Jt NCSU AGRICUL TURE DINNER ? Pic
ured above, (L to R) are Nurham O.
Varwick, state education official from
iMnpson County; John Sledge, president of
Ift N.C. Farm Bureau Federation; Senator
iarold W. Hardison (D), Lenoir; and Ms.
?is Britt, Duplin County extension service
li&irman. They are part of the nearly 500
ieysons who participated in the N.C. State
Juiversity agriculture-Legislative dinner at
ilcKimmon Center in Raleigh last week.
The affair was sponsored by the Production
. Credit Association and the Federal Land
Bank Association. Agricultural extension
agents, county extension chairman and local
extension service advisors from across the
state were present. Those making pre
sentations to the group included Lieutenant
Governor James Green; Dr. Bruce R.
Poulton, Chancellor, NCSU; and Dr. J. E.
Legates, dean of the NCSU school of
agriculture.
I Many Duplin Residents
Go To Other Hospitals
A large percentage of
uplin County residents ?
use who can pay full rates
?Jiave insurance ? go to
>9pitals outside the county
hen they need medical
ife, which has forced
uplin General Hospital to
:ek SI million in direct
lUncial assistance from the
>unty.
Statistics obtained trom
is state Medical Care Com
lission by Ann B. Houston,
rector of nursing, show
lat only 36.36 percent of
'uplin County residents who
ere hospitalized in 1981
?me to Duplin General in
enansville.
The 1981 statistics, the
lost recent available, show
,316 patients were dis
largcd from the hospital;
,369 Duplin residents were
ischarged from all North
arolina hospitals that year.
A higher percentage,
38.29, went to three nearby
hospitals ? 18.29 to New
Hanover Memorial in Wil
mington, 10.22 to Lenoir
Memorial in Kinston, and
9.78 to Wayne Memorial in
Goldsboro. Another 9 per
cent went to N.C. Memorial
in Chapel Hill. Duke Uni
versity in Durham, or Pitt
Memorial in Greenville.
Duplin General was left
with an unusually high per
centage of Medicare and
Medicaid patients. Federal
payments for their medical
treatments is limited to about
70 percent of hospital
billings. The percentage of
Medicaid and Medicare pa
tients has increased in the
last two years. Dr. C.L.
Quinn told fellow members
of the hospital's board of
directors.
In the first quarter of the
hospital's 1982-83 fiscal year
(October through Decem
ber), adult patients received
4,6% days of hospital care.
Patients under the Medicaid
and Medicare programs ac
counted for 3.193 of those
days, or 68 percent of the
total days of care provided all
patients.
During the first quarter of
the 1981-82 fiscal year, pa
tients covered by the federal
programs received 54
percent of the total number
of hospital care days. The
average stay of Medicare
patients during the first
quarter of the 1982-83 fiscal
year was 11.83 days, com
pared with 7 59 days for all
patients.
Currently, Quinn said, the
number of these patients is
normal for Duplin County's
population of about 40,000.
People covered by Medicaid,
Medicare and similar pro
grams account for 70 percent
of Duplin General's patients.
The hospital is in a fi
nancial squeeze because of
the flight to other hospitals of
Duplin residents who pay
their -fall- bills through pri
vate insurance. That problem
won't go away until the
Duplin hospital can attract
county residents, Quinn said.
[coliosis Screening Program
For Duplin County
School Children
If The North Carolina Crip
pled Children's program in
Conjunction with school and
health authorities have an
nounced plans for a screen
ing program designed to find
back abnormalities among
school children in the sixth,
seventh and eighth grades in
Duplin County
| Dr. Alice S. Scott, assis
tant superintendent, says the
?mple examination proce
jre which will be handled
by professionals will require
about 60 seconds. The health
and school officials are
urging local parents to grant
permission for the simple
tests. School children will
bring home special forms for
parents to sign giving their
approval.
The objective is to detect
^pinal irregularities which
"an more easily be corrected
in young children. Too often,
officials say, back curvatures
are not discovered until so
late that permanent damage
has been done and drastic
treatment is required.
