Loved ones say actor killed himself after losing all in flood, showing need for mental-health services for region's homeless

Tony Calhoun (Showhouse Productions)

A Kentucky actor and screenwriter killed himself after losing everything he owned in last month's flash floods, his fiancée said, and "His friends and family hope the incident emphasizes the need for mental health services as part of Eastern Kentucky’s recovery," reports Valarie Honeycutt Spears of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Tony Calhoun, 39, "killed himself Monday morning, said Calhoun’s fiancée, Edith Heather Lisk. . . . Gov. Andy Beshear is counting Calhoun as the 39th death in the state flood toll. Calhoun’s parents, Betty and Lowell Thomas Calhoun, said that if even one person could be helped by talking about Calhoun’s death, it will be worth them telling his story."

Calhoun's mother said he lost first-edition comic books and "memorabilia that he had collected since he was 5 years old, but he was proud that he had not broken down in tears," the Herald-Leader reports. "What happened on Monday, she said, 'was his way of breaking down'."

Mental-health professionals are needed to tell hundreds of people made homeless by the flooding “that they don’t need to give up on life, that they can start over,” Betty Calhoun said. Breathitt County Coroner Hargis Epperson said Calhoun’s death is being investigated as a suicide.

Flooding and recovery cause concerns about health and safety

WEKU-FM photo by Stu Johnson

"Maintaining good physical and mental health is top of mind for health officials in flood-devastated Eastern Kentucky," reports Samantha Morrill of WEKU-FM. "Tetanus and hepatitis are major concerns after a flooding event."

So says Scott Lockard, public health director at the Kentucky River District Health Department. He told Morrill that the agency has been administering vaccinations in the community and going door to door.

“We have partners, and we've done this ourselves, to get on ATVs and side by sides and go up hollers in our communities and people who have not been able to get out and get the care, they need to make sure that they're getting vaccinations and getting, you know, the services that they need right there at their homes,” Lockard said.

He added that volunteers need to take care of their general health. Part of that includes properly treating cuts and scrapes: “They're in the water or the mud, you know, there's just a coating of mud on everything. We have to make sure that individuals are very mindful of treating wounds effectively, don't let these places become infected.”

The mud that coats nearly everything the flooding touched carries contaminants that can cause illness, Lockard said. The mud and debris are hazards for falls, and people should use protective equipment like rubber boots and gloves.

Lockard also said maintaining good mental health is also a concern. "A social worker by training, Lockard said setting boundaries and knowing when to ask for help are important tools," Morrill reports.

UK health workers in flooded areas work to provide care

By Hillary Smith
University of Kentucky

HAZARD, Ky. — More than a week into recovery and relief efforts following the devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky, Dr. Key Douthitt sums up the experience with two words: “I’m exhausted.”

But what he and his community are going through is not so simple. Douthitt is the medical director for UK HealthCare’s North Fork Valley Clinic in hard-hit Perry County.

He considers himself one of the lucky ones.

“My wife told me this morning, think how exhausted you would be if you didn’t have a home, you didn’t have electricity, you didn’t have a car,” he said. “So at the end of the day, whatever I’m going through is small in comparison to what a lot of our neighbors are.”

A mobile dental unit donated by Ronald McDonald House was converted to
a basic-care unit for wound care and vaccinations. (UK photo by Hilary Brown)

Two weeks ago, parts of several communities were virtually wiped away by the floodwaters, with some homes being swept off their foundations and carried away. In Eastern Kentucky, it’s common for generations of families to put their homes on the same strip of land. For those who had the misfortune of being along the path of the historic flooding, pieces of their families’ homes and many of their belongings are now scattered along creek banks and even up in trees, showing just how high the water rose. Anything left behind, including the insides of homes, are now caked in layers of mud.

Along with family keepsakes, electronics, clothes and food, many residents are also left without crucial items like lifesaving medications, identification and insurance cards, glasses, dentures, walkers, canes and more.

Several homes that were spared have been without electricity for days, which is problematic, especially for those who rely on things like oxygen and CPAP machines. Getting generators to those homes is a top priority. Health care workers are working tirelessly to try to meet the growing list of needs in their communities and know that these needs are dire — and will only continue to grow.

