Stories | Recipes | Events | People | Places | Things | Local News February 2019
Wiregrass
Electric Cooperative
Serving rural Alabama
Wiregrass Medical Center works to care for the people of the Wiregrass
ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. AREA cooperative member subscriptions are $3 a year; non-member subscriptions, $6. Alabama Living (USPS 029920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office.
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POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014. ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION
AREA President Fred Braswell Editor Lenore Vickrey Managing Editor Allison Griffin Creative Director Mark Stephenson Art Director Michael Cornelison Advertising Director Jacob Johnson Advertising Coordinator, Graphic Designer Brooke Echols Communications Coordinator Laura Stewart
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Printed in America from American materials Alabama Living
Jeff Brannon returns to Geneva to be CEO of Wiregrass Medical Center.
Unsung heroes
WEC recognizes 2018 Silent Heroes
Those who paved the way WEC honors retirees at luncheon
D E PA R T M E N T S
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Returning home
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Jeff Brannon, CEO of Wiregrass Medical Center for more than a year, is working to bring quality health care to the Wiregrass despite the challenges a rural hospital faces. See story, page 6.
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We will continue to stand up for rural America Board of Trustees Donna Parrish District 2 President
Tracy Reeder District 5 Vice-President Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary John Clark, Jr. District 3
Danny McNeil District 4
Kip Justice District 6
Donald Ray Wilks District 7
Greg McCullough District 8
David Winstead District 9
Les Moreland, CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative As 2018 has come to a close, the Christmas season has ended and we are now at the beginning of a new year, it is always good for me to stop and reflect on the many blessings for which I am thankful. WEC recently welcomed back a group of our retired employees for a yearly luncheon. We enjoy the chance to give them a hug, talk about old memories and enjoy a wonderful meal together. But more than anything, we want to thank these people who dedicated their career to service at WEC. They paved the way to making this cooperative what it is today. Our cooperative is in sound financial shape. We have state-of-the-art equipment and some of the best and well-trained employees in the industry. The success of our cooperative today was made possible in large part by the sacrifices of those who came before us. They restored power to members in storms, snow and ice before bucket trucks were common. They answered outage calls at night and on weekends, and they worked extremely hard to make this cooperative one of the best in the nation. We also recently honored our 2018 Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass with a celebratory evening. Our cooperative is proud of this program, which, with the help of WTVY in Dothan, honors those who are doing great work to support the Wiregrass. These are people who help others in the community, and we feel that is something that should be honored. This program would not be possible without you, the members, who make monthly contributions to the Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation. We thank you for making this possible. Please take a moment to read more about both of these groups in this issue of Alabama Living. Another person you can read about is Jeff Brannon. He is in his first year as CEO of the Wiregrass Medical Center, but he is not new to the Wiregrass. He was born in Hartford and has
BROA DBAND FOR THE
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Wiregrass
worked in several hospitals in south Alabama. He has done a great job, and we are fortunate to have such a great hospital in our area. Another thing we like about Brannon is his passion to serve rural America. He’s dedicated to helping Wiregrass Medical Center provide the best health care to the Wiregrass region. Without the hospital’s critical services, some residents would not have access to health care. Our cooperative and Wiregrass Medical Center have a commitment to the community in common. This cooperative was formed 80 years ago to bring a much-needed service to the people of the Wiregrass — electricity. Today, there is a similar need for quality internet service. Almost a year ago, we announced a partnership with Troy Cable that would connect all of our offices and substations to a fiber optic internet network. This network will help us provide better services to our membership. Additionally, those living along the fiber buildout route will have the option to have access to their service. The list of members eligible for these services continues to grow, and about 25 percent of our members will eventually have access to this powerful service. While we would love to provide this service to all members, it is not now possible. However, we will soon be offering a satellite internet option for those who do not have access to the fiber network, and our goal is for 100 percent of our members to have a quality internet connection. Access to the internet is becoming an essential service, similar to the way electricity was 80 years ago when this cooperative was formed. Doctors need access. Farmers need access. Schools and students need access. Businesses and homes need access. Our cooperative has fought for rural America for 80 years, and we will continue to support our community into the future. n
Fiber internet is now available in certain areas!
