North Carolina Now; Episode from 1999-08-09

It's Monday, August 9th, tonight providing dental care to the patients who need it most in North Carolina now. Hello, a pleasant Monday evening to you. I'm Arita Matray. Thanks for joining us for tonight's edition of North Carolina now. We have a wide variety of topics for you. On tonight's program we'll travel to Gaston County to visit a historic landmark which holds a great deal of religious significance for the Catholic Church. Plus we'll take you to the mountains where a hospitality house is providing a place of respite for weary families of patients undergoing extensive medical treatment. But we start our program tonight by examining the growing attempt to provide quality dental care to the smallest of patients. According to the North Carolina Institute for Medicine's Task Force on Dental Access, there are many children on Medicaid all across

our state who are not receiving the dental treatment they need. Now the state legislature wants to do something about it as produces zero-falk reports as state officials are hoping to make a change for the better. And in the process, relieve some pain for disadvantaged kids. This is not a good day for three-year-old Janelle Marlow. It's the first time she's been to see the dentist and she has to have a tooth pulled. Unfortunately, kids like Janelle represent a pattern in North Carolina. She's one of many children on Medicaid with tooth decay, who are not getting proper treatment, education, and access to dental health care. Mark's going to show you the same thing so that when we get ready to use it. I think overall we see, in my experience here, I've seen more emergencies, more putting out fires. And it is our hope as dental health professionals to get the patients to the point where we can do preventive services.

We can get the sealant on before a cavity starts in the tooth that we can educate the parents about what they eat and what they drink and keeping their teeth clean. So far, that's not happening for most disadvantaged children in the state. And the longer their problems go untreated, the worse they'll become. It's very important to the overall health that children don't have good oral health. They can't eat properly. They may lose teeth prematurely and it could affect their speech. Poor dental health can also affect a child's self-confidence and his ability to learn. Seeing children that have had their teeth rotted out and pulled out at four or five for not brushing their teeth. Dentist say prevention is key. That's why Julia Lasseter decided to bring her two-year-old son Jack for his first check-up as early as possible.

She didn't want him to become one of a third of North Carolina children who developed dental decay by the time they're five. The dentist here at Wake County Human Services dental health clinic treat primarily Medicaid patients. They hope to encourage parents of children like four-year-old Stephen Hargrove to start learning the basics like the importance of brushing the right way. Unfortunately right now, private dentists have few incentives besides goodwill to treat Medicaid patients. A major drawback is the overhead. Dentist practice operating at 60, 65, 70 percent overhead can afford to be reimbursed at 40, 45 percent. It's a real issue. Right. No other business would operate like that. You can't expect someone who's in private practice to do procedures that are going to cause them to lose money.

And it's a large amount of money. Carolina's lieutenant governor Dennis Wicker chairs the dental care task force. He says its major objective is to create incentives for private dentists by increasing the reimbursement rates from about 40 percent to 80 percent for treating Medicaid patients. Another objective is to increase the supply of dentists and dental hygienists in the state and to begin an outreach program to help educate disadvantaged children. According to the task force report, one of North Carolina's problems is its poor track record. In the fiscal year of 1998, only 20 percent of Medicaid recipients visited the dentist. Only 16 percent of dentists actively participated in Medicaid. Okay, we need to take this spacer out. The task force hopes to encourage more private dentists to shape their practice like Burton Horwitz in Raleigh, who has always treated children on Medicaid. The need is pretty great. If we see 10 children coming in on Medicaid, the chances are that seven of them, at least six or seven of them are going to need treatments.

Dr. Horwitz's dedication has helped keep the Torrance family in good dental health for years, five kids, and only one cavity today. Many people agree the best way to help under privileged children is by a joint effort between legislators, parents, and all North Carolina dentists. If all the dentists accepted a few Medicaid patients a year in terms of children, we would clear up everything we had in this state in no time. I think it's something that you just don't do in a couple of years and then forget about. I think it's an ongoing problem and I think it's an ongoing situation that we continue to work on because one child that has dental disease or has cavities and is in pain is one child too many in North Carolina. When he's two and a half now, I was like a teacher so bad. He's hurting at night. An investment today in children like Daven Kearney becomes an insurance policy for the future.

