By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–At a Zoom meeting with U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn Friday morning, Henry County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway praised the job the county’s health care professionals have been doing in administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
As we reported two weeks ago, Henry County is ranked No. 1 in Tennessee’s 95 counties in administration of the first dose of the vaccine, according to the State Department of Health.
Ridgeway told Blackburn he wanted to brag a bit on the local health care community, noting that on a recent Tuesday, the Henry County Medical Center administered 765 doses in five hours.
“The more doses we have the better off we will be in West Tennessee,” Ridgeway said.
Attending the Zoom session were Ridgeway, Paris-Henry County Chamber CEO Travis McLeese, Paris City Manager Kim Foster, Paris-Henry County Economic Development Director Rob Goad, HCMC Administrator Lisa Casteel, Director of Nursing Neely Ashby, and several other hospital representatives, State Sen. John Stevens, Blackburn and members of Blackburn’s staff.
Casteel said the COVID situation has stabilized considerably in recent days. “We went from having 23 patients with COVID in the hospital, with more ventilator usage than we have ventilators. Today, we have five COVID patients and nobody on the ventilators.”
As more vaccinations are distributed and people not traveling as much, Casteel said, “We’re hoping this will be our new normal for awhile.”
Blackburn asked about Henry County’s progress with providing broadband and wondered about the local sales tax revenue.
She said she and Congressman Dick Durbin are working on a program that would pay student loans of healthcare professionals in rural areas. “We feel this would be something very attractive in getting the work force into the rural areas,” she said.
Goad thanked Blackburn for her helping in achieving funding on eradication of Asian Carp. He noted locally there are two companies, North American Caviar and Hart’s Fish Market, which are providing markets for the Asian Carp which are being removed from Kentucky Lake.
Goad said, “We worked with the federal grant program to get them equipment and it’s been wildly successful. Every trip they bring in 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of carp and we have markets for it. Their product has proven to be very popular.”
He asked for Blackburn’s support in helping with completion of the widening of 641N. He noted that Kentucky was awarded a $20M grant to complete its project to the Tennessee state line. We’re seeing major traffic increases because of Kentucky’s work on project, so we will be submitting grant to TDOT.”
Blackburn said Henry County has its support on the project and that her office would be more than happy write letters of support.
She also said Tennessee “has the best local elected officials in our country. Our counties and state are doing a great job getting people back at work and kids in school. I’m grateful how everyone has come together.”