Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. MARCH 25, 2009 - PAGE 5A
Authority Steps Up Surgeon Search
By Mark Beardsley
The BJC Medical Center
Authority is stepping up its
efforts to hire a general sur
geon.
In a rare split vote, the
authority elected to hire
King Search & Consulting
to find a replacement for
Dr. Keith Ash, who left the
facility almost a year ago.
“They will evaluate our
needs and build a plan and
start working on what they
need to sell our hospital to a
general surgeon," explained
CEO Jim Yarborough.
The facility will pay
a $4,000 “retainer fee,"
expenses expected to run
$5,000-$ 10,000, and will
then receive $20,000 when
the facility hires a general
surgeon, Yarborough told
the authority.
Howard Smith made the
motion to retain the firm.
Voting for it were Smith,
S.J. Shirley, Forrest Hagan
and Rick Massey. Member
Jackie Whitfield cast the
lone dissenting vote, and
Don Brown, presiding as
vice chairman, did not vote.
Yarborough said the same
firm could be retained to
help hire other doctors.
Members of the hospital
staff have expressed an
interest in bringing in more
doctors to help share calls.
He said the most pressing
needs are in internal medi
cine and family practice.
New Service
At Little Cost?
While the authority
approved its “scope of essen
tial services provided" to
reflect its cessation of labor
and delivery and cardiac
rehab services, it’s working
on adding a “sleep lab."
Yarborough said a vendor
proposes to open a sleep
lab. The vendor will pro
vide all of the equipment,
Yarborough said, and BJC
can house the service either
in its east wing or its former
women and children’s wing.
“Our up-front costs would
be minimal," he said.
Currently, people need
ing sleep-related treatment
must go out of town.
Also Monday afternoon,
the authority voted to allow
Yarborough and Smith
negotiate with United
Community Bank to con
solidate two $500,000 lines
of credit into a $1 million
line of credit and voted to
change its monthly meet
ings from third Mondays at
1:30 p.m. to fourth Mondays
at 1:30.
Guest Column
Medicaid Cuts Will Have
A Devastating Impact In Georgia
By Joe Parker,
President & CEO
Georgia Hospital
Association
Less than a month ago,
Georgia's cash-strapped
health care providers
breathed a collective
sigh of relief upon learn
ing that the new federal
stimulus package would
infuse $1.7 billion into
Georgia's ailing Medicaid
system. Today, those same
providers are staring
down the barrel of a $431
million cut in Medicaid
payments. How does this
happen? Governor Sonny
Perdue's recent budget
proposal recommends
just that.
Georgia is in the midst of
a serious budget crisis and
all stakeholders are aware
of the need to share in the
pain of budget cuts. But
when the federal govern
ment provides more than
enough money to prop
up Georgia Medicaid and
health care providers are
still slapped with a 10 per
cent rate reduction, that's
a shocking blow that has
the potential to put some
hospitals, physicians and
health care providers out
of business.
So where does the gov
ernor want to spend the
federal Medicaid money?
While nobody really
knows at this point, what
we do know is that it won't
be going to Georgia's
already fragile health care
system. The real losers if
this budget passes? Every
Georgia citizen, business
and local government that
will see health care costs
continue to increase and
access to care shrink.
In Georgia, for every
dollar hospitals spend car
ing for a Medicaid patient
admitted to the hospital,
the state pays, on average,
84 cents. In fact, hospitals
haven't had a Medicaid
rate increase since 2002.
For physicians and other
health care providers, the
picture is just as bleak.
Not only have they not
seen a rate increase in
eight years, they are being
paid roughly 30 percent
less for a Medicaid patient
than for the same service
provided to a Medicare
patient. You don't have to
be an economist to know
that long term, this math
doesn't work.
Health care provid
ers would love to see
every penny of the new
Medicaid stimulus dollars
being put into the state's
Medicaid program as was
intended. But they realize,
that in this current budget
crisis, that's not realistic.
That's why we're not ask
ing state budget writers
in the Georgia General
Assembly for a Medicaid
rate increase — although
there's enough new fed
eral dollars to justify
it — we're urging them
to avoid the proposed
Medicaid cuts that will
have a devastating impact
on health care providers
and, ultimately, everyone
else.
