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Fishermen Herald Springtime
You know spring has arrived when you see fishermen
on area streams and lakes. Wesley Beason, Lyerly Road,
summerville, is a picture of concentration as Ke reels
in 2 baited hook in an attempt to attract some bréam
in James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Lake. He had caught three
by the time a photographer arrived and said fishing was
a bit slow. A few other area residents were also wetting
a hook in the lake recently, one while listening to loud
radio music. Perhaps bream are *“turned on” by music.
(Staff Photo).
Prisoner Letter
Ends Jail Meals
The second complaint this
year by prisoners about food at
the Chattooga County Jail has
resulted in a Summerville
restanrant deciding to halt its
sorvice to the facility.
I'wenty-one inmates at the
county jail sent a letter to The
News earlier this week com
plaining about the food, which
is supplied under contract to
the county by Jim's Drive-In,
Summerville.
TO QUIT
Tommy Brooks of the
restaurant, when informed by
The News about the letter, said
the adverse publicity had pro
mpted him to halt serving the
jail after the 5 p.m. supper meal
next Sunday. He informed
(‘hattooga Commissioner
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During a recent spell of dry weather,
grading continued on the site of a new
state prison east of Pennville. Haygood
Hauling Co., Woodstock, has the
$690,084 contract for the grading. Work
is supposed to be completed by the mid
dle of next month, according to the
original contract. Some 30 acres of
grading work is underway on the near
Tax Deadline
--See Page 3-A
Che Summeruville News
Harry Powell of his decision.
S})l’eriff McConnell said
Wednesday afternoon he had
not been officially notified by
Commissioner Powell about
Jim's Drive-In ending its ser
vice, although he had talked
with Brooks.
McConnell wrote Powell
Wednesday afternoon, ‘““Since
it is your responsibility under
state law to provide meals for
the inmates . . . please provide
us with the establishment that
will provide these services.”
The sheriff said the letter
was hand-delivered.
“It is so unexpected,”
Powell said in an interview
with Summerville radio station
WGTA, adding ‘‘no one in the
see PRISONER, page 12-A
Grading At Prison Site
$147.000 OWED TO CHATTOOGA HOSPITAL
Review Set Of Debt Collection
A committee has been ap
pointed to develop better
methods for collecting some
$147,000 in bad debts owed
Chattooga County Hospital.
Katherine Camp, chairman
of the Hosg)ital Authority,
named Billy Gilbert and Sherry
Bishop, both members of the
K/?nel. to work with Shirl(—(?l
cCrickard, assistant ad
ministrator, and Betty Wolls
tein, executive director of the
facility, in developing the
program.
The appointments came
after Gilbert made a motion
that the Authority investigate
current procedures and develop
better methods to collect the
bad debts.
DEFICIT
The hospital’s deficit so far
this year is $140,814. Bad
debts for the current fiscal year
amount to $147,021 through
the end of February.
“We're in the lending
business and we don't charge
off that much in a year,” said
Gilbert, a banker.
Mrs. McCrickard said the
hospital doesn’t have the staff
available to personally call
each person who owes the
hospital, adding that
assistance must be sought
from the facility's telephone
switchboard operator just to
get out statements each
month.
Mrs. Bishop said unpaid in
patient bills are charged off
after 120 days and bad outpa
tient bills are charged off after
90 days.
Mrs. McCrickard said after
bills are charged off, they are
held another 30 to 60 days
before being turned over to
Gregg Shaw and Associates,
Rome, for collection efforts.
Shaw is paid 36 percent of the
amount collected without
litigation and 50 percent of the
amount collected if garnish
ment is required, she added.
“FOOTWORK"
Dr. Herman Spivey, a Sum
merville physician present at
the meeting, said Floyd
Medical Center has social
workers who seek Medicaid or
Medicare coverage for patients
retroactively, assisting that
facility and doctors in collec
ting at least part of the cost of
medical care. ‘lt requires so
meone to do the footwork,”" he
said.
‘... Some percent of that's
got to be collectible,” Gilbert
said in referring to the
$147,000 in bad de%ts.
