Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME LXXI NUMBER 10
: 1M • i m RBShSk § £ JBkJrcnlk i
The Rotary Club of Forsyth County last week presented special plaques to outstan
ding students at Forsyth County High School. The students were selected on their
academic, extra-curricular and community activities. The two senior winners
‘County Attitude Changing
Toward Hospital’— Brandon
BY CATHY PUCKETT
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Hospital Authori
ty signed a contract for management
services in March of 1979, with
Brookwood Health Services, Inc., and
now a year later, progress is becoming
more evident everyday, with added
health care services and updating of the
community hospital.
A $2.4-million dollar construction pro
ject is underway at the hospital, which
will add updated modem equipment to
the present 28-bed Forsyth County
Hospital. With the addition of 13,000
square feet, the hospital will soon be
able to accomodate and operate a 36-
bed facility. The construction project
and renovation of 7,000, square feet of
existing space will bring the hospital up
to a total of 41,000 square feet.
The construction project, under the
direction of Palafox Construction
Corp., of Alabama, is scheduled to be
finished with the new wing of the
hospital by June, and renovation work
is to be completed by October of this
year.
The new addition of the hospital will
include nine semi-private rooms, serv
ing two patients per room; 14 private
rooms for one-patient occupancy, and a
four-bed Intensive Care Unit and Cor
onary Care Unit. The new area will
•v
i i «^HJ
% tR ‘ J
l(sjtt$ )f ' * *
Emergency Generator Installed
Forsyth County Hospital Administrator Joe Brandon looks
over the new emergency generator unit recently installed
next to the new wing at the hospital. The construction project
- I FORSYTH tlfivirc
" Ht l - COUNTY NllwV 3
Special Awards
house a complete radiology depart
ment, and have an expanded two-room
diagnostic area. The one operating
room at the hospital will be replaced
with two new modem operating rooms
with expanded facilities. In addition,
there will be a recovery room,
obstetrics department with a delivery
room and two labor rooms, and a com
plete medical lab.
The renovation project includes up
dating the respitory-therapy area,
new pharmacy-purchasing area, ex
panding the emergency room,
renovating existing patient rooms, and
adding much needed office space to the
hospital.
The construction project underway is
only part of a major change people in
the community are noticing. A renewed
appreciation of the professional
medical services being offered citizens
in the county is being experienced. Cur
rently there are 15 medical doctors on
the active staff, eight dentists on the ac
tive staff, and a host of 17 physicians on
a consulting staff. In times past, all too
often people in the community were
upset with limited services in the
hospital’s emergency room. Today,
regular staff doctors serve the
Emergency Room during the day, and
a doctor is on duty every night, giving
full 24-hour emergency medical ser
at the hospital is scheduled to be completed within a few mon
ths.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1980 CUMMING. GA. 30130
received a SSOO scholarship each. Those receiving the awards (1-r) were:
Sophomore Chuck Chewning, Sophomore Rhonda Cravey, Junior David Moseman,
Junior Sheri Smallwood, Senior Terri Jo Smith and Senior Mark Wood.
vices.
Not only construction, added profes
sional services and updating of equip
ment is noticeable at the hospital, but
people are beginning to appreciate the
talents and efforts of a well trained
staff at the hospital, according to
Hospital Administrator A.J. (Joe)
Brandon.
The hospital administrator said he
“feels good” about the attitude and ef
forts of the 56 full-time and 28 part-time
employees at the hospital. “The com
munity is beginning to realize the
talents of the trained personnel and
we’re getting many good comments
from patients everyday.” The staff at
the hospital includes 28 professionals in
the way of nurses, medical
technologist, radiology technologists,
physical therapist, licensed pharmacist
and others.
Brandon said the hospital and com
munity had become “separated.” “We
can’t be perfect no matter how hard we
try, but we are striving to meet the
needs of the community in health care
services. We have been able to
establish open communications bet
ween the hospital and the community,
and are building a good relationship
with county officials. We’re here to pro
vide the best medical services
available for the community, and want
to do the job the community deserves.”
Finances have over-shadowed the
operation of the hospital for many
years. A financial report from the
hospital at the end of 1978 showed the
hospital loss a total of $141,200, but by
the end of 1979, the hospital was able to
operate and meet costs of operations.
Accounts receivable were 140 days
behind in March of 1979, as compared to
70 days in 1980.
The hospital is governed by a
Hospital Authority Board consisting of:
Phil Smith, Chairman; Lewis Darnell,
vice-chairman; Johnny Stone,
secretary; Marshal Millwood,
treasurer; and board members M.L.
Hamby, Ben Edd Bramblett, Atwood
Ledbetter, and Mack Holbrook. Dr. Jim
Mashburn is also a member of the
board representing the medical staff of
the hospital.
Brandon said while he has seen “a 180
degree” change in attitude and efforts
of hospital employees, he has also seen
interest and cooperation by the entire
community. “It’s really been a
pleasure to work with the staff and with
the community. I can’t do my job
without the cooperation of a good train
ed staff and without good cooperation
from the community we serve.”
Little Theatre
Plans Musical
The Forsyth County Little Theatre is
buzzing with excitement these days as
plans are underway for the summer
production of “The Sound of Music.”
The moving and true account of the
Von Trapp Family’s victory over Nazi
occupied Austria during World War II
will open in Cumming on Aug. 6.
Written by Rodgers and Hammers
tein, this musical enjoyed a long run on
the Broadway stage and was made into
an award winning movie starring Julie
Andrews as Maria.
