Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PACE 5A
BJC financial officer resigns
Jimmy Hooper to
serve on BJC board
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
A disagreement over its audit
has cost BJC Medical Center its
chief financial officer.
Administrator Jim Yarbor
ough said Bill Williams resigned
by e-mail last month.
That happened as Williams
and the auditor working on
year-end figures reportedly had
widely divergent views on a key
indicator of the medical center's
fiscal health.
“I cannot comment on that,”
said Yarborough, when asked of
the circumstances under which
Williams left. He denied that
Williams had been fired.
Williams and the auditor re
portedly disagreed strongly over
the amount of accounts receiv
able BJC was likely to collect.
That figure would have a large
impact on the picture of the
medical center's fiscal health for
the fiscal year that ended June
“We will greatly miss
Chris wonderful cover
age of Banks County High
School sports, as well as
county government and ed
ucation issues, said Angela
Gary, editor of The Banks
County News. However,
we are very excited for this
opportunity for Chris to be
editor of the companys new
publication.
Justin Poole, a gradu
ate of Banks County High
School and Piedmont Col
lege who lives in Bald
win, will now cover BCHS
sports. Sharon Hogan will
cover the Banks County
Board of Education, as well
as assisting Miss Gary in
covering county govern
ment. Mrs. Hogan will also
handle crime and court cov
erage for The Banks County
News.
30.
Yarborough would not elabo
rate on the spread between the
two viewpoints, but he said a
third party - a former chief fi
nancial officer - has been hired
to conduct a similar analysis.
In mid-June, Williams fore
cast that BJC would end its fis
cal year June 30 about $124,000
in the black. By the end of July,
he projected that it would end
last fiscal year $197,000 in the
red.
Yarborough this week did not
estimate what the year-end re
sults might be, but he conceded
that finances are not the best.
The facility lost $156,000 in
September, compared to show
ing a $16,823 profit for the same
month in 2007.
As it tries to find a partner
to help it build a new hospital,
BJC’s financial picture is in
creasingly important.
Mainstreet Newspapers
is a nationally renowned,
family-owned newspaper
company that publishes five
community newspapers in
Northeast Georgia. The
locally-owned firm also op
erates a family of commu
nity websites, including the
BarrowJournal.com, which
is focused on news in Bar-
row County.
Our Barrow County web
site has received a tremen
dous response and building
on that with a weekly print
edition is the logical next
step, said co-publishers,
Mike and Scott Buffington.
We are confident about the
future of community jour
nalism and very excited
about the start-up of the
Barrow Journal.
Despite all the doom-
and-gloom people hear
“There is no science to esti
mates on receivables and their
collectability,” Yarborough said.
He estimated that the facility has
$9-$10 million in receivables, of
which it would be lucky to col
lect 50 cents on the dollar.
The audit is expected to be
available by next month. Yar
borough said any adjustments
from Williams’ figures will be
noted.
BAD ECONOMICS
The weak economy isn't
helping, nor is the fact that the
hospital has still not replaced
general surgeon Keith Ash, who
resigned last spring.
Yarborough said admissions
for September were “almost
identical” to those of the same
month last year, “but a lot of the
stays were shorter.”
He estimated the average
daily census at the hospital to be
about 15 persons.
about the newspaper in
dustry, we believe there is
a strong demand for high
quality community news
papers. For many years,
we’ve been asked by read
ers and advertisers in Bar-
row County to publish a
local weekly newspaper in
the community; we are re
sponding to that demand
with the launching of The
Barrow Journal.
The Barrow Journals of
fice is located at 77 East
May Street, Winder.
Other newspapers pub
lished by Mainstreet News
papers are The Jackson
Herald, Jefferson; The
Bras el ton News, Braselton;
The Commerce News, Com
merce; and The Madison
County Journal, Daniels-
ville.
“But 90 percent of our surger
ies are treated on an outpatient
basis,” he pointed out.
The number of surgeries has
been reduced by about half
since Ash left, Yarborough ac
knowledged.
As for a replacement, the
CEO said the medical center has
received a number of resumes
and conducted some telephone
interviews but has not invited
any of the applicants for an in-
person interview.
“So far, we just haven't found
someone we felt like was a good
fit,” he said.
In a related move, the author
ity voted Monday to allow Yar
borough to “shop” around for a
$500,000 extension on its line
of credit, with the facility's Fi
nance Committee finalizing the
loan. That would bring BJC’s
credit line up to $250,000, Yar
borough said.
