Opinion Page
THE BRUNSWKK&BEACON
Kiiwini IV!. Sweat! and Carolyn H. Sweatt .Publishers
Kdwnrd M. Sweatt - .Editor
Susan Usher News Editor
Terry Pope Staff Writer
Johnny Craig Sports Editor
Mary Potts. Office Manager
Cheryl Stanley & Cindy Morris. .Advertising Representatives
Tntiimie tiallawfly . Tvneaetter
Steve Anderson .Pressman
Clyde and Wattle Stout. Jim Daiiou Cirvulaiiun
Page 4 Thursday, January 3,1985
It's Your Health Care
They're Talking About
State health planners say Brunswick County needs an additional
100 beds for skilled and intermediate care. As several
companies compete for the right to provide those beds, it is the
residents of Brunswick County whose voice should hold the
greatest sway.
That opportunity will come Jan. 16 during a pubiic hearing
held at Bolivia Elementary School by the project review cornmiHnn
t\f PfirHinol IlooHh Qt/ctnmc A aanoy Tnr? o nnn-nrnfit
agency that plans health care for 15 southeastern North
Carolina counties. On the CHSA agenda are proposals from
several companies wishing to fulfill Brunswick County's allotment
of 100 nursing home beds that was recently established
by the state. The committee will make its recommendation to
Cardinal s iuu ooard; the beard can accept it or present a
recommendation of its own to the state's division of facility
services, which makes the final decision. In at least two recent
instances, comparable planning boards have reversed committee
recommendations, citing community support as their
rPH?rtn.
Recommendations are based on three general criteria:
community need, cost containment features and availability
of resources needed to carry out the project. Factors to be considered
include how accessible the project is to the public
(especially groups such as the poor and minorities) in terms of
both cost and location; the degree of community support for
the project; and the degree to which the project either complements
or unneccessarily duplicates existing services.
From the list of companies appear two key front-runners,
both with proven track records in the health-care field -Britiliu
veil uiv;., <1 N'ui til Gat t;uini in an tiuiL i'lcuin Lu uuiiu a iSC-lnivi
facility just outside Shallotte, and Beverly Enterprises Corp.
of Maryland, which plans to bull:! a 100-bed faculty adjacent to
the Brunswick Hospital.
Comparisons and contrasts between the two companies
could he tout residuals should weigh each proposal in
their minds and decide which company can best meet their
family's needs. A recent survey of the two companies conducted
l?y the Brunswick County Health Department has pro
vim-el some needed information.
One of the most obvious questions raised is h h6i 6 thefacility
should be located. Population growth studies indicate
the nursing home should be built between Lockwood Folly and
PI . 11-14 - -. I -. , 4 -T- Jl ,.. -1-1 - - t CL_11_t4_ ?r
oiutuuuu, (i iwwjj t'.uciiUutfi; i villainy iitnu oilaiiuiiv iO iiuiuvu
Beach.
Other points residents should keep in mind are the companies'
admission policies, waiting lists, long range plans, nnd
building designs. A site next to a hospital or populated area
may both be ideal if the companies keep admission priorities
suited to the Brunswick County residents.
According to the companies' response to the health
department questionnaire, Beverly will assign accommodations
"on the basis of medical need and financial arrangements"
and provide data on the niunber of persons on its
waiting list.
Britthaven plans to assign accommodations to county
hospital patients first, followed by county residents living at
home, former residents wishing to return, nnd relatives of
county residents. They also plan to display their waiting list of
ail applicants for admission to appropriate health-cure related
agencies.
Beverly's nursing home would be part of a "life care
center" that also includes senior apartments or villas for
retirement living in a more secure environment. Britthaven
will offer respite care and has discussed adding retirement
apartments and an aduii day activity program in its iongrange
pian Britthaven would be located off N.C. 130 (Holdcn
Beach Road), close enough to be within easy reach for the
Shallotte Volunteer Rescue Squad
Beverly plans to sliare the hospital's sewer system, and says
proximity to the hospital will increase physicians' visits and
will make it more cost-effective to nrovide i-frtuin an<<iiinrv
- r-.,. ?- ,v "**" .?
Although it is an important decision, there may be no bad
choice in selecting a company to buiid within the county.
However. CHSA should give the residents what they want.
