Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME ‘%6
Georgia Hospit
pifal
Assoc. 43rd Annual
.
Convenfion Set
~ Health care in the 70’s. The
Nixon way? The Kennedy way?
Or, another way?
“These are questions affect
ing all of us in the health care
field,’”’ said Thomas J, Owens,
Administrator, Wheeler County
Hospital. “How best to achieve
the ideal that ‘health care is an
inherent legal right of each
individual’ will be discussed
at the Georgia Hospital Associ
ation 43rd Annual Convention,
April 1-3, at the Sheraton-
Biltmore Hotel in Atlanta.’’
Speakers include Roger O,
Egeberg, M.D., Assistant
Secretary fer Health and Scie
ntific Affairs, Department of
Health, Education, and Welifare,
who will submit ‘“The Adminis
tration’s Health Proposals for
1971, and television artist E,
G, Marshall, in his role as a
member of the Committee for
National Health Insurance,
which supports health care pro
posals introduced by Sen. Ted
Kennedy and others, Marshall
will examine the similar goals
of the many “plans’’ and pro
pose ways of arriving at them.
Other speakers include
Thomas H, Ainsworth, Jr., M.
D., Associate Director of the
American Hospital Association,
speaking on AHA’® “AMERI
PLAN;” James W, Foristel,
Director of Congressional Re
lations, American Medical As
sociation, presenting the
“MEDI-CREDIT’’ plan; and
Ernest C, Shortliffe, M,D,, As
sistant Medical Director,
Health Insurance Plan of Great
er New York, speaking for
“‘comprehensive prepaid health
services,”
Mr. Owens noted that over
600 hospital trustees, adminis
trators, and staff personnel are
expected to attend.
i —
Bobby H. Wright
Awarded Bronze Star
Army Sergeant First Class
Bobby H, Wright, son of Mr.
and Mrs, Dalton Wright of
Alamo, recently received the
Bronze Star Medal at Ft, Camp
bell, Ky.
He was presented the Bronze
Star Medal for distinguishing
himself through meritorious
service in connection with mili
tary operations against hostile
forces in Vietnam. The Medal,
adopted in 1944, recognizes out
standing achievement.
Sgt, Wright earned the award
during his last assignment with
Advisory Team 21 near Pleiku,
Vietnam.
Presently assigned as a
Senior Instructor in race re
lations with Headquarters Com
pany, Committee Group, U. S.
Army Training Center and Ft.
Campbell, he entered the Army
in January, 1956. He also holds
the Combat Infantryman Badge
and two Awards of the Army
Commendation Medal.
The sergeant, whose wife,
Monika, is with him at the
Fort, is a 1956 graduate of
Wheeler County High School.
Capt. John Jackson
Serving In Belgium
Army Captain John P, Jack
son, sonof Mr. and Mrs, Wilkins
L. Jackson of Rt. 1, Helena,
recently was assigned to the
Audit and Inspection Branch,
Budget and Finance Division,
Supreme Headquarters Allied
Powers Europe, in Belgium,
as an Audit Officer,
He entered the Army in July,
1966, and was last stationed
in Vietnam, where he earned
the Bronze Star Medal.
A 1962 graduate of Dodge
County High School in Eastman,
the 26-year-old Captain re
ceived his 8.8.A, degree in
1966 from the University of
Georgia in Athens.
S e
George R. Haymons
Aboard USS Hoel
Navy Fireman George R.
Haymons, son of Mr. and Mrs.
George W. Haymons, Route 1,
Lumber City, is servingaboard
the guided missile destroyer
USS Hoel with the Seventh Fleet
in the South China Sea.
Wheeler County Eagle
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Grand Champion Duroc
Brent Coleman proudly displays his Grand Champion Duroc and the trophy and ribbons he
received for showing the hog in the Tri-County Market Hog Show. The animal sold for 61¢ a pound
in the sale following the show.
Tri County Swine
=
Judging Confest
Wheeler County took top
honors in both the individual
and team hog judging contest
in Soperton last week.
Thomas Mercer was the high
est indiviudal scorer over more
than 90 participants. Johnny
Peacock came off with second
place honor and Wade Fulford
placed fourth.
One of Wheeler’s two 4-H
judging teams, coachedby David
Williams, ranked first in team
judging. The team was com
posed of: Thomas Mercer, Wade
Fulford, Joey Thomas, David
Edge and Mitchell McGhee.
Montgomery County’s FFA
team placed 2nd and Treutlen’s
4-H team came in 3rd in the
contest.
Wheeler’s second 4-H team
was composed of: Johnny
Peacock, Brent Coleman, Carey
Nobles and Joey Clarke.