BOE budget
continued from
page 1A
Chapter of the Year; and Brett
Boling, Travis Cook, Angel
James and Corey Collins,
BCMS students, FFA achieve
ments.
The board met in closed ses
sion for one hour and 40 min
utes to hear two attendance
appeals and to discuss person
nel issues. When the meeting
was opened to the public, the
following personnel was ap
proved for the remainder of the
2008-09 school year: Ross Lee
Oliver, paraprofessional; Dana
Ann Mills, paraprofessional;
Jan Scriba, paraprofessional;
Kathy Jones, paraprofessional;
Joan W. Cochran, food assis
tant, 4.5 hours; and Linda Wil
helm, food assistant six hours.
No information was given
on how the attendance issues
were resolved.
The Banks-Jackson-Com-
merce Medical Center re-elect
ed Jimmy Hooper to represent
Banks County for another term.
That fills one Banks County
vacancy. Still to be filled is the
seat formerly held by David
Payne, also of Banks County.
Banks County nominates three
persons each time a term expires
or a vacancy occurs, and the
authority selects someone from
among those nominees or rejects
the slate and asks the county for
three more names.
But Banks County apparendy
nominated five people to fill the
two vacancies.
Alter the board re-elected
Hooper to succeed himself on
a unanimous vote, Chairman
Charles Blair said the author
ity would ask Banks County for
three nominees for the seat for
merly held by Payne.
The five nominees included
Hooper, Kenny Flint, Danny
Maxwell, Michael Williams and
Clyde McArthur.
In other business Monday af
ternoon, the authority:
•heard CEO Jim Yarborough
report that the Joint Commission
on Hospital Accreditation had
The Banks County Sher
iff's Office responded to the
following domestic-related
disputes during the past
week:
•domestic dispute at a
Pottery Factory Drive, Com
merce, location.
•domestic dispute at a
Homer Street, Maysville,
residence.
•domestic dispute at a
conducted a surprise visit, after
which it reaccredited the medi
cal center.
“The result was very favor
able,” said Yarborough, who
added that the report also includ
ed recommendations that the
medical center will implement.
Likewise, he said, the state con
ducted a separate survey of the
hospital’s lab, which he called
“very successful.”
•named Henry Slocum as its
corporate compliance officer
•learned that the facility will
hold its annual presentation of
service awards Wednesday Oct.
22, at the Commerce Civic Cen
ter.
•learned from Linda Overby
that the medical center received
the Georgia Hospital Associa
tion’s Worker’s Compensation
Safety Award and an “award
of excellence” related to safety
from the Georgia Department of
Labor.
•approved the granting of cre
dentials to six physicians, four
to the consulting staff and two
to the courtesy staff. The move
ratifies action taken by the Ex
ecutive Committee in lieu of the
September board meeting.
Leachman Road, Commerce,
residence.
•battery at a Queen Road,
Gillsville, residence.
•domestic dispute at a
Wildwood Trail, Lula, resi
dence.
•dispute at a Russ Rumsey
Road, Homer, residence.
•domestic dispute at an Al
exander Road, Commerce,
residence.
www.BanksNewsToday.com
N6W Publication continued from page 1A
Domestic disputes responded to
Zion Hill Baptist Church
Old Time Farm Day
Antique Tractor & Engine Show
with Tractor Pull
October 31 & November 1, 2008
Tractor Pull/Fun Run
5:00 pm Fri. / 2:30 pm Sat
Gates Open At 8:00 a.m.
Exhibitors lunch will be provided.
• Steam Engines • Tractors • Gas Engines
• Antique Cars • Shingle Mill Operation
• Vand Saw Mill Operation
• Daily Parade @ 1:00 p.m.
• Barrel Races • Primitive Camping
• Food Concessions • Slow Races
• Swap Meet • Exhibitors
Fall Festival
ADMISSION
Donation To Church
Building Fund
Welcome.
Zion Hill
Baptist Church
Ridge Road • Buford, GA 30519
Parts Vendors and Antique
Vendors Still Welcome!
For more information call:
David Howington 770-652-6707
Glenn Pirkle 404-867-5534
I-85S. to exit 20, turn right onto
Hamilton Mil Road. 4 miles to Ridge
Road, take a right. Go 1/2 mile to
church on your right.
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