Personal Injury Attorney in Goose Creek, SC

The medical equipment that Goose Creek firefighters and EMS will use has been budgeted as a planned purchase for several years. The city wanted to be proactive in getting the new units, so proactive that fire and EMS will be the first in the state to use them.

It’s called a Lifepak and is manufactured by Stryker. A Lifepak is a cardiac monitor commonly used in departments nationwide, but the new version is much more advanced.

“They are taking the best of all the things that they previously had in their systems and combining them,” said Adrian Taylor, assistant chief of EMS operations for the city of Goose Creek.

The unit is about the size of a backpack. It offers a touchscreen and the ability to type on it while in use. But, its most advanced perk is the lifesaver.

“They have also come up with an algorithm inside that will allow us to analyze the electrical current in the heart while we are doing CPR, which is a new technology,” Taylor said. “Using electrical currents, we can analyze what is going on with the electrical circuits in your heart while doing chest compressions. It will be a game-changer for us. The simple fact is that we are going to be able to do CPR and will not have to stop. We would have to stop periodically to check the pulse and heart rhythm to see if it was a shockable rhythm and deliver more electricity if we needed to.”

As of Aug. 22, the devices were being used in the field after a week of training. The cost for the units was about $1.5 million, but as Taylor puts it, it will be the gift from taxpayers that keeps on giving.

“This isn’t just a platform we buy use,” he said. “This particular platform is upgradable. So, the technology involved in this platform can grow as we progress and they make changes. They have done a great job of thinking long-term with this particular platform. The brains of this is upgradable.”

Also, because the city is the first to get them, other departments in the area and across the state will have proof of its life-saving benefits once the numbers are compiled.

Bo’s Barbershop is located at the end of Crowfield Plaza off St. James Avenue. It is another new business in Goose Creek, a city that takes pride in being business-friendly. The shop is named after the owner’s father, and she comes from a long line of clippers.

“It actually kind of runs in the family,” said owner Chrissy Griffin. “Come to find out, I had a great uncle, George, on my mom’s side, who was a barber. He had a barber shop himself, and my mom is a hairdresser; her mother was a hairdresser, and my aunt is a hairdresser.”

Salons are primarily seen in that part of Goose Creek. Something that didn’t entice Griffin at first.

“I started with cosmetology and realized that hair coloring and chemical services just weren’t my thing,” she said. “I was doing a lot of men’s cuts, and I realized I prefer being a barber.”

Griffin used to work at the well-known Don’s Barber Shop in Otranto and decided to open her own shop up the road. She offers shaves and beard trimmings. Two other barbers also work at the shop.

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And there is a unique spot inside to help her customers and employees.

“The main reason I wanted to open a shop is so other barbers can come and work, and it does not feel like work. I have a whole room that I made dedicated to our kids,” she said. “If we need to bring our kids to work, we don’t have to pay for that extra childcare expense or worry about who will watch them for the day when school is out. That has always been an issue as a single mom. I have another barber, and she’s got kids.”

The room is available for customers as well.

Bo’s is one of several new businesses in Goose Creek. According to its website, it welcomes all businesses. It offers incentives, especially those that help contribute to residents’ economic growth and quality of life. The city’s priorities are aligned with the Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA).

The city encourages those in the automotive, hospitality, aerospace, logistics, restaurant or retail business to visit Goose Creek and learn about its offerings.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A Summerville nonprofit is celebrating its first wheelchair-accessible addition to one of its homes for disabled individuals.

Community Options, Inc. opened 12 homes in the Summerville, Goose Creek and Hanahan areas. Out of the 12, the upgraded Thistle Road home in Goose Creek is the first wheelchair-accessible residence by the organization. Officials say they are working on home 13 which should be ready for residents in the upcoming months.

The Berkeley County Community Development Block Grant funded the accessibility upgrades. Community Options received over $64,000 toward improvements such as wooden floors, bathroom railings and generators for easier wheelchair and walker access.

This nonprofit provides housing and employment to people facing disabilities. Officials say residences must be single-floor, four-bedroom homes. The nonprofit buys homes and gets them ready for use by up to four people.

Director of Residential Services Kendra Chaplin says this work gives these residents who use wheelchairs and walkers an opportunity to live independently in traditional communities.

“It was just hard for them to be able to get in and out of the bathtub and with the grant it made it more accessible to be able to get in and out of the bathtub on their own,” Chaplin says. “Staff is still available, but they would be able to do more independently for themselves.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, accessible housing is critical for people living with disabilities. Accessible housing has many health and social benefits. The modifications help with rehabilitation and keep people safe from falls or injuries. Independent living for disabled populations improves privacy and self-confidence while reducing health service costs. Accessible housing decreases the amount of household accidents and reliance on institutional care.

The nonprofit offers around-the-clock staff supervision despite the push for independence. Chaplin says staff manage the homes but also help train residents to live independently in the home and the community.

“Once they’re admitted to our program, we do an assessment to see what they can and cannot do,” Chaplin says. “The staff goes and trains them to be even more independent. There might be someone in the home that already knows how to cook. That person might need to learn how to make their bed so that would be an objective for that person just to learn how to do that so that they can be even more independent.”

House manager and caregiver of the Goose Creek home Angely Stuckey says the current residents are excited for the grant upgrades as it is easier to move around the home. Stuckey says she is happy with the improvements as they ensure resident safety.

“You have to make sure and provide them safety and make sure they are good,” Stuckey says. “Even with their parents, you have to make sure to keep a smile on their face and make sure they’re happy with what’s going on so they can have the security that their children are in good hands. This really promotes an easy life for everybody.”

The organization will celebrate the newest upgrades at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Thistle Road home. Officials will give a facility tour to guests.

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