North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 12/06/1996

It's Friday December of 6:00 tonight giving new mothers a helping hand in North Carolina now. Me. Hello Happy Friday everyone. I'm so glad you could join us we have a good show for you tonight. Blands Simpson of Red Clay Ramblers and king mackerel fame will be our guest tonight. He'll be here to tell us about a benefit performance for the North Carolina coastal Federation. And since we are in the midst of Hanukkah we thought tonight would be a good time to bring on the Klezmer music. That's all coming up a bit later in the program. But we start tonight with a very serious topic of our state's high infant mortality rate. Last year more than 100000 babies were born in North Carolina but not all these babies entered the world healthy. More than 8000 of them were born with low birth weight. Well another

4000 babies didn't live to see their first birthday. State health officials blame many of these deaths on poor care before and right after the birth of the baby making North Carolina one of the worst states in the nation in terms of infant mortality. But an innovative state program is trying to change that. Reporter She had a great shows us how. These babies may look like ordinary children and in many ways they are. But each of these smiling faces is also a miracle special in their own way because they've defeated some pretty big odds to become healthy happy children are if immortality and low birth weight rates suggest that. Women who live in this state are less likely to have an optimal pregnancy and birth outcome than women in some other states.

Dorothy slanty heads up the state's maternal outreach worker program. She says there are many reasons why some North Carolina Women may be more at risk for having an unhealthy pregnancy. But the main factor lies in the state's poverty level where thousands of low income women have little access to good health care. That's why these beautiful babies are even more precious. They were born to women who statistically had little chance of having a healthy baby. They are now the product of the state's maternal outreach worker program. These are someone in the most. The earliest ones that has surfaced. And for maternal outreach worker Deborah Tannen these tiny bundles of joy are the true testament of the work she does everyday is very hectic and some days especially when there are two or three births and one day our somebody is calling about. Where we don't have any Pampers today and you know I'm not going to get my check until. The first of the month. And this

like two weeks before the month so what do you do. Ten It is one of an army of outreach workers across the state whose main job is to help new mothers learn what it takes to raise a healthy baby. You'll find these outreach workers on the payrolls of Sixty-Six county health departments across the state. And primarily these individuals are from the communities where pregnant women may live and they offer education and social support and assistance with transportation and childcare and medical needs. Ten is the maternal outreach worker for Person County. And while that maternal outreach program is open to any woman eligible for Medicaid and it primarily works with teenage moms she sees her job as a mission especially since she sees a bit of herself in these new young mothers. I a really good relationship because I've been right where they are wants. Once upon a time in my life I may not have been homeless or whatever but

I've seen some adversity. I've been a single parent all my life so I can come you know put myself out where they were and while making sure young mothers get good prenatal care is critical to tenens job on this day. Her visits are to mothers who have already given birth to their babies and are struggling through the first year of a newborn's life. Is that the only thing you say. You say Mama said the first thing we did is easier for our vocal chords. That's one reason why we do it. Sixteen year old Caressa glass is just one of 35 new mothers tenant visits on a regular basis. One dog about had a baby feeding a baby. What does she do. Leaves me vitals and everything. And are you got to you go to school. You got to get her ready to go through a bathing suit. And about all all kinds of names. You get what you want.

Get a plea for free and in a way the what about a well run across town 20 year old April Miller is also a program participant. Miller also has a 10 month old daughter named Brandy along with a 2 year old son named JT. He's getting to that age where he really laid down my attention and she does. And it is getting hard. Hopefully it'll get better. Lots of them have the skills. I think they have the skills but they just are not natural because they haven't been there in them before. But this is maternal outreach worker program isn't just about one woman reaching out to mothers instead it's more of a teamwork approach where the maternal outreach worker gives the new mother greater access to the county health department and all the services that are provided here. As a result of having the additional support. And I think our statistics over time. Have demonstrated that. The comprehensive approach.

To providing clinical care is for us outreach and support services to women particularly low income women has resulted in improvements. The final review of the maternal outreach worker program won't be done until sometime next year. But the states infant mortality rate has dropped in the four years the program has operated. It really is the first step. In promoting. Healthy Communities. Takes people from the communities where they live where they have an investment and what happens to their neighbors and their friends and their families and it puts them in a position to really have an impact on the lives of other people in their community. Out of all I want them to get a sense that someone cares if. Nobody in my family cares if my boyfriend. Or.

