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The Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Terry and Lori Cook
Volume XLV- Number 23
Leesburg, Georgia - - February 1, 2023
Fifty Cents
Future Of Lee County Medical Center
Hinges On Certificate Of Need
During the January
25th meeting of the Lee
County Development
Authority, Greg Crowder,
Chairman, explained
the necessary steps for
the Lee County Medical
Center to be built. The
initial item to be accom
plished is for the state to
approve the extension of
the Certificate of Need
(CON). The first CON
was issued in 2018 to
Lee Medical Center,
LLC owned by two
companies, Health Care
Facilities Partners, LLC
and Partners in Health
Care Development, LLC.
That CON was issued for
a for-profit hospital.
The concept of a Lee
County hospital originat
ed when several doctors
approached Winston
Oxford, who was at
that time the director of
economic development.
The doctors wanted a
location in which they
could perform outpatient
surgeries. Later Mr. Ox
ford met with Mr. Eddie
Alexander, who had ex
perience in constructing
hospitals. The for-profit
hospital was to be built
on 15 acres of the for
mer Grand Island Golf
Course which is current
ly owned by the devel
opment authority. The
for-profit hospital was to
be financed through the
sale of revenue bonds
issued by the Lee County
Development Author
ity. Once the hospital
was established and the
revenue bonds repaid, the
property on which it was
built would be sold to the
owner(s) of the hospi
tal by the development
authority.
Numerous factors, in
cluding Covid 19, created
an unforeseen delay in
building the hospital.
Approaching a deadline
stated in the CON, the
state was asked to extend
the time for financing
and construction.
During the summer of
said,there
did seem to
be a path
forward as a
not-for-profit
hospital in
Lee County.
The change
seemed sud
den but came
after months
of fruitless
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Hospital
Authority
Will Meet
Thursday
February 2
at
10:00 am
at the
Page Tharp
Building
2022, after four years,
the principals decided
that the original goal of
private financing and
a private partnership
was not practical in
the current economic
climate. That
attempts
to partner Greg
with existing
successful
medical systems. The
change to a non-profit
hospital does not mean
that the hospital is pro
hibited from making a
profit; it just means that
the profits can be put
back into the operation
of the hospital without
the hospital having to
pay income taxes. Lee
County Medical Cen
ter, LLC held and still
holds the CON, however
now the hospital will be
under the direction of
Brentwood Healthcare
Foundation, Inc., a non
profit corporation and
the day-to-day operation
will be managed by
QHR Health. For more
than 40 years, QHR has
empowered independent
community hospitals
and healthcare systems
to achieve operational
success and fulfill their
mission of delivering
excellent healthcare. Lee
County Development
Authority previously
authorized issuing up to
200 million dollars in
revenue bonds for the
hospital which will be
constructed as a 50-bed
hospital instead of the
originally proposed
60-bed hospital. The
revenue bond amount to
be issued by the Devel
opment Authority has
now been reduced to ap
proximately 130 million
dollars.
The newly created Lee
County Hospital Author
ity will meet Thursday,
February 2 at 10:00 a.m.
They will be tasked with
approving the issu
ance of revenue bonds
totaling up to 30 million
dollars to assist in the
construction of the hos
pital. The County will
likely be involved with
the Hospital Authority
by providing funds for
the payment of those
revenue bonds in the
amount of approximate
ly 1.8 million dollars for
15 years into its funding
if needed. Depending
on the success of the
hospital, those funds
may be reimbursed to
the County over time.
To ensure that there
is still a need for a Lee
County hospital and
that the hospital will be
economically feasible
in the community, the
economic development
board authorized Forvis
to conduct a feasible
study. The results of
that survey should be
available soon. The cost
of the survey is up to
$225,000
with
$75,000
paid in
advance.
If the
CON
extension
should not
be approved
Forvis
will halt
the study.
Stating that
he feels the
hospital
could be
very beneficial for Lee
County, Mr. Crowder
stressed that the exten
sion of the CON and
the results of the survey
will determine if the
development authority
can move ahead with
offering of the revenue
bonds. Mr. Crowder said
it should take approx
imately two years to
complete the hospital
once the bonds are sold.
Mr. Billy Mathis, Lee
County Commission
Chairman, stated Mr.
Crowder will provide
updates pertaining to the
hospital as they develop.
Crowder
Special to the Ledger
Jack Miller, Leslie,
Georgia, received the
Outstanding Georgia
Peanut Farmer of the
Year Award for District
5 at the 46th annual
Georgia Peanut Farm
Show and Conference,
Jan. 19, 2023, at the Uni
versity of Georgia Tifton
Campus Conference
Center, Tifton, Georgia.
The award is sponsored
by the Georgia Peanut
Commission and Agri
Supply.
