” “How much do you exercise,” and “Have you had a physical this

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year,” are the questions Boynton asks his clients before proceeding with counseling. While it’s true that psychiatric disorders may contribute to insomnia, Harvard Health observes that “studies in both adults and children suggest that sleep problems may raise the risk for, and even directly contribute to,

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the development of some psychiatric disorders.” Sleep and diet education may be the first step to mitigating the diseases of despair now plaguing Americans and Cowetans alike. At Coweta Samaritan Clinic, Nurse Administrator

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Peggy Lawson sees patients who suffer from comorbid mental and physical ailments. “Up to 75% of our clients come to us with some level of mental distress,” Lawson observes. It’s a real “chicken and egg” conundrum, she says, that requires parallel treatment and care. While the clinic refers patients to the Pathways Center, Lawson worries that it is underfunded and can’t meet the demands. In addition to lack of services, patients and the community also suffer because of personal denial, lack of transportation, financial constraints, systemic

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complications, and poor support systems. Mental and physical health are “intricately intertwined,” says Lawson. “In years past, it was not uncommon for

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a physician to feel responsible for patients from the neck down.” Now researchers and clinicians understand that many chronic ailments begin with untreated and unresolved mental trauma. At Coweta Samaritan,

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patients are asked to complete an Adverse Childhood Experiences survey consisting of ten questions that help providers recognize and treat the patient’s underlying needs. Patients who respond positively to four or more questions are more likely to suffer from obesity,

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a 2007 study available from the National Center for Biotechnology

Information,

“Childhood

traumatic

stress increased the likelihood of hospitalization with a diagnosed autoimmune disease decades into adulthood.”

Scott, Boynton, and Lawson all agree that treating the whole person with proactive early intervention may be one way of healing the individual and the community. The first step may be eliminating the stigma, but there must also be new systems in place that remove the

Visit us for all of your Dermatology, Cosmetic Surgery, and Aesthetic needs!

bureaucratic red tape of seeking and receiving care. What would it take for Coweta to reimagine mental and physical wellness and lead the country with fresh innovations that serve patients and benefit the entire community? Ruth Scott, Louis Boynton, and Peggy Lawson may have some ideas. The first step may include acknowledging that the problem affects the whole community - financially and emotionally. The next step is imagining a future, as Boynton put it, built on “care structures not on corporate structures.” Perhaps quarterly earnings shouldn’t be the priority when it

Dedicated to Healthy and Beautiful Skin

comes to creating emotional wellness.

770 - 4 00 - 8 40 0

By investing in programs like Coweta Cares, a Mobile

dermatologyinstitutemd.com

therapists with paramedics, Coweta County has already

Integrated Healthcare program that pairs Pathways made strides. Coweta Cares “seeks to identify patients

1075 Lafayette Parkway, Suite 240, LaGrange, GA 30241

that would be better served outside of the emergency

1615 Highway 34 East, Suite B, Newnan, GA 30265

room setting and redirect these individuals to the appropriate community resource(s).” In October, the program received an Outstanding Provider Award from

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the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Spring 2020

Spring 2020

Your first meeting is in an hour, and three others follow throughout the rest of the day. Your presentation is ready, but you are dragging and irritable. It looks like it is going to be a VERY long day, and at the moment, you don’t know where to find the energy or charm to get through it. What can you do?

STOP. Don’t allow the replay of the morning or the worries of the afternoon to continue. What can you do to bring yourself into the present moment and remain there, not painfully recalling the earlier moments in the day or speculating on what will happen this afternoon?

mindfulness By Carla Cook-Smith

First, get comfortable in your chair but retain good posture. Close your eyes and take four cleansing breaths. Breathe in deeply through your nose and hold it for four seconds. Then, purse your lips and slowly blow it all out, counting to four. Repeat three more times. Don’t allow your mind to wander. Acknowledge any emotions that come up, then let them go and return your

t is 9:00 a.m., and you have awakened on auto-pilot to

focus to your breathing. Think about

greet your children, make them breakfast and healthy

how it feels to breathe in through your

lunch, ensure that they brushed their teeth, help them

nostrils and how it feels to breathe out

groom and get dressed, sign permission slips, re-glue what

through your lips. Allow yourself to

fell off the science project, drive them to school, and arrive to

focus on your lungs, expanding, and

work on time (miraculously). Now, you are sitting at your desk

contracting. Continue with intentional

in a total stupor, about to take your first sip of coffee. Though

breathing,

familiar and routine, you pat yourself on the back for these

breath and how it lands in your body,

accomplishments because insomnia hit you like a ton of bricks

what sensations you feel and where you

last night. Multiple scenarios of all the things you have to do

feel them as you inhale and exhale.

