November 13, 2015 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Healthsmart opens in Glen Mills

Jennifer and Gary Blankenship serve samples to customers during the opening of their new natural product store

When Gary Blankenship built the house for Randy Mullens, he had little idea that the construction would lead to a whole new career in another part of the country for him and for his family. Blankenship and his wife officially opened their new Healthsmart store at 1810 Wilmington Pike in Glen Mills Thursday November 11. Jack Kinsley from the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce came out to cut the ribbon.

The story starts, however, in West Virginia when Blankenship worked as a general contractor and became friends with his client as he built the house. Mullens was building a business to sell natural products to promote health. Healthsmart LLC grew to have franchised outlets in West Virginia, South Carolina and now Pennsylvania.

Jennifer and Gary Blankenship decided they had to move to Pennsylvania to be near Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia because of the many surgical procedures one of their children required. So they decided to move but to bring a little West Virginia with them.

Camera shy Gary Brandon Blankenship III at the store register

On the grand opening day, three generations of Blankenships were in the store. Gary’s mother Janet, Jennifer and Gary, and their children. Gary Brandon Blankenship III is pictured at the cash register.

According to Jennifer Blankenship, one of the most popular items is fish oil supplements. The flavored fish oils taste “almost like candy.”

Another popular item is a mister to which scents can be added. Upon entering the store, a very subtle lavender scent creates a comfortable ambiance. There are many scents available including Frankencense and Myrrh.

The products include natural vitamins and supplements, products for weight loss, digestion and cleansing, homeopathic medicine, essential oils and aromatherapy, sports nutrition, alkalinized water, probiotics, gluten free and non-GMO foods, grass fed beef and premium beauty products. A full list of their products is on the website http://www.healthsmartwv.com/products.html

The store front is in the same Keystone Plaza where Pescatores Restaurant is located. The Blankenships have been connecting to the business community. A testimony to their products was given recently by Gene Yanek at a meeting of Neighbors in Business. Yanek tried the “Raw Energy Nut Mix” and said he could feel a difference in his energy level.

Heathsmart is planning two educational events in November. The first is a Nordic Natural demonstration and sampling on Saturday, November 14 with special pricing. On November 18, Healthsmart is hosting a Digestive Health for the Holidays seminar from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. featuring health educator, Michael Hennessey.

Every Monday is Senior Day. Customers over 55 receive a 10% discount.

The store is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday.

About Emily Myers

Emily Myers has lived and worked in Chadds Ford for over thirty five years. She founded the parent company of Chadds Ford Live, Decision Design Research, Inc., in 1982. ChaddsFordLive.com represents the confluence of Myers' long time, deep involvement in technology and community. Myers was a founding member of the Chadds Ford Business Association and currently serves on its board of directors. Her hobbies include bridge, golf, photography and Tai Chi. She lives with her husband, Jim Lebedda, in Chadds Ford Township.

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Roadwork for week of Nov. 14

Along the Ford

PennDOT has announced the following road projects, which are weather-dependent and could affect residents in the greater Chadds Ford area during the week of Nov. 14 through Nov. 21. Motorists are urged to allow extra time if they are traveling through one of the construction zones.

Route 162 in Newlin and West Bradford townships between Brandywine Creek Drive and Strasburg Road will be subject to lane restrictions for base repair. The work will be done on Monday, Nov. 16 through Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Burnt Mill Road in Kennett Township remains closed and detoured indefinitely between Norway and Spring Mill roads while advance work continues on repairs to the Burnt Mill Bridge, which was closed on April 24, 2014.

The Birmingham Road bridge in Birmingham Township is also closed indefinitely to repair structural damage. Posted detours will be in effect between Lambourne Road and Stoney Run Drive.

East Penn Railroad will close Route 52 in Kennett Township between Burrows Run Road and Pond View Drive from 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, through Monday, Nov. 16, at 5 a.m. for a railroad crossing replacement. Detours will be posted.

The road-widening project continues on Route 100 in Uwchlan and West Whiteland townships. Lane closures will be in effect between Swedesford Road and Route 113 from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Sunday, Nov. 8, through Friday, Nov. 13.

Work is also continuing on the project to widen Route 202, which is scheduled for completion in August 2016. Motorists will experience traffic pattern shifts and lane closures in both directions in East Whiteland Township between the Routes 30 and 401 interchanges.

If you want to report potholes and other roadway maintenance concerns on state roads, call 610-566-0972 in Delaware County or 484-340-3200 in Chester County, or visit www.dot.state.pa.us and click on “submit feedback.”

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Pocopson Home renovates, expands services

Health

After prolonged public protest in 2012 over the possibility of privatizing the Pocopson Home, the Chester County Commissioners shifted gears, a change that culminated this past week in their tour of the renovated and expanded eight-bed, short-term rehabilitation facility in Pocopson Township.

Chester County Commissioners Michelle Kichline (from left), Terence Farrell, and Kathi Cozzone tour one of the renovated rooms at the Pocopson Home.

The expanded service, offered in partnership with Apex Rehab Solutions, includes physiatrist care, which focuses on nerve, muscle and bone health, as well as the care of Pocopson’s nursing team, physicians and physical, occupational and speech therapists, according to a county press release.

The short-term rehab unit includes two private rooms and three semi-private rooms, and is equipped with a full range of physical therapy apparatus and occupational therapy settings, including a full kitchen. Additional services include 24-hour, registered nurse care, wound care specialists, and accommodations for bariatric patients. Transportation services to physician and hospital appointments are also available, the release said.

