NEWS BRIEFS: Peachtree Christian Health seeks $500,000 to prevent closing

Gwinnett is in danger of losing its only adult health care facility for cognitive and physical decline. 

Peachtree Christian Health may close unless it can raise $500,000 by Thanksgiving Day.  President Anne Mancini said earlier this month that insurmountable financial hardships, starting with the pandemic, and continuing, had brought this about.

However, Bob Dutlinger, chairman of the board of Peachtree Christian Health, issued this statement this week:  “While our Board of Directors reached a difficult decision to close our center in December because of sustainability challenges, the outcry from the families we serve who had no other viable or affordable care options for their loved ones set into action this vital “Save Our Center” campaign. 

“The response from our families, civic leaders, and the community at large has been extraordinary. Our $500,000 goal is truly within reach by our campaign deadline of Thanksgiving Day. Achieving our goal to continue operations in service to those living with dementia and providing respite to their caregivers will be a tremendous and timely outcome for us at Peachtree Christian Health.” 

Through November 16, contributions have come in totaling $230,279.08. To learn more about this possibility, call Peachtree Christian Health at 770-624-2727, or click here: https://bit.ly/SavePCH.

Marietta newspaper company acquires Gwinnett Daily Post

Times-Journal Inc. (TJI), a Marietta-based publisher of several newspapers, news websites and magazines in Georgia, has purchased six metro Atlanta newspapers, including the Gwinnett Daily Post, from Southern Community Newspapers, Inc., (SCNI).

The other publications acquired by Times-Journal are the Rockdale Citizen, Newton Citizen, Henry Herald, Clayton News and the Jackson Progress-Argus. 

Brumby

The sale was announced today by Times-Journal Publisher Otis Brumby III and Michael Gebhart, president and CEO of SCNI. A seventh SCNI newspaper, the Albany Herald, will be retained by the company and be operated by Gebhart.  In addition, Gebhart will remain employed by TJI as a senior advisor. 

The acquisition brings to 21 the number of Georgia newspapers and corresponding websites published by TJI. Those publications now stretch from northwest Georgia, throughout metro Atlanta and east to Madison.

Murphy

J.K. Murphy, vice president of content with Times-Journal, will serve as publisher of the newly acquired newspapers. Murphy previously worked for 17 years at SCNI in various executive positions before joining Times-Journal in 2015.  He will continue to oversee news content throughout the expanded company.

Brumby, whose family has been in the newspaper business since 1916, said the two companies have been working closely over the last several years with SCNI outsourcing several operations to Times-Journal ranging from printing to customer service to pagination of its news pages. “It was the next logical step and provides an opportunity for our company and operations to become that much more efficient,” Brumby said of the acquisition. 

“It is an honor and a privilege for my sister Lee Garrett and me to be the third generation of managers of a family-owned newspaper business,” Brumby said. “Growing up, our father taught us the value of hard work, faith, family and integrity. We take our new responsibility to these additional metro Atlanta areas seriously and look forward to getting to know, working with and serving the people in those communities.”

NOTABLE

Republicans re-elect Efstration as majority leader

Efstration

A Gwinnett legislator has been re-elected as the majority leader for the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, the third-highest ranking party post.  Chuck Efstration, from Dacula, is to serve in the 2023 Legislature. His election came after Rep. Jon Burns of Newington was named the 74th speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.  Burns represents District 159, which includes Screven County and a portion of Bulloch and Effingham counties.  He was first elected to the House in 2006.

Other key leaders named include Jan Jones (R-Milton) as the speaker pro-tem; James Burchett of Waycross, minority leader whip; Bruce Williamson of Monroe, majority caucus chair; Houston Gaines of Athens, caucus vice chair; and Ginny Ehrhart of Marietta, caucus secretary-treasurer.

Representative Efstration represents District 104, which includes portions of Gwinnett County. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2013 and previously served as the House Majority Leader. He also serves as chairman of the Judiciary Committee and serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and the Rules, Code Revision, Ethics, Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment, Defense and Veterans Affairs, Insurance and Juvenile Justice committees. He also serves as an Ex-Officio member of the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee.

Gwinnett’s firm receives “Deal of the Year” recognition

The Peachtree Corners firm of Intuitive, Gwinnett County Government, City of Peachtree Corners and Partnership Gwinnett received the Large Community Deal of the Year Award at the Georgia Economic Developers Association Annual Awards at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta recently. The Deal of the Year Awards recognize outstanding achievement in new business expansion or relocation that have significant community support and meet economic development goals.

Intuitive, a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and a pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery, previously announced expansion at 5655 Spalding Drive would include $500 million capital investment and 1,200 new jobs.

Intuitive Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Henry Charlton says: “The City of Peachtree Corners advocates innovation and thoughtful development, which are tenets of Intuitive’s business. When combined with Gwinnett County’s diverse and educated workforce, expanding our presence after more than a decade in Peachtree Corners is the right thing to do.”

Intuitive expects their campus expansion, which includes new construction and renovations with engineering, manufacturing, office and training space totaling more than 750,000 square feet, will finish in the next few years.

Intuitive currently employs approximately 180 professionals and plans to hire for a variety of high-paying jobs.

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