The end of the day, I feel like I've made a difference. I feel like these kids may not be able to have care. If we weren't here, we're kind of the last resource for a lot of them. So at least I feel like we're doing something positive. We're making a difference. One child at a time. The state legislature plans to determine within the next year whether the task force recommendation to increase reimbursement rates is feasible. We'll still head on North Carolina now, a home away from home for Western North Carolinians seeking medical treatment. But first here is Mitchell Lewis with today's statewide news summary, Mitch. Thanks, Marita. Good evening, everyone. Questions are being raised about the campaign funds of one North Carolina gubernatorial candidate. Republican hopeful Leo Daughtry claims he had received $1 million in campaign money by February. However, a recent report filed with the State Board of Elections shows that Daughtry's campaign had only received close to $556,000 between January and June. A spokesman for Daughtry says the lower figure does not include another $252,000 raised before Daughtry became a candidate.

Critics say those figures still don't add up to $1 million. In other political news, members of the newly formed Southern Party held their first inaugural rally in North Carolina over the weekend. The group met in the town of Flat Rock in Henderson County. About 150 people attended the rally. Party leaders are hoping to one day have enough members elected to Congress to leverage support for the creation of a separate Southern nation. The party wants to be established in all 11 states of the old Confederacy, as well as Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia. A team of Florida engineers has been hired to undertake the task of moving a North Carolina inlet. Mason inlet has been eating away at the northern tip of Ritesville Beach and is now threatening property there. Officials are hoping to be able to relocate the inlet 3000 feet to the north. Engineers will use a computer to simulate different ways to make moving the inlet possible. One problem coastal residents haven't had to deal with yet this year is a hurricane.

But Hurricane expert Bill Gray says not to be fooled by the so far quiet season. Gray is still predicting 14 named storms, including nine hurricanes. Gray believes four of those will be intense. Hurricane season officially runs from June 1st to November 30th, but many storms don't hit until mid-August. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather, highs across the state will range from the low 80s to low 90s. Skies in most areas will be partly sunny. In business news, Governor Jim Hunt is one of five governors banding together to oppose plans for a federal lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The U.S. Justice Department is preparing to file a lawsuit seeking money for smoking related Medicare expenses. If the lawsuit is successful, it could reduce the amount of money states would receive from the $206 billion dollar national settlement. North Carolina's share of that money is $4.6 billion dollars. State lawmakers worry that a lawsuit would also prompt tobacco companies to buy less expensive leaf from overseas. And now for a look at what happened on Wall Street today.

Every year, thousands of North Carolina's are hospitalized in order to receive necessary medical care. It's hard enough for families to deal with this when the hospital is nearby, but imagine what it would be like if you have to seek treatment away from home.

Producer Maria Lundberg shows us how a facility in Asheville is helping people in this situation. A medical emergency or life-threatening illness often requires hospitalization or frequent outpatient visits for treatment. When people in Western North Carolina face a serious medical situation, they go to Asheville for help. But for many families, the journey to Asheville also brings exhaustion from traveling through the mountains, financial hardship and the loneliness of being far from home. When a medical crisis occurs, the last thing you want to worry about is where to stay while you're away from home receiving medical treatment. Well, here in Asheville, there's a home away from home that fills that prescription perfectly. This is the Lewis Rathman Wellness Center, a hospital hospitality house located minutes away from Asheville's three major medical centers. The house provides a serene supportive environment where out of town patients and their families can stay while receiving treatment at area hospitals.

The Rathman Center is the dream of Adelaide Daniels Key, who turned it into reality in 1994. Well, it's a true labor of love. I knew some very good friends who were battling cancer and would travel from Macon County to Buncombe County for their treatment every day. And I kept thinking there has to be an easier way for all these people that come over those mountains. Her vision resulted in this house, which is a haven for those who must be away from home to receive life-saving treatment. They're away from home and they're scared and their families are scared. It's a comfort to be with other people who are in the same crisis, sort of crisis, not the exact same thing that you share hardships together. It's a great friend creator as well. For guests like Anita Delaney and her daughter-in-law Janet, this is a peaceful, stress-free place to stay while Mrs. Delaney's husband is hospitalized.

