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Multiple issues need addressing at Grady Memorial Hospital
By Bill Loughrey
Special to GwinnettForum.com

ATLANTA, Ga., Sept. 18, 2007 -- Grady Memorial Hospital is a vital community asset used by residents throughout metropolitan Atlanta, a safety-net hospital for hundreds of thousands of uninsured Georgians that admits tens of thousands of patients a year. All this takes place on an annual budget of $700 million.

Among Grady's attributes: It is one of the nation's largest trauma centers and the only Atlanta-area Level One trauma center, offering a 20 percent higher chance of survival for severely injured patients. It's also one of the world's leading AIDS clinics, a regional burn unit, a world-class cancer center, and a leader in treating Sickle Cell disease.

The hospital has a checkered management history. In the late 1990s, a series of deficits placed Grady in a precarious financial position. Contracting abuses led to prison terms for several people, including a leading state legislator. The Grady board of directors responded by hiring a world-class CEO, Dr. Andy Agwunobi, who took the hospital from a $40 million deficit in 2003 to a surplus in 2005 and gained widespread community support of the hospital.

Since Dr. Agwunobi's departure - for a lucrative position in the public sector - Grady has regressed rapidly. Budget deficits run $50 million to $60 million a year. The hospital faces both a $120 million operations deficit and a $200 million capital shortfall and is hemorrhaging red ink at the rate of $1 million a week. The board recently hired CEO Otis Story, who is assembling a management team.

At least four separate sets of issues need to be addressed regarding Grady: hospital governance, county funding, the structure of state programs, and drawing down additional federal funds.

After Dr. Agwunobi left, a move to elect businessman Inman Allen as board chairman failed by one vote, leading directly to the current financial meltdown. The board has refused to build a new children's hospital with $30 million in privately donated funds, because it wants greater control over Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, which raised the money. Children's Healthcare currently manages the run-down Grady children's facility and is rated one of the nation's top child health care providers.

To improve Grady's management and long-term outlook, a Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce task force recommended changing the structure of the board and reconstitution as a non-profit hospital. The Chamber believes that such a change would improve the finances of the hospital. No one has tried yet to cost out this proposal.

Fulton County has four different health units - Grady, the county health department, the county mental health unit and the jail (which administers $14 million annually in health care). Fulton and DeKalb counties have more than two dozen overlapping and duplicative clinics scattered throughout the two counties. These clinics are not structured to maximize their level of federal financing.

Georgia isn't maximizing federal funding, which provides almost half of Grady's financing. The state leaves tens of millions of dollars on the table because of the structures of its managed care program. Unless the state sets up a separate indigent care trust fund account for private hospitals, Grady can't pull down additional federal dollars.

Metropolitan areas including Denver and Charlotte have indigent care hospitals that are financially sound. Grady can be financially viable and a truly great hospital, but there's no easy cure for this long-term ailment. This institution needs bold leadership committed to a steadfast vision.

Student leadership team has local, and national, impact
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

SEPT. 18, 2007 -- Had Nancy Ward and David Seago not sat next to one another at the opening session of 1992 Leadership Gwinnett, a program recognized as tops in the country might not have been born.

While sitting in that initial session, Nancy and David asked one another: "Why isn't there a leadership program for high school students?"

Three years later, in October 1995, and after a whole lot of planning, the Gwinnett Student Leadership Team was begun. To date, some 333 students, now three each year from each public high schools in Gwinnett, have gone through the year-long, once-a-month program to rave reviews from students. Presently 17 Gwinnett schools participate in the program.

In addition, students participating in the program take what they learn and pass it on to others at their schools. Some 7,735 students have attended leadership development sessions at individual schools, led by students in the GSLT program.

Then in 2004 came a new, additional aspect, a Youth Leadership Summit for students, principals and adult leaders. That first year at Buford Fine Arts Theatre, 400 persons attended. Last year at Gwinnett Center, more than 750 were in attendance.

The Gwinnett program is not only well received locally, but the framework for its program has been adopted as a curriculum for other high school leadership programs. Realizing that there was no national leadership framework, the Gwinnett program developed a curriculum that could be adopted at any school. Its "LeaderNext" program is sold to other schools, and the Gwinnett program, now a 501c3 charitable organization, gets a part of the profits.

All this would not have been possible without the initial work by Ward, who was language arts teacher at Shiloh High and Seago, region manager of Georgia Power Company in Gwinnett. They also found solid support of local businesses.

Seago says: "When Nancy and I were in Leadership, we saw it so beneficial to bring in leaders of the county, and thought it would be a real loss not to offer this to a younger age of participants."

Among those early supporters were both the Buford and Gwinnett school systems, Georgia Power Company, Scientific Atlanta, Scholastic Images/Balfour, Gwinnett United in Drug Education (GUIDE), Jackson EMC and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Several Gwinnett County departments, notably the Sheriff and Judiciary, have been instrumental in the program, as has United Way.

