No Funds Available, CMMC Board Told

              Shreveport Jou
SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, LA., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1972
May Force 'Phasing'—
No Funds Available,
CMMC Board Told
By MERRILEE LEATHERMAN
Journal Staff Writer
"There just aren't any funds
available."
That now familiar state-ment
out of Baton Rouge was
heard once again Tuesday
evening as Director Dr. Edgar
Galloway and Robert Hall,
assistant director, told
Confederate Memorial Medi-cal
Center board members
about their recent appearance
before the legislative budget
committee in Baton Rouge.
"They were very nice about
it," said Dr. Galloway, "but
said budgets for state agen-cies
are being prepared on a
stand-still basis since there
simply is no money available
for them to promise."
DR. GALLOWAY reminded
the board that Confederate
has asked for $2 1/2 to $3
million more than requested
last year. Eighty per cent of
the additional funds are to
staff the planned intensive
care units and the new
out-patient clinic.
"If we don't get the mo-ney,"
said the director," we
may wind up with new facili-ties
and no money for people.
I asked Baton Rouge what
Confederate was going to do
about this. They said we
might have to consider phas-ing
in parts of the operation
as we can, instead of opening
them all at one time."
Another possible result in
Confederate doesn't receive
the extra monies may be to
cut the number of nursing
students.
DR. CHARLES L. BLACK,
nursing service and education
committee, said the nursing
school is going to have to
have 12 more teachers to take
care of an enrollment of 125
students. He added, "If we
can't afford teachers, we'll
have to cut down on the
number of students." Students
can get all types of loans to go
to nursing schools, said Dr.
Black, "the problem is getting
teachers."
Some 78 students presently
are enrolled at Northwestern
School of Nursing; however,
586 students have requested
information for the coming
year when the school will
start its 24-month program.
"Interest in he straight 24-
month program is extremely
high," commented Dr. Black.
OF. THE 78 students now
enrolled, said Dr. Black, mid-term
grades from LSU-Shrewsport
indicate that 13
students will be dropped. NSU
nursing students take their
first year basic courses at
LSU.Shreveport.
Dr. Edgar Hull, dean, LSU
School of Medicine in Shreve-port,
said they, too, anticipate
budget trouble. He asked Hall
when Confederate would be
getting the requested equip-ment
for inhalation and pul-monary
therapy. Hall said the
hospital does not have the
money as yet for the units
since' plans for the medical
and surgical intensive care
units and cobalt therapy pro-jects
are being finalized. He
added that once bids are
issued for the projects, we
will know what we need and
will be able to allocate monies
for equipment."
AN UNEXPECTED addi-tional
expenditure for the new
outpatient clinic also was
disclosed Tuesday night. Gen.
J. Spender Hardy, chairman,
Building and Grounds com-mittee,
said $3,710 is needed
for a change order to connect
the outpatient clinic building
to the city sanitary sewer.
Architectural plans called
for the sewer connection at
one point, said Gen. Hardy,
but during construction it was
found that the sewer will have
to be connected further down
Linwood because of a differ-ence
in ground levels at the
previously selected point.
Hall told the board, who
okayed the funds, the monies
would have to come out of the
ineligible patient receipts. He
commented, 'We don't have
much choice but to okay the
money, but we may have to
hold up on some equipment
for the building due to lack of
funds."
HALL. ALSO told board
members that Confederate'
probably will show a $125,000
deficit at the close of the
fiscal year on July 1. He said
that Medicare and Medicaid
collections have been good
and since the h o s p i t a 1 is
allowed to carry any medi-care
or medicaid excess over
into the next year, these
collections will help the deti-cit.
Gen. Hardy, reporting on
the planned medical and sur-gical
intensive care units and
cobalt therapy projects, said
drawings for the intensive
care units are about ninety
per cent complete. However,
the cobalt therapy plans have
been held up due to a wait for
information on shielding re-quirements.
After the plans are finalized
and reviewed by several agen-cies,
Gen. Hardy said all
three contracts will be let
simultaneously. He a d d ed
there will be an option to drop
one or more of the projects in
case money do e s n 't come
through.
DR. GALLOWAY said a
committee from the Joint
Commission of Hospitals had
s u r v e y e d the hospital in-
March, but will not make
their report known for about
60 days. Dr. Galloway, howev-er,
said the c o m m i s s i o n
seemed favorable and com-mented
that "the employes all
seemed to be happy and
contented with their jobs."
The director also announced
that Miss Neddie O'Moore
Roberts, formerly with the
State Department of Public
Welfare in Baton Rouge, has
been named to head the social
services department. She re-places
Mrs. Dorothy S. Heller
who retired this month. In
noting Mrs. Heller's retire-ment,
board chairman T. B.
Lanford suggested a letter
from the board be sent Mrs.
Heller expressing their grati-tude
for her years of service
and loyalty to the hospital.