For them, it means a comfortable, friendly atmosphere that brings some normalcy to their lives during a difficult time. It becomes home for the time that you're there. So it gives you a little better feeling and everybody there is very warm, very friendly and very compassionate. And they even have a note on the wall that says, talk to people and share both listen to them and they will listen to you. And it really is like that. People will listen and share because we're all sort of in the same boat. And it's a good sort of a big family. Those who stay here say it's like having an instant support group where close lasting friendships are made with other guests, staff members, and the volunteers who donate thousands of hours to help operate the center. It's a nurturing atmosphere which rejuvenates family members when their loved ones are ill. Maybe it feels like a home away from home for them. They get to know the other families that are here and they lend a great deal of support to each other.

And that's unique. So the folks are not isolated. They really can come back here and feel supported. And you know, talking to the kitchen, fix dinner, watch TV, do a puzzle or a game or something and feel comfortable and relaxed after spending all day in the hospital. Dr. John Battle Haslam sees families face the burden of traveling hundreds of miles each week to receive outpatient treatment. And he knows the difference this house can make for those who stay here. Those people have the opportunity to be spiritually comforted here because of the design of the center, the surroundings that we see around here. And I think it gives them a chance in simple terms to restore their energy and their faith, their strength to stick with it through a difficult time. The Wrath Bend Wellness Center is open to all who need its services but referral from a doctor, social worker, or chaplain is required for admission. All guests may use common areas like the kitchen, sitting areas, laundry facilities, and lounges.

Bedrooms can accommodate up to four people, allowing families to stay together and the surrounding woods provide a healing environment for quiet walks, reflection, and relaxation. Although the center gratefully accepts donations from guests, there is no charge to stay here. Mountain people are very, very proud. So if you tell them that there is a charge of $10 a night even, if they can't afford that $10 they'll sleep in their car or they'll go home. And that's not fair. Why should just someone who can afford it be able to have a nice place to stay? So by not charging, it's an equalizer. Those that can afford to give give, those who can't usually give also. It's been a godsend and we've all appreciated it and we will definitely be contributors so that other people can share that. People have to have a place to stay when they are unexpectedly stranded because of illness.

But to have a unique facility like this, any medical community that could come up with something like this is giving a great humanitarian service to the families of the people who are sick and they are just as important as the people who are sick. The patient's been taken care of in the hospital and I think for us we're taking care of the caregivers over here and it's the total family that's being cared for. For the woman who made this facility a reality, her greatest reward comes from seeing how it helps thousands of people each year. My satisfaction comes from seeing families come and be helped and move on so that others come. It's a constant change but you can see the difference that it makes in people's lives. This house is truly a house with a heart. It's the love that flows in and out of this house is just amazing. The Rathman Center serves 22 Western North Carolina counties and operates totally on donations.

Last year nearly 3,000 people stayed there receiving supportive services in times of medical crisis. If you would like more information you can contact the Rathman Center at 8282510595. North Carolina is known for its many landmarks and historical places but just off interstate 85 south of Charlotte. There's a place where history, education and religion meet. Reporter Barclay Todd takes us to this place that recently received the highest religious honor it can get.