Citizen input is important After all it's your health care
they're talking about.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO
J THE BRUNSWO&BtACON j
i? use"'! cAaviinn ii?i?
m for A word Winning Ntwt Coverog#
ANNUAL iUtSCKIMtOM RATH IT MAIL lr (*,1
In IkvntwKk Coo??> S> 23 3 14 R
a in North Coioiino 7 32 5 JJ
" Ovt?'d? W??tK 10 00 9 00 V
C I mint wmi t?Nr, N iWt? MilM g
3 N<w? 2
g
R Of* ito?f |
| t'p
It's Time
It's time to reflect on 1984, a year of
learning and experience on a new job
in the real world. Being named staff
writer at The Brunswick Beacon provided
me with my first newspaper
job A desk calendar will help us look
back on the year that passed quicker
than expected, and was filled with exciting
things as pointed out in last
week's year-end edition.
However, the intent of this column
is to point out the non-exciting things,
?U~ n/.4SC ?A kj^AAlf
VIIV llUllgj CI I V[JV1 IVI IIUVCO IV lUlilOCU
on a small three-by-four inch desk
calendar that must be thrown away
now after plowing through its 365
pages. I realize some folks are
already starting to wonder, laugh, or
fall flilpfn
In looking back, I thought I'd find
more writing on the pages than I
discovered. It's like sorting through a ,
diary, or receipts in tracing one's |
nasi like Sherlock Holmes trvine to
trace down the mysterious murderer
through documented receipts. ,
I once knew someone who kept all
Hoiiday Wei
BV EDDIE SWEATT t
The temptation to comment on the f
warm weather so far this winter in >
the South Brunswick Islands has ^
been resisted for fear it might freeze d
before the newspaper is printed and
delivered. s
There is only one word to describe 0
in 'ii i mm iii iiirmniiii"
| ji ii|l"M Ml1 H i j j
"Mil! I;m! j: ii*
11 HI in i in *
%?.V M\ i11
^dKMHWMWlrnil
;v / in iii<!
rrtllF. ;in,w
it 11:! I T!l IIS
IIv " lf;;! ill I I
ii i i nil in ii 11mi!.. ;n n
* I DREAMEPI M
ONTO U S. 17. "
County
What do you do when you have
umpteen seats to (til that nobody
seems to want '.'
In some books Uiese Jobs are called
rnmmiinitv ccrvirr nr Hvir r???;nonsibtlities
In other books they're called
patronage?"rewards" (or
IKiiilicai support or party loyalty,
though in some instances it's hard to
sec how the se its quality ss rewards.
Tlie Jobs? Service on conunittees
ami boards by appointment o( the
Brunswick County Board <4 Commis
sioners The time required may be
anywhere from one to eight years;
service couid end in mid-term if new
commissioners ask for wholesale
resignations so as to allow appointment
of their own people."
County commissioners talked appointments
et a recent workshop
The four men and one woman sat
around a conference table with County
Manager Billy tarter. Assistant
County Manager John Harvey. Clerk
Kegina White and Attorney David
Clegs and plowed their way througn
the two-uich thick three-ri"-', hinder
appointment tx?ok The experience
was contusing, to say the least
Commissioners create some
boards and can change their makeup.
sue ai>i terms of oftiee. But. as
Carter advised them, "on a let of
them you won't have much leeway "
They may have appointing privileges
only, how restricted the privilege
depends upon I he hoard <or>ye
specify the appouitee's profession or
background (developer or health
car* provider, senior cituen or
poverty level, for instance) Some
boards have even numbers, some
odd In some instances, every commissioner
will get a chance to appoint
someone to a specific board
during his or her term, in some instances
he or she might never get the
chance unless they kick an eicsiim
To Flip Thro
V
J? : . -M*
4^3 Terry
of their checkbook balance stubs
because it provided a handy
reference as to wiiere iiiey wei e on a
certain day, or what month they last
visited the dentist. By plowing
through the dresser drawer full of
checkbook stubs, they were able to
keep stories in line about how they
yicitrH i j,s Vegas for their vacation
in 1977, where they spent the night,
where they ate lunch on the second
day of their vacation, or where they
purchased additional film. In case
nnynnn WHS
My calendar is probably as exciting.
It all began Tuesday Jan. 3,
when I reminded myself to get
ther This Y?
he weather during the Christmas
lolidays this year: fabulous! This
'ear's 75-plus temperatures were
iuite a contrast to last year's nine
legrees and fierce winds.
