Butnerthey

The Butner-Creedmoor News, Thursday, October 17, 2013 11a
GHS
[Continued From Page 1A
models for Emergency
Medical Services
Restructured the
inpatient physician model
Developed Increased
productivity models for
clinical areas
Implemented changes to
the employee benefit plan
model
Still, the growing
number of State and
Federal mandates
connected to the
Affordable Care Act has
challenged the Health
System beyond these cost
savings.
Additional action was
necessary as a result of a
convergence of factors
that have depressed, and
will further depress,
Granville Health System
revenues. Some of the
larger legislative cuts
affecting GHS in 2014 are
the following:
A 2 percent ( $314,700)
cut in Medicare payments
over the last year due to
federal budget
sequestration;
Further Medicare
payment reductions
($382,000) due to the
Affordable Care Act;
The state’s decision
not to expand Medicaid
coverage for the
uninsured; and
The state’s recent
decision to dramatically
cut ($277,300) Medicaid
reimbursements for all
hospitals in North
Carolina.
The state’s new Front
Loaded Unemployment
Formula increase
($63,000)
CMS Recovery Audit
Program: Recovery Audit
Contractor (RAC)
($600,000)
The state’s
requirement to increase
retirement contributions
to fund Treasury
operations ($131,600)
GHS has also
improved revenue
through increased volume
in the hospital’s newly
constructed Emergency
Department and other
programs. Restructuring
areas within the
organization’s billing
system has also improved
the hospital’s finances. In
addition, GHS has
consolidated specialty
physician practices at the
renovated 102
Professional Park
building, providing
patients with more
convenient service while
allowing a savings
through efficiencies for
the Health System.
For Granville Health
System, reduced
reimbursements due to
the Affordable Care Act
and other regulatory
changes are expected to
total well over $1.8
million in fiscal year
2014. The cuts in staffing
are equivalent to
$956,258 in salaries for
fiscal year 2014.
“Granville Health
System is not immune
from the challenges
currently faced by every
hospital in America,” said
Isley. “Consequently, we
are forced to make some
very difficult decisions to
ensure we position GHS
to continue serving our
community, delivering the
highest level of quality
care.”
Granville County
residents should not see
any changes, based on
these cutbacks, in
services to the community
or Granville Health
System’s high level of
commitment to quality
care and patient safety.
About Granville
Health System
For more than 93
years, Granville Health
System has been
delivering quality health
care close to home. To
meet the growing needs of
our community, Granville
Health System has
expanded its services
throughout Granville
County, offering
convenient access to
medical care where you
work and live. GHS
received a number of
national awards,
including the Hospital of
Choice Award which
named Granville Health
System as one of the top
100 hospitals in the
country in 2009, 2010,
2011 and 2012.
GHS also received the
Community Value Index
Five-Star Hospital Award,
placing GHS in the top 20%
of hospitals in the country
in offering financial value
to the communities served,
while reinvesting back into
facilities in order to provide
for current and emerging
health needs. Recently,
Granville Health System
was named one of the
nation's Top Performers on
Key Quality Measures by
the Joint Commission, the
leading accredit or of
health care organizations
in America. The GHS main
campus is located at 1010
College Street, Oxford,
North Carolina. For more
information about
Granville Health System
visit GHS online at
www.ghsHospital.org.
Mayor Moss Represents City At Summit
Creedmoor Mayor
arryl Moss and Parks
nd Recreation Director
cottie K. Cornett were
mong an elite group of
epresentatives from
cross the country
elected to participate in
he nation’s first Playful
ity USA Leaders
ummit on September 23-
4 in Baltimore.
For the first time,
unicipal and thought
eaders around the
ountry gathered to chart
path to ensuring all
hildren get the play they
eed to thrive. Play is
ritical to the physical,
ocial, emotional,
ognitive and creative
evelopment of children.
ut play is disappearing
n homes, schools and
ommunities. A healthy
alance of active play is
alling victim to TV, video
ames, structured
chedules, declining
ecess time, and a lack of
ccess to safe play spaces.
The 2013 Playful City
SA Leaders Summit:
nvesting in Children
hrough Play, a national
latform of KaBOOM!,
nd sponsored by
umana Foundation, was
eant to drive
nvestments in
nfrastructure, policies
nd programming that
ill ensure that all
hildren receive the
alance of active play
hey need to thrive.
This invitation-only
ummit brought together
city, non-profit,
foundation, business and
national leaders from
across the country to
advance collective efforts
to ensure that all children
get the play that they
need to become healthy
and successful adults.
Creedmoor Mayor Darryl
Moss was among the
select group of more than
150 attendees that also
included the honorable
Arne Duncan, American
Heart Association CEO
Nancy Brown, The Aspen
Institute CEO Walter
Isaacson, and mayors
from cities large and
small across the nation.
Mayor Moss said,
“This was a great event. I
left with knowledge and
innovative solutions
about increasing access to
play that we can apply in
our community.”
Cities are critical
drivers for achieving play
outcomes and most playfocused
infrastructure
investment, policies and
programming happen at
the local level. As such,
KaBOOM! created the
Playful City USA
program in 2007 to
recognize municipalities
who are prioritizing play,
and in 2013, honored a
record 217 cities for their
achievements, including
Creedmoor.
Creedmoor was the
first city in North
Carolina to be designated
as a “Playful City”
community, and as a
result of a continued focus
toward building
recreation in the City, has
received the designation
for seven years straight.