My grandmother my uncles or anybody here. At least can say that I. Care. To. Care for him. A labor of love that in fact both the mother and baby producing what the state hope will be the next generation of healthy North Carolinians. The maternal outreach workers meet with the at risk mothers starting in pregnancy and continuing up to the baby's first birthday. If you're interested in learning more about the maternal outreach worker program you can call 1 800 4 baby that's 1 800 6 7 2 2 2 9. Well still ahead the sounds of the season but right now it's time to head over to Mitchell Lewis who's standing by to fill us in on what's making news around the state. Hello Mitch. Hi Maria. Good evening everyone. Topping our news this evening a tobacco company leader has some advice on how to stop under-age smoking. Steve Goldstone of Winston-Salem based RJR Nabisco says officials such as the Massachusetts attorney general should do a better job of enforcing the ban on the sale of cigarettes to minors

rather than suing tobacco companies. The Massachusetts AG is suing RJR and other tobacco companies. Well the cost of treating Medicaid patients for smoking related illnesses. North Carolina's top legislators already have an agenda for the next General Assembly session. Senate President Pro Tem Mark Basse night and House Speaker Harold Brooks-Baker say term limits teacher pay raises and campaign finance reform will lead to heated debates when the session begins January 29th. One board of contention last night and Senate Democrats support Governor Hunt's plan to raise teachers salaries to the national average by the year 2000. But Bruce Baker and House Republicans want salaries based on merit. Some of our state's pharmacists can look forward to being paid back wages as part of a federal government settlement. When Dixey must pay two hundred fifty thousand dollars in back pay to more than 200 pharmacists in the Midwest and south east including North Carolina. A lawsuit against the company contends when Dixy violated overtime pay and record keeping regulations a

Winn-Dixie spokesman says the company doesn't agree with the decision but will pay instead of continuing litigation. The sounds of the endangered red concreted woodpecker are being heard more often in North Carolina sandhills these days. The Environmental Defense Fund praises North Carolina for creating one of the nation's most successful plans to protect an endangered species. The program encourages private landowners to improve habitats without imposing land use restrictions. The Red Cross hated woodpecker is one of more than 50 endangered species in the state. Looking ahead to Saturday's weather forecast temperatures will mostly be in the 50s. It'll be a little cooler in the mountains and a bit warmer at the coast. The entire state will be under cloudy skies with a small chance of rain. Most everywhere the chance of rain is greater in the mountains. In business news the city of Durham is back in a pack of cities vying to become headquarters to the American Kennel Club. A year ago almost the top dog in the search for a new home for the American Kennel Club. But now AKCA board of directors is

expanding their search. Despite spending over three million dollars for a tract of land in southern Durham County 11 cities and two states have made offers to the club of corporate relocation firm will evaluate the new proposals Duke Power Company has sold some of its hydroelectric plants to an Illinois company Northbrook energy specializes in operating small hydroelectric plants. Northbrook will now sell the electricity back to Duke because it is an unregulated company it can produce power at lower cost than. Company officials say the sale won't affect consumer rates. Well stock markets around the world plunged Durley today upon word from Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan that prices are inflated. But as the day ended Wall Street had regained much of the ground it had lost. And now for a look at the numbers as. Is.

Known. As. The sights sounds and the feeling of the coast Well we brought in one tomorrow to Durham where two special performances of king mackerel and the blues are running will take place at the Carolina theater. The production billed as being full of great tunes. Good times and tall tales is a benefit for the North Carolina coastal Federation. Joining me now to tell us more about it is Blan Simpson. Mr. Simpson a member of the Red Clay Ramblers is not only the co-author of King Makro but he's also a star performer in the production. Mr. Simpson thanks for being here. Thank you for having me. There may be some people who are new to North Carolina who might not be familiar with this this production that you've been putting on for what the

last 11 years now would you tell us a little bit about it. Well it's a collection of stories and songs about a lot of things that a lot of us have gone through and enjoyed getting your car stuck in the sand and living to get it pulled up before the tide gets it getting the fish in your ear lobe and that kind of thing. But basically I go into the coast with family and friends and having a good time enjoy it and just appreciating the great outdoors and what all is down in that environment. I have a story about getting your car stuck in your sand. I originally come from Ohio and I came to take my driver's license test and there was a question on there how do you get your car out of sand when it's stuck in snow like I know how to get out of the snow. I don't know how to get it out of and. That was on the Ohio. No on the North Carolina when I came here and I'm like I'm glad we have it. We don't have it when I take it that day. It will help you along and I see here that you've brought along some visual aids to help us a little bit in some of the other cast members there. Willy Wagler and stuff like that. If you can get a good enough look at them but these are