Among the program modules are such subjects as developing dynamic habits; mastering communications; overcoming resistance; being self-aware; working in teams; and setting your moral compass. But Nancy Ward points out, each year's program is somewhat different.

Among the key goals of the program is for the student to realize their leadership skills, and leave a legacy that promotes student involvement and improvement at their school.

Ward says: "From 1995-2002, it was a individual leadership program, but had no way for the school to get anything out of it. But we changed the program, and allowed schools to get impact from leadership skills of the participants." She adds: "With Gwinnett's large schools with so many incredible students in them, GSLT provides its own leadership to the schools."

Graduates of the program credit GSLT with helping them along. A Collins Hill graduate, Amir Malayery, tells of getting admitted to Stanford after using the "vocabulary of leadership" when being interviewed. The majority of the discussion was spent as the interviewers wanted to know more about his high school leadership program. Another graduate talks about his freshman orientation program being much of a repeat of the GSLT program.

That chance seating at a Leadership Gwinnett program was fortunate. It led to an innovative Gwinnett program now helpful to schools in the nation.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Georgia's newest and Gwinnett County's only medical college, Georgia Campus-Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM), began its second year by adding an evening master's degree program in biomedical sciences to its degree options. The College, in its medical degree program, combines the course load of medical school with added emphasis on the relationship between the body's structure and its function. More than 220 students are enrolled in the osteopathic physician and bio-med programs. GA-PCOM, which opened in August 2005 at 625 Old Peachtree Road, Suwanee, seeks to recruit and educate medical students from Georgia and the surrounding states and encourage them to remain in the region thereby helping improve access to healthcare in medically underserved areas. Call 678-225-7532 for additional information. More: http://www.pcom.edu

You've had two writers state that staying in Iraq was the only reasonable thing to do. I fervently disagree. It was a terrible mistake to go into Iraq, and by staying in, we are only repeating (or continuing) that terrible blunder.

There are those who say that there will be a bloodbath when we leave. Yes, I agree, but there probably will be, whenever we leave, be it tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now. The two Muslim sects have been in disagreement for years and all will not be goodness and light whether we stay or go. Meanwhile, American lives are being lost for no good reason (unless you count boosting Dubya's ego a good reason.)

No, the only sane thing to do in Iraq is to get out, as quickly as we can do so in an orderly fashion.

The article about the gas-electric car was good, but what was the cost to re-charge the car electrically?

Plans are underway for Walton Electric Membership Corporation's fifth annual "Power of Hope" Ride. It will be held Saturday, September 22 to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. In the last four years, the ride has raised more than $19,000 towards finding a cure for cancer with the help of hundreds of motorcyclists across the Southeast. More than 300 attended last year's ride.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. at Walton EMC's headquarters off U.S. Highway 78, four miles east of Monroe. The ride begins at 10:30 a.m. and lasts about two hours, winding through the beautiful Georgia Piedmont. A donation of $20 solo or $30 two up includes a ride T-shirt and barbecue lunch. Motorcyclists can enjoy music and other activities, including a live auction, door prizes and a drawing.

Walton EMC is a customer-owned power company that serves 115,000 accounts over its ten-county service area between Atlanta and Athens.

Check out the Health Screening Thursday, September 20, from 8-10 a.m. at Emory Eastside Medical Center, Snellville.

This Community Service is a collaborative effort by h2u-Health, Happiness, You and Emory Eastside Medical Center. The Health Screening is an affordable way to keep close check on blood sugar and cholesterol levels - fasting blood sugar, cholesterol total lipid profile which includes total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, and LDL, and cardiac risk factors.

Persons wanting to participate must fast from 8 p.m. the evening before with no more than a sip or swallow of water to take any required medication. TSH (thyroxin stimulating hormone) screening will be offered. There are test charges for the screenings.

Age requirement is at least 18 years of age in order to participate. No appointment is needed for the lab part of the screening. A copy of the results will be mailed directly to participants and their physician at no extra charge. If you wish to participate in the skin cancer screening, registration is required by calling the h2u office, 770-982-2358, as space is limited.

The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta opens its Hertz Stage series with the elegant and moving sounds of Jacques Brel presented in the style of a Parisian cabaret. Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is one of the most enduring musical revues of all time and promises a night of stirring emotion and romance on the most intimate stage in Atlanta. Alliance Artistic Director Susan V. Booth will direct in a radically reconfigured Hertz Stage where guests will enjoy wine in a unique environment styled after a hot French nightspot.

Opening Night is Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007 at 8 p.m. The Alliance production will feature cocktail tables and couches, in addition to standard seating, with multiple stage areas throughout the theatre to provide a very up-close and personal experience with the actors. Additionally, audience members will have the opportunity to purchase a bottle of "Jacques Brel" wine from the bar, which is a part of the set, to drink at their table.

Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., September 21 to October 28 on the Alliance Stage. The Sunday, October 14 show at 2:30 p.m. will be Audio Described.