James H. Wooten
On Dean’s List
Dr. Joseph P, Vidosic, Dean
of Middle Georgia College, has
announced that one student from
Alamo made the Dean’s List
for the Winter Quarter.
To attain the Dean’s List, a
student must attain an average
of 3.2 or better.
The student, carrying a full
academic load (15 quarter
hours), who made the Dean’s
List is James H. Wooten.
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Miss Monfgomery Teen Ager Named
Pictured above from left to right, Kay Guin, Joni Browning
and Rhonda Williams.,
On Monday night, March 29, a Beauty Pageant was sponsored
by the Mt. Vernon order of the Eastern Star in the Brewton
Parker auditorium. Mrs, Vivian Joyce is Grand Matron.
There were nineteen contestants from age 14 to age 18, Local
Business Firms, sponsored each contestant. Jerry and Debra
MeDaniel furnished entertainment during intermission.
The top ten contestants were selected, Joni Browning, Kay
Guin, Debra Adams, Debi Hutchison, Belinda Taylor, Rhonda
Williams, Elain Vick, Beth Thompson, Gail Graham and Beverly
Adams.
The judges then selected the top five which included, Joni
Browning, Kay Guin, Rhonda Williams, Gail Graham and Beverly
Adams.,
The finals ended the pageant with second runner-up Kay Guin,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E, M. Guin of Glenwood, sponsored by
Brownings Store, First runner-up Rhonda Williams, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Billy Williams of Uvalda, formerly of Alamo,
sponsored by Georgia State Telephone Company. The winner, Miss
Joni Browning, daughter of Mr, and Mrs. W. R, Browning, Jr.
of Glenwood, was sponsored by J. P, Morrison Appliances.
ALAMO, WHEELER COUNTY, GEORGIA 30411 - BOX 385
Jimmy Fields Is
New Manager
e
Alamo Shirt Co.
Jimmy Fields has been pro
moted from the position as
Plant Superintendent in the Dub
lin Plant to the Manager of
Alamo Shirt Company. He as
sumed this responsibility on
Monday, March 29th.
He replaced Leon Monfort,
who resigned to accept other
employment.
Mr. Fields began his work *
experience with Oxfordapprox
imately five years ago., The
first three of those years was
spent in his home town at the
Alamo Plant., At the beginning
of 1969, Jimmy was transferred
to Dublin, where he functioned
as Plant Superintendent for two
years. During this two years,
he contributed greatly to the
Dublin operation; and at the
same time, gained valuable ex~
perience and knowledge for the
preparation for this new
responsibility.
He and his wife, Brenda,
will make their home inAlamo.
Notice To Public
The Miniature Golf Course
at Little Ocmulgee State Park
will be open on week ends,
Saturday and Sunday, beginning
Saturday, April 3.
The course will be openfrom
1:00 p.m, until 10:00 p.m,
More Men Added
To Drug Squad
0f State Patrol
Col. Ray Pope, state safety
director, speaking in his home
town, told the Waycross Rotary
Club that ‘““law enforcement in
Georgia will be no stronger
than the support given by the
public.’’ He called on all Geor
gians for their full cooperation
in this vital field.
Col, Pope, former Waycross
chief of police, outlined plans
for expanding law enforcement
effectiveness in the state, and
commended Gov. Jimmy Carter
and the Georgia General As
sembly for their support of
the program.
“Criminal justice must be
improved in every phase, and
it is my purpose to see that a
‘good’ Department of Public
Safety becomes a ‘better’ de
partment,’’ he said,
The recent legislature pro
vided for 15 additional men
for the state Drug Squad, and
federal funds provide for six
additional men, thus augment
ing the state patrol’s program
for assisting local enforcement
agencies throughout the state
in curbing illegal violations,
the director pointed out.
He also emphasized the ne
cessity for reducing traffic ac
cidents and resultant deaths
in Georgia, and particularly
stressed the patrol’s plans for
tightening control over drunk
driving, one of the major
causes for the 1,803 traffic
fatalities recorded in Georgia
during 1970.
“We will make full utilization
of federal funds for curbing
crime and promoting safety,”’
Col. Pope said, referring
specifically to drug control and
drug education.
“There are at least 100 re-~
quests already on file for aid
in this field,”’ he declared.
i
-
Governor Signs
s sife
1.224 Billion
Record Budget
When Gov. Jimmy Carter re=
cently signed intolaw the $1.224
billion state budget for fiscal
1972, he established another
“Georgia first.) It was the
largest appropriations bill ever
approved by a Georgia
governor,
The new budget, which be
comes effective July 1, is an
increase of $36-million over
the current year’s $1.19-billion
budget, whichalsowas arecord.