In the northern corner of Gaston County in the small town of Belmont lie a historical landmark and a religious treasure. Founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks, Belmont Abbey College at Monastery is on the National Register of Historic Places. Last year Pope John Paul II bestowed an even higher honor on the campus's best known landmark the Abbey Church. Through a pable proclamation and religious ceremony this past March the small parish church built by the monks in 1892 was officially elevated to the ranks of a minor Basilica. We have raised the Belmont Abbey Church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary help of Christians to the rank and dignity of a minor Basilica with all rights and privileges pertaining to minor Basilicas. The Archbishop of Washington DC James Cardinal Hickey represented the Pope during the Mass that would give the Abbey one of the highest honors of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Church's Abbey says being named a Basilica recognizes the Abbey as a royal house of worship and puts it in a very elite league of churches. This is the second church in North Carolina to be designated a Basilica. In fact it's we have about I guess 50 Benedictine monasteries in the United States, the only three that are designated as a Basilica. The only other minor Basilica in the southeast is in Asheville, North Carolina. Belmont Abbey was named a minor Basilica because only the major Basilicas are the foreign Rome. With this new honor, the Church gets a new name of the Basilica of Mary help of Christians. The Church's abbot in college president Oscar Burnett says the Church's new honor was a way to recognize the monks for over 100 years of religious service in North Carolina. The Hyderias, it's a titular honor. It's an honor from the Holy See to kind of I guess pat the monks on the back here at Belmont Abbey that they've done a good job, you know, all for these many years of evangelization in North Carolina.

In fact, the Benedictine monks first came to North Carolina at a time when there were very few Catholics. The monastery's first abbot was Leo Hyde from Germany. He ran the monastery with 10 monks. It was abbot Leo who commissioned the building of the Church, which at its time and still today is a very complex structure. It's Neogothic and this was actually built by one of the old monks up at St. Vincent's Arch Abbey. He came down and spent some time. We talked to him, we speak of him rather as a shipbuilder. The roof of the church is such that it's a boat upside down and it's structured inside like that. It's very sturdy. The windows are very historical there from Method and Germany and they were awarded a prize at the World's Fair in 1890. They're very beautiful. It's a very prayerful church. While the outside of the church looks pretty much as it did when it was first built, over the years the inside has gone through major renovations.

While the beautifully enormous stained glass windows remain, the old cathedral looking altar and sanctuary had been replaced with a more contemporary design. Some of the structural changes to the Basilica and other buildings at the college were the result of one of five fires to erupt on the campus over the years. Abbott Oscar says considering their age, the college and the Basilica are in good condition. He says the small liberal arts college, which started with four pupils, has grown to a student population in the hundreds. It's about 950 stable. 950 and it's growing, it's very stable, doing very well, very pleased with it. So it's doing what we want it to do. Which is, for it to be relatively small, so that we monks and the rest of the faculty, lay faculty over here and the administrators know, can really mentor for our students and touch our students. Currently, 22 monks live and teach at the college. While some monks take a vow of silence, the Benedictine monks are very open to outsiders.

A few years ago, they took down the walls around the college and the campus and the Basilica are always open to the public. With the exception of the monastery where the monks live and pray, visitors can tour the entire grounds, including the cemetery, where all of the monks and brothers, including Abbott Leo are buried. Well, this is Leo and this is the order of St. Benedict. This is the tree, the pesca tree. And if after strolling around the 600 acre campus, you get a little thirsty. You might want to stop by the college bookstore to get a bottle of Belmont Abbey Water. That's right, Abbey Water. In addition to its Basilica, the monks were blessed with another treasure. We have our own well here, so it's very good water. Most of Belmont, except for us, I guess, take the water out of the Kataba River. So it has a chlorine and all in it. We have a bit in hours because of the government that they regulated. But our water is very good.

While the monks are proud of their water, Abbott Oscar says they are extremely grateful for the religious presence. They were able to bring to North Carolina for over a century. A presence that hasn't gone unnoticed and recently was honored with the elevation of their Abbey to a minor Basilica. The Basilica and monastery grounds are open to the public year round visitors can take a self-guided tour around the campus by picking up a free guidebook and map. Guided tours are also available, but by appointment only. And that wraps up tonight's edition of North Carolina now. Thanks for joining us, and we hope that you'll tune in tomorrow night. When we bring you the story of the lone North Carolina farmer who raises an unusual crop, alligators. He's ready to bring his crop to market, and that presents some unique challenges. Have a great night. We'll see you tomorrow. Good night, everyone. you