Signs of scoliosis, the
medical term for spinal cur
vature. are found in ap
proximately five to ten
percent of the young people
examined. Continued follow
up or treatment is needed in
only about two percent of the
cases.
Spinal deformities often
develop during the years of
early adolescence when the
young person grows very
rapidly. Dr. Scott noted.
Mrs. Helen Ballard, di
rector of nurses for Duplin
County Health Department,
says that treatment, when
necessary, usually consists of
a back brace which helps to
correct the condition and
keeps it from progressing. A
brace does not interfere with
most activities, including
non-contact sports.
Dr. Scott indicates that
parents of students found to
have signs of scoliosis will be
notified and urged to take
their child to a physician for
further evaluation. The
examination requires only
that the child bend forward
and bend to the sides. The
examining personnel observe
the spine and note any
possible curvature of the
spine such as upper spine
curve, lower spine curve, rib
hump, uneven shoulders and
uneven hip.
Teachey
* Man Jailed
On Larceny
Charges
Jarvis Lee Melvin, 25. of
Teachey. was being held in
^)uplin County Jail in
^enansville last week under
$2,000 bond on charges of
breaking and entering and
larceny in connection with an
incident in Warsaw on Mon
day.
The victim told Warsaw
police he saw broken glass on
his front porch floor when he
returned home from a walk.
He said a man came up to
him. told him someone had
?broken into the house and
offered to come in to help
him. The victim said as they
entered the house, the man
grabbed his wallet from his
back pocket and fled.
Warsaw police arrested
the suspect late Monday and
have recovered the wallet.
Duplin General To Ask Commissioners For $1 Million
Duplin County General
Hospital will ask the county
for SI million to pay bills and
upgrade facilities, hospital
officials have told,the Board
of Commissioners.
The hospital's board of
directors in a special meet
ing last week on Tuesday
night, agreed to ask the
commissioners to fund its SI
ihillion list of needs, which
were outlined for the com
missioners last month by
hospital board member Dr.
C.L. Quinn.
The commissioners must
now decide how much of the
full amount they can afford to
spend in any single fiscal
year.
Hospital board finance
chairman H.M. Price pro
posed asking the county for
$200,000 in the next fiscal
year. The county fiscal year
begins July 1: the hospital's
fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The hospital's most recent
audit report showed operat
ing expenses for the 1082-83
fiscal year exceeded income
from patient care by
$209,749. Revenues from
other sources ? including
the county ? reduced the
deficit to SI 10,218.
At the request of the com
missioners, Quinn prepared
a summary of the hospital's
needs and possible ways of
meeting them. One of his
suggestions was to levy a
property tax to support the
hospital. The county board
can levy a tax of up to 8 cents
per $100 assessed valuation
for hospital support.
' The county has contri
buted money to the hospital
every year since the facility
was built during the 1950s.
The hospital owes
$704,830 on various ac
counts. Of that amount.
$200,750 has been outstand
ing for from 75 to 136 days.
Officials said all bills will
be paid, but some later than
others. Late payments will be
costlier because there won't
be discounts for prompt pay
ment.
Quinn estimated the cost
of immediate equipment and
physical plant needs at
slightly more than $500,000.
Another $500,000 is needed
to bring payments up to date,
he said.
The hospital's current
operating costs have exceed
ed income from patient pay
ments in most months of
recent years. That is because
of an unusually high per
centage of Medicaid and
Medicare patients for which
the hospital is paid about 70
percent of its billings, hos
pital administrator R.E.
Harrell said.
The difference has been
made up from county appro
priations and other outside
funds, Harrellsaid.
Last year's receipts from
Medicaid, Medicare and
mental health programs
totaled $404,518 less than
the hospital charges. !
Harrell said the average |
cost per day for a Medicare i
latient last fiscal year was
(263.51, of which patients
>aid $25.71 and Medicare
(168.52. That left $69.28 un
paid and' uncollectable. The
tverage daily cqst for a
Medicaid patient was
(195.63, of which Medicaid
?aid $165.63. leaving $60.06
jnpaid.
An increase in patient load
would help the hospital be
cause most of the new pa
tients would be paying their
full bills through private in
surance.
