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Home My WebLink About2009-01-09 Euless Articles _ lag TRIWit D ME MEI ME _ PA _ - MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM MCKAMIE RIDGWAY(2) DECK BROWN YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR 'A DATE DISTRIBUTED / 9-0? DATE OF ARTICLE /07.29 — /-L7/ NEWSPAPER k-/Z . GUO,a 14 16 Fort Worth $us Mess tie ss BusinessPress Tongan communitybuilding links with medical providers By EUZABETH Bassen important to have the backing of an estab- We know for sure it person, it must be good for others as well. ebassett@bizpress.net lished health care system like Texas Health Being respectful of each other's cultures Resources. wouldn't be possible for is essential for any community outreach When Dr. Stephen Buksh started as an In 2000, participants in the Voice of clinic, both Buksh and the Ofas said. internal medicine physician in 1999, he Tonga approached the hospital to talk us to carry out this mis- Cultures can vary widely, but every person began noticing patients coming to the about what could be done to help their Sion without them. is focused on being healthy, even if there emergency room of Harris Methodist H-E- community. are different ways of approaching treat- B Hospital with severe, advanced diseases. "It's very important that there is a group ments and remedies. They would come in with uncontrolled of community members that are liaising — Ilaiasi Ofa, "Culturally, you know, you have to diabetes or chronic heart disease,and then between an agency and a community," Voice of Tonga make sure you're not just treating the he realized they were from one of the local said Filieta Ofa, a member of the Voice of numbers," Buksh said. communities. Tonga and a labor and delivery nurse who In the future, Buksh said he would like "Very early on in practice I noticed that worked at Arlington Memorial Hospital, "People don't go to the hospital unless to get more support from area physicians a lot of patients who were Tongan from another THR institution. they're very,very sick, and that is a pattern and especially from specialists, who can the community had very little primary Harris Methodist H-E-B started a pilot we see here with the older generation lend expertise to the patients. He said care," he said. education program in 2002 to reach out to because they're not acclimated to the sys- some hospitalist physicians from H-E-B Tonga-t community leaders had also the Tongan community, said Amy tern here," she said. "They're keeping the will start volunteering in the New Year, noticed health care issues, many having to Hampton, community health and benefit same kind of understanding as from and he would also like to bring in a do with cultural norms. After many years coordinator for the hospital. They gath- home." woman physician who may make female of building a relationship, the staff at ered volunteers and trained them to act as Buksh said this is the reason why many patients feel more comfortable talking Hams Methodist H-E-B and Tongan vol- interpreters and health promoters, and of his patients were coming to the hospi- about more taboo subjects, like breast unteers have created a medical home for also conducted surveys to see what needs tal when they were so ill that their disease health and mammographies. many in The well-established Tongan corn- should be addressed. Buksh said he got could not be well managed. With continued support from volun- munity. Once a week a mobile dinic vehi- involved early on, and in 2007 he worked "A lot of the patients I'd seen in the hos- teers, Texas Health Resources and other de from the hospital parks outside a with a non-physician health care provider pital had a misconception about medical local agencies, like the United Way, Ilaiasi Tongan church and volunteer medical to start overseeing primary care. care, that it was only really necessary at a Ofa said, the clinic can continue to grow staff help patients manage their illnesses Ilaiasi Ofa said many Tongans and time of crisis," he said. and help establish good health habits in a and learn more about prevention and Polynesians gathered near the airport Through time and educational efforts, younger generation of Tongans that are in treatment. because it was an area of economic though, Buksh and his supporting volun- school. Filieta Ofa said the Tongan com- "We know for sure it wouldn't be possi- growth, good job opportunities and dose teer staff have been able to show patients munity has always been focused on self- ble for us to carry out this mission without to transportation to get people home or to how to monitor and control their blood sufficiency and sharing resources, but the them," said Ilaiasi Ofa, a member of the