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Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
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Editorial: Adair Co. finds Adair Co. solution to Adair Co. challenge Chicken Little appears wrong. Again. Adair Fiscal Court meets daunting challenges to save Westlake Regional Hospital, keep critical medical services going, maintain viability of $9.152 million dollar local payroll, and prevent possible LENDER ordered additional tax should hospital fail. First impression: Big winners Bipartisanship, putting Adair County needs ahead of politics. People of Adair County, Adair Fiscal Court, CJE Ann Melton and with the support of former Judge Executive Richard L. Walker, working together with local banks, and with support of Adair County medical leaders Dr. Chuck Giles and Dr. James T. Bergen. A Bit of Egg on Face: Spectrum Health Partners, who appear to have underestimated local will, local expertise, Adair County's "family" response to the impending threat to our community family. Action puts into question wisdom of allowing same firm, Spectrum, hired to save the hospital, to, at the same time, work against itself, and earn up to $250,000 (real money which ought to go to balancing the hospital budget) in a lucrative contract to facilitate selling it. Several Adair County brokers could do that job, and at least keep that money at home. - ED WAGGENER More from the December 13, 2011 Adair Fiscal Court later By Ed Waggener In last night's Adair Fiscal Court meeting, the Court voted unanimously to approve a $1.7 million bond issue to give interim financing necessary to stabilize the finances of Westlake Regional Hospital in 2012 and to meet technology goals which is likely to mean a turnaround of several million dollars in the next few years. The action, endorsed by former Adair County Judge Executive Richard L. Walker and recommended current CJE Ann Melton, was unanimous following a motion by Seventh District Magistrate Billy Rowe, with a second by Third District Magistrate Sammie Baker, with the other five magistrates, Harold Burton (1), Daryl Flatt (2), Perry Reeder (4), Billy Dean Coffey (5), and Joe Rogers (6). The hospital is not fully saved yet, but a major turning point may have been reached in a local decision take necessary steps to save it from sale, closure, or bankruptcy. Judge Melton called, this morning, to ask that we insert the message that she will not forget the job Spectrum Health Partners did when they came on the scene. "I don't know how the hospital could have held its doors open without their expertise at the time. I hope the people of Adair County never forget that." County Attorney Jennifer Hutchison-Corbin will be drawing up the paperwork to complete the bond issue. The Adair Fiscal Court segment on the hospital evoked images of Solomon deciding who the real mother of the baby was and of the old Elmer Fudd/Porky Pig cartoon tale of how hard it is to hire someone else to do one's worrying, as Spectrum Care presented a dire case to put into motion a move which might have resulted in the sale of hospital within a few months. The Court didn't buy it. What didn't seem apparent to the experts from Nashville was how committed the leadership of the county and the people of Adair County are to maintaining the hospital and maintaining local ownership. One would have expected loud Amens and Hosannas from the Spectrum operatives to the show of commitment, which was met, instead with what was rather yawning, tepid acceptance of this bold decision. Though most tended to give Spectrum credit - Judge Melton was gracious and generous to them - for doing a crackerjack job in coming to the bottom line on exactly what the exact situation is, confidence in the high paid managers appeared to be shaken by Spectrum's seeming willingness to throw in the towel on local direction of the institution. For the moment, the sale effort would appear to have stalled out, even though the Court did not object to a $250,000 agreement between the Westlake Board of Trustees with Spectrum to explore that option, which now can only divert the management firms full attention from doing what a very unified Adair County has so now shown it desperately wants. For the moment, Chicken Little was wrong. It's cloudy, but the sky has not fallen. And while hiring someone else to do our worrying may still have been an intermediate, stopgap necessity, the hard decisions will have to be left to Adair Countians. And the real "parents" of the hospital are proven, again, to be the people of Adair County, not the temporary hired foster care givers. - ED WAGGENER This story was posted on 2011-12-14 06:12:15
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Richard Durham: The essence of living as a Christian servant Governor Steve Beshear Delivers 2011 Inaugural address Christmas program at Redlick UMC December 21, 2011 Christmas play at Free Union, Sunday, December 18, 2011 ACES Christmas Program rescheduled to start earlier today Grateful to Pastor Reliford for sharing Richard Durham story Adair Fiscal Court Agenda, Dec. 13, 2011 regular meeting Christmas Story: And your 50 cents Richard Durham and his remarkable testimony at New Life The Good Old Days: Christmas growing up in Adair Co., KY View even more articles in topic News |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
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