“The professional skills and resources already offered at Pocopson Home – from 24-hour nursing care to existing medical transportation services – made it a somewhat easy decision to add short-term rehabilitation services to our portfolio,” Jackie McKenna, administrator at Pocopson Home, said in the release. “This has been a good move for the community – not only are we helping to meet a need for more short-term rehabilitation options in Chester County, but we are also generating revenue that helps to offset the overall costs of running the largest skilled nursing facility in the county.”

The decision to develop a short-term rehabilitation unit at Pocopson Home was made by the Chester County Board of Commissioners in 2013, based on cost-saving and revenue-enhancing recommendations from the Pocopson Home’s administration.

The recommendations followed discussion about the possibility of privatizing the county-owned facility in 2012, a proposal that received a hostile reception from the public. Hundreds of supporters showed up during a series of public meetings, urging the commissioners to retain control of the 275-bed, long-term, health-care facility. They argued that its excellent quality of care would suffer if the county sold it.

The cost of renovation to develop the short-term rehabilitation facility was $270,000. First-quarter generated revenue provided a full return on the renovation investment, and total annual revenue is estimated conservatively to be between $650,000 and $980,000, the release said.

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Mobile users drive county’s website redesign

Local News

Chester County’s website received 4.4 million page views this past year, and although 90 percent of them occurred on laptops, the number of people accessing the site through tablets and smart phones continues to grow exponentially.

The redesign of Chester County's website makes information easier to access on phones and tablets. — The redesign of Chester County’s website makes information easier to see on phones and tablets.

The latter trend is what prompted the website’s redesign, according to Rebecca Brain, the county’s communications coordinator. Brain explained during the county commissioners’ meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12, that the new website’s launch, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, aimed to address the statistic that one in five Americans relies entirely on phones for Internet access.

The redesign is search-led and mobile-friendly, Brain explained. An easy-to-read search bar in the middle of the phone display will facilitate getting information, ranging from jury service to absentee ballots to online tax payments. Such data existed previously but was more challenging to navigate on a cellphone or tablet, Brain said.

In March 2014, the county launched a mobile app, ChescoCONNECT, to serve the ever-growing population of mobile users. Brain said the app won’t change; however, it will be linking to more mobile-friendly pages on the new website.

“A first-class county deserves a first-class website for sure,” Chester County Commissioners’ Chairman Terence Farrell said following the presentation.

Commissioner Kathi Cozzone expressed thanks to the employees who worked on the project. “I know it was a herculean effort with a lot of folks involved,” she said. And Commissioner Michelle Kichline noted that the future is moving toward more hand-held devices. “This is really a step in the right direction,” she added.

In other business, the commissioners approved 26 contracts and several grants that had been reviewed at the Sunshine Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10. They also voted to approve a bid of $26,220 from X-Ray Imaging, Inc., for an X-ray machine at the Government Services Center on Westtown Road.

Chester County Chief Operating Officer Mark Rupsis announced that the county’s 2016 budget, a $525.9 million spending plan with no tax hike, would be discussed at the next Sunshine Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1, in preparation for a vote on Thursday, Dec. 3.

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John C. Davis, formerly of Concord Township

Obituaries

John C. Davis, of Jenner’s Pond, Penn Township, formerly of Lexington Woods in Concord Township, died at age 88 on Nov. 10. “Jack” was the husband of the late Barbara “Babs” Miller Davis who died in March 2010 at West Grove, PA, to whom he was married for 55 years.

Jack was the son of the late Raymond O. and Pauline E. Davis of Amesbury, Mass. He was born in Newburyport, Mass., and raised in Amesbury. Jack attended schools in Amesbury and graduated from Wilbraham Academy in Wilbraham, Mass. After graduation in 1945 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served on the U.S.S. Taconic. After discharge he entered Tufts University graduating with bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. He then moved to Bucks County, to work at U.S. Steel, in Fairless Hills, for 14 years; and then on to Gulf & Western in Swarthmore, for 13 years; and finally to ICI Explosives in Valley Forge, until retiring in 1992.

Jack and Babs were married in Washington, D.C. and lived in Concord Township for nearly 34 years before relocating to the Jenner’s Pond Retirement community in West Grove in 2000.

Jack and Babs enjoyed sailing their small sloop in the waters of New England, Pennsylvania and Canada. They also camped throughout the United States and Canada. They were members of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester and most recently the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Mendenhall.

Jack volunteered at the Newlin Grist Mill in Concord Township, the Hagley Museum in Delaware; and was active in the Jenner’s Pond woodshop.

Jack is survived by two sons and their families: John and Barbara and their daughter, Lindsey of Pequannock, N.J.; Stephen and Randy and their three sons, Brian, Christopher, and Brendan of Branchburg, N.J. Also his sister in law, Jean Lamson Davis of Amesbury, Mass.

A memorial service will be held in the Alison building theatre at Jenner’s Pond Theatre on Saturday Dec. 5, at 11 a.m.

Interment will be private at the Washington Crossing National Cemetery where he will be with his wife Babs again.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to The Benevolent Care Fund at Jenner’s Pond, 2000 Greenbriar Lane, West Grove, Pa 19390.

Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com

Arrangements are being handled by the Foulk & Grieco Funeral Home in West Grove.