Visit join.troycable.net for more information.
www.alabamaliving.coop
Want to lower your electric bill?
WEC Service Area
Turn to high-tech solutions
Smart devices can help you conserve energy and save money by automatically turning off the lights after you’ve left a room, managing heating and cooling throughout the house, and more. Energy audit
Before buying devices, consider learning what is consuming the most power in your home. Heating and cooling usually account for almost half the energy usage, but there are ways to find out how the rest is being used. Energy monitors — such as those made by Sense, $299, or Neurio, $219 — connect to your electrical panel and provide real-time data through a smartphone app or on the web about a home’s energy usage. They are great tools for finding out if it’s time to upgrade an old appliance to a more energy-efficient model. You can also sign up for a free home energy audit. A Wiregrass Electric Cooperative professional will visit your home to create a plan to help save money on your energy bill.
Thermostats
There are two big players in the smart thermostat market: Nest and Ecobee. Both offer features that can not only cut energy costs but also make your home more comfortable. Smart thermostats, which can be controlled remotely, also learn your routine, warming up the house before you get out of bed or keeping it cool as you come home from work. Which one to choose? Nest is owned by Google, and the thermostat is part of a line of smart
devices designed to interact with one another and that are easily controlled through Google Assistant. The Ecobee model, which comes with Amazon’s Alexa voice service built in, can double as a digital assistant and control hub for other devices.
Lights and devices
About 25 percent of the average utility bill comes from lights in the home, so being able to better manage their use is essential to cutting costs. Companies such as TP-Link and Wevo offer several solutions. You can replace a traditional light switch with a smart version or put a smart plug into any outlet. A smartphone app or digital assistant can control the lights. Several models of smart lightbulbs can be programmed or remotely controlled to switch on and off, dim, change color and even report their own energy use. A range of other energysaving options are also available. Motion sensors can turn lights off when no one is in the room. And smart power strips offer surge protection while also reporting how much energy a plugged-in device uses. The strips can even turn off the devices using too much power. n
Contact Information Mailing address 509 N. State Hwy 167 P.O. Box 158, Hartford, AL 36344 Phone 1-800-239-4602 Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day) Website www.wiregrass.coop Find us here:
Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (twitter. com/wec2), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Payment Options BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340 WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop. PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602. NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location. IN PERSON Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Payment kiosks also available 24/7 in all offices. Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 • Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 • Samson, AL 36477 Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway • Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. • Dothan, AL 36305 For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4781 or Dothan City Sanitation at 334-615-3820.
Alabama Living
FEBRUARY 2019 5
COMING HOME Jeff Brannon returns to Geneva County as CEO of Wiregrass Medical Center
Jeff Brannon loves rural America, and he loves Geneva County. Born and raised in Hartford, he jumped at the opportunity to become the CEO of Wiregrass Medical Center in Geneva. “I don’t want to sound like Bear Bryant, but mama called, so I came home,” he says. Brannon, who has worked in the medical field for more than 30 years, became the CEO of Wiregrass Medical Center in July 2017. He is passionate about helping people, which is why he chose to work in the medical field. And he felt it was time for him to aid the people in his community. “Jeff has done an outstanding job in his first year at Wiregrass Medical Center,” 6 FEBRUARY 2019
says Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro. “Geneva County is fortunate to have such a highquality hospital to serve the region, and it is even more fortunate to have a man like Jeff leading the way. He cares about the community and the people who live in it.” Wiregrass Medical Center employs 325 people, including 11 physicians and 125 nurses. The health care campus features the main hospital, a senior care unit and a 96-bed nursing home. While the hospital is a vital resource to Geneva County, rural hospitals do have their share of struggles. Brannon’s goal is to improve the quality of care in the community. “We want to make sure we are rep-
resenting the community in a positive light,” Brannon says. “We want people to believe in what we do and to know they’re going to be taken care of when they come here.”
A passion for helping
Brannon began his medical career as a nurse, but his passion for caring for people started much earlier. “My brother was in health care on the business side, and he told me that he thought I should be a nurse because he had seen my care for people. He thought I was compassionate,” Brannon says. “Back in that time, there were not a lot of male nurses. I’ve been a nurse now for 33 years.” www.alabamaliving.coop
Jeff Brannon oversees 325 total employees, including registered nurses Brandon Skinner and Natalie Johnson.
