Augusta, GA

$40,000 presented to newly graduated physician assistant at AU

Published

2 months ago

May 14, 2024

,000 presented to newly graduated physician assistant at AU

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The $40,000 John F. Beard Award at Augusta University has been presented to a graduate who’s described as a compassionate caregiver who puts patients first.

The honor went to Kendrick De Castro at AU’s May 9 commencement ceremony.

“Kendrick anticipates patients’ needs and goes above and beyond to make their medical care as comfortable as possible. He shows sincere care and interest, and holds the patient as the priority,” said Melania Velasquez, a physician assistant at Wellstar MCG Health who taught De Castro and worked alongside him during his OB/GYN rotation.

The $40,000 Beard Award, funded by philanthropists William Porter “Billy” Payne and his wife, Martha, is presented annually to a graduating College of Allied Health Sciences, Medical College of Georgia, College of Nursing or Graduate School student who exemplifies caring and compassion in health care.

“Kendrick’s friendly, genuine bedside manner has earned him the adoration of many patients, and his professional and caring connection to patients has eased patient reservations and also comforted children through traumatic procedures,” said Elizabeth Prince-Coleman, program director and assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Department in the College of Allied Health Sciences. “He goes beyond the expectations of a student in clinical services, offering help with patient transport; ensuring routine care like IV removal does not interfere with quality-of-life needs such as meal time; and writing down medication names for patients – unsolicited – to help them navigate the pharmacy.”

De Castro, who is from the metro Atlanta area, earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia State University before coming to AU. He is a licensed pharmacy technician and is proficient in English, Spanish and Tagolog, a Filipino language.

“Kendrick works diligently with the student volunteer clinics to serve populations often marginalized in our society and health care system. He works to understand the challenges patients face not only with medical symptoms, but also the barriers to better health from other aspects of their lives,” said Prince-Coleman.

De Castro can often be found volunteering at those clinics, including the Equality Clinic, Faithcare Clinic and Clı́nica Latina.

“Kendrick’s actions and interactions with patients reflect a genuine concern for their physical, social and emotional well-being,” said Tiana Brown, Clinica Latina coordinator. “He has a unique gift for making patients feel heard and valued in the medical decision-making process, and he connects with them on a personal level.”

Beyond his interactions with patients, De Castro has created a culture of care and compassion among his cohort.

“Kendrick emerged as the light and the compass of our class,” said classmate Ellie Pontiakos. “He would go out of his way to send uplifting messages each day to the group. He provided positivity and comfort in a period of newness and anxiety.”

Amber A. Garrett, another classmate in the PA program, agreed.

“From the start, Kendrick embodied extraordinary character, marked by authenticity, compassion and kindness. Within the first week of knowing him, our cohort made the unanimous decision to appoint him as our class president, a role he has embraced with unwavering dedication,” Garrett said.

Gov. Kemp Vetoed Independent Pharmacy bill

As class president, De Castro served as the liaison between faculty and his classmates and provided support to his cohort. From his daily messages to his ability to relate to anyone, De Castro has been a pillar of support for his patients and classmates alike.

“His ability to prioritize the needs of others above his own, even in the midst of adversity, speaks volumes about his character and commitment to compassionate service,” said Amanda Breeden, an assistant professor and De Castro’s academic adviser.

“Kendrick will be a great blessing to his future patients, not only in the care and compassion he provides directly to them, but also in the care and compassion I know he will invest in the entire team around him,” said Prince-Coleman, who was recognized with the Beard award in 2015.

The Beard Award was established in 1998 by Payne, the immediate past chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, in memory of his father-in-law, who died of cancer in 1997. The award honors President Emeritus Francis J. Tedesco, MD, and Beard’s physician, Mark F. Williams, MD, a 1988 MCG graduate who treated Beard during his hospitalization.

This is the second consecutive year that a graduate in the College of Allied Health Sciences has earned this prestigious recognition.

