The Hoke County News - Established 1928 VOLUME LXXIV NUMBER 26 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA - journal The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905 $8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1982 Survey Backs Facility McCain Hospital Fate Still Undecided No decision has been made by the State of North Carolina about the future of McCain Hospital, Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. told members of a Hoke County dele | gation Friday. Four county residents, along with state Senator Robert Byrd Jordan III and Senator - elect David Parnell, met Friday in Raleigh with the governor and Department of Human Resources Secretary Dr. Sarah T. Morrow about McCain. The local group presented the . results of a recent survey conducted 9 of North Carolina hospital adminis trators and doctors, which showed that the McCain facility should remain open. Following the suggestion of Dr. Morrow, state officials are con sidering closing the hospital and transfering all tuberculosis patients to community hospitals. County residents Tom Howell, Betsy Ann McNeill, Dr. Ramnik k Zota and Earl Fowler met with the * governor. AH serve on a joint Raeford, Hoke County and Cham ber of Commerce committee set up to study the McCain problem. Committee members presented the findings of the survey which showed overwhelmingly that there is a need for the McCain facility. Letters were mailed to 82 doctors and of the 59 that responded 56 thought that McCain should stay open, the survey showed. Of the 26 hospital administrators that responded to the 42 letters mailed out, 19 in favor of the hospital remaining open, five were negative and two had no opinion. Following the presentation, the governor agreed to consider the committee's recommendation that McCain be funded as a 75-bed tuberculosis facility and the balance of the beds be used for other state medical cases, Howell said. "We were pleased. Our presen tation was good and he listened." Howell said. The final decision on the future of the hospital will probably be made next spring when the state legislature reconvenes. For the last five years, the human resources department has been considering closing McCain, how ever, Dr. Morrow admitted during Friday's meeting that tuberculosis cases are on the rise in the state, Howell said. "Our main concerns are for the hard core tuberculosis patients, most of whom are on the very bottom of the economic strata, are resistant to drugs and are treat ment failures in community hos pitals," Howell said. Many of the patients at McCain are alcoholics or for some other reason cannot be trusted to take prescribed drugs, he added. It is the state's responsibility to care for these infectious patients. A two-thirds majority of a Spe cialty Hospital Task Force of 1978 which was mandated by the 1977 General Assembly recommended after an extensive study that the roll of McCain should be expanded. North Carolina is still ranked third in the nation in the indicence of tuberculosis, the committee report said, noting that the cost per patient day including doctors' ser vices was $1 65 during the last Fiscal year. The hospital is surveyed every two years by the American Hospital Associations Joint Commission ,on Accreditation of Hospitals and has never failed to be accredited as an acute care facility, the report says. Remains of the car Bobby Williams was reported driving Friday afternoon. [Staff photo by Pam Frederick. | Two Hurt In Truck-Car Collision Both drivers were injured when a car and a truck collided about 1:30 p.m. Friday on U.S. 401 about eight miles north of Raeford, the State Highway Patrol reported. Bobby B. Williams, 26. of Raeford, driving the car, and Michael Anthony McQueen, 21, of Wagram, driving the truck, were treated at Cape Fear Valley Hospi tal in Fayetteville, the investigating officer. Trooper Bill Bowden said. The officer said Williams was chargcd with driving left of center. He said Williams was driving a 1976 Chevrolet north when the car ran oft the lett side of the road, then went back on the pavement into the south-bound lane into the path of the 1975 International truck, and the vehicles collided head on. Bowden estimated the damages at about S8.000 to the truck and about $2,500 to the car. City Doing Part F or Pound Raeford has had a citV animal control operation independent of the Hoke County program but the city cooperates with the county in the operation of the dog pound and the control work. About a year ago. the city installed a water and sewer system at the pound, and in recent weeks new aluminum feeding troughs were installed for the pound's animals. City Manager Ron Mat thews said the city and county each paid half of the $300 bill. He said the troughs were ordered in August and showed the reporter a state ment listing the troughs and their costs. The troughs were ordered and installed a couple of months ago. before The News-Journal's report on conditions at the dog pound and before a letter stating the troughs were installed as a result of the newspaper's report were published. The city also repairs the un paved , road to the pound when repairs are ' needed, putting on a fresh coat of gravel, and scraping the road . smooth, filling in places washed out C by rains, Bill Sellars, city public works director and city manager, said. He also said that last year the city ran in a two-inch water line and installed a wash-down trough. The trough empties into the sewer system. The city also splits the cost of the maintenance materials evenly with the county, he added. Matthews agreed with County Health Department Director Lloyd Home's statement in the newspa per's October 7 report that the animals in the pound are being treated as humanely as the present conditions at the pound permit. He, like Home, said the essential problem is the need for improve ments to the facilities. The animals need protection from the cold, for one thing. The pound now has no shelters that can be heated. Part of the pound is roofed with metal, providing shelter from rain and sun. Among other needs. The News Journal's October 7 report indicat ed. are more room for the animals and is partitioning for pens, so the larger animals can be kept separate from the smaller, and sick animals from the healthy. Horne has asked the county and city for a total of S27.000 to build a new animal shelter. Matthews said the city has S7.000 in its 1982-83 budget to help pay for it. The county has been asked for the remainder for the current fiscal year but the county commissioners decided the money was needed elsewhere to help pay for roof work, costing an estimated S63.000, at two schools, consequently it was not included in the county budget that was adopted. County Manager James Martin has said, however, that it is possible that money from the coi^nty capital reserve fund could be used for the pound, but he said that is a decision that only the commis sioners can make. The city also had $5,000 for a new pound in its budgets for each of the previous two fiscal years. (Sec RAEFORD. page 2) McCain Hospital County Zoning May Take Year It could take 12 months before a countywide zoning plan is de veloped here, members of the Hoke County Commission said Monday night. Prior to any plan being imple mented, the North Carolina law requires that "several public hear ings be held," Commission Chair man John Balfour said. Balfour noted that all residents and members of the Hoke County Civic League, who appeared before the commission Monday during the regular meeting, would have ample opportunity to comment on zoning before its adoption. League members attended the meeting to go on record in op position to strict zoning regula tions. group spokesmen Robert Warren said. Zoning would infringe on the rights of others and place a burden on the poorer county residents. Warren said. All some residents can afford is a small home or a trailer. They do not want to be forced into a mobile home park. Warren said, adding that zoning would require them to build on larger lots than they can a ITord. "We didn't come here to accuse anyone, but people are upset about not being able to build on small lots without getting a variance. Some of them don't even know what a variance is." Warren said. ymmmmss** ''Wfr Inside Today This is an important citizen ol Raeford and Hoke County. A special section paying tribute to the county's textile in dustries is published inside to day's edition of The News Journal. The special section is publish ed in observance of National Textile Week. The zoning issue came up daring a meeting last month after a group from the Chance Subdivision asked the commission for assistance in controlling development in their area. County Manager James Martin was instructed to look into the issue, and commission members are expected to study ordinances from surrounding counties during the next few months. Warren said outside the meeting that he believed the commission was delaying taking a stand on the zoning issue until after the No vember 2 election. Monday's meeting was chosen because league members wanted to get the commissioners on record about the zoning issue before the election. Warren said. Only Balfour and Commissioner James A. Hunt are on the ballot for re-election. The