Little Theatre members are en
thusiastic at being able to announce
that “The Sound of Music” will be
under the direction of Jim Hammond,
who is remembered for his success as
director of “Oliver” and “Around The
World In 80 Days.” Hammond has
chosen Carol Evans as assistant direc
tor, Diane Wall as producer and Bob
Hartline as musical director.
Parts will be available for seven
children between the ages of six and 18,
nine female adults and eight male
adults, plus a large chorus. Auditions
will be announced at a iater date.
Hammond has also announced that
he will be teaching acting this summer.
Children’s and adult classes are in the
planning stages and one production
from each class will be presented for
the public.
If you want to be a part of the Little
Theatre’s busy summer in any capacity
from studying to acting, sewing to
singing or hammering to typing, call
Diane Wall St 889-1901 or 887-1609.
County OKs
Anti-Litter
Campaign
BY JIM COSE Y
Editor
The Forsyth County Commissioners
Monday voted unanimously to begin a
crackdown on litter in the county.
Commissioner Leroy Hubbard
pointed out that trash and litter is being
dumped throughout the county
alongside roads. “We need to work
closely with the Sheriff’s Department to
strengthen enforcement in this area. I
realize it’s hard to get a conviction but
we’ve got to do something to put a halt
to this problem.”
Hubbard said that the maximum
sentence for littering is SI,OOO and one
year in jail.
Commission Chairman Bill Barnett
added, “It’s a bad problem. It’s getting
worse. If we could get some convictions
it would really help. We have a county
dump that’s costing the taxpayers some
$5,000 a year and we need to get the peo
ple to use it instead of dumping on the
sides of the roads.”
Commissioner Garland Barron add
ed, “If we could get one conviction, I
don’t believe they’d do it again.”
Hubbard made a motion to work with
the Sheriff’s Department to concen
trate and try to catch those littering the
roads and try to get convictions. The
vote was unanimous.
Barnett pointed out that the local
Kiwanis Club is planning a big anti
litter campaign in April and he urgec
everyone to take part in this project and
halt the problem that presently exists.
H —I —b
In other business, the commissioners
Cumming Elementary
In WSB Competition
Cumming Elementary School has
been named one of 12 finalists in WSB
Radio’s School Spirit contest.
Some 50 schools in the metro Atlanta
area entered the competition and Cum
ming Elementary hosted WSB officials
and personalities last Monday in a
special “School Spirit Day” program at
which time judges were on hand to see a
display of Cumming’s school spirit.
Jim Howell and John Moore, WSB
air personalities “Jim and John,”
were on hand to speak to the students
and they also acted as two of the judges
for the contest. Other judges included:
Aubrey Morris and Rick Shaw of WSB
Radio and State Patrolman Tommy
Thornton.
For the school spirit competition,
Cumming Elementary School students
chose a theme, of patriotism to display
their spirit. The students decorated
rooms, halls and yards with red, white
and blue. Last Monday, when the
judges were on hand, the students in all
the grades presented a special pro
gram.
» A
Wm HL4^Bp9|fe|
‘Jim And John '
WSB Radio’s “Jim and John” or is it “John and Jim” are shown at Cumming
Elementary School last Monday when they were on hand to judge the school in the
school spirit competition. Cumming is one of 12 finalists in the contest.
25 Cents
32 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS
denied two requests for county funds
from a health clinic and a justice of the
peace.
A spokesman from the George E.
Wilson Memorial Health Clinic ap
peared before the board and requested
$2,000 for the 1981 budget to aid in
constructing a new facility for their ser
vice.
Harrison Tallant made a motion to
deny the request and Barron made the
second. The vote was unanimous.
Justice of the Peace Arnold Mar
jenhoff asked the commissioners to
reimburse him $159 he had to spend to
take training required by the state.
Commissioner Hubbard asked Mar
jenhoff if he was paid fees for his ser
vice. He replied, “Yes. Last year
around $2,400.” Hubbard told Mar
jenhoff that the commissioners only
made $1,200 a year. A motion was then
made to deny the request and the vote
was unanimous.
The commissioners setup some of
their road priorities for revenue shar
ing funds. The roads listed by the com
missioners include: Hubbard-
Mountain Road; James Harrington-
Pittman Road and Tidwell Circle;
Tallant-Hawkins Road and Karr Road;
Barron-Pickelsimer Road and
Drive; Bamett-Nuckolls Road, Echols
Road, Carden Road, Kemp Road, Hitt
Road and Timberlake Trail.
In final action of the day, meeting at
their new 5 p.m. starting time, the com
missioners voted tq hire Clay Freeman
as a part-time inspector.
The fifth grade students presented
the Pledge of Allegiance and led in the
singing of the National Anthem. Third
graders presented patriotism buttons to
the judges. First graders presented
special songs for the judges and the
fourth grade presented a special play.
Physical education students displayed
gymnastics entitled “Future Olym
pians," and sixth graders read essays
on “It’s A Wonderful Thing To Be Me-
Free.”
The second grade students sang
special songs they had written concern
ing school spirit and the school chorus
and band played for the judges.
Principal Ron Brooks said, “We
elected to express our school spirit
through patriotism because it is so ap
propriate at this time. With the hostage
situation in Iran and the recent Winter
Olympics, we think Americans are
returning to the old spirit of patriotism
and we wanted to let people know that
here at Cumming Elementary we do
believe in America. ”
The winner of WSB’s school spirit
contest will receive a SSOO prize.