concentrating

your

today played out in colorful detail throughout the night, which yielded a dismal five hours of sleep. 62

Spring 2020

Enjoy the non-judgmental awareness of this present moment. Celebrate the purity of being by yourself. Continue to breathe and appreciate the gift of this time to yourself. Now, open your eyes, and focus on what is in front of you. Take in the sights and sounds around you - one at a time. See the color. Feel the texture. Listen, and find one sound you want to hear above the others. Smell the air. Have a mint and enjoy the taste of it on your tongue.

“Mindfulness equips us to be more responsive and less reactive when dealing with the challenges of court, technology, clients and other experiences that make up the life of a lawyer. Being mindful equates to being more effective.” Healthcare professionals with heavy caseloads and limited control of their work environment are discovering that

Congratulations! You have just experienced an exercise in mindfulness, which has very likely increased your mental clarity at the moment and IN the moment. Try to maintain this manifestation of awareness throughout the day by purposing to focus on one thing at a time, deeply listening to others when they speak, giving your full attention to each moment of your day. Should distractions try to overwhelm you, take a walk. If you can’t leave your office, turn away from the computer and repeat the exercise you just experienced.

Mindfulness training is scientifically proven to be helpful when it comes to relieving stress, managing distractions, and helping with concentration, all of which add up to higher productivity and satisfaction.

mindfulness helps to avoid burnout, which can reduce the quality of care for patients. Mindfulness training provides coping mechanisms for stress and helps to maintain optimum mental health. Women’s Heart Program Coordinator Avril L. James guides women at Piedmont Heart Institute in Sharpsburg to make better choices to support a heart-healthy lifestyle. The primary components of her program are: Flourish, Nourish, and Thrive! Flourish focuses on the mental and spiritual aspects of life. Nourish focuses on food, and Thrive centers on purposeful movement. Ms. James notes that Flourish is interestingly the most important as people are generally so stressed out.

Being mindful is hard for most of us because we have busy lives and regularly manage countless conflicting thoughts, which distract us from the present moment. Effectively managing distractive thoughts helps us recognize, but not be overwhelmed by emotions. Being mindful helps us to be more effective as professionals and less reactive when it comes to dealing with difficult challenges and personalities. In short, the practice of mindfulness helps us to be less reactive and more responsive. Statistically, over 18 million Americans have allowed space for meditation on their daily schedule, and 44% of American companies offer mindfulness training to their employees. There are numerous case studies regarding the success of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in the workplaces of attorneys, health care professionals, educators, and even professional athletes. Emory Law Alumnus Richard Reuben established the Mindfulness in Law Society (MILS) as a support hub for mindfulness in the legal profession.

Through MILS, legal

professionals from across the nation come together to support a collective interest in mindful lawyering via a variety of contemplative practices, including virtual sit-ins on “Mindful Mondays.” Reuben notes, Spring 2020

The practice of mindfulness for Avril began with the word yoga.

When Avril started practicing, mindfulness was considered mainly a precursor to attaining the state of yoga. “If you

She relates, “Yoga for me started as a spiritual practice

couldn’t pay attention,” Avril explains, “how could you stay

studying with a spiritual teacher, followed by sitting

still?” A postural instructor with an emphasis on meditation

meditation. Physical, postural practices

for 15 years, she encountered people

were considered only to be a supportive

who had more difficulty with their bodies,

practice. In the last 100 - 150 years,

yet considered the benefit of exploring

however, there has been more of an

meditation

emphasis on posturing. Yoga is a state of

at Piedmont Fitness in Atlanta agreed

absolute oneness or unification, meaning

to allow Avril to lead patients in some

that your mind is not fractured. In other

mindfulness classes. Avril took a wellness

words, there is no preoccupation with

coaching class, which partnered with

worrying about the world’s state of health

Harvard Business School. Throughout the

or what you will have for dinner. Instead,

course, Avril engaged in discussions about

your mind is in a complete state of oneness.

how using the tool of mindfulness while

If you are in a state of oneness, you are

working with patients made them more

not identifying with your age or weight or

self-aware.

with

them.