stars of the second act really. And they're at my throat on the right way. These are fish and worms and salamanders and so forth they come to us from Carolina fish and fur a little firm down in Kinston North Carolina. But we these are props. This is a fairly simple show so you can go to a show and you can expect to get things thrown at you and things like that. I don't want to give any the plot of what an intricate part. I understand this is a review. It's not a book musical. It's mostly music and yarns tall tales and a few short tails in between. It has a lot of you know that in the North Carolina coastal atmosphere and whatnot do you have to be from North Carolina to appreciate the show. I don't think so. We used to hear from people who would go ahead to the show and say I'm not from from here I'm from up in Chesapeake or I've spent much time on the coast but there's a lake we go to up in Maine and a lot of the it's really about

places of the heart if you will the places that people care about and go with their families. Water is a big part of it obviously boats and fish and that sort of thing. But. Now we've we had a very good time running the show in 19 late 94 and again. So like the 95 in New York in New York City. And people would come out of the show and say I'm ready to go. I'm ready to get on that bus and go to a corn cake and let her Pawleys Island or nag's had her someplace in the Carolinas. And. One thing we did in New York was we gave them thanks to the Department of Transportation here. We we got highway maps that we gave North Carolina road maps to folks there and help orient them. And if we see people leave with a rubber worm and a map of North you're on the bingo card and hope that they can navigate our way of life correctly from those those brought. And you also have the honor of performing at the Kennedy Center this past summer. There were a lot of fun there.

What the June we were there and that was to a world wide audience not just people from across the country right. We had a very interesting mixture of folks we would have there would be groups of folks from Asia and mixed in with high school students from Boise Idaho and a few Carolinians made it up that way. Tell me Tell me about your relationship with the coastal Federation because I know this is not the first time that you've done a benefit for that organization. The coastal Federation when Todd Miller who's the director first asked us to do this down and now we're at City. It was a fairly young organization in the mid 80s. It has it's a it started as an umbrella group that drew together a lot of single and single issue groups to start Stumptown Fishermen's Association into this and then from different parts of the coast and brought them all. Together and became a leading advocacy group for protection of the estuaries and. Rivers and waters and. Well it just it

pulled. It really is a federation to hold all these smaller groups and I don't mean it put them out of business. But over the period of them more clout to get united we stand. Right. And in the 10 years since 10 or 11 years since we started working with them they have grown in size and nothing grown in influence and. In respecting the voice of the Federation is there at all the hearings on. On fisheries regulations and zoning and this that and the other wherever those hearings are the the Federation is represented. And so you know in effect as a environmental advocacy group they're representing us who are not at all those hearings. So they're very important. They're also very good people a lot of fun to be around and. That's our relationship. We're free. We're very good friends. In addition to doing the benefit concert for the coastal Federation which will be tomorrow you or us are doing something special for you and see TV. What's that all about.

We're getting to put it on tape put the show on tape and after these after the Federation got us to revive the show we hadn't done it for about six years when they called us in 1994. We must have done it now. Probably 250 times as a result of reviving the peace so now it feels like it's time that we're glad that you want you to be doing this. To put it on tape and have it capture what we've tried to accomplish onstage. Right. Well how exciting is home. I want to thank you for coming here today and bringing along your friends with you. These are actually extras. Walk on. Oh I see. You can take. Thank you for your time. And good luck tomorrow. Thank you very much. King mackerel and the blues are running will be performed tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. at the Carolina theater in Durham. Proceeds benefit the North Carolina coastal Federation for ticket information called the Carolina theater box office at 9 1 9

5 6 0 3 0 3 0. I was. On the second night of Hanukkah we bring you some very special music it's called klezmer music. It's a blend of musical styles brought to America by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In this piece produced by Christina Koepp one it features the music of the band called The Yiddish band day. It's.

A lot of. Groups in the southeast. There are actually. Three groups here in North Carolina. And I'm not. I have heard that there's not even a real klezmer band in Atlanta. You have to go to Florida or to New Orleans in order to get another klezmer back. A. Large. As. It reached its peak back in the 20s in this country. A lot of immigrants came over and there was an influence of early jazz and Dixieland and this is it's a continuously evolving process. That. Is.

What. Bothers me a lot when I think that sometimes our best audience isn't going to be around. Forever and ever the people that this music reaches the most and to the people it means the most for are getting pretty old these days. I think that would be so sad. Our generation and younger do not know yet except should suffer very small pockets and the music I think is is the is. The force is the threat as I said that seems to be continuing. And I think it will go on for for for generations. And.

That's our program for tonight. To those of you of the Jewish faith. Faith. Happy Hanukkah. On Monday's program Robin Dimitra examines rural health care in our state. We leave you tonight with more Hanukkah music. The band is called mapa Monday. Good night everyone. Good morning Leon. OK OK. OK

OK OK OK. OK OK OK OK OK