That passion came from caring for his mother, who struggled with health issues most of her life and died at an early age. He started his health care career at Flowers Hospital in Dothan as a patient care assistant, which allowed him to support the clinical staff while directly caring for patients. He became a registered nurse after graduating from Wallace State Community College in 1985. After working at Flowers Hospital for four years as a nurse, he moved to an administrative role at the hospital. He then left Dothan to become the CEO of Medical Center Enterprise, where he stayed for 11 years. “At that time, Enterprise was considered a rural market,” Brannon says. “It has grown past that now. I left Enterprise in 2013 and was fortunate to become the CEO at Monroe County Hospital in Monroeville, which is a small rural facility similar to Wiregrass Medical Center.” His time in Monroeville turned out to be beneficial because the governing structure is similar to Wiregrass Medical Center. Both facilities are health care authorities with an almost identical board of trustee structure. “My almost four years there allowed me to better understand the intricacies of how rural hospitals are governed,” Brannon says. “It was a great and valuable experience for which I am very grateful.” He stayed in Monroeville for almost four years before returning to his roots in Geneva County. Alabama Living
“You can’t get more rural than Geneva County,” he says. “I was born rural. I was raised rural. And I’m going to die rural. It’s a good life, and I want young people to realize how great home is. I remember saying that I was going to leave and never come back. Thank God I never left because I have friends who tell me all the time that they are trying to get back home. Rural life is a good life.”
Challenges ahead
Many rural hospitals, however, have struggled in recent years. Geneva County has a lot of uninsured citizens with financial and health issues. That makes it tough to operate a hospital, but Brannon came in with a plan to help the hospital succeed. “We believe the strategies we plan to implement will work in the long haul, but it’s going to take hard work every day,” he says. “Our goal is to be here to turn this place around into a positive light.” He believes Medicaid expansion would help the hospital, which supports state and federal initiatives to make that happen. Medicaid is a federal-state program that helps pay for health care for the needy, aged, blind and disabled, as well as for low-income families with children. The state determines eligibility and which health services are covered. The federal government reimburses a percentage of the state’s expenditures. “That would be a shot in the arm and help rural hospitals,” Brannon says. “It
would help us right here in Geneva. We are serving the underinsured, and we are underfunded. That’s the biggest challenge we have.” While some rural hospitals may struggle, Brannon believes they are still a vital resource to the community. Wiregrass Medical Center has a $40 million impact on the community financially. The hospital provides more than 300 jobs to the area, and the nursing home and senior care unit are a thriving business. People from all over southeast Alabama and northwest Florida take advantage of the service. Without the hospital, many people wouldn’t have access to care since larger markets like Montgomery, Mobile, Birmingham and even Dothan are too far for people to travel. “For me personally, I didn’t realize until I sat in this seat the large population we serve,” Brannon says. “If this hospital is not here, then people are going to have a hard time getting to a large market for health care. Trips to the doctor will get put off because people may have a transportation issue or they don’t know how to navigate to a bigger system.” And the hospital has plenty to offer, including a state-of-the-art 3D mammography machine, which provides breast cancer screenings. Also, telemedicine allows patients contact with specialists from other hospitals and a quality nursing home. Plus with nursing programs at Troy University, Wallace State, Lurleen B. Wallace and Enterprise State community colleges, the hospital has a great resource for quality medical professionals. The recently opened Geneva County Regional Technical Center, better known as G-Tech, offers health science classes, which will be a great resource to develop hospital workers. “People don’t need to travel to bigger markets because we can provide the quality health care they need right here in Geneva County,” Brannon says. “Providing quality primary care and making sure people utilize those services is what’s going to help us survive.” Letting the community know all the hospital offers is another initiative for Brannon. Wiregrass Medical Center has several programs in place to reach out to FEBRUARY 2019 7
Brandon Skinner, a registered nurse, looks over a vitals machine in the medicalsurgical unit at Wiregrass Medical Center.
the community. Last September, they offered a health fair that showcased what the hospital offers along with inviting vendors to set up booths and to educate people about things like diabetes, hospice care, home health care and health insurance. Also, in October during breast cancer awareness month, they offered a program called Ladies Night during which women could come in and learn how to do self-examinations and about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. “Our No. 1 goal is to make our county healthier,” Brannon says.