UK HealthCare operates two clinics in the flooded areas. The North Fork Valley Clinic in Hazard is still operational; however, the June Buchanan Clinic in Hindman experienced significant flooding.

“When we see someone who is down, we are going to pick them up and try and pull them back up as best we can,” said Douthitt. “So we're used to hard times here but we're also used to coming together as a community.”

With support from UK’s Center of Excellence in Rural Health in Hazard and volunteers, the staff from the two clinics have spent the past several days out in the community offering aid. They have been a shining example of what a community health care worker is.

“In a lot of these communities, we find people that either can’t or don’t want to leave what is left of their homes. They are worried about looting, and it is where they are comfortable,” said Douthitt. “They won’t come to us; we know we are going to have to go to them. And after all they have been through, that’s the least we can do.”

While crews have worked tirelessly to clear main roads throughout the mountains, the reality is that dozens of bridges, culverts and small roads remain impassable — or have even been wiped from existence.

“Unless you are from this area, you don’t really know what rural means … especially flooded rural,” said Pam Cornett, who is working out of one of UK HealthCare’s mobile clinics. Cornett, a Letcher County native, typically works as a dental hygienist in the dental mobile units but is using her skills and expertise to help with wound care and vaccinations for flood survivors.

Rescue teams have needed to get creative in finding ways to provide help for some of these hard-to-reach areas. CERH Director Fran Feltner noted that one of their mobile teams were unable to reach someone in need even on an ATV — so they instead got to the person and delivered necessary supplies by horseback.

“Our rural Kentucky mountains are beautiful places to live, a place we call home, a place where family, friends and neighbors lend a helping hand or shoulder to lean on in times of disaster,” said Feltner. She says as their teams are out working to access those impacted by the floods, they are often joined by neighbors who also want to help by providing extra hands, an ATV or their own horse.

“That is what we do here. You go out into these communities, and you just see the absolute devastation,” said Douthitt. “We were out the other day and came across a man who was all cut up. It was because he was out looking for his wife’s body. When you see that stuff, you just know we need to do everything we can for these people.”

UK's two dental units operated out of its Hazard clinic have been converted for basic wound care and tetanus vaccinations. As one lady rolls up her sleeve to receive her shot, she quietly tells the team member, “We lost everything.”

Her husband is also there, being inspected for a puncture wound on his foot. The family, including an 84-year-old, had waded through water up to their necks to get to safety.

“Everyone is kind of bewildered and overwhelmed,” Cornett said. “One gentleman told me that he doesn’t know where to even start.”

As they travel, the mobile clinics are also handing out backpacks with a day or two supply of hygiene items and food that have been collected and organized by the Center for Excellence in Rural Health.

“I’m trying to stay focused on the medical needs knowing we have people working hard to get the other supplies out,” said Douthitt. “Together, we are going to make sure the whole person is taken care of.”

The team members in the mobile care units are also helping connect those in need with the appropriate contacts and services.

“I met a man yesterday who lost his prosthetic leg in the flood, so we are working to get him set up and get that replaced,” said Cornett. “Basically, we’re trying to get anything they need in order to get back to some sort or normalcy.”

While these health care heroes work tirelessly to help their community, they are also living the experience as an Eastern Kentuckian.

“We have staff trying to come and concentrate on providing medical care to people when the whole time they're thinking, ‘I need to be doing X, Y or Z for my family. My family needs me right now,’” said Douthitt. “And it's a lot. That's a lot to put on people.”

Next, the hope is to have the June Buchanan Clinic cleaned up and operational soon.

“We are just going to get through this one day at a time, one moment at a time,” said Douthitt. “Eventually we will be able to look back and say, ‘Look how we picked ourselves back up.’”

The region is far more complex than many understand. From its hills to its valleys, the area is rich in tradition and pride. Those are all things that the floodwaters could not wash away.

“I’m very proud to be from this area,” said Cornett. “We have some really good people, really strong people. We will bounce back. It might take years, but we will bounce back.”

In the aftermath of the floods, there are many moving parts and a constantly changing list of needs, some which could mean the difference between life and death. It can be overwhelming at times, which is why the health care workers try to keep the focus on what really matters — the strength in their community and unwavering support from strangers — all while taking it one step at a time.

