CMMC Votes to Revamp Orientation Program

              Civil Service Rules
CMMC Votes to Revamp
Orientation Program
By Margaret Martin
Times Medical Writer
Confederate Memorial Medi-cal
Center directors voted last
night to r e v a m p the civil
service orientation program for
new employes.
Personnel Committee Chair-man
Ralph Hall said many of
the employes don't know their
rights because they don't know
the rules and regulations.
"They have not been told
about the civil service rules.
That would alleviate a lot of the
problems," he said.
Defending Confederate's pre-sent
program, assistant admin-istrator
Robert Hall said there
is an orientation session for new
employes.
He admitted, though that "it
wouldn't hurt to upgrade i t . . .
might be helpful to the person-nel
committee."
Robert Hall suggested that the
c o m m i t t e e talk to present
Confederate e m p l o y e s . "We
might be able to give you some
insight into solutions to some of
the problems . . .," he said.
Board member Hall said he
had found a lack of confidence
among employes and a lack of
c o n c e r n among supervisory
staff.
He also suggested that a
grievance ocmmittee be set up
in each department so any
employe could take his com-plaints
to that committee before
bringing them to the board's
personnel panel.
Robert Hall and Board Chair-man
Harold K. Quinn agreed-with
him. pointing out that a lot
of unnecessary misunderstan-dings
could be cleared up that
way.
Ralph Hall said some floors
were understaffed and those in
authority assigned extra duties
to those with a lower grade.
"This leads to unnecessary
problems;?? Hall added.
To Close Pines
Quinn also announced that the
Division of Administration has
asked that The Pines Sanatori-um
be closed Oct.l, and the
board chairman said the orders
will be followed.
With the Exception of a few
maintenance personnel, all ac-tivjty
will cease at the facility,
Quinn said.
And the Caddo-Shreveport
Health Unit will undertake res-ponsibility
f or t r e a t m e n t of
eight or nine outpatients a week
with Dr. Walter McCook in
eharge of their care, Quinn said.
Quinn referred to Dr. W. J.
Hill Jr.'s Building and Grounds
Committee the responsibility of
finding a room in Confederate
for McCook to examine the
outpatients.
"Dr. Pattie Van Hook (dire-ctor
of the Health Unit) doesn't
have room? asked Hill.
"She says she doesn't," answ-
I ered Quinn,
"How long has she known this
was her responsibility' queried
Hill.
"Since the first of July,"
answered Assistant Adminisira-tor
Robert Hall.
'That's all of August, Septem-ber
to the first of October,"
mused Hill.
"Your committee has three
days to find a room,' said
Quinn.
Pay Voted
The board also voted to pay
McCook $2,550 in back wages
which he has not been paid
since July 1 when The Pines
was shut down.
He will be paid through Oct. 1
only when the Health Unit will
take over the care of the
o u t p a t i e n t s , but he will be
allowed to continue to live in a
House on The Pines property.
In other action last night, the
board voted to cooperate with
John H. Wilson, director of the
Neighborhood Youth Corps
(NYC), in setting up a NYC
program at Confederate.
The program will employ
young people who are out of
school, and the NYC program,
under the U.S. Department of
Labor, will pay the full salaries.
Wilson said there would
probably be only eight or nine
students interested in medical
fields who would be recom-mended
for the jobs.
Doctors named to the visiting
staff were Dr. James R. Robin-son,
Department of Otolaryngo-logy;
Dr. Joel F. Johnson,
department of General Surgery,
and Dr. James P. Williams,
Department of Orthopedic Sur-gery.