I-ast year I spent Christmas day
hivering while boarding up the front
f the Beacon office where one of the
IKIIHHI i i 111
' i:? jj WI ! V
-idfMffl
w* v /T^
,il imj^ifllll ^Jjliiiilijlf;
SBPL-^iy
MffOTlllli.,' Wu^\
rnmrnj i ir* ^
I ! U/'l K.i. il "I I I J\
if'!j- .!!i, "i 1 'ijUi
ll'.L. I 1 : '! . I I :l I'M
Ill I'Hllll | n ' ' I ! 11
1IIJI 1 I lliuiii
1 iMilillli!' 'ill
I! III!III! l!;i:l lMI|llll|i|l|IIM .tP
\G TRYING TO MA
f Appointrr
m
Susan
Usher
appointee off and plug in their own.
The previous rotation system was
set up to portion out the appointments
among sis commiss^one-is/six
townships: they want to adapt it to
five electoral districts. That may
take wine doing.
Frustration was evident at the
meeting, with one commissioner
voicing support for one-year appointments,
another for "at most, two
years". Yet another suggested all appointments
expire immediately
following each election That would
eliminate the touchiest appointments
of aii?those where Commissioner A
iw.??J MIK<AI\ iifjA'iiuni u? a p;i.M
commissioner lo step down in mldtrm
so that A can appoint someone
if his own liking
That's right' you can even lose a
volunteer job that someone earlier
had oegKca you io accept
At best membership on some
boards pays well; on others nothing
at all. not even good professional coopublic
policy that affects a family
business.
Scsne bring little if any public
recognition I or flack <. others bring a
great deal Seme boards function
smoothly, others w?th a great deal of
tension and internal disruption Some
of the jobs are challenging, same
frustrating or boring, a few ere all
three at one time or another. Some
boards are drfwet and need revsv
ugh 365 Mon
"fatalities, alcohol related comparisons
for 1983" along with the
State Highway Patrol's weekly accident
report Moving right along, I
found a reminder to get "9 a.m. pix at
NBHS Quiz Bowl," on Friday the
13th. There were no references as to
what to expect from the day itself,
even though I air. a bit superstitious.
Also in January, there are several
references to the school board's
meetings neid to discuss Servicemaster,
the Illinois company
t ffti" n mniniananoo onn_
UUJI uiuuuu :ui ct iiuniiibiiaiiwv ?.uutract
with the schools. A reminder of
a Tuesday morning meeting of the
"Erosion Control Committee" at
Holden Beach also hi ought back
memories of a promising iettv project
that was sunk by a Corps of
Engineers' study.
In March, thoughts turn to "school
solicitation policy? with Jump Rope
for Heart, check with Brooks." On
the 14th, a note was made on "Holden
Beach, 7 p.m.. Special Duplex Meet."
There is a reminder of "Medical
I J* | , f
tar is ueiigrm
plate glass windows was blown out.
This year I joined other residents and
visitors in shorts and shirtsleeves for
a long v alk on the strand.
One 01 '.he higlilights of the season
was watching our neighbor on Holden
Beach, Ben Tonking, decorate the
outside of his house and boat dock
' ' 1 n i lljjjj I III
II.' ?I I I! i: ,ll!l!ill I III I
!Ufi! ;l j
\x ''^1 jl I'
r^^i i ! l H i
l""' '
iiiu'uuiimiiiunniiMrn " (*?
KE A L?FT TURN
rents Go Be
ing, .such as the Columbus/Brunswick
Regional Housing
Authority and the Brunswick County
Human Relations Council.
Ask any former commissioner?the
biggest problem is finding.
people to serve, especially people
who are both interested and
qualified Most people wait to be asked
and even then say, "thanks, but no
thanks. I don't want any part of it."
Because of this, apparently, the
same names show up time and again
on the list of appointees.
racing the new crop of commissioners
then, is a challenge: To find
out people willing to serve the county
in a voluntary capacity.
Finding someone is even more
complicated than it sounds. Commissioners
are looking tor more than someone
who's qualified and willing to
serve Ideally the appointee will also
come trotn the csrrsiuesloser's home
electoral district?and will be of the
same political party registration.
