HICKORY, NC – Nov. 11, 2013 –
Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) and the
Office of the District Attorney for the 25th District—Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties—have announced an agreement
allowing the hospital to begin handling blood-testing for DWI cases. The
two organizations signed the contract in early November.
As a result of the agreement, blood will now be tested at Catawba Valley
Medical Center for all alcohol-related DWI cases in the 25th District.
Results that were formerly sent to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI)
laboratory, and could take up to two years to be returned in some cases,
will now be available to law enforcement, the district attorney’s
office and the defendant within hours. In the event that expert testimony
is required in court, analysts will travel from CVMC instead of Raleigh.
“This is an opportunity for Catawba Valley Medical Center and the
district attorney’s office to work together for the public good,”
said Tony Rose, president and CEO, Catawba Valley Medical Center. “We
appreciate the chance to help localize testing and alleviate the pressures
of the existing backlog.”
In its 2013-14 budget, the North Carolina General Assembly earmarked funding
for grants to pay for private testing. District attorney’s offices
throughout the state are now authorized to enter into a contract for testing
with qualified local labs. The Office of the District Attorney for the
25th District is one of the first to take advantage of the new opportunity.
“The cooperative agreement between the District Attorney’s
Office and Catawba Valley Medical Center to provide blood-testing services
in DWI cases will change the way these cases move through our courts in
Burke, Caldwell and Catawba County,” said James C. Gaither Jr.,
district attorney. “From the time I was elected in 2002, it has
been my goal to keep our streets and highways safe by aggressively prosecuting
those who drive while impaired, and our district enjoys an 85 percent
conviction rate in these cases. During the past 10 years, one of the obstacles
to efficient prosecution has been the backlog of blood samples waiting
at the SBI Lab for testing. During that time period, the backlog in some
cases has increased to two years while awaiting SBI Lab test results.
In some of these cases, the arresting officer has been reassigned, moved
away or even retired. With the relationship in place between the District
Attorney’s Office and Catawba Valley Medical Center, blood test
results will now be available in a fraction of the time it currently takes
and will facilitate an even more aggressive and efficient collaborative
enforcement and prosecution effort in these cases. I appreciate the opportunity
to work with Catawba Valley Medical Center in this partnership to improve
the efficiency of our courts and to insure that justice is not delayed.”
For more information, please contact the District Attorneys Office for the 25th District by calling 828/695-6111.
About the Office of the District Attorney for the 25th District
The District Attorney’s Office for the 25th Prosecutorial District in North Carolina is comprised of Burke, Caldwell
and Catawba counties. The 25th District is the largest multi-county district in the State of North Carolina
and has offices located in Newton, Hickory, Lenoir and Morganton. The
District Attorney’s Office for the 25th District has been recognized on a local, state and national level for
effective prosecution and innovative programs. James C. Gaither Jr. has
served as District Attorney since being elected in 2002. For more information
on the District Attorney’s Office, please visit
http://www.ncdistrictattorney.org/25/home.html.
About Catawba Valley Medical Center
Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest
not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without
direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving
as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive medicine
and acute care. CVMC has received three Magnet designations from the American
Nurses Credentialing Center and has been recognized with three Women’s
Choice Awards, being named one of
America’s
Best 100 Hospitals for Patient Experience in 2012 and 2013, a
2013 Best Hospital for Patient Experience in Obstetrics andone of
America’s Best Hospitals in Orthopedics in 2013 by WomenCertified®. CVMC received the 2013 QUEST® Award for High-Value Healthcare from Premier, recognizing a reduction
in harm, mortality, readmissions and costs, while improving the patient
experience and delivering evidence-based care. For more information, please visit
http://www.catawbavalleymedical.org.