— Claire Gaus: The 10 ‘Won’t Do’s
Cont. from Page 4A
bikini, I'd die.
VIII. I won't do a burial.
Reason: principle. I want
to be cremated and then
have my ashes spread
over the landscape. On
every full moon night
my spirit will haunt the
hillsides and valleys to
proclaim, "The pronoun
object of the preposition
is always in the objective
case."
IX. I won't do soaps.
Reason: principle. There
are too many books I
have not read yet, too
many fabrics I have not
quilted, too many needs
of mine and others not
filled, and, basically, a
lack of interest.
X. I won't do inten
tional harm to any living
creature. Reason: prin
ciple. No elucidation can
cover my depth of feeling
on this subject.
Conversely, I will do the
"Shall's" of the ten "Shall
not's" to the best of my
ability.
Claire Gaus is a retired
educator and volunteers in
the community in a num
ber of capacities. She lives
in Commerce.
Dr. Jeff Gilliland
Veterinarian! Owner
706-614-5266
fetch-a-vet@att.net
Celebrate Opening Of Law Office
Officials of the city of Commerce, Commerce Area Business Association,
Downtown Development Authority, Jackson County Area Chamber of
Commerce, friends and family turned out Tuesday morning to help Dylan
Wilbanks (behind bow) celebrate the opening of his law office at 1237 South
Elm Street, Commerce, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Community Bank & Trust
Closing Its Tanger Branch
Hospital
Authority
Taps Shubert
The Banks-Jackson-
Commerce Medical
Center Authority has
elected Commerce cer
tified public accountant
Don Shubert as its new
est member. The action
took place Monday after
noon at the authority’s
March meeting.
Shubert, who lives
in Banks County and
has a CPA practice in
Commerce, was one of
three nominees submit
ted by the Banks County
Board of Commissioners
for the position that has
been vacant since long
time member David
Payne resigned.
The other two nomi
nees were Bo Garrison
and Clyde McArthur.
According to vice chair
man Don Brown, who
presided in the absence
of chairman Charles Blair,
the authority is waiting
for three nominees for a
Jackson County position
on the authority.
The authority compris
es nine members, three
each from Banks County,
Jackson County and
Commerce.
Community Bank and
Trust will close its branch
in the Tanger Factory
Outlet Center June 27 as
part of a system-wide cost
cutting move.
“We are consolidating
the Tanger branch with
the Wal-Mart branch,"
explained Jud Trapnell,
vice president.
The move will eliminate
“six to seven" jobs, accord
ing to Trapnell.
“Quite frankly, even
in the best of economic
times, we realized that we
had too many locations,"
said Elton Collins, Jackson
County division president.
“In today’s economic envi
ronment, it has become
even more important that
we — like all other financial
institutions — work more
efficiently and effectively."
The bank will also consol
idate two Athens branches
into one, will close the
branch in Wal-Mart in
Clayton and will close one
branch in a Gainesville
Ingles supermarket.
Community Bank &
Trust operates a main
office in Commerce and
branches in Quality Foods
and Ingles.
Chamber Event To Focus On Banking
Owners of small businesses can get a clearer idea of
what’s available from local banks at an April 20 event
sponsored by the Jackson County Area Chamber of
Commerce.
The noon lunch — which costs $15 for members and
$25 for nonmembers — will take place at Beef O’Brady’s
in Jefferson. It’s part of the chamber’s “lunch and learn"
series.
“We’ll talk about what a bank can do to encourage
growth of small business in the county," explained Larry
Cole, president of First Commerce Bank, which is the
event sponsor.
The program will also include information about
changes in Small Business Administration products,
Cole said.
Call the chamber at 706-387-0300 to RSVP.
—Stonewall's Is Leaving
Cont. from Page 1A
Health.
Jones said that the
Braselton location has a
much higher traffic count,
but that the Commerce
location was doing rela
tively well.
“We were very happy
here and felt very wel
comed by the town," Jones
added. “The government
people were great. They
did anything to get me
here and keep me here.
The business owners were
great and the citizens were
great."
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