A rose to Crime Prevention Task Force, which will use its monthly meeting to stage a town hall to discuss its plans and seek citizen input as it addresses the recent uptick in violent crime in the community. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Trotter Center. During the meeting, the Task Force committees will lay out their plans, but also want to hear from citizens and ideas they may have. The task force hopes to use that information as it puts together its final report, which will then be presented to the mayor and council and police department. Monday’s meeting, then, is an opportunity to participate in these efforts, so whether you are simply interested in what steps are being considered or have ideas that, as of now, haven’t been presented, we encourage citizens to attend and participate. This is no time to be a passive observer. Community involvement is essential in developing plans and policies that help make our community safer.
A rose to the Starkville Utilities, which will use new technology to transform the wastewater and sewer it collects into fertilizer. Previously, waste was discharged into a lagoon at the department’s wastewater plant. Now, thanks to the addition of equipment that treats and dries the waste to make it usable as fertilizer, that waste will be converted into as much as 2,800 tons of usable product. The fertilizer produced through the new technology will be used to enhance parks and other green spaces throughout Starkville and is being funded through a $10 million bond approved by the board of aldermen in 2019. The new process will not increase taxes or customer rates. This is one of those “chicken salad” improvements that benefits the entire community.
A rose to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle for its recent designation from health insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield for its maternity care. The facility is being recognized for its work in meeting stringent criteria focused on patient safety and clinical outcomes. Quality health care with healthier outcomes for moms and babies is the goal of the Blue Distinction Center of Excellence for Maternity Care Designation. Such hospitals must first be designated by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, based on national criteria around quality, cost and total value, and then meet additional criteria as defined in the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi’s Maternity Quality Model. The Maternity Quality Model focuses on maternity best practices for improving maternal and infant health outcomes and making childbirth safer.
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