The amount of Medicare
and Medicaid patient care is
about normal for a county of
Duplin's size. Quinn said.
I
Kenansville Jaycees Ask
For Nominations For
Distinguished Service Awards
Kenansvillte citizens are
asked to support the 1983
Distinguished Service
Awards program by submit
ting nominations for the fol
lowing awards: Outstanding
Fire Fighter, Law Enforce
ment Officer, Farmer, Edu
cator, Senior Citizen, as well
as the Distinguished Service
Award.
The over-all D.S.A. is for
people who have done an
excellent job of bettering the
community.
Nominations should have
the name of the individual,
address, and as much in
formation about them as
possible. You should also list
why you feel they should be
considered for this award.
Send all nominations to the
Kenansville Jaycees, P.O.
Box 490, Kenansville, NC
28349, not later than April 6,
1983.
"We really need your in
put," say the Jaycees.
E.E. Smith Barbecue
The Kenansville
Elementary School and
P.T.O. will sponsor a bar
becue supper in the school
cafeteria April 15 from 4 until
8"p.m. The menu consists of
barbecue, potato salad, slaw,
hiishnunoies and tea or
coffee. The plates will be $3.
Desserts will also be avail
able for 50 cents.
You may eat in or take out.
Tickets will go on sale March
30. You may purchase your
tickets from any P.T.O.
member, school faculty
member or student.
Ope*1 I
I Archer House i
I 210 B. West Hill St. i
0 Warsaw 293-3390 %
a _BJLP-ft-B_B. BXP-B-8.8 8 ftJULB.B.B 8 J
Featuring Custom Made ?
1 PulTled Curtains, Bedspreads, ?
I Pillows, Wreaths & Crafts !
I We Have Lace And Fabrics In Stock ?
Z To Choose From ?
'?gJLajca.B.BXftJuuuLg-8 B B.eB..B.8.axftjLflajLac-BjLO-eB_a_a.B.a
March 24 Apr" 2
All Dresses 20% OtT
All Suits 20% Oft"
I
Koret, Joyce, Weathervane,
Hal Hardin, Melissa Lane,
Melissa Petite, &tuart Randolph
& Serbin
beb's Place
Warsaw
Piano Tuning 5nd Ropair
? Jimrtty C. Waal
Ragiatarad .
Piano Taehnklan
Box 502, Warsaw
Konanavllk - 286-0219
^CRYSTAL SALE
ALL DISCOUNTED CRYSTAL
?1/2 OFF "Sit"
BUY 3 STEMS AT Ya PRICE
^ mmk GET 1 STEM FREE
IN CRYSTAL PATTERNS OF
FOSTORIA and GORHAM
122 North Center Street Tel. 658-2664
^?X?v/#
j^%r
CROSS OVIR TO A
BETTER EDUCATION
1AMES SPRUNT TKCHNICAL COLLEGE
SPRING QUARTER REGISTRATION
MARCH 28th
Classes Begin March 29th
P.O. Bex 398r Kenansville, N.C. Phene 296-1341
GENERAL INFORMATION
James Sprunt Technical College offers comprehensive
educational services in 23 technical college courses.
The college transfer program is offered through
contractual agroement with the University of North
Carolina at Wilmington. And, JSTC is an Equal
Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
The JSTC Department of Continuing Education
offers a variety of Adult Basic Education and occupa
tional education and vocational courses for persons 18
years of age and older.
COLLIOI TRANSFER
PROGRAM
The College Transfer program enables students to i
complete an undergraduate degree at a number of
four-year colloges and universities after two years of
general college courses at JSTC^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
PROGRAM
LISTING
Accounting
Agricultural Technology
Associate Degree Nursing
Business Administration
Criminal Justice Technology
Executive Secretary
General Office Technology
Medical Office Assisting
Automotive Diesel Mechanics
Automotive Mechanics
Automotive Technician
Building Trades - Masonry
Building Trades - Carpentry
Cosmetology
Electronic Engineering Technician
Electrical Installation & Maint.
Welding
Commercial Art
Pre-Nursing '
I