Scottie Cornett, Parks
and Recreation Director
for Creedmoor notes that,
KaBOOM! provides us
with the tools and
guidance to self-organize
and take action to support
play. It is through our
designation as a “Playful
City” that we have
learned how to apply the
Playful City principals
and
funding
opportunities and use
them to help us build
Creedmoor’s Parks and
Recreation Program.
Right now, we are in our
infancy of the program,
but once we complete our
Recreation Master Plan
and get an idea of what
our residents want, we
can then go after grants
to help us build new
facilities and programs.
We wish we could go
faster, but researching,
getting input from our
citizens, and building a
good foundation is a
critical step toward doing
it right.”
The City used the
Playful City “Community
Build” model to construct
the playground for the
new Harris Park at Pecan
Hill, inviting volunteers
from the community to
assist, thus creating buyin
and commitment.
Public Works crews are
currently putting the
finishing touches on the
new park, expecting the
project to be complete
within the next few
weeks.
Darell Hammond,
Founder and CEO of
KaBOOM! said, “We
know that play can
transform children —
from sedentary to
physically active, bored to
mentally active, and
solitary to socially active.
When we make sure that
our children’s lives are
filled with play, we all
benefit: our communities
will be healthier and
happier today, and our
society will be stronger
and more resilient
tomorrow.
“Communities like
Creedmoor are creating
innovative programs and
initiatives and we are
thrilled
that
representatives
participated in the
Playful City USA Leaders
Summit and are assisting
KaBOOM! in building a
movement for play.
Children today spend less
time playing outdoors
generation, a fact that is
consequences on their
levels, and overall wellbeing.
Every child in
America needs to play
actively every day at
home, in school and in
than any previous
having disastrous
health, achievement
their communities.”
Mayor Darryl Moss
Sen. Floyd McKissick, Jr. Speaks
To Retired School Personnel
The Granville County
Unit of the North
Carolina Retired School
Personnel held its first
meeting of the school year
on Wednesday,
Sen. Floyd McKissick, Jr.
September 11. The
meeting was held at Bob’s
Bar-B-Que in Butner.
The NCRSP is the
state-wide association for
retired teachers,
administrators and
support personnel. The
organization represents
retired school personnel
interests in the State
Retirement System, and
the State Health Plan.
The goals are to protect
and enhance health
benefits and protect and
enhance retirement
benefits.
In addition, local goals
are to support the State
NCRSP, promote NCRSP
legislative agenda,
promote profession,
economic and social
status of members, to
volunteer in the schools
and the community and
support future teachers
by awarding scholarships.
Anyone who has
retired from the Granville
County School System is
eligible for membership.
Anyone interested in
joining should contact the
local unit president,
Laura Keith at 701 Lake
Road, Creedmoor, NC,
27522, or local treasurer,
Lois Gooch, at 2661
Hester Road, Oxford, NC,
27565, for membership
information.
The guest speaker for
the September 11 meeting
was Senator Floyd B.
McKissick, Jr. He was
very informative in
bringing the group up to
date on issues that were
a part of the 2013
Legislative Program.
At the end of the
meeting, a drawing was
held for the winner of the
50/50 raffle, a new fund
raiser for the organization
this year. The winner was
Lucy Hobgood.
For several years, the Vance-Granville Community
College Culinary Arts program has participated in the
North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest by serving their own
spicy treats to festival attendees. At this year’s event,
the seventh annual contest held September 14th in
downtown Oxford, the VGCC Culinary department also
took on the added responsibility of providing the entire
team of judges. It was up to the program’s two instructors,
Chef Ross Ragonese (the program head) and Chef John
Boretti, and students, including Jason Leonard of Oxford,
Tom Schmuker of Creedmoor and Randy Wilfong of
Henderson, to determine the winners of the contest,
which drew dozens of entries from sauce-makers across
North Carolina. These judges awarded a total of $4,500
in prize money to recognize hot sauces and barbecue
sauces in a variety of categories. ““We were honored that
the organizers of the contest selected VGCC Culinary Arts
to judge the sauces, and we were proud that one of the
winners happened to be a 2012 graduate of our program,
Tracey Washburn from right here in Oxford,” Ragonese
said. Washburn’s “These Hips Don’t Lie” Signature Sauce
won for “Best NC Mild BBQ Sauce.” From left, VGCC
Culinary Arts student Randy Wilfong of Henderson,
program head Chef Ross Ragonese and student Tom
Schmuker, of Creedmoor, taste sauces and compare
notes while serving as judges at the seventh annual North
Carolina Hot Sauce Contest in Oxford on Sept. 14, 2013.
(VGCC photo)
Former Granville County Extension
Agent To Be Honored October 27
Mrs. Dorothy Gupton
Wilkinson, Granville
County
home
demonstration agent from
1944 to 1977, will be one
of 25 to be inducted into
the Dr. Jane S.
McKimmon Family &
Consumer Sciences Hall
of Fame during the
Extension & Community
Dorothy Wilkinson
Association’s Centennial
celebration on Sunday,
October 27.
The dinner and
ceremony will begin at 5
p.m. at NCSU’s
McKimmon Center in
Raleigh. A multimedia
presentation will trace the
history of home
demonstration clubs as
they became Extension
Homemaker Clubs and
now, ECA.
Reservations for the
historic event at $40 each
can be made through
October 18. You may
access the details at:
http://go.ncsu.edu/ecacent
ennial. Click on ECA
Centennial Invitation
Package to download the
details and click on ECA
Centennial Online
Registration to reserve
seats or reservations can
be sent via U.S. postal
service.
If you have questions
about this event, please
call the Granville County
Center at 919-603-1350
and ask for Sandy or Joan.