Newspaper Page Text
• Patients at the Griffin-
Spalding Hospital may think
their hospital stay is expensive,
but according to a recent survey
‘ of Georgia hospitals, Griffin
patients come out pretty well.
The daily rate for a semi
e private room in Griffin was S3B,
compared with $77 at Emory,
$75 at Crawford W. Long, $63 at
Piedmont and $54 in Savannah.
• These figures and other facts
about the Griffin-Spalding
Hospital were released yester
day by hospital authority public
relations director, Mrs. Jo
DAILY
Vol. 103 No. 101
Surrender of Saigon near
, SAIGON (DPI)-The United
States pulled out .of South
Vietnam today and Saigon
government sources said the
• administration and the Viet
Cong had reached agreement in
principle on a cease-fire.
The American evacuation on
’ orders of President Duong Van
“Big” Minh set up the
surrender of Saigon to the
, Communists without a fight,
ending 30 years of warfare in
Indochina and 14 years of
American involvement.
♦ U.S. Marine helicopters
plucked groups of 20 and 50
Americans, other foreigners
and some Vietnamese from
* landing pads at Tan Son Nhut
airbase and the U.S. Embassy
as the evacuation continued
> into the night.
Two senior government
sources said new Vice Presi
dent Nguyen Van Huyen had
Ed Crawford
appreciation
dinner planned
An appreciation dinner for Ed
Crawford will be held May 13 at
• the Elks Club beginning at 7:30
p.m.
A citizens committee coor
dinating plans said 300 tickets at
$7.50 each would be available to
the public.
Co-chairmen for the event are
( Mrs. Jack Landham and L. E.
Cato. Serving with them will be
Mrs. Otis Blake, Jr., Kyle Cobb,
Mrs. Andrew Whalen, Reid
• Childers, Leo Blackwell, Mrs.
Johnny Johnson, John Mostiler
and Lannie Bateman.
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Bat girl
Morine Chorba does her thing as a bat girl for the Griffin
High baseball team. Her efficiency figures in the good
record the team has made so far this season. Griffin High
won 2-1 yesterday. See details on page eight.
Records show how G-S hospital has grown
Pollard.
The figures also show the
hospital is doing a better job
this year of collecting patients’
accounts. On April 1 the net
accounts receivable balance
was $788,814, or three percent
better than a net balance of
$889,241 on April 1,1974. Os this,
$183,411 were less than 30 days
old; $150,142 from 31 to 60 days
old; and $75,696 from 91 to 120
days old.
Even though a person may
pay on his account weekly or
monthly, the hospital policy is
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Tuesday Afternoon, April 29, 1975
met with Viet Cong officials in
Saigon today and agreed in
principle on a cease-fire to
begin Wednesday.
According to senior govern
ment officials, the Saigon
gamble to order all official
Americans out of Vietnam
today paid off with the
agreement by the Viet Cong to
talk peace.
South Vietnamese soldiers
were reported fleeing the
capital area and plane after
plane flew officers and their
familes to Taipei, to Singapore,
to Thailand, to the Philippines.
South Vietnamese navy sail
ors began boarding ships in the
Mekong River to flee the battle
zone. At one point they opened
fire on South Vietnamese
civilians attempting to join
them.
Frightened South Vietnamese
pushed and shoved some
Crawford is the Spalding
County Juvenile Probation
officer.
Several people who served
with Crawford in World War II
are expected to attend.
Crawford saw action in Europe
as a ranger.
The Griffin Toastmasters
Club will toast the meeting.
Tickets will be available at
First National Bank and
branches, Bank of Griffin,
Commercial Bank & Trust
Company and branches and the
Chamber of Commerce.
to age accounts from the
dismissal date, and not from the
last payment on the accounts.
Since Griffin-Spalding is a
community hospital, it must
accept all patients, regardless
of their ability to pay.
Therefore, each month some
eight percent of the accounts
receivable are set aside as
uncollectible.
It usually takes some 45 to 60
days for the hospital to collect
from insurance companies. The
time depends upon medical or
other verification of informa-
GRIFFIN
Americans off of buses sent to
take them to Tan Son Nhut
airport to be flown out on U.S.
helicopters. South Vietnamese
troops opened fire on the buses
but no injuries were reported.
Fires around Saigon lit the
night sky as the huge American
helicopters, protected by Navy
F 4 Phantoms and Marine Cobra
helicopter gunships, continued
the evacuation.