The Georgia Peanut
Commission presents
the Outstanding Geor
gia Peanut Farmer of
the Year awards to
one farmer in each of
the commission’s five
districts. This award is
designed to honor farm
ers who have given life
long devotion to peanut
Severe Weather
Preparedness Week
Starts Feb. 6
Special to the Ledger
The Georgia Emer
gency Management
and Homeland Security
Agency, in partner
ship with the Nation
al Weather Service,
encourages Georgians to
learn and understand the
threats of severe weather
as well as prepare for
various weather events
during Severe Weather
Preparedness Week on
Feb. 6-10.
“Given the recent
severe storms, tornado
outbreaks and straight-
line winds that hap
pened across our state
a couple of weeks ago,
residents should take
this time to prepare now
more than ever,” said
GEMA/HS Director
Chris Stallings. “We
strive for our citizens
to be well informed and
educated before any
weather event strikes to
prevent loss of life and
significant damage to
property.”
Spring is traditional
ly a period where the
threat of tornadoes,
damaging winds, large
hail and lightning from
severe thunderstorms
greatly increases. Severe
Weather Prepared
ness Week serves as
a reminder to review
emergency procedures
and prepare for weath
er-related hazards.
GEMA/HS will dis
tribute severe weather
preparedness informa
tion via social media
channels, and provide
toolkits to local emer
gency management
directors for sharing
this information in their
counties all weeklong
during the SWPW cam
paign.
Each day of the cam
paign will address the
following topics:
• Monday, Feb. 6 -
Family Preparedness/
NOAA Weather Ra
dio Day: Purchase a
life-saving NOAA
Weather Radio and
choose an out-of-state
friend as a “check-in”
contact to call if your
family gets separated.
• Tuesday, Feb. 7 -
Thunderstorm Safety:
Learn the difference
between a thunderstorm
watch and a thunder
storm warning.
• Wednesday, Feb. 8
- Tornado Safety (Drill
at 9 a.m.): Determine in
advance where you will
take shelter in case of a
tornado warning.
• Thursday, Feb. 9 -
Lightning Safety: Learn
the 30/30 rule. If after
seeing lightning, you
cannot count to 30 be
fore hearing thunder, go
indoors. Stay indoors for
30 minutes after hearing
the last clap of thunder.
• Friday, Feb. 10 -
Flood Safety: Copy
important documents,
seal them in a watertight
container and add them
to your Ready kit.
On Wednesday, Febru
ary 8, tornado safety is
emphasized. Residents,
schools and businesses
statewide are encour
aged to participate in
Ready Georgia’s Pre-
pareAthon! for Torna
do Safety, a statewide
tornado drill at 9 a.m.
For more information
on drill procedures, visit
gema.georgia.gov/torna-
do-drill-procedures.
Local emergency
management agencies
are also a great resource
for information or tips
to help families, schools
and organizations stay
prepared.
External Affairs exter-
nalaffairs@gema.ga.gov
(404) 635-7200
@GeorgiaEMAHS
www.gema.georgia.
gov
For more resources
on how you can pre
pare your home, school
or business for severe
weather emergencies
and other disasters,
visit gema.georgia.gov/
plan-prepare/ready-geor-
gia and follow @Geor-
giaEMAHS on Twitter,
Instagram and Facebook
for preparedness tips and
emergency information.
farming and who have
the passion, diligence,
leadership and desire
to see that the peanut
industry in the state of
Georgia continues to
represent the highest
quality possible.
In 1954, Miller moved
to Lee County and start
ed farming. He farmed
for 47 years growing
peanuts, corn and cotton,
while also raising 100
head of cattle. Through
the years, Miller partici
pated in on-farm Ex
tension service research
trials for corn and pea
nuts, and was a leader
in utilizing irrigation in
South Georgia.
Miller is a member
of Lee County Farm
Bureau where he served
as president for six years.
He is also a member of
Georgia Farm Bureau
where he served as a
district director for six
years and former chair of
the American Farm Bu
reau Peanut Committee.
In 2002, he was awarded
the Outstanding Farmer
in Lee County from the
Chamber of Commerce.
In his community
he served on the local
school board and as a tax
assessor for Lee County.
Submitted Photo
Jack Miller, Leslie, Ga., receives the Outstanding Georgia Peanut
Farmer of the Year Award for District 5 by the Georgia Peanut
Commission during the 46th annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and
Conference, Jan. 19,2023, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus
Conference Center, Tifton, Ga. Pictured left to right Donald Chase,
Georgia Peanut Commission board member representing District 5,
Miller and Matt Cato, category buyer with Agri Supply.
Miller receives Outstanding Georgia
Peanut Farmer of the Year Award
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