The Briefcase for Nov. 11

Thomasville Medical gets OK for psychiatric beds

State regulators said Thursday that Thomasville Medical Center has been conditionally approved to add 12 inpatient psychiatric beds to its facility.

The expansion would give the hospital 45 inpatient psychiatric beds. The estimated cost of the expansion is $701,000.

If no appeal is filed with the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation by Nov. 27, the hospital would receive a certificate-of-need required to proceed with the project.

The hospital will focus those beds on people age 55 and older who have a mental-health illness and/or a substance-abuse problem. It provides services to other Novant Health Inc. groups in the region. Jo Haubenreiser, vice president of post acute services for Novant, said in August the goal is to have the beds available in the first quarter.

Most hospital emergency departments are experiencing an overall increase in demand for psychiatric services, some of which is coming from unemployed Triad residents who can't afford health-insurance coverage.

"The decision to request the beds is not as much economic-driven as aging population-driven," Haubenreiser said. "The beds will help the center better provide evaluations and re-evaluations."

Thomasville Medical would get those beds from Broughton Hospital, a state psychiatric facility in Morganton. It is the same state hospital from which Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services obtained 50 beds for a psychiatric emergency department slated to open this fall.

Richard Craver

PMG to study system for treating sleep apnea

PMG Research, based in Winston-Salem, said Thursday it has received approval to begin a clinical study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Apnex Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation System. The system aims to treat obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA.

PMG said it is one of the first medical research centers in the country to participate in the study.

According to the World Health Organization, about 100 million people worldwide have OSA, including 1 in 4 U.S. men and 1 in 9 U.S. women.

It most often occurs when the airway muscles fail to keep the airway open during sleep. Untreated OSA increases the risk of death, as well as stroke, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart failure and diabetes.

The goal of the system is to treat patients who are unable to tolerate existing therapies, such as continuous positive airway pressure. The implanted device activates muscles of the upper airway to ensure that the airway remains open during sleep.

The study is being performed by sleep specialists at clinical study centers in the United States, Australia and Europe. People interested in participating in the study can call (888) 975-3370 or go to www.sleepapneatrial.com.

PMG has nearly 50 employees between its research office at 1901 S. Hawthorne Road and its main office at 4505 Country Club Road in Winston-Salem.

Richard Craver

Walmart store in Midway to open Wednesday

Walmart said it will hold a grand-opening event for its Walmart Express store in Midway at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The store will be at 189 Hickory Tree Road. The store manager is Bill Lewis.

Richard Craver

Agreement on Savannah River dredging approved

The board overseeing South Carolina's environmental agency has approved a compromise with the Army Corps of Engineers over a permit to dredge the Savannah River.

The agency's board voted unanimously Thursday to accept the agreement, putting Georgia and the federal government a step closer to deepening 35 miles between the Atlantic Ocean and the port of Savannah, Ga.

Department of Health and Environmental Control staff denied the Corps' water permit request in September. The agreement was reached minutes before an appeal before the board. It includes Georgia's promise to pay for upkeep on devices the Corps will install to inject oxygen into the river, and agreeing to preserve an additional 1,500 acres of marsh.

Patrick Moore with the Coastal Conservation League says his group will appeal the decision to the state's Administrative Law Court.

The Associated Press

Smithfield Packing to expand Kinston plant

Smithfield Packing Co., a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods Inc., said Thursday it is expanding its plant in Kinston, adding 330 new jobs and spending $88.5 million on capital investments over three years.

The company is eligible for a $700,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund and matching local incentives.

As part of the expansion, the company will add a new product line of packaged meats.

Smithfield Foods currently has more than 12,400 employees across North Carolina.

The average annual wage for the new jobs will be $27,644, plus benefits. By comparison, the Lenoir County average annual wage is $29,276.

Richard Craver

Hanesbrands up slightly in consumer satisfaction

Hanesbrands Inc. posted a slight increase in consumer satisfaction during the third quarter, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which was released Thursday.

Hanesbrands was listed second in the apparel category with a rating of 81, up one point. VF Corp. was ranked first with a rating of 83, down two points.

Overall consumer satisfaction with apparel was down 3.6 percentage points to 80.

"When there is little or no industry growth, the only way for many companies to expand is to take market share from competition," said Claes Fornell, founder of the index.

"In an anemic labor market with tight household budgets, this leads to more price competition, deflationary pressure and a further weakening of aggregate demand. The best defense a company can have against competitive efforts to take market share is to have satisfied customers."

Fornell said that while cotton prices have fallen by more than 50 percent in recent weeks, apparel prices have not made a similar drop.

"In order for customer satisfaction to return to previous levels, some adjustment in the industry's overall pricing structure is likely needed," Fornell said.

Richard Craver