At the same time, Gov, Carter
signed a supplemental approp
riations bill which helps wind
up spending inthe currentfiscal
,year ending June 30, While
the supplemental budget totals
$12.6-million, it only in
creased the present budget by
approximately $2-million, ac=
cording fiscal calculation.
FRIDAY, APRIL 2,,1971
Whegler County Bullds i Hospita
find Now Expansion Is Underwa
Has your community ever
been without a doctor or a
hospital???
Alamo and Glenwood, in
Wheeler County have in the
past been without both a doctor
and a hospital. It hasn’t been
easy but now they have two
doctors and a hospital that is
in the process of expanding
for the third time in less than
ten years.
In the beginning it was an
on again -~ off again type situ
ation, a struggle to keep the
doors open and a physician
practicing in the communities.
In 1961, the community, with
out any state or federal money
built a small clinic to serve
the community in a limited
fashion and to provide the only
physician in the county with
facilities of some sort. The
clinic was expanded in 1964 to
a twelve bed hospital, with the
practicing physician doubling
in-brass as a hospitaladminis -
trator, During 1966, the doctor
decided to leave the community
and practice in another state
and when he moved, the hos
pital closed.
For two years, the doors of
the hospital remained closed
and the community was without
any medical resources, 1n1968,
though, Dr. L. C. Mcßae, a
native of Wheeler County de
cided to come home to Glenwood
and Alamo., This time, the
Wheeler County Hospital Au
thority approached the problem
in a different manner.
The Authority hired a full
time hospital Administrator and
Technician, Under his leader
ship, the hospital has become
fully certified under the Medi-
Care and Medic-Aid Programs
in addition to being fully
licensed by the State Board of
Health,
Administrator Tommy Owens
has proved his worth, He has
stretched investment dollars
and increased efficiency. To
day, his is the only hospital
in the area with a two-bed
coronary care unit, ( a heart
Minimun Nafional
Average Support
Level For Peanuts
A minimum national average
support level of $267 per ton
for 1971-crop peanuts was an
nounced by the U, S, Department
of Agriculture, The figure
represents 75 percent of the
peanut parity price for Feb
ruary 1971, The support level
for 1970-crop peanuts was $255
per ton,
Today’s announcement is in
accordance with “Forward
Pricing’’ provisions of Govern
ing legislation providing for
such determination in advance
‘of the planting season, The
Agricultural Act of 1949 pro
vides for peanut price support
at a level between 75 and 90
percent of parity depending on
the percentage which the total
supply of peanuts is in relation
to the normal supply at the
beginning of the marketing year.
This national average support
price will not be decreased,
but may be adjusted upward
at the beginning of the market
ing year August 1, if at that
time a combination of the parity
price and the supply percentage
results in a higher level mini
mum Support price,
A later announcement will
list the support level of 1971~
crop peanuts by type and area,
as well as premiums and dis
counts for various types of
kernels, foreign material and
other factors.
Support will be available
through loans and purchases.
Loans to approved grower as
sociations cooperating in mak
ing supportavailable tofarmers
will mature on demand by the
Commodity Credit Corporation.
A producer must comply with
his 1971-crop peanut acreage
allotment to be eligible for
price support.
moniter) that can transmit car
diograms to medical centers
in Augusta or Savannah, The
clinic bristles with surgical
and X-ray equipment. Twenty
five employees represent more
than a $130,000.00 payroll in
the community, which is com
parable to a good-sized indus=-
try. Collections have almost
doubled. Before, when the hos
pital was operating without an
Administrator, collections
averaged about 50 per cent,
today they average 90 per cent.
Future plans for the hos
pital include expansion to 35
beds and expanded dietary,
laboratory and x-ray facilities,
The key though, to having a
good hospital is having good
doctors, that believe in their
communities and like to see
it prosper.
.
Carter Qutlines
Lero Budget To
"
Ga. Dept. Chiefs
State department heads now
know what Gov. Jimmy Carter
means by ‘‘zero budget,”’ a
term he first used back in
January in his budget message
to the General Assembly. They
learned it firsthand from the
governor when he recently
called them together in a meet
ing.
Gov, Carter’s idea is tomake
every state department and
agency start from scratch and
justify every penny it is now
spending, as well as new spend
ing proposals in budget requests
for nextyear, Saidthe governor:
“No longer can we take for
granted the existingbase budget
and simply be responsible for
reviewing proposed increases
to continue these programs and
add new ones. My immediate
.objective will be to adopt a
‘zero hase’ budget for all agen
cies and areas of state govern~
ment,
‘I will insist that the entire
range of state services be re~
examined and will cut back or
eliminate established pro
grams, as well as new ones
if they are judged to be in
effective or of low priority.”’
