A Publication for employees and friends of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Vol. 14 Issue 5May 2008
 

Headlines

Shuler Announces $350,000 Appropriation For Clean Energy Incubator

US Rep Heath Shuler

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler announces funding for a new Clean Energy Business Incubator at A-B Tech's Enka campus.

Heath Shuler, Russ Yelton, and Dr. Betty Young

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, Russ Yelton, A-B Tech's Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Ventures and Business Incubation, and A-B Tech President Betty Young display an oversized check for the amount of funding Shuler secured to create a Western North Carolina Clean Energy Business Incubator at the college's Enka Campus.

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler announced a $354,240 appropriation April 11 to create a Western North Carolina Clean Energy Business Incubator at A-B Tech's Enka Campus.

"We are so blessed that God has given us so much in Western North Carolina, and we want to preserve the integrity of these mountains and streams," Shuler said. "Our nation is at a crossroads. We need to find new technology for clean energy. We need to be a leader."

Shuler secured the funding in the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The money will be routed from the U.S. Department of Energy to the A-B Tech Foundation for the A-B Tech Business Incubator.

Citing the drop in the number of engineers and mathematicians the U.S. graduates - from its #1 ranking worldwide during the Sputnik era to its current 17th position - Shuler said: "We have to change that, and the area we can change that is with renewable energies."

Shuler said the economic impact of a project like the Clean Energy Business Incubator makes it a good investment. Pointing to A-B Tech's existing Small Business Incubator, which produced 50 jobs and $4 million in revenue last year, he said: "This is your tax dollars going to work."

The Clean Energy project will be developed in conjunction with the Small Business Incubator and will develop and deliver support services for clean energy businesses in WNC as the Small Business Incubator has done for small businesses and the natural products and food industries. The Small Business Incubator is located in a 141,000-square-foot facility donated to A-B Tech by BASF in 2000.

"One of the reasons I was excited about coming to North Carolina (from a previous position as president of a college in Ohio) is the workforce development efforts ... what I saw as true economic development," A-B Tech President Betty Young said. "In Western North Carolina, we are primed for green energy."

Funding from the Department of Energy will be used to:

Small Business Center/Incubator

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First Class of CIT Officers Graduate

CIT Graduation

James Pitts of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Western Carolina Affiliate speaks on the importance of CIT for the community. He is joined by representatives of organizations that developed CIT for the area. From left are Bill Hogan, Asheville Police chief; Terry Bellamy, Asheville mayor; Carol Peterson, Buncombe County Commissioner and chair of A-B Tech's Trustees; and Van Duncan, Buncombe County Sheriff.

Bill Hogan and Cynthia Douthit

Buncombe County Sheriff’s Deputy Cynthia Douthit receives her CIT pin from Asheville Police Chief Bill Hogan during graduation ceremonies April 25 at A-B Tech.

The first class of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers in Western North Carolina graduated April 25 at A-B Tech. Fifteen officers and deputies from the Asheville Police Department and Buncombe County Sheriff's Office completed the 40-hour training.

CIT educates officers who come into contact with people with severe mental illnesses on how to recognize the symptoms of those illnesses and respond effectively to people experiencing psychiatric crises. The program is designed to improve the safety of officers and mental health consumers and redirect consumers from the judicial system to the health care system.

"We need this because we're the ones on the street dealing with people," said Forrest Weaver, officer with the Asheville Police Department. "It's going to be something that's going to help
us down the road."

One year ago, eight local organizations signed a Memorandum of Agreement to work together, along with a bevy of community stakeholders, to develop CIT in our community. Those eight partners are the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, the Asheville Police Department, A-B Tech, Western Highlands Network, Mission Hospitals, the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Western Carolina Affiliate, the City of Asheville and Buncombe County.

"I see CIT as a much needed tool in our toolbox. It makes officers safer and the community safer," said Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan. "My biggest fear is having a mentally-ill person in jail when they need treatment."

Graduating officers were Roger Aly, Chad Bridges, Elizabeth Budd, Iris Durell, Don Eberhardt, Christopher Eby, Charles Fry Jr., Diana Loveland, and Forrest Weaver of the Asheville Police Department and Cynthia Douthit, Bobby Hoglen, Matthew Hutchinson, Darrell Maxwell, Darrell Saucier, and David Stevens of the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office.