A great partnership
On the second day Brannon was on the job, Donnie Chesteen, who was a state representative at the time and has recently been elected to the state senate, called to inform Brannon about a meeting at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative called Grow Dothan. “He said, ‘This is a meeting you don’t need to miss,’” Brannon says. The meetings take place every three months and allow leaders and businesses in the Wiregrass to discuss ways to move the Wiregrass forward. Two important initiatives that have come from the meetings were G-Tech and the broadband initiative. Last spring, WEC and Troy Cable announced a partnership that would connect all of WEC’s offices and substations to a fiber optic network. Members living along that route would also receive fiber internet. The internet has become a vital resource, and rural Alabama was being left behind. Brannon says improved internet would allow the hospital to offer even more telemedicine options, and the initiative shows the power of the Grow Dothan meetings. “You have leaders of the region there. You are a stakeholder. You get to say things that need to be said. People ask you ques8 FEBRUARY 2019
Lisa Dezan is a registered nurse who works with telemedicine. Telemedicine allows Wiregrass Medical Center patients to communicate with specialists from other hospitals.
tions, and it helps move the region forward. I am so grateful that Wiregrass Electric has agreed to host those meetings,” Brannon says. WEC and Wiregrass Medical Center have been great partners for many years. In 2017, WEC’s Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 to purchase new beds for the nursing home, which is the driving financial force for the hospital. “The leadership at Wiregrass Electric and the willingness to take the initiatives they have done should be commended,” Brannon says. “They have forward-thinking people who want to make a difference. The people at Wiregrass Electric are the same kind of people here at Wiregrass Medical Center. They want to make a difference in the community they live in, and they want to improve the area for generations beyond ours. The people at Wiregrass Electric and their board are making decisions that are making our area better.” n www.alabamaliving.coop
Front row, from left, are WEC board member Debra Baxley, WEC board President Donna Parrish, WEC Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation board President David Hall, Silent Hero Jennifer Nichols, Silent Hero Kasey Morris, Silent Hero Pepper Smith, foundation board member Susan Bailey and foundation board member Delain Faulk. Back row, from left, are WEC board member John Clark Jr., WEC board member Danny McNeil, foundation board member Stanley Aman, Silent Hero Steve Hardwick, Silent Hero Mark Freeman, Silent Hero Joe Barton, foundation board member J. Everette Stewart and WEC board member Tracy Reeder.
WEC HONORS 2018 SILENT HEROES OF THE WIREGRASS Spencer Bienvenue moved to Dothan in 2015 to become the vice president and general manager of WTVY, and he wanted to do something to recognize people in the Wiregrass who were doing great, but unnoticed, work. His goal was to create Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass, similar to a project at his previous job in Lafayette, Louisiana. “When I moved to Dothan, I thought that, considering the way this community supports its people, this would be something phenomenal for us to do,” Bienvenue says. However, he needed a partner to make it work. And he found that partner in Wiregrass Electric Cooperative. “Knowing Brad Kimbro and Wiregrass Electric and their link to the community, I knew they would be perfect for this project,” Bienvenue says. The results have been better than he imagined. Since the program started two years ago, WTVY and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation have selected more than 20 Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass. In November, WTVY and WEC hosted a banquet at KBC in Dothan to honor the winners from the second year of the program. The winners from the past year included people helping families deal with the loss of a child or loved one, volunteering in local schools, assisting law enforcement, helping senior citizens, feeding the less fortunate and much more. “Each winner selected is the perfect example of what a silent hero is,” says WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro. “They are just normal people doing great things because they feel it’s the right thing to do. They aren’t doing it for the recognition. They are doing it from the goodness of their hearts. They are all an inspiration, and we are so proud to partner with WTVY to make this program possible.” Each month’s winner is selected by the Operation Round Up board of trustees, which is made up of WEC members. The foundation is funded by WEC members who have agreed to have their monthly energy bill rounded up to the nearest whole dollar. The money is then used for charitable projects in the community, like Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass. The recipients are presented with a $1,000 check from the foundation during a WTVY news broadcast, which also serves as a platform to discuss their projects. 50 FEBRUARY 2019