Mrs. McCrickard said she,
Mrs. Wollstein and hospital
staffers need support of the
Authority in collecting the bad
debts. In the past, she said,
when the hospital refused to
accept patients who would not
pay, they complained to
200-acre tract. A contract has also been
awarded by the City of Summerville for
the second phase of utility construction
to serve the 750-inmate prison. The state
is expected to let bids on the prison
buildings sometime this year. The
Georgia General Assembly earlier this
year approved $23-million for the facility.
(Staff Photo).
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1987
Street Closing Tabled
--See Page 7-A
Authority members and their
physicians, who then got angry
at the hospital staff. Most of
the bad degts are not indigent
related, she indicated, but in
volve individuals who have the
financial means to pay the
hospital for its services. Mrs.
Mcgrickard agreed that im
proved collection procedures
are needed but she emphasized
that they would have to have
the full support of the Authori
ty to be successful.
NO INTEREST
Mrs. Wollstein said the
hospital doesn’t charge in
terest on its past-due accounts.
Gilbert said he felt four
months is too long to wait to
turn bills over to a collection
agency. His bank considers
any bill 60 days overdue a
serious problem, he added.
Mrs. McCrickard said the
hospital has attempted to use
the Chattooga Small claims
court to collect past due bills
but the results ‘“have been
zero ... It certainly hasn't
worked for us.”
Gilbert also suggested that
the hospital accept credit
cards, such as Mastercard,
Visa or Discover, as one
method for collecting more
funds.
Morris Bronson of Floyd
Medical Center, Chattooge.
Hospital's financial consultant,
described the hospital’s eight
month deficit as ‘‘pretty
substantial.”
The hospital’s occupancy
rate in February was 22.93 per
cent, down from 26.64 percent
in January, Brunson said.
There were 53 admissions and
199 patient days during the
month, compared with 52 ad
missions antsJ 256 patient days
in January. :
FINANCES
The assets to liabilities
figure was 2.27 to 1 in
Februarfy, compared with a
figure of 2.29 to 1 in January,
he said.
A total of 503 emergency
room visits was recorded last
month, compared with 539 in
January.
The nursing home is conti
nuing to “‘carry’’ the hospital,
he pointed out. The nursing
home has recorded a surplus of
$91,000 for the first eight mon
ths of the current fiscal year
that began last July, while the
hospital has been losing
money.
The hospital lost $12,640 in
February while the nursing
home recorded a surplus of
$8,261 that same month, for a
net loss of $4,379 for the com
bined facilities, Brunson said.
Adding debt service, the
February loss was $14,147.
: X-RAY?
Mrs. Camp asked whether
the SIO,OOO paid to the hospital
by ChattooFa Commissioner
Harry Powell was for indigent
care or for the hospital's new
X-ray equipment. gowell had
Six Chattooga
4-H Winners
Six Chattooga County 4-H
Club members won first place
in the District competition
recently at Armuchee High
School. The county also had 11
second place and 10 third place
winners.
Four volunteer leaders ac
companied the group, in
cluding Mrs. Barbie McCollum,
Mrs. Nancy Daniel and Reed
Caldwell, af;)ng with Ted Clark
and Pam Echols, Chattooga
Extension Service agents.
FIRST
The first place winners were
Ben Bridges, entomology:
Thomas Covington, clothing
and textiles; Janet Dunn,
forest; Katrina Bolton, coastal
ecology; and Heather Herring,
fashion revue; and Dana
Hughes, wood science.
econd place winners were
said during a meeting of coun
ty officials on March 11 that he
had made the payment toward
the purchase ofy X-ray equip
ment at the hospital.
see REVIEW SET, page 9-A
Searchers
Seek Child
A massive search for a
missing 4-year-old girl was
continuing at Trion near mid
night Wednesday.
Gloria Henry, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Henry, 139
Georgia St., Trion, was
reported missing to Trion
Police at 6:15 p.m. Wednes
day, said Chattooga County
Sheriff Gary McConnell.
When the child couldn’t be
located, assistance was
sought from the sheriff’'s of
fice at 9:50 p.m., he said.
