Local News

Health & Wellness: Bridging gaps: Community Paramedic Program celebrates 10 years of outreach and support

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Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Written by Roxana Ross

Since 2015, the Community Paramedic Program has helped patients who are at higher risk of falling through the cracks after hospitalization. Ideally, patients recover best at home after they are discharged, but what if they don’t have anyone at home to help them?
That’s where the Community Paramedic Program comes in. Started with initial funding from Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation, it is now celebrating a decade of care.
Manager and paramedic Alinda Bailey joined just a few months after it began.
“Initially, we focused on some of the prime diseases that we saw people repeatedly coming into the Emergency Department for, like congestive heart failure, COPD, and pneumonia, and we worked with discharged Medicare patients, following up once or twice a week for 30 days,” Bailey said. “We might make phone calls for them, or make sure they had everything they needed, like prescriptions and oxygen, and that they could use them. We’d visit their home and check in to do proactive education, making sure they knew how often to take their nebulizer or use a pulse oximeter.”
The program quickly grew, but the common thread remains the belief that some patients need a little extra hands-on follow-up to prevent extra Emergency Department visits or 911 calls.
“We’ve gotten into working with diabetes a lot lately,” Bailey said. “As our scope has expanded, we’ve written more protocols for how to help patients with different issues. We have more tools now, too. We often work with the Discharge Clinic, which helps patients who need a primary care doctor to follow up with, or can’t make their appointment, perhaps because they’re bedbound or lack transportation.”
The team has grown as well, from one manager and two paramedics to a manager, 10 paramedics, a social worker and a behavioral health peer support specialist. Beyond medical assistance, the program also looks at the social determinants of health, such as helping a patient look for insurance, food bank assistance, or connecting them to other community resources.
The Foundation continues to support the program by funding items needed for recuperation at home, such as pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs and scales.
“A hospital is a good place to be when you’re really sick, but when you begin to feel better, you recuperate better at home,” Bailey said. “People want to stay with their pets and live their everyday lives as normally as possible.”
Since starting, the program has helped more than 8,300 individuals, making more than 66,000 patient contacts via phone calls, home visits, community health fairs and other community outreach events. The program sees patients on a regular basis for anywhere from a month to several years, as long as they need to.
Chief Clinical Officer and Chairman of Emergency Medicine, Michael J. Zappa, MD, FACEP has seen how the program has made a difference.
“Our Community Paramedic Program demonstrates innovation in healthcare at its finest,” Dr. Zappa said. “It gets back to the roots of medicine by delivering care in the home, yet uses modern analytics and technology to identify those patients most at risk – and takes the critical step of the correct intervention at the right time. They help people get back to their normal lives more quickly and spend less time in the hospital.”

Hope Mills holds area land use plan meeting Oct. 28

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Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Written by Lena Simmons

“A true community is not just about being geographically close to someone or part of the same social web network. It is about feeling connected and responsible for what happens. The land is more than the ground beneath our feet.” — Yehuda Berg. Sustainability Directory 2025

The town of Hope Mills presents the Hope Mills Area Land Use Plan on Oct. 28. The kick-off meeting is located at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 5766 Rockfish Road in Hope Mills, from noon to 7 p.m. For more information, contact the Town of Hope Mills at 910-424-4555.
“The Southwestern Cumberland Plan Area is now called the Hope Mills Area Land Use Plan. This planning document is for the region in Cumberland County that extends to the Robeson and Hoke County Lines. The plan outlines the recommendations for future development, aiming to balance rural, agricultural, and residential growth with the suburban and commercial needs in the area, which is also affected by the nearby town of Hope Mills. It includes specific boundaries such as being north of Fayetteville City Limits and east of 301 South (Gillespie Street). The study area is approximately thirty-nine square miles, bordered by Robeson County to the South, Hoke County to the west, Fayetteville City limits to the north, and 301 South, Interstate 95 to the east,” according to the SWC Southwest Cumberland County Land Use Plan, Cumberland County Government.
Long-term planning is vital for creating sustainability and economic prosperity. It involves planning growth, providing adequate housing, commercial and recreational spaces, infrastructure, while protecting natural resources, providing open spaces and mitigating crises from natural disasters. Strategic planning prevents irreversible damage to ecosystems, reduces pollution, and creates resilient, healthier, and more equitable communities for future generations. Long-term land use goals can be developed as comprehensive plans, to incorporate infrastructure, sustainable development, manage growth, strategically reduce future costs, smart economic growth, enhance property values, promote social equity, support public health and safety, and manage population growth, according to the Lifestyle Sustainable Directory, Fundamentals of Land Use Planning.
The Cumberland County role in the Hope Mills Land Use Plan is to lead the development of the plan as a reference for future land use decisions and implement it through its Planning and Inspection Department. The County planning staff, along with the Joint Committee Board, provides expertise and technical assistance to draft and upgrade the plan and guides the growth and development in this area. It is inclusive of properties within Hope Mills Municipal Influence.
Saragrace Mitchell, County Land Use planner, shared at the Hope Mills Commissioner’s Meeting, “Land use planning is a long-term planning tool used by town and county officials as a reference for future land use decisions. It is a thorough document that includes existing conditions, goals, and policy recommendations.”
Your voice is needed in creating a vision that reflects community values and goals. Together we can build a better tomorrow. Attend and share your views at the Hope Mills Area Land Use Plan kick-off meeting on Oct. 28, during the hours of noon to 7 p.m. The location is Hope Mills Recreation Center, 5766 Rockfish Road. For more information, contact the Town of Hope Mills by phone, 910-424-4555.