There was n rt word at
nightfall how mart’ Americans
and other evacuees -emained to
be taken out, but was no
letup in the helicopter shuttles
which began at 3:30 p.m. (3:30
a.m. EDT).
The helicopters carried the
evacuees to an armada of more
than 50 7th Fleet warships off
the Vietnam coast.
The American withdrawal
caused some panic, but less
than many analysts had be
lieved would occur. A 24 hour
curfew kept most Saigon
residents off the streets.
The U.S. Defense Deaprtment
said that as of 6:30 a.m. EDT
4,000 persons had been removed
from Saigon. It said operations
were almost complete except
for removal of Marine guards
brought in from a fleet of 50
U.S. ships standing guard in the
South China Sea.
Those evacuated included 950
Ford orders
evacuation
WASHINGTON (UPI) -
President Ford today ordered
Marines to evacuate the last
Americans from Vietnam 14
years after the United States
first sent troops into the
Southeast Asian nation.
“Force will not be used
unless essential to protect the
lives of those involved,” an
early morning White House
statement said.
Ford met with the National
Security Council in an emergen
cy session late Monday night.
After ordering the evacuation,
the President went to bed at
1:30 a.m., only to wake about
four hours later to face the
final day of U.S. involvement in
South Vietnam.
White House Press Secretary
Ron Nessen said there would no
further White House statements
until about 10 a.m. EDT. The
next announcement was expect
ed to say that virtually all
Americans had been evacuated.
At 7L30 a.m., Pentagon
spokesman Joseph Laitin said
there were about 200 Americans
left in Saigon and they were
expected to be out by noon
EDT.
“The President has ordered
the evacuation of the remaining
Americans from Vietnam,” the
White House statement said.
“The military situation around
Saigon, particularly at the
airport, has deteriorated to
such an extent that this
measure has become necessary
to insure their safety.”
Nessen said Ford conferred
with Secretary of State Henry
A. Kissinger early this morning
and was brought up to date on
the situation in Saigon.
Nessen said the President
told him he “feels the operation
is going smoothly but slowly.”
Nessen did not elaborate on
Ford’s comment but pointed out
that the operation was being
carried out at night and in a
tion requested by the com
panies. Patients’ accounts
covered by insurance are not
included in the aging process.
The average time on collect
ing and processing an account is
68 days. This includes 30 days
allowed doctors and the medical
personnel to complete medical
records and 38 days for process
ing and filing Medicare,
Medicaid and other insurance,
getting in the checks and
posting the credits to the
patients’ accounts.
Soon after Administrator Carl
NEWS
Americans; the rest were South
Vietnamese.
Navy fighter-bombers flew
overhead to protect the CHS3
Jolly Green Giant choppers,
each carrying about 50 Ameri
cans, but there was little or no
armed opposition to the U.S.
departure. The Viet Cong
appeared to have pulled back to
facilitate the departure of the
Americans, but mortar shells
hit Tan Son Nhut airport during
the day, menacing the airlift.
At one point U.S. Navy
Phantom jets fired on a
Communist antiaircraft position
that had fired on them.
The helicopters took off into
skies filled with thunderclouds
and headed southeast toward
the coast, escorted by gunships.
The sounds of incoming fire
could be heard as the big
choppers rose into the clouds
from Tan Son Nhut, which
early today underwent the
heaviest Communist attack of
the war.
t Two U.S. Marine Guards
’ were killed at the U.S. Defense
I Attache Office at the airport—
; the first Americans to die in
t South Vietnam in 16 months.
i
1 Several dozen Americans
were trapped on high buildings
around the city.
relatively small area.
There were approximatlely
900 Americans still in Vietnam
when Ford ordered Marines,
planes and helicopters to bring
them out.
City wants to know
what county means
Mayor Louis Goldstein is not
going along with the county’s
proposal that the joint city
county recreation board be
reorganized without elected
officials as members.
“I’m not going along, now or
later, on any board that has
authority to expend such large
amounts of money without
members of the city com
mission on it, whether it be the
hospital authority, health board
or recreation board,” Goldstein
declared this morning during
the city commissioners’ weekly
planning session.
He also called for a
unanimous vote of the com
missioners to back the present
board and to ask them to serve
out their appointed terms.
County Commissioners Reid
Childers and P. O. Hamil, in a
meeting on April 17 with City
Commissioner Preston Bunn,
agreed to go along with the
original $352,000 recreation
budget, plus $30,000 for parks’
security, if the recreation board
were reorganized without
elected officials as members.
