Upper Savannah Council of Governments provides a wide scope of services and performs many functions. This activities report highlights this information and offers us the chance to regularly communicate our general activities in your county with you. Download the September report here.

 

Upper Savannah COG played a leading role in Piedmont Technical College receiving an $11.27 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant award for construction of a new health science building. The grant award was the largest ever received from an Upper Savannah submitted application.

Upper Savannah Government Services Director Rick Green said the COG and Piedmont Tech (PTC) were in “the right place at the right time” in receiving the grant award.

This project consists of the construction of a 27,000 square foot building for PTC’s Nursing and Health Science programs. The building is to be constructed on 1.5 acres on the PTC Greenwood Campus adjacent to the existing Health Science Building.

The two-story building will be approximately 150 feet by 90 feet with a structural steel frame and combination of masonry, and curtain wall exterior with a low slope PVC roofing system.

The total project cost is $14,089,621. The federal grant award of $11,271,697 announced in early October covers 80 percent of the cost of the project. The applicant (PTC) will contribute a required 20 percent match of $2,817,924.

This project will provide spaces that simulate real-world conditions which align with industry standards to prepare healthcare students to be work-ready upon graduation. The building will include 10 nursing simulation spaces, six nursing skills labs, three classrooms, two computer labs, two debrief/collaboration rooms, an echo simulation lab, and a catheterization lab.

Upper Savannah first submitted an application to EDA in April 2023 as part of a disaster declaration related to Hurricane Ian. Disaster declarations allow for higher request amounts than typical $1 to $2 million EDA applications and also require smaller matches, Green said. So USCOG requested $6 million on PTC’s behalf.

“The original disaster declaration application did not get funded. But the application was still in the system and our EDA rep Robin (Cooley) recommended that we apply in the regular (EDA) cycle,” Green said.

“We moved everything over to the regular cycle, which would typically mean a higher match. We left the request at $6 million. Then Robin calls in late August and said a (proposed) project had fallen through and asked would Piedmont Tech be interested in seven million instead of six million?” Green said.

“She called back and another project had fallen through and they (EDA) needed to allocate the money by the end of September. She said, would Piedmont Tech be interested in 11 million dollars?

“And that’s how we got to that number, just being in the right place at the right time with other projects in other places falling through,” he said.

Had the grant even been $6 million, PTC would have had to find funding from other sources to cover the remaining costs of the building.

Green said the building will provide a great service to the entire Upper Savannah Region as PTC will be better able to train future healthcare workers to serve throughout the area.

“It gives them more modern facilities and allows more space where they can focus on the types of training activities that they need,” Green said. “The space that they currently have is smaller and outdated. I am glad that Piedmont Tech can take advantage of this opportunity. It is a huge need and something Piedmont Tech has wanted for a very long time. It will impact the whole region.”

Upper Savannah staff will administer the project, which includes sending quarterly progress reports to EDA. The COG will work with a project manager who is assigned by EDA as well as the architect and PTC staff.

A timeline for requesting bids and awarding a construction contract and the actual construction beginning and end dates have not yet been set.

Green prepared the grant application while USCOG Government Services Project Manager Cason Wright provided assistance with the environmental review. Upper Savannah Assistant Director Sam Leaman was also involved.

Upper Savannah staff worked with PTC Associate Vice President for Executive Affairs Caroline Chappell to complete the application.

Back in 2018, Upper Savannah secured a $1.5 million EDA grant for construction of the William H. “Billy” O’Dell Upstate Center For Manufacturing Excellence in 2018. The 45,000 square foot, $12.5 million facility houses PTC’s Welding, Machine Tool Technology and Mechatronics programs as well as space for workforce training.

Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging staff have been busy participating in outreach events throughout the Region, including Caregiver Appreciation Day Monday at a Greenwood church.

Close to 100 caregivers attended the event at New Journey Church. Caregivers who participated in Upper Savannah’s Family Caregiver Support program during FY ’24 were invited.