MU School of Methodist reaches major milestone

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Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Written by Staff Report

Standing in front of the soon-to-be completed, state-of-the-art Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine building on Oct. 17, Methodist University President Stanley T. Wearden, Ph.D., shared that the proposed new school of medicine has received the official accreditation approval necessary to begin its recruitment of its inaugural class of students for the summer of 2026.
“Today marks a truly transformational milestone,” Wearden said to a crowd of medical professionals, key partners, media from around the state, and SOM faculty and staff. “This accomplishment is the result of years of dedication, planning, and collaboration… With preliminary accreditation in hand, we now begin the exciting work of recruiting our charter class – students who will one day transform healthcare throughout Southeastern North Carolina.”
The accreditation designation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education—the accrediting body for all U.S. and Canadian MD-granting medical schools—represents a significant achievement for Methodist University, in partnership with Cape Fear Valley Health, and positions the school as only the fifth MD medical school in North Carolina and the first new MD school in N.C. in four decades that isn’t tied to an existing institution.
“None of this happens in isolation,” said Dr. Hershey Bell, the founding dean of the SOM. “It takes the full partnership of our University, our health system, our faculty and staff, and the extraordinary people of this community who share a belief in what’s possible when vision meets purpose.”
The new school will provide a very unique, mission-driven MD education with world-class clinical experiences in underserved areas where students can make a difference, right away and for generations to come. The Association of American Medical Colleges has reported that when students go to medical school and complete their residency in one area, there’s a 70% chance they stay in that area to practice.
“This partnership is not just historic, it is profoundly practical,” said Michael Nagowski, CEO of Cape Fear Valley Health System. “For years, our region has faced physician shortages, particularly in primary care and key specialties. By training medical students right here in Fayetteville, we will dramatically increase the likelihood that these future doctors stay and serve the communities that need them most.”
“This achievement is about transformation,” Bell said. “The transformation of students’ lives who dream of becoming physicians; the transformation of healthcare access across our region; the transformation of opportunities for research, innovation, and economic growth right here at home.”
An Economic Impact Study by Michael Walden from N.C. State University shows the SOM will increase annual spending in the area by $72M and create nearly 850 news jobs.
The SOM has already hired more than 50 faculty and staff, and will utilize more than 200 clinical faculty with additional physician appointments to come.
“Our students will learn in an innovative, community-centered curriculum, training directly within Cape Fear Valley Health System’s hospitals and clinics,” Bell said. “They will become not only exceptional clinicians, but compassionate community leaders – doctors who know their patients, their neighborhoods, and their purpose.”
The next significant milestone for the SOM is substantive change new program approval in December. This is pending the approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges board.
More information about the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine, which has received tremendous support from the Golden LEAF Foundation and other corporate and individual donors, can be found at methodist.edu/medicine.

(Photo: The new, state-of-the-art Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine building will open for its first class of students in Summer 2026. Photo courtesy of Methodist University)

E.E. Smith High students killed in Fayetteville car crash

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Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Written by Dasia Williams, CityView Today

Three students from E.E. Smith High School died last week when the car they were riding in ran off the road on Rosehill Road, Fayetteville police said. The fourth passenger, the driver, was airlifted in critical condition.
Police have identified one of the victims as Jai’hyon Lamont Elliot, 18, and the driver as Dymond N. Monroe, 21. The other two students, both 17, were identified by Cumberland County Schools as Trevor Merritt and Nicholas Williams.
Around 7:22 p.m. on Oct. 8, officers responded to the 2700 block of Rosehill Road after a single-vehicle crash, police said. The car veered off the road, struck a telephone pole, and then hit a tree.
Three passengers died at the scene, the statement said. Monroe was airlifted to UNC Medical Center in critical condition. Police are investigating the cause.
Cumberland County Schools released a statement Oct. 9 confirming all three victims attended E.E. Smith High School and were members of the school’s football team.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of three E.E. Smith High School students … our thoughts and prayers are with their families,” the district said. “The top priority of the E.E. Smith High School administration is to provide support to students, faculty and staff as they process this tragedy. The district’s Student Services team will be on-site today to offer counseling and emotional support.”
In a message the same day, Superintendent Eric Bracy expressed condolences and spoke to the “lasting impact” the students have left behind.
“From the four corners of Cumberland County and beyond, we join together to wrap our arms around the E.E. Smith community,” he said. “We stand with their families, loved ones, classmates, teammates and school family as they grieve this devastating loss.”
Because the students were part of the football program, the school district announced that South View High School’s homecoming game, originally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 10 and in which E.E. Smith was set to play, is postponed. A new date will be announced later.
Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin, an alumnus of E.E. Smith, offered his condolences and encouragement for the families, students, and staff affected by the crash.
“Our community’s heart is broken. These young men were part of the Golden Bulls family and of Fayetteville’s future, and their loss is felt across our city. We are keeping the injured individual in our prayers and ask our community to join us in lifting up all who are hurting,” Colvin said in a statement.
The county school board also issued a statement following news of the wreck.
“The Cumberland County Board of Education extends its deepest condolences following the loss of three E.E. Smith High School seniors—young men whose energy, potential and friendships made a lasting mark on their school and community. Our hearts ache for their families and school community who are walking through this unimaginable time.”
The Fayetteville Police Department’s Traffic Unit is continuing the investigation into the crash. Police said more information will be released after next-of-kin notifications. Anyone with tips is asked to contact Officer C. Lewis at 910‑818‑1872.
CityView will continue to follow updates from the school district, police, and community as more information becomes available.
CityView Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 to include the correct identification of the driver of the vehicle after Fayetteville Police released additional information.