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SHOPPING GROCERY ADS COMBINES SKILLS
Students Challenged To ‘“‘Spend” S2O Wisely
Hospital Closing Possible
Without Community Help?
from front page
around 10 hospital rooms to
nursing home beds or of clos
ing down the in-patient pro
gram and concentrating on
providing emergency services.
From fiscal year 1986 to
fiscal year 1987 (the hospital's
fiscal year runs from July 1 of
one calendar year to June 30 of
the next calendar year), patient
revenue increased by three per
cent at the hospital, Fairclrt))th
said.
However, deductions from
revenue, such as bad debts and
costs that are not Medicare
reimbursible, increased by 12
percent, he noted. Operating
expenses also increased by 10
percent during that same one
year period. Those figures
resulted in a 257 percent
decrease in hospital profits, he
pointed out.
The hospital's occupancy
rate has been declining steadi
ly, Faircloth said, from 42.06
percent in fiscal 1984, to 35.26
percent in 1985, to 33.40 per
cent in 1986 and to 27.58 per
cent in 1987. Meanwhile, the
nursing home’s occupancy rate
remained at 99 percent each
year.
REVENUES
Combined hospital-nursing
home revenue increased 1.22
percent from 1984 to 1985, by
5.92 percent from 1985 to 1986,
and from 1.70 percent from
1987 to this fiscal year, the
auditor continued.
However, expenses increas
ed by 4.13 percent from 1984 to
1985, by 9.20 percent from
1985 to 1986 and by 9.94 per
cent from 1986 to this year, he
pointed out.
“You've really got to watch
these operating expenses . . . "
he said.
The hospital and nursing
home made aFrofit of $16,335
in 1984, a profit of $133,282 in
1985, a profit of $72,526 in
1986 but fi)st $113,520 in fiscal
year 1987, Faircloth said.
DECREASE
The hospital suffered a net
decrease of g 67 patient days at
$142 per day last fiscal year
and a resulting loss in related
patient service revenues, the
auditor continued. There was a
net decrease of $192,800 in in
patient revenue and a net in
crease of $94,000 in out-patient
revenue last year, he said.
Those figures gave the hospital
a net decrease in revenue of
$98,800 last year. Meanwhile,
the nursing home showed a net
increase 0§577.500 in revenue
for that same period, he said.
When the ambulance ser
vice was based at the hospital,
many of its expenses were paid
by tKe county, Faircloth said,
but at least part of those same
SEVENTH GRADERS INCREASE SKILLS
News Part Of Weekly Reading Assignments
expenses were also reimbursed
to the hospital by Medicare,
causing the hospital to receive
a “‘windfall"’ of revenue for the
service.
MEDICARE
If the hospital were closed
down and Oak View stood
alone as a nursing home, the
current maximum Medicare
payment the facility could
receive would be $35.87 per
resident per day, Faircloth
said. But gecause the nursing
home and the hospital are joint
facilities, the nursing home is
eligible for a current maximum
Medicare reimbursement of
$54.82 per day, he said. It cur
rently receives $38.49 per day
per patient.
If the hospital were to be
closed, the nursing home's
costs would likely decrease,
Faircloth said.
The August financial report
resented by Brunson was on-
Fy slightly more cheering.
Powell Improves Chances Of Loan
from front page
sign a proposed bond on behalf
of Chattooga County. I assume
that such is for the purpose of
having Chattooga County
guarantee the payment
thereof. It is my understanding
that I cannot commit the tax
payers of this county to make
such payment, if required, ex
cept upon their approval as
evidenced by the passage of a
bond resolution resulting from
a favorable public vote on the
project. I further understand
that, except for such a commit
ment resulting from popular
vote, I cannot bind the county
for any such payment beyond
my term of ofgce which expires
on Dec. 31, 1988.
“Also,” Powell continued,
“because your Authority is an
independent organization over
which the county governing
authority has no control and is
not a part of county govern
ment, and proposes to public
ly disassociate any connection
with the county through a
name change, I do not feel that
I should commit the taxpayers
of this county to payments on
behalf of your Authority
without their approval.”