Other outreach events upcoming in the next week in which the AAA will participate include the United Way of the Lakelands Community Care Fair Sept. 26 at the United Center on Phoenix Street in Greenwood and the Senior Expo at Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood Oct. 1.

Staff have participated in outreach events in every county in the Upper Savannah Region in the last few months.

Family Caregiver Advocate and Educator Dorinne Dubois from the Appalachian Council of Governments was guest speaker at Caregiver Appreciation Day. Her topic was caregiver burnout.

“A caregiver by nature is not self-centered,” she told the caregivers. “We don’t think about ourselves. But you have to take care of yourselves.”

She said a caregiver’s job description is literally “everything.” It’s providing meals, washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning, giving baths, taking loved ones to doctor appointments, etc.

And when the care receiver has dementia, “you are thinking for them too,” she said.

“We even have seniors raising grandchildren and taking care of their spouse at the same time,” Dubois said.

She said caregiver burnout typically consists of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.

Dubois suggested breathing exercises, taking breaks such as a short walk when possible, and most importantly asking for help.

“You are a superhuman being but you are still a human being,” she said. “Caregivers don’t want to ask for help, don’t know how to ask for help.”

She said when family members or friends ask, “can I do something for you,” let them.

“Write a list of things you need help with and let them pick, that way you are giving them a choice and not feeling like you are forcing them to do something,” she said. “Let them take some of those things off your plate.”

Dubois suggested getting educated on being a caregiver, get with other caregivers such as support groups, use respite services, and don’t feel guilty about asking for help. Let children and others sit with loved ones to allow yourself a break.

Upper Savannah Family Caregiver Advocate Aeriell Bowick and AAA co-workers hosted the event. Bowick can be reached at 864 941-8067 for more information about resources for caregivers.

DDSN/DMH Long Term Care Ombudsman/Volunteer Ombudsman Coordinator Ashley Capps and Assessor Chasity Lewis informed caregivers about the Ombudsman program where volunteers visit residents in assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

“You can be a friendly visitor and let them know they are not forgotten,” said Lewis, a former volunteer Ombudsman who now assesses clients for AAA services.

“It’s a very rewarding experience,” Capps added. “We are really in need of volunteers.”

Capps said a recent study indicates that only around 60 percent of assisted living and nursing home residents are visited by family or friends.

Regional SHIP Specialist Christy Stroud told caregivers that the Medicare Open Enrollment period will be Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2024, when clients can make appointments with her by phone or in person to discuss their Medicare prescription drug plans.

“It’s not which plan is the best, it’s which plan is best for you,” she said.

Stroud said prescription drug coverage will be capped at $2,000 per year. Stroud said seniors need to be aware of scams, including the recording of a senior saying “yes” to can you hear me or is your name…” can lead to unknowingly being signed up for an unwanted Medicare Advantage Plan.

Stroud told of a mother who nearly wired a significant amount of money because an artificial intelligence recording of her daughter’s voice seemed to indicate her life was in danger. She said the best scam defense is to not answer unrecognized phone numbers.

The AAA services offered to qualified seniors include home-delivered meals, group dining, medical and essential transportation, minor home repair (ramps, grab bars, hand rails), family caregiver support, home care, respite care and legal assistance. Call the AAA at 864 941-8050 for more information.

The application deadline for the second round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant (CFI) Program has been extended from August 28 to September 11, 2024.

The CFI Program is a competitive grant program created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work.

CFI Program investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles. This program provides two funding categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Alternative Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) Charging and Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program).

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $2.5 billion over five years for this program to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities in publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods, particularly in underserved and disadvantaged communities.

Eligible applicants include metropolitan planning organizations, unit of local governments, and special purpose districts or public authorities with a transportation function. Each application requires a 20 percent local match.

Applications may be submitted at grants.gov. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact Neelam Patel at Neelam.Patel@dot.gov.