(Goldstein and Childers
represent the city and county on
the board.)
Commissioner “Skeeter”
Norsworthy said he was not
clear on just what the county
wanted, whether they wanted
an all new board or the same
board without elected officials.
Ridley first came to the Griffin-
Spalding Hospital in January,
1967, the assets of the hospital
were $464,639.60.
Eight years later, in January
of this year, the assets had
grown to $1,191,385.
Hospital property has more
than doubled. A 1967 audit
valued the hospital property at
$3,005,314. The present value
with the expansion is more than
$7-million.
There are presently more
than twice as many or 58
registered nurses, compared
Daily Since 1872
Milner child
injured
in accident
A 20-month-old Milner child
was injured seriously when she
accidently was run over by a
two-ton dump truck in the yard
of her home yesterday af
ternoon.
Tonya Johnson, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Johnson of
Route One, Milner, was brought
to the Griffin-Spalding Hospital
where she underwent treatment
for a broken arm, lacerations
and abrasions to the left leg and
possible head injuries, accor
ding to Milner Police Chief
Louis Rainey.
A family member said the
child was in the yard playing
when the truck, driven by her
grandfather, apparently
knocked her down and one of its
wheels rolled over her arm.
She later was transferred to
Henrietta Egleston Hospital for
Children in Atlanta and was
listed in serious condition there
this morning in the intensive
care section.
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
82, low today 68, high yesterday
83, low yesterday 65, high
tomorrow in upper 70s, low
tonight in mid 60s. Sunrise
tomorrow 7:08, sunset
tomorrow 8:13.
7
“No load needs lightening as
much as a heavy heart.”
He asked that the city request
the county put their proposal in
writing.
Commissioner Preston Bunn
asked for a joint meeting bet
ween the city and county com
missioners to “thrash this out”
before the May 27 county com
mission race.
“Letter writing is for the
birds. We ought to be willing to
go over there immediately and
thrash it out. It will be a
reflection on us if we have to
wait for a new man to clear this
up. I’d hate to have to resort to
electing a new county commiss
ioner to solve a problem we
can’t solve,” Bunn said.
Goldstein disagreed.
“I’m not going to meet unless
we have a full board, three
county commissioners and five
city commissioners. The
number one issue (in the up
coming county commission
race) is recreation. I think it
will be an expression of the
people on who gets elected and
we need the full board to discuss
it,” Goldstein answered.
Commissioner Raymond
Head commented that at first
money seemed to be the key
issue.
“Now it’s shifted to board
members. Getting rid of the
present board won’t solve it. I’d
like to back up and consider the
previous proposals of accepting
a cut in the budget, then
reviewing the matter toward
with 26 in 1967.
Mrs. Pollard said that more
doctors are desperately needed,
particularly in the obstetrical
areas.
The emergency room is not
covered during the day time
hours when local physicians are
on call.
New doctors which have
located in Griffin in the past
eight years include an or
thopedist, opthomologist,
dermatologist, obstetrician and
gynecologist, at least two in-
I
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Bloodmobile
Helen Hickman (seated, left), co-chairman of the homelife committee for Junior Woman’s
Club, signs up Regina Abbott (r) Kenneth Cox (1) and Matt Maher to be donors for the May
6 bloodmobile visit to Griffin. The Junior Woman’s Club will sponsor the visit. Headquarters
will be at First Baptist Church’s Cheatham building from noon until 5:30 p.m.
10 inspection stations
suspended in Spalding
The State Department of
Public Safety has suspended 10
of the 28 vehicle inspection
stations in Spalding County.
The Department suspended
two of seven in Butts County
and five of 17 in Upson County.
They resulted from checks of
stations in this area.
Capt. David McCord who
handles the vehicle inspection
program for the state said the
check of stations in the three
counties showed the worst
performances of inspections he
could recall.
Som p of those suspended are
repeaters, he said.
Suspensions could be up to 12
months or longer, Capt. McCord
said.
A hearing could be scheduled
at the end of a 12-month period
to see if the license could be
the end of the year if the money
is needed,” Head stated.
Commissioner “Tiggy” Jones
said, “We appointed the board
for 12 months. As far as I’m
concerned, they should stay
on.”
Jones made a motion, which
was seconded by Head, that the
city’s appointed members be
asked to serve out their terms.