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Augusta, GA

Cold case solved: Suspect arrested in 2019 Augusta slaying

Published

1 hour ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Cold case solved: Suspect arrested in 2019 Augusta slaying

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a suspect in connection with a 2019 murder.

On Dec. 30, 2019, at 4:47 am., the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office responded to 2106 Bayvale Road to investigate the murder of Dwayne Lane, 52.

The case had remained in a cold case status until Friday.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division was able to find and interview original witnesses as well as new witnesses.

As a result, investigators were able to arrest Willie Ferrell, 42, in connection with the killing.

Ferrell was booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.

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Augusta, GA

Complete this survey to create a more climate resilient Augusta

Published

8 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Complete this survey to create a more climate resilient Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The University of Georgia is seeking the public’s help in creating more climate resilience in Augusta.

The project aims to address the impacts of climate change in vulnerable and underserved communities in Georgia.

The team consists of a group of climate scientists from UGA, who are partnering with the Georgia Climate Project (GCP), Greater Augusta’s Interfaith Coalition (GAIC) and Black Voters Matter (BVM).

“We noticed there is a lot of resilience work going on around Atlanta and the coast, but there is this big swath in the middle of Georgia that is not getting a lot of attention,” said Dr. Patricia Yager. “A lot of folks are being impacted but not getting resources. So, UGA and the Georgia Climate Project asked around to see who was interested and we got a lot of enthusiasm from the Augusta community. This is hoping to be a model effort for other communities across the state.”

The team will help provide climate risk information to underserved communities in Augusta.

The project will also offer guidance and resources for making good decisions to respond to extreme weather.

Resilient solutions include:

Designing infrastructure to direct water to planted areas can reduce flooding.
Electric public transportation can reduce emissions that worsen air quality.
Increasing green spaces in the city, like installing green roofs, can reduce urban heat.

The project team says their goal is to “listen to Augusta residents, interpret Augusta-specific climate science data and identify solutions to help Augusta residents cope with extreme weather.”

To complete the survey, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7PTfE8WIx1O-NRBrCjn2ujh_KhmW66_Rhn7dEg9FuOEggNQ/viewform.

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Augusta, GA

I-TEAM UPDATE: Silent Alarms continue inside the Augusta Fire Department

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

I-TEAM UPDATE: Silent Alarms continue inside the Augusta Fire Department

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A system that’s supposed to get help to you faster but instead is causing calls to go unanswered and delays with deadly outcomes for taxpayers in Richmond County.

For the past six months, the I-TEAM has been investigating Augusta’s 911 dispatching for fire stations across Richmond County.

It’s raising the question: How do you know if first responders will show up when it’s you and your family calling for help?

That was the reality for Waralene Currie, who lives in Richmond County.

An early morning emergency is now a blur for her. She can’t remember much — because she wasn’t awake when first responders arrived at her home.

FULL I-TEAM COVERAGE:

A 911 report sheds light on what happened that morning her family called 911 for help. She was unconscious and her family was doing CPR while waiting for first responders to arrive, according to the report.

“They didn’t think that I was going to pull through,” said Currie.

On August 31, 2022, at 1:50 a.m., Currie’s family called 911 for help as she was having a heart attack. 911 dispatchers send an ambulance and firefighters trained as EMTs.

It takes 11 minutes for dispatch to notice Augusta Fire Station 16 isn’t responding, according to 911 documents and dispatch radio traffic. After those 11 minutes pass by — dispatch calls for Engine 16 twice in a matter for 35 seconds.

Engine 16 was the initial unit called to Currie’s home.

Another five minutes tick by, but 911 has to dispatch to a completely different station. Engine 6 responds to the call instead.

After being dispatched, Engine 6 radios to dispatch asking if 16 is responding to the call. Dispatch responds saying, “That’s affirmative but they weren’t acknowledging Purvis. I couldn’t get ahold of Engine Company 16. Engine 6, we were trying to call them on the telephone. They’re not answering.”

