Public Parade
he classification of Chowan Hospi
ing home” is loaded with red ink and
has more than a tinge of political over
tones. But more critically, it is forcing
the hospital to abandon nearly 50 per
cent of its available beds.
While the greatest impact will be
' felt along the Public Parade, those
in the adjoining six counties who have
taken advantage of the facility will feel
the sting.
What is, however, almost criminal
is that in a time of skyrocketing hos
pital costs, the area is being punished
for an innovative concept of total
health care under a single umbrella.
While the administration of such a con
cept is touch-and-go and much more
difficult to operate in the black, sav
ings are realized by those who experi
ence lengthy periods of illness and re
cuperation. 1
Furthermore, to abandon the 55 ex
tended care facility beds would equal
the closing of a small industry in the
community. Forty-eight jobs are in
volved as is an annual payroll of
$163,251.
At the present time the community
can ill afford to lose the facility, the
jobs or the payroll.
Nevertheless, the community cannot
expect hospital trustees to continue to
operate a facility with a built-in loss of
more than $3,000 monthly.
Here’s the problem. From the best
figures available, the hospital’s average
per patient per day is about sl7 in the
extended care facility. The hospital
will render in the vicinity- of 17,200
patient days a year in the facility of
which 80 per cent will be rendered to
Medicaid patients.
If the reimbursement for Medicaid
patients remains at sl4 per day, the
hospital will lose approximately $37,000
anuually.
Chowan Hospital’s extended care fa
cility has been licensed as such—never
as a nursing home. Therefore, the er
rdneous classification “seriously im
pedes the progress of rendering the
full range of health care” at the hos
pital.
It also causes one to wonder just how
far state and federal agencies will go
to render useless a vital community
institution that is doing something these
agencies take credit for doing but are
not—perfecting economies on behalf of
those they serve. Any other observa
tion would be just as erroneous as the
“nursing home” classification.
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Help Stamp Out Cancer
Cancer as a cause of death has few
peers in America. The story is no dif
ferent among those who meander along
the Public Parade.
During the month of October, those
who are fortunate enough to have es
caped the disease, as well as those who
have been cured, have the opportunity
to contribute to the Cancer Crusade.
The $3,500 goal for Chowan County
is realistic. It is less than 35 cents per
capita. Yet, each year campaign lead
ers go right down to the wire in at
tempting to bank sufficient funds so
Chowan County can pay its fair share
of the Cancer Society budget.
Considerable progress has been made
toward development of cures for many
types of cancer as well as making the
public aware of the warning signals
which could save many lives. This has
been done thanks to volunteer contri
butions.
If you haven’t made your contribu
tion, it is not too late. But it is time
to get a successful Cancer Crusade be
hind us and move on to other worth
while projects and programs within the
community.
Putting. Spotlight On Edenton
The Town of Edenton has the op
portunity for a most significant mile
stone celebration in 1972—-a 250th anni
versary. Preliminary steps are now be
ing taken for such a celebration.
Mayor George Alma Byrum recently
named Alton G. Elmore to chair a blue
ribbon committee of community leaders
to plan for the event The first meet
ing was held Tuesday and the group
witnessed a presentation from a na-
Contfnuod on Pago 4
Area Halloween Activity Planned
the annual Halloween Carnival at
the Rocky Hock Community Center and
Chowan Academy, sponsored jointly by
the two groups, will be held on Friday,
October 29 sTd P. 1L
This year the Rocky Hock Community
share will be donated to the Unit C
of the Chowan Rescue Squad.
Soma of the features at the carnival
win be hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks,
home-made cakes, ides, cookies, candy,
along with other foods. Also there wul
be a spook house, fishing pond, fortune
teller, dart games, hay and pony rides,
■ss hen
questing that children over 12 years
Hospital May Close 55-Bed Facility
Chowan Hospital’s 55-bed extended
care facility will be forced to close De
cember 1 unless action is taken to in
crease the sl4 per day maximum reim
bursement for Medicaid patients. This
drastic action was taken on Wednesday
of last week by the executivi * mit-
THISaCHOWAN HERALD
JL JL W w LjLAJ&XjrhMmMMu*/
Volume XXXVH—No. 41 Eden * S howan County, North Carolina, Thursday, October 28, 1971
-
A Saturated Peanut Field—Extensive Crop Damage Reported
Crop Picture Is Bleak
By Patricia M. Arnold
“How it will turn out nobody knows”
. . . “It’s a tragedy” . . . “Worse thing
that could happen to a farmer” . . .
