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THE LEADER-TRIBUNE
LETTERS
Editor:
AN OPEN LETTER
TO THE HOSPITAL
AUTHORITY:
I believe the decision to
move the hospital seven miles
out of town to connector 247
due to anticipated popula¬
tion growth in that direction
is flawed thinking and it is
risky business from a practi¬
cal and financial standpoint,
hence, these comments are to
the decision makers.
(1) . If the population boom
actually materializes there is
no assurance that the new
people will start using the
new facility, especially since
it will be so close to a larger
hospital in WR. and also dose
to 1-75, making it quick and
easy to travel to Macon to
another larger hospital.
(a). Many people prefer
using a larger hospital simply
because they feel more secure
than when using a smaller
one. (Over the years, we have
observed this in Fort Valley,
when some would drive past
our local and drive all the way
to Macon or Warner Robins.
(2) No new services are
planned for the new hospital;
and no more bed capacity.
It will STILL be a SMALL
FACILITY, but with an added
DISADVANTAGE of a huge
debt.
(a) . When the new hospital
cannot meet the payments
and the payroll the County
Commissioners will be asked
for a bail out. (This happened
in the early years of our pres¬
ent hospital, until the tax
payers had enough, which
at that time many citizens
signed pledges to secure loans
to keep it going. It means
that much to most of us.
(b) . The “Hypothetical
People” you are depending
upon to support you may not
feel as loyal as the old Fort
Valley people did and still do.
(c) . Remember, if these
people have already planned
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to move into that area they
have done so without you
building them a hospital.
After all, there IS a good
one just seven miles down
the road in Houston County,
and as YOU have said to us,
“Seven miles is not very far.”
Even if the new location
turned out to be successful, I
believe it is WRONG, from a
MORAL standpoint to move
the hospital away from the
people presently using it,
because it will be a hardship
for many people.
In last week’s Leader
Tribune, Victor gave the
median household income for
Fort Valley to be $23,298,
compared This to $40,858 in Peach
County. is further rea¬
son to keep a hospital in Fort
Valley, near the people who
can least afford the expense
of travel.
Closing the hospital is
not going to eliminate the
need for medical services for
people with less income. It
will just make those services
more costly.
(I find it hard to keep saying
the hospital is being moved
to a new location, when the
FACT is that our present hos¬
pital is being closed; elimi¬
nated; shut down! You are
starting a NEW hospital far
removed from the present
one.)
I think the people who
made this decision believe it
is the correct thing to do, but
it could be that in their haste
to appear “knowing and on
top of things”, this group
may be out of touch with
reality especially concerning
the part about repaying 25
million dollars.
This could be a serious
disservice to ALL of Peach
County Tax Payers, NOT
JUST the people of Fort
Valley.
Respectfully
Betty S. Rinehart
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Dear Editor,
As a St. Jude parent, I
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New hospital?
No thanks!
Editor:
This letter is a response
to Victor’s question, “where
have you been when the hos¬
pital needed you? “. First let
me tell you a true story, not
hearsay, but an eyewitness
account. On Dec. 27, 2004
my son and daughter were
involved in a serious auto
accident in Byron. After
being called to the scene by
my son, my wife and I arrived
in time to see the paramed¬
ics load my daughter into
the ambulance. Due to pro¬
fessional courtesy (I am an
EMT, firefighter in Macon)
the paramedic allowed me to
speak to my daughter. The
paramedic also told me that
my daughter was confused
and complaining of pain in
her hips. The paramedic also
asked if I had a preference on
hospitals.
My first instinct (always
the best option), was the
Medical Center in Macon.
The paramedic said they
would be really busy and
suggested Peach Regional.
Against my better judgment
I said OK. to the trip to Fort
Valley. My daughter was seen
in the emergency center, and
all types of tests were run
including CT scans of her
head , neck and pelvis, and
x-rays of her pelvis , all quite
expensive but not out of the
ordinary.
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After 5 plus hours of wait¬
ing for test results, the emer¬
gency room doctor came in,
pronounced my daughter fit
to go home, gave her a pain
shot and released her. When I
started to put her shoes back
on, my daughter tensed up
and started to cry; the first
tears of the day, I asked her
what was wrong and she told
me that her hip hurt really
bad . I stopped , went and
got the doctor, and told him
something was not right. The
doctor got the x-rays, held
them up to the light, and my
wife who has never looked at
an x-ray in her life was able
to see the largest of the five
fractures in my daughters
pelvis. The doctors comment
was “oh my your daughter
needs to go to the, you got it,
Medical Center in Macon.”
So after another $700
ambulance ride to Macon,
a!hd having to redo a lot of
the test because the doctor
in Macon was afraid the pain
shot which was administered
in Fort Valley, was masking
injury. All that could have
been avoided if I had listened
to that first instinct.
So to answer your ques¬
tion, I wouldn’t go back to
Peach regional if the powers
that be were to build it in my
back yard and PAID me to go
there. I think a community is
better off driving for health
care than having third-world
doctors taking care of illness
and injuries. And by the way
that old I can’t get to the
hospital if they move it to the
county excuse doesn’t hold
water, just call an ambulance
and they will take you wher¬
ever you desire, this includes
the indigent patient.
David Bronson
2102NewellRd. Byron
w HlallKS ____.. . Karla __
Editor:
Two weeks ago in this
paper, there was a small arti¬
cle about the Lion of Year
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from the Fort Valley Lions
Club. I would like to expound
about the Lions Club and
our Lion of the Year. Lion’s
Clubs around the world have
the same motto. We Serve.
We do this by helping people
take care of their eyesight.
We furnish guide dogs, white
canes, and to those who could
not afford it, we pay for eye
exams and eyeglasses. The
Fort Valley Lions Club has
two yard sales and the Fall
Festival to raise money for
Peach County residents who
can’t afford their glasses. Last
year we paid for 93 people
to receive exams and glass¬
es. We host the Christmas
parade every year in Fort
Valley, we have a float in the
Perry parade for the fair and
we do this with only 14 active
members.
We all work very hard to
get everything done but the
Lion of the Year always does
a little extra. The members
of the club vote on who they
believe gave a little extra
and this year’s winner, Karla
Borosky, most certainly did.
Even after fighting cancer for
the last four and a half years,
(twice in the brain, twice in
the spine and once in the
lung) she made the meet¬
ings, helped with the yard
sales, decorated floats, served
hot dogs and helped with the
Fall Festival. Never once did
she say she couldn’t do some¬
thing that we asked of her.
Admiration is a quality that
all of us aspire to, but I know
of no one that I admire more,
than I do this wonderful per¬
son who has meant so much
to us
In the Lions Club, she takes
the meaning of “We Serve” to
a whole new level. Thank
you Karla, from all of us for
making our lives and our club
more meaningful.
Helen Shaw
President
Fort Valley Lions Club
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