Her

superior

any kind of non-essential distraction. In essence, a state of oneness is a complete state of peace.”

From there, Avril turned her focus to teaching mindfulness as a dedicated practice. She relates, “Meditation is one method of

Mindfulness is born of the Buddhist religion, which encourages regular training.

mindfulness, and it is an opportunity to experience oneness, a heightened state of consciousness. Sensory mindfulness

Spring 2020

focuses on eating, smelling, and listening - noticing things like Gathas, known typically as pithy statements concerning otherwise mundane things that we take for granted. For example, as you brush your teeth, appreciate the water. Gathas encourage you to be mindful, but this takes practice. One can take a mindful drive, focusing for five minutes on keeping your hands at “ten and two” on the wheel. If you choose to do this exercise, you are sure to notice how difficult it is to be still.

Whereas postural yoga is mindfulness within the physical body, activities in mindful walking and mindful eating may include body gratitude practices. For instance, look at your feet for a whole day, noticing and appreciating them for holding you up all day, mostly moving from the outside world to your inner self.

Mindfulness also plays an integral role in changing the way a person thinks.

I am honored to serve as Most people hold a hamburger while chewing, waiting to take the next bite. Focusing on the Nourish portion of the heart-healthy living program, for example, Avril encourages women to take a bite, then put the food down, put the hands down, and chew until the food goes down the esophagus and falls into the gut. Only then should one pick up the food and repeat the practice.

your state representative for House District 70. Please contact me at lynn.smith@house.ga.gov

Avril notes, “A sommelier with a glass of wine cultivates an appreciation by savoring.

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When people take the time to appreciate food more, it inspires joy and generally makes them feel fuller sooner. People might also notice particular physical sensations when they are mindful of how it feels after they eat a piece of fruit versus how they feel after eating a bag of chips. People listen to their bodies when they are mindful, and as a result, they lose weight easier and feel better because they make better choices.”

Each of the classes at the Piedmont Heart Institute is free to patients of Piedmont cardiologists. During social distancing, Avril offers a bi-weekly 30-minute guided practice on Zoom, which is a time when students participate in the class together. She notes, “Most people gain greater experience with a collective consciousness during meditation.” Group meditations are free and open to the public, as are the low-to-no sodium cooking classes.

For additional information, view heart-healthy lifestyle opportunities at piedmont.org/WomenHealthSupport. View additional opportunities, free of charge, at https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/ mindfulness-meditation-session. 49 Newnan Station Drive Suite D, Newnan, GA • 678-673-6161 NewnanGA.CBDrx4u.com Spring 2020

Visions of Prosperity ENHANCED INVESTORS ALLIANCE

Increasingly, a dedicated community of local leaders is coalescing around a vision of prosperity that serves the collective benefit of those who live, work, play, and THRIVE in Coweta. The

Newnan-Coweta

Chamber

enjoys

the

participation of over 50 key stakeholders who, together, render a positive impact on the prosperity of one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Now, more than ever, investment in the Chamber is essential as our greater business community endeavors to recover from the devastating effects of

Members of the Enhanced Investors Alliance enjoy unprecedented access to key community leaders, information which informs the collaborative vision for increased economic prosperity, access to benefits and services, increased brand visibility, and more. Learn more about enhanced investment and discover how you can become a part of the Coweta fabric. Do your part and help us do ours.

the COVID-19 crisis. Our continued work to ensure that Coweta’s small businesses – foundational to a diverse and prosperous environment – not only survive, but thrive, depends on the support of key stakeholders like you who share in a collaborative vision of recovery, both economically and in spirit.

We are your game changer....

For more information about Enhanced Investment Opportunities, call Susan Kraut, Vice-President of Strategy and Operations at 470-865-3718 or email susan@newnancowetachamber.org.