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Tomimy Mercer Toakes Top Score
Thomas Mercer, top scorer in the Tri-County Hog Judging
Contest is congratulated by Eddie Young, show Chairman,
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First Place Judging Team
David Williams, Wheeler County Agent, left, with his judging '
team who placed first in the Tri-County Hog Judging Contest.
Left to right - Williams, Wade Fulford, Joey Thomas, Thomas
Mercer and Eddie Young, show Chairman.
SINGLE COPY &¢
Dr. L. C, Mcßae is one of a
group that is very fast becom
ing a minority; a professional
man that lives and works ina
rural Georgia county because
he wants too, He gave up a
practice in a town of approx
imately 14,000 people to come
to Wheeler County to practice
medicine.
Dr. Mcßae is very sincere
in what he says and does. “The
image to practice rural medi
cine has lost it’s glow for the
nasses of medical students’’
says Dr. Mcßae. *‘And one
of the places it starts is in
the medical colleges, because
they frown on the idea of Gen
eral Practitioners. Therefore,
we find 80-85 percent of the
medical students specializing,
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Pretty Terri Crawley is
ready for a splash into the
Gulf of Mexico surf at ¥Fort
Walton Beach, Southeastern
resort center on Northwest
Florida’s Miracle Strip. But
she was willing to delay her
swim long enough to give a
smile for the photographer.
NUMBER 52
AR
" It’s almost gotten to the point
where a general practitioner
. of medicine is a speciality with
in itself,”’
‘Quite frankly,”” Dr. Mcßae
continued, ‘‘l don’t thinklwould
like to practice medicine any
where but in a place similar
to Wheeler County. Too many
professional people are of the
opinion that the ‘‘good life”’
does not exist in the rural
areas, however this is com
pletely untrue. What they don’t
realize is that I am only a
matter of minutes away from
the metropolitan areas or the
recreation areas of this state.
For instance I am only two
minutes away fromthe hospital.
In addition I am definitely a
part of this community, When
I was in the city practicing,
I was just another number.
The personal relationship of
doctor-patient did not exist in
the large cities. Actually, being
a part of this community and
the opportunity toassociate with
my patients beyond the office
is one of the greatest satis
factions of community medi
cine.”’
As to the income of doctors
in rural communities, Dr, Mc~
Rae had this to say: ‘“You find
that you can make a better
income in rural areas because
of the way the apple is divided,
however it takes a great deal
longer to build a practice in
the country, at leastfive years,
And that is also one of the main
reasons it is so difficult for
the rural communities toattract
and hold good professional
_people.”’
“Put yourself in the place
of a graduating medical student.
You have been in school and
interning for a period of about
ten years. In the process, a
family has probably been
acquired andan investment pro
gram has been started. You
are probably in debt from the
expensive years of schooling.
The obligations make it manda
tory that a return on the in
vestment begin toflow as quick -
ly as possible. The rural areas
do not offer this quick return
but by becoming associated with
an already established practice
in the city, these financial obli~
gations can be met, When the
young doctors begin to get on
their feet financially, they are
already in the social life of
the city, their kids are in school
and its just hard for them to
,pick up and start all over
I again,”’
Dr. Mcßae is very concerned
about the future of rural medi
cine and feels that perhaps
those communities that lack
"hospitals and medical people
“should make it easier to
1 attract young peovle, maybe by
guaranteeing them a level in
,come for a period of years
:until their practices become
' established. Another approach,
‘he continued, ‘“‘would be for
those communities to sponsor
medical students in conjunction
with the already existing state
programs, which are too re
laxed. It’s very easy for a
‘medical student to wiggle out
of the state obligation by paying
back the loan which was too
small in the beginning.’’ A com
bination community program
with strings attached, and a
rigid state program and a good
i selling job about the ‘plus’ side
‘of living in the country could
possibly turn the tide of a
lack of medical people.
Dr. Mcßae is not the only
.person in Wheeler County that
is happy he is practicing medi
cine in the community. The
‘members of the Wheeler County
Hospital Authority, composed
. of Lonnie Chambers, J, P, Mor
‘rison, Mrs. Wallace Ryals,
Mrs. Agnes Manley and Mrs,
‘Francis Griffin feel that now
they can go ahead with their
plans to completing the medical
facilities for the area, When the
expansion that is now underway
is completed the capacity of
the hospital will be expanded
from 12 to 27 beds. .