“Really bad” . . . “Everybody is going
to suffer” . . . “It will take a lot of.
prayers.”
These are just a few of the com
ments from farmers in Chowan County
when asked about the situation with
the peanut crop and all the damaging
rain.
According to most of the farmers
the peanut crop is already suffering
a 20 per cent loss with a loss of over
bfr per cent expected by some farmers*
if the rain continues.
J. Gilliam Wood estimates a loss of
25 to 30 per cent to date and has plans
to return to the fields later in the week
if the weather improves. He feels
farmers need dry, windy weather to
dry out the peanuts and ground.
Charlie, Jr., and Walter Small are
Picks Committees
E. N. (Pete) Manning, president of
Edenton Chamber of Commerce, this
week released the membership on 13
committees who will plan a positive
program for progress in the area dur
ing the coming chamber year.
Manning said he is extremely pleased
with the composition of the various
committees. “The committees are made
tip of people who have a sincere in
terest in Menton and Chowan County
s and lam sure they will make a valuable
contribution to a successful year,” he
stated.
Committees inlude:
Executive Committee
Manning. Jack Harris, vice president;
A. B. Harless, Jr., secretary; William
Easterling, treasurer; Carlton F. Jack
son, ex-officio; and Robert W. Moore,
executive vice president.
Finance Committee
Easterling, chairman; Manning, Har
ris, Moore and Bob Hutchinson.
Aviation Committee
Jackson, chairman, James Darnell,
J. P. Ricks, Jr., N. J. George and Easter
ling.
Industrial Committee
W. P. Jones, chairman; J. Gilliam
Wood, W. B. Gardner, George Alma
Continued on Page 4
He stated, however, if the older chil
dren want to trick or treat that it would
be most helpful if they were back home
by 8 P. M.
Chief Parrish is requesting the co
operation of every parent and the older
children.
Parrish also recommends that the
children trick or treat in their respec
tive neighborhoods and that parents or
a responsible person accompany young
er boys and girls making the rounds,
to assure a safer holiday.
Chief Parrish also stated that several
additional policemen will be on patrol.
The Edenton Boy Scouts will trick
or treat for UNICEF on Saturday night,
from 6 to 9 o’clock.
Money collected for UNICEF will go
to help children and their mothers in
slum areas, Pakistan, Indonesia, Pent,
and India.
tee.
Although licensed in accordance with
the standards of the N. C. Medical Care
Commission, the extended care facility
—composed of the old hospital and
nurses’ home—has been classified as a
“nursing home” and therefore state
worrying about away to pull the com
bines through the field since the trac
tors keep sinking in the mud. They
estimate that one third of their crop
is in and guess the loss will be as much
as 40 to 50 per cent if the rain con
tinues. They remarked that the vines
are dying and the peanuts are dropping
off the vines.
Pete Thompson, county extension
chairman, stated for every ton of pea
nuts lost the farmers would stand to
lose about S3OO. Some farmers are
reporting 600 to 700 pounds per acre
loss-now-with-more expected, -
Thomas Paul Griffin stated that on
the Griffin Farm 18 acres of peanuts
had not been picked but he had hopes
to be in the field by the weekend. He
stated it was a touch-and-go situation
with no answers as yet.
Bill Brabble reports he farms 50 acres
of peanuts and that half of his crop
Continued on Page 4
7 ft ft %
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Mayor George Alma Byrum
John Frailey
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Regional Office Opened— Formal opening of the Albemarle Regional Planning and Development
Commission was held last Thursday afternoon with ribbon cutting at the office on East Queen Street
and a banquet at Chowan Golf & Country Club. W. B. Gardner, chairman, is shown talking to a
group prior to the opening. Others shown are: Jack Habit, John Frailey, Ward Miller and Thomas
Francis. Wesley Cullipher, in wheelchair, executive director, and several others are shown in the
picture at left. ,-W^
and federal reimbursement is limited
to sl4 per day. This limit was voted
by the 1971 General Assembly and con
tained in a bill which prohibits addi
tional reimbursement should the county
be willing to assist.
Thomas H. Shepard, hospital board
Area Title Given
To Mrs. Smithson
Mrs. Margaret Smithson has been
named District Teacher of the Year.
She represented Edenton - Chowan
Schools.
Mrs. Smithson is a librarian at Cho
wan High School and also does work
with the College of the Albemarle.
She is one of 14 North Carolina teach
ers now eligible for recognition as State
Teacher of the Year.
State Superintendent of Public In
struction A. Craig Phillips announced
that on November 1 a committee of
educational organization representatives
will interview each of the candidates,
narrowing the field to two or three
finalists for state honors.
Supt. Bill Britt stated: “I am delight
ed that the judges of District 15 recog
nize the fact that Margaret Smithson is
and has been an outstanding teacher.”
G. Fred Steele, Jr.
Irvin Aldridge
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president, said 80 per cent of the pa
tients in the extended care facility
qualify for Medicaid. The actual cost
of operating the unit is sl7 per day
which means the hospital anticipates a
deficit of $37,000 annually.
Also, Thomas M. Surratt, hospital
administator, stated: “The loss of these
beds will destroy the effectiveness of
our complex as we have developed it.”
The administrator said the complex
has been developed to provide the maxi
mum amount of care a patient needs
and at a minimum cost.
After a new acute care unit, consist
ing of 61 beds, was occupied in Octo
ber, 1970, several thousands of dollars
have been spent converting the old
hospital into the extended care facility.
Additional work is presently underway.
In addition to the loss of nearly half
the number of beds available to pa
tients within a seven-county service
area, Surratt said 48 jobs would be
eliminated. The payroll for these jobs
amounts to $163,251.
Surratt pointed out that the classifi
cation by the Department of Social
Services and Board of Health, which
has been upheld by the Attorney Gen
eral, is particularly disheartening at a
time when Chowan Hospital has taken
the lead in a total health program for
such a wide area of Northeastern North
Carolina.
“We have taken careful steps not to
create a nursing home, but an extended
care facility to relieve acute patient
beds and reduce the cost of medical
care within the community,” he pointed
out. “We have in fact done just this.”
The administrator said while the hos
pital has never been licensed as a nurs
ing home by the State Board of Health,
this classification has been placed on
the facility. He added: “The hospital
is so licensed as to allow it to convert
beds in the extended care facility back
to acute care beds, but we don’t
need them for this purpose at the
present time.”
There are 14 hospitals, including the
one here, where extended care facili
ties are operated. Three others have
units under construction with the use
of Hill-Burton funds. Two hospitals
have closed their long term care units
and a third has cut way back.
Regional Office
A. U. S. Department of Commerce
official declared here last Thursday that
great strides had been made toward
total development of this area with the
opening of Albemarle Regional Planning
and Development Commission. Thomas
Francis of Washington said the federal
government and area have joined hands
in full partnership for development.
Francis, director of the Office of De
velopment Districts, spoke at a banquet
which was part of a day-long celebra
tion upon the formal opening of ARPDC
offices on F.ast Queen Street. Some 200
leaders from the 10-county Albemarle
Area attended the banquet which also
had other federal officials and state
leaders on the program.
Earlier in the evening, Jack Habit,
owner of the building, presented the
key to W. B. Gardner, commission chair
man. Francis and Ward Miller of Coas
tal Plains Regional Commission applied
the scissors to the traditional red rib
bon.
Setting the tone for the banquet at
Chowan Golf & Country Club was Mayor
George Alma Byrum. He stated: “We’re
conscious we have a lot to offer for
growth and development. We’re very
proud to be the home of the new offices
and we hope you continue to aid, advise
and work with us.”
Francis explained the “county uniting
approach” is a new concept which pro
vides for more local control and decis
ion making. “You are no longer told
what your problems are,” he stated.
“Now you can decide what your own
problems and priorities are.”
The speaker called regionalism in
Continued on Page 4