Exhibits Video Production Events Ken Bennett www.krbcomm.com 678-642-3949

Spring 2020

Expecting a baby? Expect the best. Family centered maternity care puts the focus on you and your family. During labor, delivery, and post-partum care, your wishes guide decision making. And when you deliver with us, if unexpected complications arise, you will find comfort knowing that Piedmont Newnan Hospital has a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for premature or very ill infants.

piedmont.org

ÂŠ2019 Piedmont Healthcare 08240-0219

2020

Enhanced Investors PLATINUM

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Please contact our Leasing Ofﬁce at 770-415-5558 or visit our website at promenadenewnan.com to reserve your new home today.

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2014

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

UNITED STATES • CANADA • M EXI CO

E.G.O. is an international high-tech company and one of the leading global manufacturers of domestic and commercial appliance components. Major Home Appliances Commercial/Food Service Equipment Commercial Laundry E.G.O. North America, Inc. 83 Hillwood Circle • Newnan, GA • 770-251-3980

75 Jackson Properties................................................................ 43 Abby’s Angels............................................................................... 28 Air Logic Heating & Air Conditioning.......................................14 American Family Insurance | Renee Horton.............................2 Buffalo Rock..................................................................................21 Cabinet Envy................................................................................ 63 Cancer Treatment Centers of America................................... 55 Central Educational Center...................................................... 54 Champion Cleaning Systems................................................... 34 Contemporary Catering, Inc..................................................... 36 Coweta County School System............................................... 48 Coweta-Fayette EMC................................................................. 45 Dermatology Institute................................................................60 Downtown Sign Shop.................................................................19 E.G.O. North America................................................................. 70 Encompass Health and Rehabilitation.................................... 50 Fine Lines Art & Framing............................................................ 47 Foundation Academy................................................................. 29 Georgia Bone & Joint................................................................. 42 Georgia Power............................................................................. 24 Grayson’s Steak & Seafood....................................................... 46 Hammond Services..................................................................... 20 Honda of Newnan..........................................................................3 Infiniti of South Atlanta / Heritage Volkswagon.................... 35 Insignia of Newnan..................................................................... 52 Jersey Mike’s Subs......................................................................60 Kemp’s Dalton West Flooring................................................... 70 Knox Home Furnishings..............................................................15 KRB Communications................................................................ 66 Kumon Math & Reading Center............................................... 25 Lynn Smith, State House of Representative........................... 65 Modern Woodmen / Danny Nungesser................................. 50 Monster Tree Service.................................................................... 8 Newnan Utilities.......................................................................... 36 Newnan Views..............................................................................61 Nissan of Newnan......................................................................... 9 NuLink | WOW!...............................................................................5 Odyssey Charter School............................................................ 58 Peachtree OB/GYN..................................................................... 64 PhySlim.......................................................................................... 53 Piedmont Newnan Hospital...................................................... 67 PrintSource................................................................................... 69 Progressive Heating, Air and Plumbing.....................................7 Promenade at Newnan Crossing............................................. 68 SouthTowne Motors of Newnan.............................................. 49 The Cellar...................................................................................... 59 The Heritage School................................................................... 39 Wesley Woods of Newnan.........................................................41 Your CBD Store............................................................................ 65 United Bank.................................................................................. 27

www.egoproducts.com 70

Spring 2020

Coweta Counts RESOURCES. REPRESENTATION. RESPONSIBILITY. Learn the basics about the census, why it matters, and how to meet your civic responsibility.

For the first time ever, the census may be completed in one of three ways:

Online

Phone

IS IT REALLY

THE CENSUS?

ask for money or your bank account information

Mail

There is a risk of fraud or spam related to the census. But there are things that census forms or census workers will never do. So be aware the census will NOT:

ask for your Social Security number

come from a political party, like the Democrats or Republicans

send people to jail for not answering questions

Visit www.CowetaCounts.com for more info or www.2020Census.gov to ensure that YOU count! Every 10 years, the Constitution requires the United States to count the number of people living in the country. The census helps to direct more than $675 billion annually in federal funding. Census data is used by businesses, governments, and civic organizations to inform decision making about what services should be available in local areas.

Spring 2020

Connecting Coweta

health & wellness

Resources

small business

Solutions

takeout & curbside

Provisions

federal, state & local

Legislation

Keeping you informed

on the status of Coweta's resources Visit us online at ConnectingCoweta.com for all the most up-to-date information for our community as we navigate uncharted waters during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newnan-Coweta Chamber | 23 Bullsboro Drive, Newnan, GA 30263 | 770. 253.2270 | info@newnancowetachamber.org