Occassionaiiy will you see ' swapping
off" of one requirement or
another between commissioners so
as to spread the seats around fairly
and still get qualified people
I mean, look at the health board:
its membership must include a broad
rrpt rsetilaijuti of health professionals
such as doctor, nurse, pharmacist.
dentist and veterinarian, as
well as public and government
f?nr> bmfjtix-w; it fvwnrJirttjwj
when you start looking for a
Democrat from District 1 who hap
pens to be a nurse and is available to
attend meetings on the second Moo
day night cf each month, or better
yet, a Republican from District 4 who
happens to be a veterinarian and is
available that same night.
In the pas: its been suggested that
the county let the public know when
vacancies occur so that folks could
i
e Pages I
Lab Week" in April, along with the
school board candidates' forun. sponsored
by the League of Women
Voters. That event seemed to kick oft
the election year.
Wednesday, May 9, was "Teacher
Appreciation Day," but it kind of got
lost amid the primary elections held
May 8.
Suturday, June 3u wss ine qbi? oi
the Ku Klux Klan rally in Grissettcv.T:.
thst' And nv firct
interview with Gene Yarbrough. who
just one week before had been promoted
to fill Superintendent Ben
Brooks' job, was listed on July 26, at
the central office.
In August, there was a shark tournament
while Oct. 22 was supposed to
ue " KtckeiibdcXei lawsuit Vs.
schools" in court. It got cancelled.
In November there is an "open
house, 6-9" listed for The Beacon,
while "Christmas parade" is listed
for Dee. I.
But I don't think I'll hold on to my
calendar like a checkbook stub.
ui Contrast
with Christmas liohtr: It u/ne hie firet
Christmas here as a permanent resident
and he was so excited about being
able to decorate outside shirtless
and in Dennuda shorts. He was even
more excited about being able to tell
his former neighbors who were
shivering in Wooster, Ohio, about the
weather here at Christmas.
Who said it to rnlH nr enmity
tor tne Cm L?raaa spirit to flourish?
There was ample evidence
everywhere of the festive holiday
mood. For example. Dave (the
nliimknet Onoiinp on?l kie ?^*1*
P,u",wv' ' ' V"' u,,u "10 J4uvft,v-n.
Jody Simmons, stopped by the office
a day or so before Christmas to
report on a water leak they have been
trying for some time to stop at my
house.
Ordinarily they would have been so
busy fixing frozen water pipes this
time of year it would have been difficult
for them to get around to my
piddling little problem.
The two disagreed, with typical
holiday good will toward each nlher
about the cause of my leak. Dave is
convinced that the leak is a communist
plot and suggested 1 call the
John Birch society for advice.
Jody's explanation was a bit more
believable. He said he is sure my property
is zoned for a car wash since
the top floor keeps leaking on the car
below. I'm going to check this out
because a car -vash would surely be
more profitable and less work than
the newspaper business
Mv holiday mood was so warm and
carefree that I accepted their ex
#1 VI II ?
l/iauaituiu sjt UtC Ml UUlUil U3 Wl'H (13
their failure to put a stop to the leak.
1 haven't liad as much fun since
seven or eight years ago when it was
so warm I was bitten by mosquitoes
at a New Year's Eve party.
faaina I
apply if interested. Some counties go
so far as to advertise the seats, complete
with job descriptions, and then
screen resumes that are submitted.
While appointments remain
somewhat political in nature, appointees
are at least selected from a
more qualified batch of candidates.
The idea of a "talent bank" of people
interested in serving county
government hasn't met with too
much favor here, though several
members erf the new board of commissioners
say they think it might at
least provide a poo! of people from
which to pick and choose.
They hesitate, perhaps, because of
the awkwardness that might result if
the person most qualified for or most
interested ui an appointment didn't
happen to be from the appropriate
electoral district or the "correct"
political party
My personal feeling is "Who
cares'" I think the appointments
would balance out in the long run In
the meantime ti?e county might get a
better quality of board member?individuals
who will attend meeting'
regularly, do their homework and
make public policy decisions that
benefit the entire county, not just
soecii'T inriiwhtaW
groups or sections of the county.
It's sr. ides eSsusc Unsc may 'nave
arrived Cher the next four years
commissioners will be appointing
rrtfTTabrr* tn nniir%-^naWtnw bccrds
such as those serving Brunswick
Technical College, the health, social
services, resources development and
planning departments and the public
library, as well as to advisory panels
for services such as park" and
recreation, nursing home and
transportation
1 .ike the Marines, Brunswick County
is looking for a few good mm?and
women.