Health Story Archives - Page 6 of 21 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Reducing Pollution In New River Gorge Through Community Volunteer Efforts

Rafters and kayakers who travel the New River Gorge go through water that feeds in from several sources. One such waterway is Piney Creek. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, as far back as the 1970s Piney Creek has contained sewage and high levels of fecal coliform, aluminum and iron. In 2002, the DEP listed Piney Creek as one of the worst-polluted streams in the state. A group of citizens formed a non-profit, called the Piney Creek Watershed, to help clean up the pollution.

Stormie Surface and Dayton Copeland are recent high school graduates in Fayette County and live near Piney Creek. For their first radio piece, Stormie and Dayton interviewed Corey Lilly, executive director for the Piney Creek Watershed Association, to get an idea of the progress his group has made to make it safer for residents in Fayette and Raleigh Counties to drink their water. This is an excerpt of that conversation, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

Stormie Surface: Do you know what the current status of the Piney Creek watershed is?

David Smith kayaking in Piney Creek. Smith is seen here dropping one of the bigger rapids on the creek as he makes his way down to the New River.

Corey Lilly: The current status is it is an impaired stream, so this creek is heavily impacted by the development of the city of Beckley. There are more than 20 sewer plants along the creek, and historically those have been providing a lot of sewage drain into the stream. With the recent upgrades it’s improved quite a bit.

Copeland: Where does Piney Creek flow and what other rivers are affected by it?

Lilly: Piney Creek flows into the New River Gorge, and it is a National River protected by the federal government. And there’s a large tourism industry that surrounds the New River. Every year tens of thousands of people come to the area to recreate in the New River Gorge. So there’s a big push to try to increase the quality of the water in the New River Gorge because we don’t want people getting sick. We want people to be able to go out and recreate and have a good time.

One of our most successful jobs has been at the YMCA soccer complex in Beckley. There was a barren piece of land from an old mine site that our organization found funding for, and we were able to clean it up and plant a lot of vegetation and bring in some gardens that helped bring back some insects that were needed. And so we reduced the soil load that went into the stream, as well as planted vegetation and brought back some of the wildlife there.

A litter clean up organized by the Piney Creek Watershed Association.

Copeland: And while improving the drinking water for thousands of people is the main purpose of the watershed, Lilly said he also sees a lot of value in getting people out in their community, working on projects together.

Lilly: We want to help those people in our community the best way that we can. I’ve personally received increases of quality of my life through outdoor recreation and being outside and being with friends and family in a healthy environment. The more people that we can get outside, the better our world is going to be.

Surface: Even though the coronavirus pandemic has put these community events on hold for now, Lilly said he hopes to be able to plan some type of a volunteer event sometime this summer or fall.

Stormie Surface and Dayton Copeland are recent graduates from the Fayette Institute of Technology. Their interview with Corey Lilly was part of a mentorship project with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, as part of their multi-media class.

Pediatricians Are Concerned Children May Be Falling Behind On Vaccines

Health departments and pediatricians across West Virginia are offering back-to- school immunization clinics over the coming months. Health officials and pediatricians are concerned that if children fall behind on vaccinations during the pandemic, the state could face a second crisis with an outbreak of vaccine-preventable disease.

Children across the state have not been making it to recommended well-child visits, said Dr. Kathryn Moffett, a pediatric disease specialist at WVU Medicine. “And that has led to a decrease in routine vaccinations for children, specifically for young children who may not have even completed their primary series of vaccines.”

Moffett added that there may be some evidence to suggest that fully vaccinated children may actually be protected against COVID disease.

“And we’re not really sure why that is but it seems that the MMR vaccine actually protects children from severe COVID disease,” she said.

MMR vaccines protect against measles, mumps and rubella.

Some health departments and clinics are offering drive-through vaccines. Parents are encouraged to call their local pediatrician or health department for a full listing of vaccination events in their area.

Wrestlers And Fans Venture 'Out Of The Darkness' With Drive-In Show

You’ve heard of drive-in movies and drive-in restaurants… But how about drive-in professional wrestling?

The All Star Wrestling company out of Madison, Boone County, held its first drive-in event Saturday night to more easily adhere to social distancing guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 50 cars surrounded a padded ring in the middle of a field behind Lee’s Studio of Dance in Winfield, Putnam County. The site sometimes doubles as the haunted attraction “Fear on the Farm.”

Many fans wore face masks to prevent COVID-19 spread, and most watched at a safe distance from the ring and each other. Between matches, someone would hop into the ring with wipes and disinfectant, to sanitize the ropes and padding.

“The Mobile Home Wrecker” Bruce Grey walks into the ring for the evening’s first match.

“Pro wrestling is about the energy that comes from the live crowd,” said ASW owner and promoter Gary Damron, who donned his own ASW-themed mask for the event. “The boos and the cheers, that’s what makes wrestling wrestling.”

The company already had to cancel three summer shows due to the pandemic, according to Damron. “The Return: Out of The Darkness,” the show Saturday night, originally was going to happen indoors at the Madison Civic Center, until the company decided outside was safer.

ASW heavyweight champion “Pure Trash” Ron Mathis prepares to defend his title in a match against Shane Storm.

ASW isn’t the only group navigating a global pandemic. World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling, both of which televise their matches nationally, closed many of their matches to fans earlier this summer.