“I’ve served on many boards over the years, and none of them compare to the feeling of satisfaction I get with the Silent Hero program,” says David Hall, Operation Round Up board president. “Every one of the recipients is more than deserving, and each is an inspiration to us all. All of our board members are so proud to be a part of something like this.” Bienvenue says it’s a news station’s job to report the hard-pressing news, but WTVY also feels an obligation to shine a light on the positive stories in the community. “When you see people like this locally, it just instills hope in you,” Bienvenue says. “I knew this would be successful, but our partnership with Wiregrass Electric and the people we have been able to highlight has been even better than I expected.” n
2018 SILENT HEROES OF THE WIREGRASS January — Kasey Morris, director of Cottonwood Senior Center February — Steve Hardwick, organized the Angel of Hope Statue March — Chris Hughes, organized a youth baseball league in Kinston and Samson April — Kyle Hovey, involved with EMT/EMS services for Slocomb, Geneva and Dothan May — Joe Barton, captain of Covington County Sheriff’s Posse June — Becky Mitchell, Mulkey Elementary School
July — Pepper Smith, provides meals for people in Geneva each month August — Mark Freeman, mentor at Dothan’s Grandview Elementary School September — Chris Moore, volunteer at Heard Magnet School October — Ken and Martha Tuck, Love in Action Ministries November — Jennifer Nichols, founder and President of Hand Up Enterprise December — Miles Coleman, treasurer at the Dothan Botanical Gardens
www.alabamaliving.coop
Honoring those who paved the way Roger Simmons remembers the difficulty of his first few months working at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative. He was 18 and in an entry-level position as a groundsman on an electric linemen crew. The cooperative did not yet have bucket trucks. So on his first day, Simmons was taught to climb a pole. “I didn’t know a thing about anything when I first started,” he says with a laugh. “The beginning wasn’t all that great, but I knew that in a small town, this was one of the best jobs you could have, and it panned out for me where I was able to work my way up.” Simmons spent 37 years with WEC, earning his way from a job as a lineman to construction foreman and eventually to operations manager before he retired in 2006. He was one of the many retired employees welcomed back to WEC at the annual retiree luncheon at the main office in Hartford. Stories filled the room as the retirees talked about times gone by before they received an update on the cooperative from CEO Les Moreland. WEC makes it a priority to bring the retirees back each year to honor the sacrifices they made for the cooperative and its members. “They made our cooperative what it is today,” WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro says. “Everything we have today, we owe to them. They paved the way and did things the hard way so we could enjoy the luxuries we have.” Simmons says he and his wife look forward to the event each year. “Since I retired I don’t get to see these people more than once a year, and we really look forward to it,” Simmons says. “I make sure I thank the cooperative for letting us come back because they don’t have to do. It means a lot to us.” After thanking the group, Moreland discussed the great works of the Operation Round Up Charitable Foundation and how the cooperative handled the nine-day Hurricane Michael restoration. The retirees were thankful for the efforts of the cooperative and shared stories of storms they worked like Hurricane Eloise in 1975, Opal in 1995 and Katrina in 2004. Alabama Living
WEC's retired employees recently got together for their annual luncheon at the main office in Hartford.
WEC retiree Billy Blalock visits with Jim Palmer at the retiree luncheon in Hartford. Retired WEC employee Roger Simmons speaks with VP of Engineering and Operations Jason Thrash.
WEC retiree Wanda Broxson hugs Cary Hatcher at the retiree luncheon in Hartford.
Moreland also gave an update on WEC’s new partnership with Troy Cable to connect WEC’s offices and substations to a fast fiber optic internet network. The members along that route will also be able to acquire the service. “Internet is becoming as essential as electricity was when the cooperative was formed,” Moreland says. “We felt that if we didn’t do something, rural America would suffer. Doctors, farmers, students
Retiree Ladair Palmer enjoys his door prize at the 2018 retiree luncheon.
and businesses all need a quality internet connection, and we wanted to help provide it.” From great discussions to updates about the cooperative’s status, the luncheon allowed retirees to remain connected to WEC. “We’re all a big family, and we need to keep it a family,” says WEC District 9 board member David Winstead. n FEBRUARY 2019 51