Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

2A ♦ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2003 ( If I Houston Irlivnu (Lhr JJmtnial Reader INFO 1210 Washington St. P.O. Box 1910 Perry, GA 31069 2060 Watson Blvd. Warner Robins, GA 31093 (478) 987-1823 See us online at www.hhjnews.com Evans Newspapers Inc. Management Daniel F. Evans Editor & Publisher Bobbie Parker Assistant to the Publisher Julie B. Evans Vice President/Advertising Lula Batchelor Accounts Receivable Rex Gambill Managing Editor Cheri Adams Sales Manager Sharon Jackson Classified Ad Manager Caroline Little Legal Advertising Manager Beverly Ellis Production/Technoiogy Manager Billy Townsend Print Operations Manager Billy Lacey Circulation Director Staff Emily Johnstone Associate Editor Charlotte Perkins Lifestyle Editor Luci Joullian Heather Fasciocco Jon Suggs Joan Dorsett Staff Writers Stacey Shy Paginator Don Moncrief Sports Editor Josh Gordon Sports Writer Jim Hayes Bonnie Evridge Tiffany Falcon Display Advertising Sales Nicole Crofutt Advertising - Major Accounts Chrissy Calloway Classified Advertising Sales Angel Elledge Lee Smith John Davidson Graphic Artists Wayne Lenderman Press Foreman Michael Land Pressman James Pippin Malcolm Taylor Press Helpers Heather Rainey Pre-Press Jimmy Townsend Mailroom Manager Betty Goodroe Robert Buckner Circulation Questions Delivery Questions: If you have questions regarding delivery service, you may call The Home Journal offices at (478) 987-1823. How to place a Classified Reader Ad or Classified Display Ad: Call (478) 987-1823 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For infor mation on display classified advertising call Sharon Jackson at (478) 987-1823. You can fax an ad 24 hours a day to (478) 988- 9193. Display Advertising: For questions concerning retail advertising call Julie Evans at (478) 987-1823. Circulation: For questions concerning circula tion, call (478) 987-1823 ext. 229. Circulation director Billy J. Lacey can be reached at (478) 987-1823 ext. .240. Delivery by mail: Delivery by mail is available for $62 in-county and $75 elsewhere per year paid in advance. POSTMASTER: Send address changes To: P.O. Box 1910 Perry, GA 31069 The Houston Home Journal, A periodical, mailed (ISSN 1526-7393) at Perry, Ga.,is published Tuesday through Saturday For $62 per year by Evans Newspapers Inc., 1210 Washington St., Perry, GA 31069: (478) 987-1823 Fax (478) 988- 1181. Not published Thanksgiving and Christmas. Office Hours: The Home Journal offices in Perry and Warner Robins are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Whom do you call? News: Rex Gambill, 987-1823 Sports: Don Moncrief, 987-1823 Lifestyles: Charlotte Perkins, 987-1823 Newsroom: 987-1823 ext. 239 Newsroom Fax: (478) 988-1181 Errors and omissions: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable out of damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actual ly occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred. There shall be no liabili ty for non-insertion of any adver tisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. This newspaper is a member of The Georgia Press Association, The National Newspaper Association and The Associated Press Today's Weather Local 5-Day Forecast Wed 10/1 V l ' * - 77/50 Sunny skies. High 77F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Sunrise Sunset 7:28 AM 7:21 PM BlltV CURRINGTON t m - featuring "Walk A Little Straighter” . **' In a 1 Unto NUtnf it - J Georgia At A Glance \ y \ \ Atlanta w V \ 71/47 O X Augusta \ £J V 75/51 \ Warner Robins \ \ \ 77/50 J, V V V * Savannah —r 3^ } , Verry 77/59 I 78/49- _'~~ % & X Valdosta W I# rJ Area Cities ] n rrtvTrr*! Wi: ' '■ .4 Albany 78 57 mst sunny Athens 73 50 sunny Atlanta 71 47 mst sunny Augusta 75 51 sunny Bainbridge 81 58 mst sunny Brunswick 76 63 windy Cartersville 73 47 mst sunny Chattanooga,TN 72 49 pt sunny Columbus 77 54 mst sunny Cordele 79 53 mst sunny National Cities Atlanta 71 47 mst sunny Boston 64 48 mst sunny Chicago 58 38 pt sunny Dallas 82 60 pt sunny Denver 56 38 rain ©2003 American Profile Hometown Content Service Defining the core customer Whom to help? - Advocates search for the right answer By Jon Suggs HHJ Staff Writer WARNER ROBINS - If the state must make cuts to mental health and addictive disease services, who gets left out? A group of concerned indi viduals recently gathered to begin formulating an answer to the question, which