JAIL BONDS
After the commissioner
read the letter, he added, *‘Now
what this is, we're just check
ing about bonds and interest.
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HOME TOWN NEWS MAKES RELEVANT READING
Local Stories Capture Interest
RATIO
The facility’'s assets to
liabilities ratio fell to 1.80 to 1
because of the purchase of
ultra-sound and mam
mography equipment, he said,
but that ratio should rise above
the 2 to 1 level when payments
are made on the equipment, he
said.
The hospital recorded 196
patient days and 45 admissions
for an occupancy rate of 20.4
percent in August, Brunson
continued. The occupancy rate
in June was 19.57 percent and
the July rate was 18 percent.
The nursing home recorded
a profit of 81%662 while the
hospital lost $10,981, he said.
A total of 669 emergency
room visits was recorded, com
pared with 633 in July and 606
in June.
AUGUST
The hospital and nursing
home combined recorded gross
revenues of $242,566 in
August. That figure was reduc
ed to $216,601 because of
The interest on the bonds that
the county now owes is on
Chattooga County Jail and
they still have outstanding
$240,587.50 of interest on the
jail bonds. On the principal still
outstanding of the jail bonds is
$650,000 as of today. After you
record this, the first person to
call in will say, ‘how much does
the county already owe?’ and
these figures will explain that.”
The FmHA's Smith never
said that Powell's refusal to
back the nursing home expan
sion would prevent the
Authority from obtaining an
FmHA loan, Mrs. Camp said.
A vote wouldn't have been
necessary if the county were to
back the issuance of limited
obligation revenue certificates
or bonds, Mrs. Bishop said,
reading from Georgia }l%spital
Authority laws. Commissioner
Powell himself in 1970 signed
a proposal obligating the coun
ty to back revenue bonds for
the hospital, she noted.
Mrs. Camp said the coun
ty's taxpayers had not had to
bear the burden of a tax in
crease to finance those bonds
because they are paid out of
hospital revenues.
NOT GO UP
I think most people in the
county think that their taxes
would go up (from the content
of Powell's letter) but we're
The News Used
In Classrooms
from front page
cars and even business
investments.
“The grocery list was much
the same for fl“y the students,"
Miss Osborne said. “‘They all
bought hamburgers, French
fries and Coke or Pepsi."”
The weekly newspaper ses
sions are intended to gevelop
regular reading habits in the
seventh and eighth grade
students.
“Hopefully, this readinfi is
more relevant to them than
some of the other things they
might read,” Miss Osborne
said. ‘‘The goal is to develop a
readin ha%it they will con
tinue t%lroughout life. In addi
tion to shopping, we've looked
at different jobs in the com
munity, stucfied different sec
$25,965 deductions from
revenue.
Operating expenses were
$209,920, giving the nursing
home-hospital a net profit of
$6,681. However, when debt
service of $8,735 was deducted,
a loss of $2,054 was recorded
far the month.
Losses of $20,652 have been
recorded since the beginning of
the fiscal year on July 1.
Mrs. Camp announced that
Bill Gilbert had resigned from
the Authority as of last Aug.
25, citing his responsibilities at
work. A new member won't be
named until the Chattooga
Grand Jury meets early next
year.
NAME-CHANGE
She also said that 25 name
change suggestions have been
mailed to the hospital and that
the ballot boxes in various
banks throughout the county
will be picked up today.
However, the concensus of the
Authority seemed to be that no
name change would become of
building the expansion for our
people who are in nursing
homes outside the county and
want to come home,"’ she said.
However, . Authority
members seemed to think the
issue was moot because
Powell's letter was helpful to
the panel in its efforts to obtain
the FmHA loan.
Smith told her that he
would recommend that the
state FmHA office approve the
loan, Mrs. Bishop told the
Authority. The state office in
‘Athens should have some in
dication next week whether the
loan is likely to be okayed, she
added.
However, it probably will
be sometime in January before
final FmHA approval is hand
ed down, she was told.
In the meantime, the
Authority needs to obtain a let
ter of credit from a lending in
stitution for construction
funds, Mrs. Bishop explained.
The Authority unanimously
adopted a resolution givinfi
Mrs. Bishop authority to see
the letter.