What is CIT?

Crisis Intervention Training educates and prepares law enforcement officers who come into contact with people with severe mental illnesses on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of these illnesses and respond effectively and appropriately to people experiencing a psychiatric crisis. CIT is designed to improve officer and consumer safety and redirect consumers from the judicial system to the health care system.

Through CIT, select patrol officers receive 40 hours of training in mental health issues such as crisis intervention skills, community resources, diagnostic groups, and how to navigate the mental health system.

In addition to performing their regular patrol duties, CIT officers are dispatched to incidents that involve people experiencing psychiatric crises. These officers oversee the situation, help stabilize it, and assist with any negotiations. In some cases, the officers refer individuals to community resources or transport them for emergency commitment evaluations.

When did CIT begin?

The CIT program was formally established in Memphis, Tn., in 1988, the year after that city's police department responded to a crisis call involving a young man who was reported to be mentally ill, armed with a knife, and threatening neighbors and family members. After a brief standoff, officers shot and killed the man, prompting an outcry from the community. Even before the fatal incident, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness alleged officers were insufficiently trained and unprepared to respond to calls involving people with mental illness. After the shooting, the Mayor formed a community task force to study the issue and develop a plan.

Why is CIT needed?

One in five people has a diagnosable mental illness each year - 44 million adults and 13.7 million children. Of those, fewer than half of the adults get help and only one-third of the children. (Dr. David Satcher, 16th U.S. Surgeon General) Untreated mental illness increases the risk to law enforcement officers who respond to crisis situations.

Between 25 and 40 percent of all Americans with mental illness will pass through the criminal justice system at some point. (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

A recent study by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics documented that nationally an estimated 56% of state prison inmates and 64% of local jail inmates have mental health problems.

Research shows people with mental illness are:

CIT is a community solution to a community issue. A planning group made up of law enforcement, educators, government, advocates, consumers, the judiciary, and mental health service providers has been meeting since September 2006 to plan a Crisis Intervention Training program for Buncombe County.

What Results has CIT Produced?

When law enforcement responds to calls about people with mental illness, the arrest rate is 20 percent if no specialized response such as CIT exists. The arrest rate for the Memphis CIT program is only 2 percent. Twenty-three percent of the incidents are resolved on the scene, and 75 percent result in the person being transported to a crisis unit.

States where CIT has been implemented also have found:

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Grant Allows Holly Library to Add 20 New Laptops for Checkout

Cathie Russell checks out a laptop at Holly Library from Terry Wyszynski

Cathie Russell checks out a laptop computer to use in A-B Tech's Holly Library from Librarian Terry Wyszynski. A-B Tech recently received a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act to buy 20 laptops.

A-B Tech's Holly Library has 20 new laptop computers available for student use after receiving a $20,500 grant from the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) awarded by the State Library of North Carolina.

The laptops are available for three-hour checkout by students to be used within the Holly Library and are set up to access the campus wireless network for Internet access. There are also computers available for faculty and staff to check out for a one-week period. "We invite students to check one out and enjoy our wireless Internet access while doing their research," said Carol Fleming, director of Library Services.

A-B Tech's Holly Library received one of the 146 LSTA grants totaling $4,629,570 awarded to North Carolina libraries for 2007-2008. The LSTA grants support projects across the state to help libraries provide relevant and up-to-date services for their users. Through the Grants to States program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services provides these funds to state library agencies using a population-based formula. State libraries may use the appropriation to support statewide initiatives and services. They also may distribute the funds through subgrant competitions or cooperative agreements to public, academic, research, school, and special libraries in their state.

Holly Library

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DiFeo and Ellingson Named Academic Excellence Award Winners »

 

Tech Talk is published by the Communications Office for employees and friends of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
Editor: Mona Cornwell, Writer: Martha Ball, Designers: Justin Page, April Sides
Send submissions to: Mona Cornwell, Director of Communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu
Publication of the next issue is scheduled for June 2. Deadline for submissions is May 16.