Tickets are $30 and $35 and are available at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office by calling 404.733.5000 or online at www.alliancetheatre.org.

Gwinnett Tech's Daimler Chrysler College Automotive Program (CAP) has been named the best manufacturer-affiliated automotive program in the nation by the Automotive Industry Planning Council (AIPC).

Gwinnett Tech has been named the state winner nine out of the nine years it has participated in the competition, but this is the first time the college has won the AIPC competition at the national level. In 2005, Gwinnett Tech's GM ASEP program was also noted for excellence when it was runner up in the national awards competition.

Steve Conway, division chair, automotive technology, Gwinnett Tech, says: "Our CAP program has had unprecedented support from our local dealers and training center in the last two years. DaimlerChrysler's financial support and student sponsorships from local dealers have allowed this program to offer students a first-rate education and career choice."

Gwinnett Tech's CAP program addresses service and repair procedures for popular and technically advanced DaimlerChrysler automobiles and prepares students to enter the DaimlerChrysler automotive field. Prospective students must be accepted into the program by Gwinnett Tech and sponsored by a DaimlerChrysler Group dealership.

As the first-place winner of the national AIPC award, Gwinnett Tech will receive a trophy, a car donation, auto shop related gifts, cash and trade advertising. The award presentation will take place in December in Las Vegas.

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation (GCPR) is offering something new this fall. Bogan Park Gymnasium is now equipped with badminton courts, the first in a GCPR facility. The idea is a result of citizen comments earlier this summer.

Bogan Park Recreation Supervisor Chris Moore says there are surprisingly large local groups dedicated to Badminton, and that he has already received positive feedback from them regarding GCPR's plans to build courts.

Two courts will be available for open play on Monday and Wednesday from10 a.m. to noon. Players are encouraged to bring their own equipment, but Bogan Park Gym staff will also have racquets and birdies on hand for public use.

NAMAR picks Leonard Llonch for Good Neighbor Award

Leopold Llonch of Virtual Properties is the September/October Good Neighbor Award of the Northeast Atlanta Metro Association of Realtors. He recently chaired a successful fundraiser at Stone Mountain for the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the Benefit Paddlethon. He served as the event coordinator, fund raiser, public relations director, race director and volunteer coordinator.

The Southeast Paddlers was formed in spring of 2005 by a group of flatwater canoe and kayak paddlers in and around Gainesville. Peggy Slappey, right, presents the Good Neighbor Award to Leopold Llonch. Marianne Circiu, left, a co-worker of Llonch, was also present for the award.

"If in the Savannah area, we found a great place for dining on Tybee Island at A-J's Seafood Restaurant, 1315 Chatham Avenue, which is on the marsh side of Tybee. Open only for dinner each day from 5-10 p. m., it has a menu not only of seafood, though that's the draw. One recent diner said their fried shrimp could be the best in Georgia. One thing for sure: the shrimp are large, if not jumbo. We enjoyed their Buffalo Shrimp, nice and tasty. You can dine inside or out overlooking the marsh. Parking is limited near the restaurant, though there is additional parking nearby. We suspect you'll come away raving like we did of this new find on the Georgia coast.
--eeb

An invitation: What Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb

Nathan Brownson was governor of Georgia for the last few months of the critical year of 1781, when Georgia was attempting to reestablish its government after the British were driven out of Augusta during the American Revolution (1775-83). He was the first physician to serve as governor of Georgia.

Brownson was born in Woodbury, Conn., in 1742, graduated from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1761, and become a physician in Connecticut..
In 1774 Brownson moved from Connecticut to Riceboro, Ga., just south of Midway, in Liberty County. He quickly became a leader of the resistance to British tyranny. In 1776, Georgians chose him as a delegate to the Continental Congress and re-elected him to a second term on June 7, 1777.

After the British were driven out of Augusta in June 1781, the future of Georgia as an independent and free state depended on bringing two warring factions together to reconstitute the state's government. To lead them in this effort, the people of Georgia turned to Brownson, the physician and statesman, in the hope that he could begin the process of healing the wounds caused by the strife between the radical and conservative factions. On August 17, 1781, Brownson was unanimously elected speaker of the assembly, which then elected him governor.

During his brief term of office the government of Georgia implemented measures to encourage the return of citizens who had fled the state because of the hardships of the war, and it passed legislation designed to obtain food and clothing for those whose farms and businesses were ruined by the war. On January 2, 1782, John Martin was elected to succeed Brownson as governor of Georgia.

Brownson's career in public service continued after his term as governor. He was a member of the Georgia convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1788. In 1789 he served in the convention that rewrote Georgia's constitution. He became the first president of the new Georgia senate and served in that office from 1790 to 1791. He joined with Abraham Baldwin, another Yale graduate, in working for the creation of a state-supported institution of higher education, which would become known as the University of Georgia. On October 18, 1796, Nathan Brownson died at his home in Riceboro.

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