faces the state Department of Human Resources as it works to meet the budget reductions mandated by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Dozens of attendees - advocates for consumers of the health system and rep resentatives of health care providers, including mem bers of the National Mental Health Association, the National Alliance for the Mentally 111 and the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network - gathered for the department’s “Defining the Adult Mental Health and Addictive Diseases Core Customer Meeting” last week at Middle Georgia Technical College. The assemblage spent the morning split into seven break-out small-group dis cussions, each charged with the task of finding a means to define the state’s “core customers” - to determine whom the state’s dwindling resources should be spent on. In the afternoon, the groups rejoined for a final brainstorming session. Among the issues dis cussed: • How to transition from the current system to one with a clear, consistent defi Fri 10/3 Thu 10/2 / ik:. 75/44 Sunshine. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 40s. Sunrise Sunset 7:29 AM 7:18 PM 78/48 Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the upper 40s. Sunrise Sunset 7:28 AM 7:20 PM Dalton 72 47 pt sunny Dillard 68 43 pt sunny Dublin 78 49 mst sunny Duluth 71 45 mst sunny Gainesville 70 48 mst sunny Helen 70 46 mst sunny Lagrange 75 47 mst sunny Macon 77 49 mst sunny Marietta 71 50 mst sunny Milledgeville 76 47 sunny Houston 81 60 sunny Los Angeles 77 62 mst sunny Miami 86 77 t-storm Minneapolis 48 29 pt sunny New York 66 53 mst sunny nition. • How this will affect peo ple in the system now. • How it will affect new people trying to get into the system. • While a defining policy is needed, there is reluc tance to legislate a standard that, once in place, might be difficult to change. • Any substance abuser who applies to the system should be eligible for, at minimum, screening and referral. • People who present themselves in crisis should be offered services to resolve the crisis. • How to develop a finan cial eligibility formula that is uniform across the state and has “real teeth in it.” • How to encourage those who can pay - through insurance or other resources - to pay. • Three keys for the defi nition: diagnosis, function ality and ability to pay. • How does the system ensure the core customers - whoever they may be - are being served? The session was coordi nated by Carroll Benson, director of revenue maxi mization and Medicaid sys tems design for the state Department of Human Resources. “We’re going to take what we have here today back to Atlanta with us and see if we can’t start building the cri teria,” Benson said. One or two more similar sessions will be scheduled before the matter is taken to the board for consideration. The goal is to have a firm definition in place before the next fiscal year begins in July. “There’s some real work ahead as we take the defini tion and start trying to implement it,” Benson said. LOCAL Sat 10/4 / , 73/49 A few clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s. Sunrise Sunset 7:30 AM 7:17 PM Moon Phases • I New First Sep 26 Oct 2 Full Last Oct 10 Oct 18 UV Index Wed 10/1 8 High Thu 10/2 8 High Fri 10/3 8 High Sat 10/4 8 High Sun 10/5 8 High The UV Index is measured on a 0-11 number scale, with a higher UV Index showing the need for greater skin pro tection, 0 s— 11 Sun 10/5 lte. 78/56 Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 50s. Sunrise Sunset 7:30 AM 7:16 PM Peachtree City 74 46 mst sunny Perry 78 49 mst sunny Rome 75 48 pt sunny Savannah 77 59 pt sunny St. Simons Island7s 65 windy Statesboro 77 54 mst sunny Thomasville 79 58 pt sunny Valdosta 78 60 windy Warner Robins 77 50 mst sunny Waycross 78 59 windy Phoenix 102 78 sunny San Francisco 69 56 pt sunny Seattle 75 51 ftt sunny St. Louis 66 45 rain Washington, DC 68 51 mst sunny Nursing applicants increase in response to shortage By The Associated Press MACON, - Applications to Macon State College’s nursing program are increasing in response to a shortage of nurses. Macon State is increasing its enrollment by 25 stu dents in response to the 48 percent increase in applica tions to the program since last year. AVOID BACK SURGERY WITH THE DRX SPINAL DECOMPRESSION Ji V Hr jjßr CALENDAR OF EVENTS (To send in your event for the Community Calendar, fax the details to 988-1181, e mail to hhj@evansnewspa