CLAYTON - The H1N1 flu vaccine and the effects of the recession on needy Johnstonians were hot topics at last week's community meeting sponsored by the Yes We Can Johnston County Coalition.

Thursday's event was the second of five meetings the year-old group is holding around the county. The meetings give residents a chance to ask questions and sound off to officials from a variety of county and town agencies, ranging from parks and recreation to schools and mental health.

Frustration was evident in the voices of some who attended, as they detailed gaps in services for the needy during the recession. Some were concerned about the closing of group homes, while others worried that food programs might not feed families enough.

Several people wanted the agencies to help them in starting new programs. One woman said she wanted to start a youth running program, and Clayton Parks and Recreation Director Larry Bailey said his department would be happy to help.

Yes We Can's goal is to match the needy with the many individuals, churches and government agencies that can help them. Where services aren't available, the group seeks to create them. It has established a scholarship program to help local high school graduates attend college.

The group has about 130 members throughout the county. The next community meeting will be held Thursday, Oct. 29, at Corinth-Holders Elementary School. For residents of central Johnston County, a meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19 at Smithfield-Selma High School. And in eastern Johnston County, the community meeting will be Jan. 21 at Micro-Pine Level Elementary. All meetings are at 7 p.m.

The group's Web site, yeswecanjccoalition.com, contains a listing of a variety of services available to the needy.

H1N1 flu update

County Health Director Marilyn Pearson said her department is now getting weekly shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine. High-risk groups are getting the vaccine first, but all residents will have access to it soon, she said.

"Eventually, I expect to have enough vaccines for everybody," Pearson said.

She said absenteeism has increased at schools throughout the county, but H1N1 flu is not concentrated in any particular school. A spike in the number of cases occurred in the Benson area after Mule Days, she said.

Several cases of pneumonia have been reported as a result of the flu, but the virus has not caused any deaths in the county.

Food programs

One woman asked about the status of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food program, which serves low-income women who are pregnant or have young children. She was concerned that the program does not provide a full month of food.

Pearson said WIC is a supplemental food program and is not intended to be a family's only source of food. She noted that the number of people on the program in Johnston County has increased from 3,000 to 3,700 in the past year.

That means the department gets more funding for the program, but it's having a hard time processing all of the requests, Pearson said.

"Without more staffing, that's an issue," she said. "We're doing the best we can."

Mental health

Another question involved the state's plan to close certain types of group homes.

"We're looking very hard right now to look for alternatives," said Janice Nutt, director of the Johnston County Mental Health Center. "It's being monitored very closely."