STATE AGENCY
The Svate Health Planning
Agency (SHPA) has extended
the nursing home's certificate
of need for the expansion to
March 16, 1988, she said. If the
Authority can begin advertis
ing for bids in early January
tions of the paper, such as the
editorial page and talked about
the importance of the front
page news. They also choose
stories which they want to read
and then discuss the main
idea.”
The Summerville News has
agreed to donate surplus issues
to the reading class every two
weeks as the program
continues,
Participating in the class
are seventh graders Jody
Anderson, Latosha Blair,
Tracey Casterdyk, Heather
Cook, Precious %chols, 2.4,
Edwards, Heather Hill, Shawn
Laney, Trey Longshore, Wen
dy Timmons, Vinnie Notabar
tolo anfil llllegin(;i Jennings.
Eighth grade participants
are J e%f Bennett, C'in.risl?' Cash,
Shannon Glass, Staci Hughes,
Angie Howard, April Ayers,
Elena Prather, Penny Lay,
Christa Whitley, Kell{; Com-
K;on, Ron Howard, Vincent
oore, Cane Ayers, Ross
Lowry, Gail Burts, Renee
Blackwell, Rozzie Starr and
Erik Housch.
Compressor
Explodes
Officials at the Chattooga
Countf' Library received a
scare last Thursday when an
air conditioner compressor
exploded.
The Summerville Fire
, Department responded to a call
but found no fire as a result of
the explosion. However, the
air-conditioner was demo
lished.
Extensive damage was
caused to the kitchen (fi Gracie
Tomlin, off Highway 114, last
Sunday near lunchtime, the fire
department said. The fire was
caused by food burning.
Firemen also responded to
a call of a vehicle afire on Com
merce Street on Sept. 24 but
found that a radiator hose had
burst and there was no fire.
ficial until after the FmHA
loan has been given final ap
proval and construction
started on the expansion to
Oak View Nursing Home next
spring.
Betty Wollstein, executive
director of the hospital, said
Dr. John Joseph Trimble 111
will be the new director of the
hospital's emergency room ser
vices, effective Oct. 10. The
emergency room is staffed 24
hours per day seven days a
week. The hospital has con
tracted with Spectrum
Emergency Care Inc., Tampa,
Fla., for the service. The seven
day service began on Sept. 1.
CHAMBER
Dr. Trimble will be
available to discuses the ser
vice to local service and civic
clubs, Mrs. Wollstein said. He
is expected to Sf)eak at the Oc
tober meeting of the Chattooga
Chamber of Commerce board
of directors meeting at 7:30
a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, she
indicated.
and let a contract in February,
expansion work should begin
well before the deadline, she
said. However, if additional
delays are encountered, the
Authority could be ““pushing it
tight” next spring, she said.
The SHPA must approve
expansions or additions for
nursing homes or hospitals in
Georgia. The hospital's cer
tificate of need expires this fall
but the Authority sought and
received an extension of the
deadline to next March. Powell
originallf' fought the expansion
groposa. seekin% instead to
ave a Rome developer's plans
for a private nursing home ap
proved by the state.
“WHO KNOWS?”
~ “I don’t know, I just don't
know. Who knows?’ Mrs.
Camp replied when asked if
Powell's Eetter also meant the
end of payments to the
hospital from the county for in
digent care costs. The hospital
absorbed $41,861 in indigent
care costs last fiscal year, it's
auditor said Monday night. It
received SIO,OOO from the
county toward those costs in
1986-87.
Use NEWS Classifieds!
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CLASS DISCUSSES ARTICLES IN NEWS
With Teacher Debbie Osborne
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EIGHTH GRADERS ENJOY PAPER DAY
Issues Donated By The Summerville News
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Ltk ot gWL 1 North Commerce Street . Summenville -
SAME FAMILY-SAME CONVENIENT LOCATION SINCE 1901
| Prices Good Through Wednésday, Oct. 7 I
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Attention Students: Cliffs Notes are here - over 70 titles in
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notebook :
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See us for the needs of incontinent patients.
The Summerville News, Thursday, October 1, 1987 . ...
36
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