The Buffalo Trace Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (BT-ASAP) and the Regional Prevention Center of Comprehend Inc. are pleased to inform the community of their most recent effort to increase the number of nonsmokers in Lewis County.

On Tuesday, July 19, Judge Executive Steve Applegate on behalf of the BT-ASAP awarded Lewis County Primary Care with seed money to purchase nicotine replacement products for the Cooper/Clayton smoking cessation program. The Lewis County Health Department also has been awarded these funds as well. Products purchased with the money will be resold at each facility to program participants on a cost recovery basis.

The board's intent is to make purchasing nicotine replacement products more convenient for program participants thereby increasing the likelihood of successful quitting.

BT-ASAP formed in November 2001 and has since worked to fulfill its strategic plan by comprehensively addressing substance use/abuse issues. The board serves to promote the reduction of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. BT-ASAP is comprised of members from all five counties in the Buffalo Trace Region (Bracken, Fleming, Lewis, Mason and Robertson Counties.) Members represent such community areas as government, law enforcement, health, education, as well as other prevention, intervention and treatment entities. Also serving on the board as representatives of Lewis County are David Bolt, Mike Kennedy, Lisa Liles and Kathy Willis.

The program combines the use of nicotine replacement therapy with comprehensive smoking-cessation classes to help smokers change their behavioral patterns that accompany smoking.

For more information about the Cooper-Clayton Smoking-Cessation Program visit their website at http://www.thecooperclaytonmethod.com/.

The Lewis County Primary Care Center (LCPCC) is honored to be part of this flourishing program that will benefit those of the Lewis and surrounding counties. “

The Cooper-Clayton method is a three phase methodology to help break the smoking habit. Developed by Thomas Cooper, D.D.S. and Richard Clayton, Ph.D., an expert on drug addiction at the Kentucky School of Public Health at the University of Kentucky, the program has proven to be successful for many with a 45 percent success rate in heavy smokers.

"We are anxious to become involved with the Cooper-Clayton program and to soon have people in our area becoming success stories, just like so many others," stated Jerry Ugrin, CEO of LCPCC.

With the granting of seed money from BT-ASAP, plans are quickly in the works to establish a schedule for classes. Products will be available at LCPCC's Tollesboro, Flemingsburg, and the new Vanceburg Pharmacy locations. If you wish to become a participant of the program please contact health educator, Lori McCane, at the Lewis County Primary Care Center 606-796-6010.

Together the BT-ASAP, LCPCC, and the Lewis County Health Department are working together to create a healthier future for the lives of Kentuckians.

 The Lewis County school district recently received the "Met All Five" Award at the Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education (KACTE) Summer Program held at the Galt House in Louisville on July 25-27.

Lewis County was among only 18 school districts of the 176 districts in Kentucky to receive this award, which is presented to those districts that meet all five measures on the Perkins Performance Measures Annual Report (PPMAR).

Districts must meet five Perkins Performance Measures to receive funds under the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act of 1998:

Career and Technical Education (CTE) students perform as well as or better than all other students in the district on the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) assessments, and the percent of students receiving skill standards certificates increases from year to year.

CTE senior completers (students completing four credits in a career area) are graduating from high school at the same rate as all students, when compared to the graduation rate for the district.

CTE senior completers are making successful transition to postsecondary education, work or the military at the same rate as that of all other senior students in the district.

By Al Owens

Meeting in regular session last week the trustee board of the Helen H. Rayburn Public Library of Lewis County discussed the possibility of building a new library building in the future.

Helen Rayburn, for whom the library is named, asked, "What's your reasoning for building a new library?"

She stated that she has always tried to do what was best to serve the citizens of Lewis County.

Rayburn expressed concern for taking on a large indebtedness.

Michael Jones from the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives explained that grant money for construction may be available but he wasn't sure of the details. The grants may or may not require matching funds.

The board agreed that any new location selected should be downtown.

The matter is in the discussion stage. By consensus the board agreed that it can look into the matter and if it's too expensive or not feasible the subject can be dropped.

The board moved not to rent the corner building to a client for a restaurant location. The members expressed concern over the dangers of fire and water damage.

Jones announced that a Bookmobile Conference will be held in Lexington on Thursday and Friday, August 11-12. The board moved to pay the expenses for Bookmobile Librarian Margie Valentine to attend that conference.

Jones reported other educational opportunities available to the trustees. A technology conference will be held in Ashland on Wednesday, September 7, and a grant-writing conference will be conducted in Lexington the next day on Thursday, September 8.

He informed the board that the next director's meeting will be in Menifee County on Friday, August 19. At that meeting the Regional Consultant in Cumberland Valley, Ruby Hinson, will speak on "Confidentiality for Library Patrons".

Jones also announced that the annual KLA meeting is coming up in Louisville September 14-17.

In other business the board moved to amend the annual budget to reflect one employee's salary based on actual time worked rather than projected time worked.

Library Director Marilyn Conway told the board that the Summer Reading Program had 45 participants and was a great success.

The board moved to give employee Jo Esham holiday pay for those holidays she would ordinarily work, and also to pay Kathy Hartley and Margie Valentine for mileage for traveling to Shawnee State University for continuing education classes. The mileage rate will be the state standard of 35 cents per mile.

Jones said that the library's annual report is due by August 15, and Conway told the board that she has already submitted that report online.

Before adjourning board president Carol Gilbert announced that the next meeting will be on Tuesday, August 16, at 1:00 p.m. in the library.