In late June, several WWE employees shared they had tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the company to temporarily halt production and test staff, according to USA Today.

For the ASW show Saturday night, Damron said wrestlers were screened for symptoms before matches.

Huffmanly, “Leader of the Yeet Movement,” shouts to fans from the corner of the ring.

Of all the wrestlers and others at Saturday night’s show, including AEW manager and visiting personality Vicky Guerrero, the crowd was the loudest. Fans booed at body slams, cheered at body flips and lined up around merchandise tables, where wrestlers and the company sold themed t-shirts, stickers and DVDs.

Fans like Ben Musick and Al Scott from Portsmouth, Ohio, arrived hours early.

“I’ve watched wrestling in 17 states now, I think,” said Scott. “And West Virginia’s up there, it’s probably in my top five. … You can’t do certain moves in certain states and all that good stuff, but in West Virginia it’s sort of like the Wild West. You can do whatever you want.”

The Neon Ninja Façade throws Seth “Flippin” Martin into the air.

This wasn’t Musick and Scott’s first wrestling event of the summer. Both were at another show in Milton, Cabell County, from the IWA East Coast Company the previous weekend.

“I think they drew about 180 people, is what the Facebook [page] said, and usually that crowd makes like 100,” Scott said. “People are stir-crazy, they want to get out and watch their wrestling.”

The Neon Ninja Façade enters the ring for a match against Seth “Flippin’” Martin.

The wrestlers were eager to get back, too. KC Shingleton, also known as wrestler Kirk Blackman, wasn’t in the ring Saturday night, but was present to help and support other wrestlers.

If not for the pandemic, Shingleton would normally spend summer weekends wrestling, or performing with other musicians in a band called Jerks.

“So many people just have nothing to look forward to,” Shingleton said. “Some people aren’t back to work yet, some people are laid off, they have nothing to do, everything seems hopeless. So, I guess the importance of this show is just to make sure that people are entertained, and make sure that everybody goes home with a smile on their face.”

ASW heavyweight champion “Pure Trash” Ron Mathis sits down outside the ring during a match against Shane Storm.

Summer and pandemic permitting, Damron said he hopes to hold more drive-in shows in the future.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

City Says Two Charleston Cops Have COVID-19

Two Charleston police officers tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday, after the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department helped facilitate a mobile testing site for staff and their families.

Both officers were in contact with the public last week. The health department began contact tracing Thursday to identify individuals police approached who may need coronavirus testing.

The health department tested officers and other staff after one employee tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, according to city spokesperson Mackenzie Spencer. The employee didn’t have any contact with the public and hasn’t been to the office since Friday, June 10.

Charleston officers must wear face coverings, unless it impedes their ability to make and respond to radio calls or unless it fogs up their glasses while they’re responding to an emergency call, according to Charleston Police Chief James Hunt.

On June 26, the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department reported three officers and one support staffer tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Morgantown Police Department learned on July 7 one of its employees had tested positive. The employee had no contact with anyone outside the office during work, according to a release from the department, and all staff who had close contact with the employee were asked to self-isolate for two weeks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all essential employees, including law enforcement personnel, wear a mask while working, maintain a distance of six feet from others when appropriate, and regularly check for COVID-19 symptoms. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice issued an executive order that took effect on July 7, requiring all West Virginians to wear face coverings while indoors away from home.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

More Than 20 Test Positive For Coronavirus At Charleston Church

Charleston health officials are still tracking COVID-19 cases linked to the North Charleston Apostolic Church in Charleston, after identifying more than 20 infected worshippers by Wednesday through contact tracing.

So far, the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department said it has identified 19 Kanawha County residents, four Putnam County residents and one Logan County resident through contact tracing.

The church did not respond to requests for comments on Thursday from West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Pastor Anthony Moss told WOWK 13 News on Wednesday the church first learned some members were testing positive on July 9, when he closed in-person service.

Church leaders agreed to pause in-person services for the next three weeks on Wednesday, according to the health department.

Major Gen. James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard said Wednesday members had recently sanitized churches in Raleigh and McDowell counties. Local health departments didn’t respond to several requests for additional information.

As of Thursday, the Guard has helped sanitize 46 essential businesses, including churches where there have been at least one positive case of the coronavirus. That includes the Graystone Baptist Church in Ronceverte, Greenbrier County, where more than 40 members tested positive for the coronavirus in June.

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department will continue free drive-thru and walk-up testing on Saturday in Charleston at the More Excellent Way Life Church from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The church is located at 504 Virginia Street West.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

Men Spend More Time With Kids During Pandemic, But Women Still Do More

During the coronavirus pandemic, both fathers and mothers stepped up to help more with childcare. However, overall, mothers still continue to do 15 hours more housework and childcare. That’s according to a recent survey by Boston Consulting Group, which asked parents in the United States and Europe how the pandemic has affected how they balance work and family responsibilities.

Sixty percent of parents said they had no outside help in caring for or educating their children during the pandemic. On average, parents are putting in nearly 30 hours of additional labor per week.

Fathers’ roles at home in the U.S. have changed, but only slightly, in the past 40 years. Only 2 percent of fathers in the 1970s stayed home full time with the kids. By 2013, the percentage of full-time fathers had only grown to 4 percent, according to a study by the nonpartisan think tank the Pew Research Center.

On average, women with children under the age of 6 in the U.S. typically put in twice as much time caring for children than men, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.