“When you say to someone, ‘Hey, I know you aren’t from here, but can you get on an ATV and run this up to the next holler over and they say, Yes!’ It just warms your heart,” said Douthitt. “To see people come together for a common goal, it just shows at the end of the day we are all on this same earth, and we're just going to pitch together to do the best we can.”

Eastern Kentucky health-care workers and patients face more threats: heat, mold, mental-health and substance-abuse issues

The rescues and initial cleanup are over, but health-care workers in areas of Eastern Kentucky that were hit by flooding now face other threats, reports Linda Blackford of the Lexington Herald-Leader: "dangerous heat for many without power, mold that can cause Legionnaires' disease in compromised lungs, and mental-health issues with people still in shock and grief from their trauma. Substance-use disorder has also been a huge problem in Eastern Kentucky."

Dr. Van Breeding (Photo: Ryan C. Hermens, Herald-Leader)

Dr. Van Breeding of the Whitesburg Mountain Comprehensive Medical Clinic said he had to cancel a long-planned festival set for Thursday to celebrate those in recovery and highlight resources, because rain is forecast.

"Many have lost suboxone and other medications, and Breeding is worried about another flood-related problem: drug overdoses," Blackford reports. "They need more Narcan and clean needles for exchange. People, including healthcare workers themselves, need homes and money and clothes, and it’s not at all clear when they will get them.

"UK HealthCare and other organizations are sending vaccines and supplies. People are sending aid through various organizations. But the medical needs for Eastern Kentucky, already serious, are going to get much more dire in the short and long term."

“We need all the help we can get,” Breeding said.

Flooding devastated many health clinics in Eastern Kentucky

The flood wrecked the Mountain Comprehensive Care Corp. warehouse in Whitesburg. (MCCC photo)

The flooding in Eastern Kentucky has disrupted much of life, and health care is no exception.

"The floods dealt a devastating blow to the 'safety net' system of federally-designated community health clinics throughout Eastern Kentucky which focus on medically underserved areas and low-income patients," reports Deborah Yetter of The Courier Journal. "In addition to primary health care, the clinics provide behavioral health, dental care, and social services. . . . Now clinic operators are scrambling to try to clean up and reopen or find alternate sites. They also must replace equipment, supplies, medication, and other goods lost in the flood. Some remain without power, water or phone service."

Yetter cites a Facebook post from Dr. Van Breeding of the Whitesburg Mountain Comprehensive Medical Clinic: "We will be open but are literally using paper charts, stethoscopes and cell phones to try to take care of people. Please, if you are in the medical field and can help us, send help, we lost our lab, X-ray, dental equipment and most clinical supplies but we are still helping our patients who lost everything. . . . The horrific tales of loss are extreme. We and the people we take care of are in shock and near exhaustion. Please help in any way you can."

Linda Blackford of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports on the response of Breeding and staff: "They evacuated a nursing home, they rescued people from their homes with kayaks, boats and jetskis, they helped set up a shelter at the CANE Kitchen in the old high school, and by Friday, they turned their attention to the flood clinic on Medical Plaza Lane. It wasn’t as bad as some places — just a few inches of mud as opposed to total immersion — but patients were already starting to trickle in. By Friday, the clinic was back open. On Monday, the clean waiting rooms were filled, as nurses and aides cleaned others."

“It’s a miracle; we worked around the clock and reopened,” Breeding told Blackford. “You don’t have time to think about it, you just do it.”

Also in Whitesburg, the headquarters of Mountain Comprehensive Care Corp., which operates 13 clinics, "is unusable from floodwaters that swept through and destroyed records and equipment. A supply warehouse was also wrecked," Yetter reports, citing CEO Mike Caudill.

"MCHC is now servicing patients out of the old Whitesburg High School located at 58 Walnut Street and limited operations utilizing a mobile clinic at the Isom location, the Kentucky Primary Care Association, the trade group for the clinics, said in an update Tuesday.

KPCA is trying to locate and ship needed supplies to its members in Eastern Kentucky, interim CEO Molly Lewis told Yetter, who reports, "It also is looking for volunteer medical workers from other parts of the state to assist at the clinics and will help with their costs of lodging."