pers.com or mail to Houston Home Journal, P.O. Box 1910, Perry, GA 31069.) Today • The Perry Public Library is hosting the “River of Words” exhibit through Oct. 4. “River of Words” is an international art and poetry program for youth in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book. The exhibit contains art and poetry contest entries from students all over Georgia on the theme of “watersheds.” • “Little Lambs Story Time” is at 10:30 a.m. each Wednesday at The Lamb’s WelL.Each week toddlers are invited to sing action songs and listen to stories read by Mrs. Allison and Mrs. Sue. Light snacks and a small prize are given at the end of the session. The Lamb’s Well is located at 115 Margie Drive, Warner Robins. Please call (478) 971-2677 for more information. Thursday, Oct. 2 • The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service will host a Wheat Production Meeting at 7:30 a.m. in the Houston County Ag Building in Perry. Chick-fil-A, doughnuts and coffee will be provided. RSVP by Tuesday, Sept. 30, to 987-2028. The meeting is sponsored by Houston Fertilizer & Grain Company. • The Housing Authorities of the City of Warner Robins and Houston County will be holding a voter registration drive from 9 a.rn. until noon at the Housing Authority office, 112 Memorial Terrace, Warner Robins. • Flint Energies will hold its 66th Annual Meeting at 10 a.m. in the Flint Energies Utility Building, 101 S. Macon Street, Reynolds. Members can take part in co op business, receive free gifts, hear entertainment by the Cleghorns of Kathleen, enjoy a free barbecue lunch and have chances to win prizes. 988-3500. • The Houston County Board of Health will meet at “It’s an exciting time for us,” said Pam O’Neal, who heads the nursing and health sciences program. “We can’t grow fast enough to meet the demand out there for nurses.” In the past, the college usually accepted 60 new nursing students each fall. The college will hire two new instructors to accom modate the growing inter THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL 11:30 a.m. in the conference room of the Houston County Health Department, 98 Cohen Walker Drive, Warner Robins. • Author Carlton A. Morrison will be at the Nola Brantley Memorial Library in Warner Robins from 2 to 3 p.m. to talk about his book, “Running the River: Poleboats, Steamboats, and Timber Rafts on the Altamaha, Ocmulgee, Oconee and Ohoopee.” Morrison will have his book available for autograph. • Volunteers are needed as The Rainbow House Children’s Resource Center restarts the First Steps pro gram at Houston Medical Center. First Steps offers emotional support and infor mation to new parents. The Rainbow House will host a celebration of the revival of the program from 4-7 p.m. at 108 Elmwood Drive, Warner Robins. For more informa tion or to register, call Kemberlie Sanderson at 923- 5923. Saturday, Oct. 4 • New Life of Perry is hosting a “Mega-Family Yard Sale” to benefit Perry Volunteer Outreach. The yard sale starts at 8 a.m. at 2089 U.S. 41 S., Perry. For more information, call (478) 922-9158. • The Houston County Republican Party will hold a breakfast at 8:30 a.m. the Piccadilly Restaurant on Watson Boulevard, Warner Robins. The guest speaker will be A 1 Bartell, candidate for U.S. Senate. No reserva tions are necessary, and the breakfast is open to the pub lic. For more information, call Judy Goddard at 971- 3254. • Fort Valley State University will sponsor Annual Parents’ Day activi ties. The theme for Parents’ Day 2003 is “FVSU: Bringing the Family Closer.” There will be an opportunity for participants to join the Parents’ Association and other activities include a musical tribute, comedy show and the FVSU vs. Alcorn State football game. For registration informa tion, please contact Dr. Cynthia Sellers at (478) 825- 6291. est in nursing. The class, part of the col lege’s two-year program to earn an associate’s degree in nursing, will begin in early 2004. “This shortage is project ed to last longer than any in recent history,” O’Neal said. “And I do not believe we’ll saturate the market, so our nursing program will continue to grow.” New medical breakthrough treats: • Herniated Discs • Degenerated Discs • Sciatica • Failed Back Surgery • Severe Low Back Pain Phone 922-4091 for a free consultation to learn if you qualify for the DRX9OOO -iS , CM James C. Smith, MA, DC Smith Spinal Care Center 1103 Russell Parkway Warner Robins 922-4091