Goldstein, along with Jones
and Head, voted for the motion.
Norsworthy and Bunn
sustained from the vote, saying
they wanted first to know just
what the county means by
“reorganization”.
“I’m not in favor of scuttling
the board. If it means ap
pointing a whole new board, I’m
against it. I would agree if
‘reorganization’ means
replacing the elected officials.
The board should not be used as
a scapegoat. In the event some
other member wanted to resign,
they could be replaced, but I
can’t see purging the whole
board. I have heard no criticism
of any board member,” Bunn
continued.
After the agreement reached
by the county, four appointed
members of the board stated
they intended to resign.
They were Bob Braddock,
Henry Walker, Mrs. Carolyn
Harris and George Reid. Frank
Touchstone, the remaining
appointed member, indicated
he would not resign.
ternal medicine specialists, a
urologist, radiologist, pedia
trician and several dentists.
Also anesthesiologists, two
psychiatrists and at least one
general practitioner have been
added.
In-service education is
continuing in all areas of the
hospital.
Students studying for their
associate degrees in nursing at
Gordon Junior College in
reinstated, Capt. McCord said.
“Our goal is to get good in
spections,” Capt. McCord said.
In many cases of suspension,
a station can be reinstated
following an interview with the
owner. He said that during such
interviews, state officials go
over deficiencies and how they
can be corrected.
Capt. McCord said the
department sends out its per
sonnel to pose as a regular
customer going in for an inspec
tion.
A station is graded on how
well it carries out a regular
inspection, he said.
A station doesn’t know when it
is being checked, he said.
The personnel checking on
stations operate in a sort of
undercover manner.
This was the case when the
most recent checks were made,
he explained.
The Spalding stations were
listed as:
McGhee GMC, Spalding
Motor Co., City Chrysler and
Plymouth, Inc., Bob Timmers
Motors, Inc., Sigman-Buick
Opel, Inc., Gene Hayes Motor
Co., Randall & Blakely, Inc.,
Downtown Shell Service, Batton
& Jackson Quick Tire Service,
and Smith Service Center.
Representatives from the
Department of Public Safety
will go over deficiencies found
at these places, Capt. McCord
said.
In some instances where a
cooperative spirit is found and
station managers show they
want to do the job right, licenses
can be reinstated, Capt.
McCord continued.
But he said some of the
stations suspended were
repeaters and would have a
harder time getting their
permits back.
Out of all the stations check
ed, Capt. McCord said the
Goodyear Store at Thomaston
was the only one that gave a
good inspection. He said the
inspection was not perfect there
but if others did the job as well,
they would have kept their
permits.
Williamson & Son Garage in
Griffin has asked for a hearing
on their inspection station’s
status, Capt. McCord said.
He said a car was taken to the
garage for an inspection and
was turned away because other
repair work was being done in
the inspection area at the time.
Capt. McCord said the state
requires the inspection area to
be kept open so there is no more
(Continued on page 2)
Barnesville train at the
hospital. The x-ray school is
accredited. The licensed
practical nurses program is at
an all time high in enrollment.
Residency programs are
under way in both the labora
tory, which is equipped with
modern automated equipment,
and the pharmacy, which is
using the professional services
of students who will become
hospital pharmacists when
their residency is completed.
Kevin Reid
Kevin Reid
is winner
of Merit
Kevin Reid has been named a
National Merit Scholarship
winner.
He already has completed his
requirements for graduation at
Griffin High and enrolled at the
University of Georgia as a
drama major.
He hopes to be in the enter
tainment business and even
tually be a director.
Reid is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. James T. Reid, 1128 Sky
line drive.
He was a governor’s honors
student last year in the English
Department.
National Merit Scholarship
winners are determined on the
basis of scores on the
Preliminary Scholastic Ap
titude Test National Merit
scholarship Qualifying tests.
Reid made it to the semi
finals and now has won a
scholarship. He was one of 1,424
national winners.
All award winners were
selected from among the Merit
Program Finalists who named
the sponsoring college or
university as first choice.
Each award is renewable for
up to four years of undergradu
ate study at the institution
financing the scholarship, and
is not transferrable.
Stipends can range from a
minimum of SIOO to a maximum
of $1,500 per year (or between
S4OO and $6,000 for the four
years of college). Winners’
stipends are not made public
since they are based in part on
confidential family financial
information. However, the
average total value of a college
sponsored Merit Scholarship
awarded in 1975 is about $2,500.