KPCA issued this report on some of its other members in the region, including:

• Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance (Little Flower Clinic), Hazard: Needs drinking and distilled water, tetanus and Hepatitis A immunizations, portable oxygen tanks, home oxygen concentrators, insulin, medical supplies, sleeping bags, personal care supplies, nonperishable food, cleaning supplies, shower truck, laundry truck.
• Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky in Hazard: No water; staff have lost homes, cars; needs for supplies.
• Dr. Clemente Zulueta, Jackson: clinic destroyed.
• East Kentucky Health Services, Hindman: All needs for patients and staff.
• North Fork Valley Community Health Center: June Buchanan Medical Clinic damaged; requesting supplies.
• Juniper Health, Jackson: Facilities okay but needs water, supplies for homeless and medical needs.
• Quantum Healthcare, Hazard: same.

In flood cleanup, here's how to stay safe and healthy

Disaster cleanup workers take breaks and keep hydrated
when temperatures are high, as is forecast this week.

Floods can kill, but so can the cleanup, if you aren't careful, says Anna Goodman Hoover, an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.

"As people try to re-enter flood-damaged properties, the risk of serious injury and even death is high," Hoover told Kentucky Health News. She shares a package of "vetted materials from various agencies and environmental/disaster organizations that provide safety information for re-entering, cleaning up, etc."

The college's Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health has created a web page with a wide range of resources for people to stay safe and healthy in flooding. Here are selected examples from Hoover's package of how to protect yourself.

• Wash your hands often to avoid exposure to harmful substances.

• Use hand sanitizers frequently.

• Exercise good housekeeping.

• Only drink from proven potable water sources.

• Be careful walking over and handling debris that is covered with water, to avoid risk of slips, trips and falls.

• Remain current with tetanus vaccination (within the past 10 years).

• If exposed to stagnant water, wash and sanitize immediately.
• If injured by sharp or jagged materials, immediately clean out all open wounds with soap and clean water. If a wound gets red, swells, or oozes, seek immediate medical attention.

• Consider steel toe/shank footwear if available and use durable gloves for handling debris.

• Watch for exposed power lines.

• Use hearing protection for noisy environments.

• Use appropriate breathing apparatus to avoid inhaling dust containing asbestos, silica and other lung-damaging substances.

• Avoid sunburn by limiting exposure, using protective eyewear and using sunscreen and lip balm.

To avoid heat stress:

• Drink plenty of fluids, sports drinks if available.

• Monitor yourself and coworkers, use the buddy system.

• Block out direct sun or other heat sources.

• Use cooling fans and/or air conditioning, and rest regularly.

• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothes.

• Avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks, or heavy meals.

• Seek medical attention for symptoms of: extremely high body temperature (above 103°F); red, hot, and dry skin (without sweating); rapid, strong pulse; throbbing headache, dizziness or nausea.

• Take shelter in shaded areas and loosen or remove excess protective clothing if feasible.

To avoid traumatic stress:

• Pace yourself and take frequent rest breaks.

• Watch out for each other and identify nearby hazards.

• Be conscious of those around you. Exhausted responders or stressed responders may put themselves and others at risk.

• Maintain as normal a schedule as possible; regular eating and sleeping are crucial.

• Whenever possible, take breaks away from the work area.

• Recognize and accept what you cannot change—the chain of command, organizational structure, waiting, equipment failures, etc.

To avoid eye injury:

• Use safety glasses with side shields; a retainer strap is suggested.

• Consider safety goggles for protection from fine dust particles; can be used over regular prescription glasses.

• Any worker using a welding torch for cutting must have special eye wear to protect against welding flash, which causes severe burns to the eyes and surrounding tissue.

• Use only protective eyewear that has an ANSI Z87 mark on the lenses or frames.

Avoid the hazards of floodwaters:

• There are usually elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous substances in floodwaters.

• Minimize human contact with flood water.

• Wear waders and waterproof gloves.

• If skin comes into contact with floodwater, wash thoroughly with soap and water.

• Keep all open cuts or sores as clean as possible.

• Use antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin.

• Stay alert for flash flooding.