Around 25 deputies and
Civil Defense rescue person
nel were involved in the
search and McConnell was at
tempting to locate a
helicopter equipped with
floodlights. Efforts also were
heing made to erect a net
_gcross the Chattooga River at
fir-on in-case the child had
élflen in the water near her
heome.
“ The youngster was last
seen wearing a pink sweat
shirt and blue jeans. Her
blonde hair was pulled back
into a ponytail.
HIGHEST IN CHATTOOGA
Ambulance Costs
Chattooga County appears
to be spending considr:arably
more on its ambulance service
than are most other Northwest
Georgia area counties, accor
din% to a survey by The News.
hattooga Commissioner
Harry Powe%l took over the am
bulance service on Jan. 1, 1986
after complaining that it was
costing the county too much
for it to be operated by Chat
tooga Hospital.
Expenses since that time
appear to have increased.
$391,000
Powell said during a March
11 meeting with other county
officials that the budget for the
ambulance service this year
would be $391,395, or $32,616
per month.
When the service was under
management of the hospital,
the cost r?orted at that time
was around $12,000 to $13,000
Robin Bolden, sports and out
door recreation; Mary John
Cox, general recreation; Chris
ty Deering, food fare; Jennifer
Heun, home furnishings and
design; Keri Beth Hill, elec
tronics and computers; Faith
Romine, housing and equip
ment; Kanissa Shipman,
energy conservation; Angie
Willingham, between-meal
snacks; Angie Reeves, wildlife;
Christopher Atkins, swine; and
Gene Callan, public speaking.
Third place winners were
Brian Jen&ins‘ hotography;
Eric Mosley, gairy foods;
Chuck Norton, general recrea
tion, Wayne Reece, archery;
Tim Schrader, aquaculture;
Alisha Carter, kitchen fun;
Nikki Fisher, food for health;
Amy McDowell, dairy foods;
Tracy Mitchell, poultry:
see SIX, page 11-A
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D RER Y AN T el
Civil War Encampment Prepares For ‘Battle’
A’ realibtic Civil War encampment was
held last weekend on the Richard Lindsey
farm on Little Sand Mountain in Chat
tooga County. Chattooga Company B,
9th Georgia Infantry and the sth
Missouri Infantry based in Smyrna par
ticipated in the event, which was practice
per month, or around $156,000
per year, although Powell and
one 1984 audit use the figure of
$366,127 for 1984.
Shortly after the county
took over the operation on Jan.
1, 1986, Powell began com
plaining about the cost of
operating the service. The
reported cost at that time was
around $21,000 per month, or
an estimated $252,000 for
1986.
$271,000
However, a handwritten
notation on a proposed budget
submitted to Powell by the
county’'s auditor and a state
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Pt i
BEN BRIDGES, THOMAS COVINGTON WITH PAM ECHOLS
Janet Dunn, Heather Herring In Front J
Near Disaster!
--See Page 1-B
for the reenactment of the battie of
Shiloh, Miss. late next week. Bobby Lee
“Buzz’’ Cook Jr., left, and Jim Nicholson,
both of Summerville, are shown during
the exercise. See additional photos inside.
(Special Photo by Karen Cook).
financial e;cf)ert listed last
year’s actual ambulance ser
vice expenses at $279,713, or
$23,309 per month. That pro
posed budget, which Powell
said last week he had thrown in
his wastebasket, also called for
1987 ambulance service expen
ditures of $320,195, or $26,683
per month.
Powell bought a new am
bulance in late February, 1986
at a cost of $21,000, using
funds derived from the coun
ty's beer and wine tax.
Whether that purchase is
reflected in last year’s figure of
$279,713 is not known.
PRICE 25c¢
Rise
Although Powell had listed
$391,395 as proposed 1987 am
bulance service expenditures at
the March 11 meeting, he said
last week that the depart
ment’s budget was incomglete.
What figure will end up being
approved by the commissioner
remains unknown.
PAYING LESS
However, two area counties
are paying less for ambulance
service than Chattooga and a
third coun?' is also paying less
with the additional cost being
borne by the hospital that is
providing the service.
- see AMBULANCE, page 11-A