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FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2023

Hello from editor John Nagy. We added a new member to The Pilot staff this week, and while you might not have seen his name here or in the paper yet, you've likely seen his work all across our social media feeds.

JC Leser is a recent graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, where he obtained degrees in advertising, public relations and sports administration. JC, who sits just outside my office, is in a new position focusing on digital content marketing.

The ultimate goal is to increase our digital presence on popular platforms and grow our audience in new ways. So you can check out some of JC's work by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Lastly, a programming note: The briefing is taking Monday off for Memorial Day, but we'll be back Tuesday. Happy long weekend.

FORWARD THIS BRIEFING

T O N I G H T ' S T O P S T O R Y :

"We are thrilled to be at the forefront of this innovative technology,” said Mickey Foster, chief executive officer of FirstHealth.

FirstHealth Launches Drones to Gather, Bring Back Lab Work

FirstHealth of the Carolinas recently launched a pilot program for drone delivery of lab specimens from FirstHealth Convenient Care – Pinehurst and FirstHealth Internal Medicine to the Moore Regional Hospital laboratory.

The pilot launched May 12 and was created, in part, to discover if drone delivery has the potential to improve turnaround time for patients’ test results, save time for hospital staff and to assess how easily the delivery system can be implemented at FirstHealth.

Josh Barnes, director of innovation and strategic partnerships at FirstHealth, said drone delivery has the potential to improve both patient experience and employee workload. If the program is successful, FirstHealth could expand drone delivery to other service areas within the system. FirstHealth serves many rural populations that would benefit from faster lab drop-off, as clinics tend to be more spread out in these areas.

M O R E N E W S

Dr. Matthew Harmody at Mount Kilimanjaro

ER Doc, Kidney Donor Tackles World Record

Forty-three days, three hours and 51 minutes: That is the current Guinness World Record for summiting all of the highest mountain peaks in the lower 48 U.S. states. Dr. Matthew Harmody is looking to shatter that record with Team NKR, a group of living kidney donors sponsored by the National Kidney Registry.

This week, three mountaineers assisted by Harmody and another support crew member kicked off this audacious record attempt. No stranger to adventure, Harmody, a retired FirstHealth ER physician, joined 21 other kidney donors to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, Africa, last year.

Harmody’s involvement in the upcoming world record climbing attempt was a bit serendipitous, he says. “Life is full of happenstance and this is a classic example.”

The town partnered with The Pines Preservation Guild, a non-profit organization in the Sandhills region that brings awareness to at-risk historic homes, to define the overlay and update the town’s inventory of historic structures. TED FITZGERALD / The Pilot

Cameron OKs Historic District Boundary

Cameron set its historic district overlay on Tuesday night after a short game of musical chairs due to three back-to-back meetings held to recommend its approval.

The zoning overlay provides a layer of protection around the Town of Cameron’s heritage, preserving buildings and landmarks that embody elements of its culture and history.

F R O M T H E S I D E L I N E S

Mark Duckett putts on the 18th hole of the Pinehurst Thistle Dhu putting course during the Amateur Putting Tour championship round in November.
JONATHAN BYM / The Pilot

Amateur Putting Tour Coming to Local Course

The Amateur Putting Tour, which held its inaugural national championship at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club last year, has a national championship qualifying event scheduled locally on June 17.

The event is scheduled from 2 to 7 p.m. on the new Overhills 18-hole putting course at the Southern Pines Golf Club. No tee times are required for the event that is open to the public.

F R O M P I L O T R A D I O

The Franks talk with Keady and Aggie from the Moore County Driving Club. Keady, club secretary, won the FEI Pair Horse division at the 2008 CAI-A Ocala. Aggie is the club vice president. The two talk about the history of driving horses, the club's participation in local parades and their involvement in competitive driving.

Listen to the latest episode.

P H O T O F I N I S H

Sandhills Classical Christian School finished out the year on Thursday with a field day and big sendoff for students. Photo by TED FITZGERALD / The Pilot

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