• Floodwater may contain chemicals, diesel fuel, gasoline, motor oil, chlorine, liquid oxygen, medical waste, corrosives and industrial and household products in all sizes and quantities.

Watch your work environment:

• Do not enter a structure that shows indication of being unsafe such as walls with large cracks, shifting, or partial collapse.

• Determine if any hazardous substances have been anywhere on the property including pipes and tanks.

• Don’t walk on surfaces you aren’t sure are stable.

• Use other ways to get to work surfaces, such as bucket trucks.

• Erect scaffolding on stable surfaces and anchor it to stable structures.

• Wear protective equipment provided, including safety shoes with slip resistant soles.

• Use fall protection with lifelines tied off to suitable anchorage points, including bucket trucks, whenever possible.

• After flooding, the water creates the perfect environment for mold to grow in homes and other buildings. Exposure to mold can cause wheezing and severe nasal, eye and skin irritation.

• Floods chase animals from their burrows, increasing the risk of snakebite.

At home:

• Reconnect with family, spiritual, and community supports.

• Do not make any big life decisions.

• Spend time with others or alone doing the things you enjoy to refresh and recharge yourself.

• Be aware that you may feel particularly fearful for your family. This is normal and will pass in time.

• Remember that “getting back to normal” takes time.

 • Be aware that recovery is not a straight path but a matter of two steps forward and one back. You will make progress.

• You need to support your family and recognize that you are not going through this along.

• Avoid overuse of drugs or alcohol. 
• Identify and throw away food that may not be safe to eat: Food that may have come in contact with flood or storm water; food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture; meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers that have been above 40 degrees F for two hours or more; food containers with screw-caps, snap-lids, crimped caps (soda pop bottles), twist caps, flip tops, snap-open, and home canned items; these cannot be disinfected if they have been in contact with floodwater

• If power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible
• Add block ice or dry ice to your refrigerator if the electricity is expected to be off longer than four hours.

• Wear heavy gloves when handling ice
Employers: Federal law "requires employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace free of recognized hazards and to follow Occupational Safety and Health Act standards. Employers' responsibilities also include providing training, medical examinations and record keeping. For more information, go to www.osha.govor call 1-800-321-OSHA(6742).

Employees should "follow the employer's safety and health rules and wear or use all required gear and equipment, and follow safe work practices for your job, as directed by your employer." Report hazardous conditions to a supervisor, and to the state OSHA agency, if employers do not eliminate them.

The above information originated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Feds give state $7 million to help deal with lingering behavioral-health impacts of 2019 flooding in 21 Eastern Kentucky counties

Federal grant will help three southeastern regions overlaid by dot pattern. For larger image, click on it.

Kentucky is getting a $7 million federal grant to expand behavioral-health services in 21 Appalachian counties to help deal with the effects of severe weather in the region last February and March.

“Many counties in Eastern Kentucky suffered terrible loss in 2019 and continue to experience the impact of the flooding and mudslides there,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release.

The grant will fund crisis services, mental-health and substance-use-disorder treatment, recovery services and other related supports to about 3,000 people affected by the disasters in areas served by three community mental-health centers: Mountain Comprehensive Care, Kentucky River Community Care, and Cumberland River Behavioral Health.

“Natural disasters have a serious and often lasting impact on the mental health of communities, who experience large scale destruction, home loss, injuries, and often deaths,” Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said in the release. “All of these things, coupled with the fear of disaster happening again, can take a toll on mental health. It is critical we have resources to adequately support our crisis response mechanisms in affected areas to assure we can mitigate the psychological impact of these often life-altering, tragic events.” 

Efforts the grant will fund include:

• Coordination and assessment of crisis-response capacity and behavioral-health services and development of a comprehensive plan to address those needs.
• Prevention, counseling, mental-health and crisis services in schools.
• Community education and outreach.
• Mental-health and substance-use-disorder services for uninsured or under-insured adults, and expanded access to treatment.
• Recovery support including housing, transportation and job services.
• Support for quick response teams or enhanced crisis-response teams for assertive community outreach and engagement for individuals and families in crisis.
• Expanded telehealth services.

The money will go from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to the state Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities.