Hospital
(Continued from page 1)
room coverage as he is
scheduled to do for the
month.
The Warren Record
was unable to reach Dr.
Trivedi for comment.
Dr. Coffman said that
the emergency room
controversy has been
talked about for years,
and that the basic
problem is that it is
"impossible" for three
people to cover the
emergency room full
time in a manner
demanded by the public.
Robertson admitted
that the doctors have
been "used and abused"
by citizens in the county,
and often called to the
hospital unnecessarily
on weekends and at
night. But he said the
board of trustees had
tried "everything con
ceivable" to resolve the
problem, without suc
cess.
"Thursday of last
week we met with the
commissioners to get
some idea as to the
possibility of funding to
provide the doctors with
some sort of relief, such
as one weekend a
month, and the doctors
indicated that type of
relief wouldn't be
enough," he said.
"They gave us an ulti
matum, and the board
felt it had to take the
situation in hand,"
Robertson commented.
Robertson estimated
that securing the ser
vices of an emergency
room physician through
a company that
provides physicians on a
rotating basis could cost
as much as $250,000. He
said that Mrs. Eva
Clayton, chairman of
the county board of
commissioners, gave
him no encouragement
on any new funding but
said that she would do
her best. Robertson
commented that the
county simply does not ®
have that kind of money
to keep the hospital in
operation.
"Morale at the
hospital is good, the
patient census is up, and
we are operating in the
black, which hasn't
always been the case,"
Robertson said. "This
has happened when
things were finally
going well."
Give New Look
To Old Fireplace
A discolored brick
fireplace can get a
renewed look and add to
the decorating scheme
in a room with a coat of
paint.
A fireplace's size can
be minimized by pain
ting it the predominant
color of the room or it
can be made to stand out
by choosing a con
trasting color, says Dr.
Linda McCutcheon, ex
tension house fur
nishings specialist at
North Carolina State
University.
Surface preparation
prior to painting is ex
tremely important, she
adds. Remove loose
ashes and soot and use a
wire brush to scrape
away dirt and loose par
ticles.
If a white, salt-like
material is present,
wipe with a diluted
acid solution. Remove
smoke film and grease
by applying detergent or
soap suds with a scrub
brush. Be sure the sur
face is completely dry
before painting.
If the brick has never
been painted, coat first
with a masonry primer
and let dry. Applying a
filler to rough edges will
create a smooth paint
ing surface. Then apply
a quality interior latex
paint for best results.