The Audubon Police Department responded to a hit and run accident at approximatley 5:57am this (Friday) morning.  It was determined that a vehicle had struck a light pole at the intersection of Broadway and Market Street, causing the pole to fall and block the roadway. The driver then fled south on Highway 71 until his vehicle was no longer functioning.

The driver was located inside a home in Exira with the assistance of the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office.  22-year-old Ethan Jacob Mull of Breda was arrested and charged with Leaving the Scene of An Accident, No Valid Driver’s License, and Failure to Maintain Control.

Damage to the light pole and the vehicle totaled over $10,000. Mull was released on promise to appear.

CASS Incorporated in Atlantic has announced they are making some redesign changes to how they provide services.  These changes are necessary due to standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act and another Supreme Court Ruling call the Olmstead Decision and are needed to keep compliant for Medicaid funding.

One of the issues across the country for similar programs is not discriminating against people with disabilities by segregation. That standard includes such things as sheltered workshops like the one Cass Inc. currently operates in Atlantic.

In response CASS Incorporated is currently in a transformation process of moving everyone they serve into community services by a nationally mandated date of March 17, 2019.

Because they will have no further need for an industrial building, they will be selling their main building at 1406 SW 7th Street. CEO Linda Farrier is stressing that “This does not mean we are closing! We are simply shifting facility based services from a building to the community at large. We already serve most people in the community, where they live, work and participate in activities, as they have for many years. We will have administrative office space at another location but the majority of our employees will work remotely, as they do now.”

Farrier says they will continue to follow their mission to enrich lives and won’t need bricks and mortar to do that.

Audubon County Memorial Hospital has announced a partnership with CrossChx, a leader in healthcare intelligence solutions that was founded with the support of the State of Ohio.

On September 1st of this year CrossChx will install their SafeChx system at all hospital registration points, offering patients advanced medical identity theft protection and efficient patient registration while improving health outcomes and reducing the risk of medical errors. Officials say this system is user friendly and already in use at several other health care facilities.

“Identity theft is a hot topic right now. We are proud to be able to provide this level of protection for our patients,” said Tom Smith, Administrator at ACMH.

By scanning a patient’s finger, CrossChx instantly links the patient to their medical benefits so no one else can use them. Neither CrossChx nor Audubon County Memorial Hospital will ever view, store or scan your fingerprints. Rather, CrossChx creates a unique ID based on points on your finger to offer you protection and privacy.

Using the system is voluntary, but it is the policy of Audubon County Memorial Hospital to protect your medical identity and they encourage that all patients age five and above enroll in the system.