23 minutes go by before firefighters finally arrive at Currie’s home.

The I-TEAM reviewed 911 records and found Engine 16 never received the emergency call. Dispatch manually called the station landline, but no one heard it.

“By the time I got to the hospital, I had had a stroke along with a heart attack and was in there for a week,” said Currie.

Currie’s case is one of at least 139 dispatching errors discovered by the I-TEAM. That includes everything from car accidents to fires and medical emergencies, like the one experienced by Currie.

“In my case, it could’ve cost me my life,” said Currie.

For Tommy Williams’ family, the price of the problem cost two lives. Our I-TEAM shared their story first on April 29, 2024.

Teresa Ingram and Rex Williams didn’t make it alive from a house fire. Both were found inside just steps from the front door and just across the street from Station 16, which never received the initial call from dispatch.

“It’s literally right across the street from the fire department,” said one 911 caller.

The I-TEAM found hundreds of emails within the Augusta Fire Department. Emails like one saying, “Engine 13 was dispatched over Purvis — and did not receive tones. There was a 16-minute response to a call that was 200 yards from the station.”

Another email wrote, “There was a network outage — and the internet was down for over three to four hours. During that time, Purvis failed to work. If you did not manually send the call, they never received it.”

Purvis is part of Augusta’s 911 response equipment. A dispatcher types in a location.

Purvis is supposed to then dispatch help based on the location and urgency of the emergency.

The data goes through an interface designed by Tyler Technologies. The I-TEAM has now learned the city may have known Tyler Technologies was a potential problem three years ago.

MORE FROM THE I-TEAM:

An email from September 2021 shows issues with Tyler Technologies’ CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) interface when the Purvis System was being tested.

Purvis reached out to Tyler Technologies via email saying, “We obviously have been testing with Augusta Fire, and I am sensing their patience is wearing thin. But also, the next customer down the road, Nassau County Fire, is talking about canceling the project because this has been lingering for so long.”

The system failures have a face and a human cost. Through the I-TEAM’s open records request, we found out the Augusta Fire Department never tracked just how many times initial emergency calls went unanswered.

We know it was at least 139 calls because we confirmed that after spending four months reviewing county emails, but there could be more.

Currie’s case is a perfect example of the failure of this system. Her case may be a small percentage, but those are lifesaving services. These are things that people could die over, no matter if it’s one case or a thousand cases.

“It’s alarming. I would like to be able to call them and get the help that I need,” said Currie.

It appears the fire department only began to investigate after the I-TEAM started to investigate.

On March 12, 2024, James Perkins wrote, “As you may have heard, the news media is investigating calls that Purvis is not announcing. I would like to set up a meeting to discuss this and possibly reach out to Tyler and have them investigate. The latest incident occurred today for a working structure fire.”

Currie cherishes every day, but her sense of safety has been shaken since that morning two years ago.

The I-TEAM reached out to the Augusta Fire Department a handful of times for a sit-down interview with Fire Chief Antonio Burden.

They provided the I-TEAM a statement saying:

“Thank you for reaching out regarding the Augusta Fire Department. Chief Burden appreciates your interest in providing a comprehensive view of our operations to the citizens of Richmond County.

We believe our previous communications and the open records we have provided effectively demonstrate the Augusta Fire Department’s commitment to our dispatching system. Our mission is to keep the citizens of Augusta well-informed and to deliver professional and efficient emergency services, ensuring the protection of lives, property, and the environment within our community. At this time, we have no further comments on this matter. Thank you for your understanding and consideration.”

The I-TEAM previously reached out to Augusta Commissioner Catherine Smith-McKnight for comment on our ongoing investigation. She chairs the Public Safety Committee in Richmond County. She told the I-TEAM the issue would be brought up at a commission meeting on May 28, 2024.

The discussion of the I-TEAM report was moved to executive session. As of now, there has been no indication city leaders or fire officials have discussed our investigation in a legal meeting.

We’ll continue following this story and keep you updated as we uncover more information.

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