PORT ORANGE
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WYSE REPORT PAGE 3 FREE
VOLUME 4, NO. 12
New ER
NEED HELP? Volusia County: $20 million in rental assistance available Volusia County’s Emergency Rental Assistance program has over $20 million available to assist households that have experienced a financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible households may receive up to 12 months of assistance for rent or utilities, including past due payments and other assistance related to housing stability. County residents may submit an application online at www. volusia.org/era. The webpage includes income limits and a list of the required documents. Households that are currently receiving Emergency Rental Assistance do not need to reapply. Landlords may apply on behalf of their tenant. They are asked to send an email to era@volusia. org with their contact information. A staff member will reach out to help them with additional information. An eligible household is a renter household in which at least one or more individuals meet and can document these criteria: Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due directly or indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic; Demonstrates a risk of housing instability; and Has a household income at or below 80% of area median income. Households must be recertified every three months to continue receiving assistance. With finite funds available, the county will close the application window after receiving 1,500 applications to ensure assistance is available for all accepted applicants. As applications are processed and the amount of committed dollars is calculated, additional applications may be accepted at a later date. Call 386943-7095.
• AUGUST 2021
The 19,000-square-foot facility has 24 beds, including some designed for pediatric patients
AdventHealth opens Port Orange ER ADVENTHEALTH COMMUNICATIONS
Residents of Port Orange have a new option for emergency care with the opening of the AdventHealth Port Orange ER on July 19. The 19,000-square-foot facility has 24 patient rooms (including two pediatric-friendly rooms to make ER visits less stressful for young patients); respiratory therapy; diagnostic imaging, including CT scans, X-ray and ultrasound; and a full-service
Courtesy photo
laboratory. The facility also includes a helipad for helicopter transportation of critical patients. “We are thrilled to unveil this new ER that will modernize and expand the world-class care we’ve provided to Port Orange and the surrounding communities for more than 60 years,” said David Ottati, AdventHealth executive. In October, AdventHealth plans to break ground on a new Health Park next to the ER. The
“This expansion will give more people access to our care closer to where they live in an environment that cares for the whole person.” ED NOSEWORTHY, chief executive officer of AdventHealth Daytona Beach.
new facilities, along with AdventHealth’s hospitals in Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach, will expand the system’s network of integrated care that is designed to heal not just the body, but the mind and the spirit, too. “Our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Christ,” said Ed Noseworthy, chief executive officer of AdventHealth Daytona Beach. The AdventHealth Port Orange ER is located at 5811 Williamson Blvd.
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Expansion of the arts: Halifax Repertory Theatre launches With COVID-19 having taken a toll on the entertainment industry, the Halifax Repertory Theatre company is ready to take the stage.
JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Clear the stage: There’s a new theatre company in town. Halifax Repertory Theatre was recently founded by Ormond Beach residents Sandra and Jack Cook. The company features seven performers, including a former Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer. Cook remembers the lively local theatre scene as a child. Having spent the last two decades in Orlando, where she and her husband formed part of the Orlando Opera Company and worked for
10 years in a murder mystery dinner theatre show, once she retired from her paralegal career, Cook said she felt there was a local void that she could help fill. “We feel like this town needs a rejuvenation in theatre and in live performances,” she said. Thus, she got together with Jennifer Gibbens, the business manager of Children’s Musican Theater, and the Halifax Repertory Theatre was born. Her husband, Jack, who is a medical malpractice attorney by day and performer by night, serves as the theatre company’s executive director.
Many performances in the past year-and-a-half have taken place virtually, but that doesn’t compare to sitting inside a theatre and watching a live show, Cook said. Likewise, as a performing, nothing compares to being in front of a live audience, she explained. “There are a lot of things with the pandemic that won’t really return back to the way they were, and this is one area that we feel should return back to what it was, and it’s needed,” Cook said. A website is in the works. In the meantime, visit https://www. facebook.com/HalifaxRep/