visit friends and relatives. An estimated pressure or diabetes and other illnesses. North Texas group has now found this Voice of Tonga, a nonprofit organization 4,000 Tongans live in Texas, most in the He said the generous, sharing nature of dinic as a way to incorporate outside help founded to promote the welfare and well- Hurst, Euless and Bedford area. the Tongan community was a definite for the betterment of all. being of Tongans and other Pacificans in Filieta Ofa said many Tongans weren't asset, but it also posed some challenges "There is that common feel, it's a want, the North Texas area. Ofa said he and oth- seeking medical care because the Tongan for health care workers, who saw patients it's a need that we have to come together ers in the community knew they needed culture is focused on home treatment and share their prescription medications with to help our community, and it's out of to educate and support others, but it was remedies unless a person is very ill. each other,figuring that if it's good for one love,"she said. • DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE /` OF l MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY GRIM MCKAMIE RIDGWAY(2) DECK BROWN YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR DATE DISTRIBUTED G/c9 DATE OF ARTICLE //3 / d NEWSPAPER FWST CHEERS AND JEERS 3 Jeers:To the person who broke my driver's side door glass and stole my radio/CD player on Thanksgiving morn- ing.Apparently you have nothing to be thankful for—except that I didn't catch you.Cheers to Euless police for knocking on my door. —Marvin Morris,Euless Cheers:To the city of Euless and the many volunteers who worked on my house from Restoration Church in Euless(and especially Diane Higdon). I appreciate your giving so much of your time to paint the exterior,trim the trees and make so many other im- provements.My house looks great! —Eva Weiland,Euless I 1 1 1 I 'DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / OF / , MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM MCK4MIE RIDGWAY(2) DECK BROWN I YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS C.BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR G DATE DISTRIBUTED / / / /o DATE OF ARTICLE / /(f /D / NEWSPAPER FWST BF GOODRICH sell• Investor group begins ing Ilots at landing-gearplantp BF Goodrich closed the Goodrich plant sold spokeswoman, said the corn- ' plant in far east Fort Worth pany bought the property for in 2000. s.P elm Rd, the possible location of a sub- ' station to accommodate By SANDRA BAKERgrowth in the surrounding sabaker@star-telegram.com Fort neighborhoods. There is no FORT WORTH — Vacant forin worth 3 ye. development timeline for the more than eight years,the be- 'F,' e� I hemoth, former BF Goodrich ,c�,o`rl property,she said. Julie Wilson, a vice presi- landing-gear plant in far east w dent with Chesapeake's Bar- Fort Worth has been bought by C; arerd nett Shale operations in Fort I an investor group that has sold Fon qI Worth, said she is unaware of two parcels totaling 14.5 acres - any immediate plans for the to energy companies. site. Benton Rutledge, a broker a CallowaycemeteryRd. Menasco Aerosystems, a I with Greenway Investments in landing-gear manufacturer Dallas, who represented the The former BF Goodrich landing- based in Burbank, Calif., ex buyers, said the new owners gear plant,also formerly the anded its company to Texas are in theprocess of tearing Menasco plant,has been sold to p P y ' g Dallas investors. and in 1956 built a 100,000- down the 402,322-square-foot STAR-TELEGRAM square foot plant at the site. plant and plan to sell the re The facility was expanded 'maining 26.69 acres.An envi- Gear, according to deed re- a few times over the de- ' 'ronmental remediation of the cords. The property is on the cades. In 1977, Menasco property was completed by BF east side of Farm Road 157 and was acquired by Coltec In- Goodrich,he said. stretches between Trinity dustries, which merged R.J.Grogan Jr.,a Dallas real Boulevard and Pipeline Road. with BF Goodrich in 1998. I estate lawyer listed on state re- The buyers have sold 7.7 Goodrich closed the plant in cords as manager of the buy- acres near Trinity Boulevard to 2000.At one time, there were ing group,157&Pipeline,Llc.," Oncor Electric Delivery in Fort more than 600 workers at the did not return phone calls Worth, and a 6.8-acre parcel plant. I ':Monday seeking comment. near Pipeline Road to Oklaho- Matt Thompson, a broker. ' 'he group bought the land, ,:ma City-based Chesapeake wit1i Colliers International, 'totaling 41.21 acres, in mid- 'Exploration, deed records represented the seller. November from Charlotte, show. IN.C.-based Goodrich Landing Carol Peters, an Oncor SANDRA BAKER,817-390-7727