See Inside: Obamacare primer See A4
Volleyball: Fillies earn split See B1
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THE IOLA REGISTER Wednesday, September 25, 2013
HOSPITAL
A RACE TO THE FINISH
New digs require changes
COUNTY
Merger drags on By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
By SUSAN LYNN susan@iolaregister.com
The transfer of equipment and systems to the new Allen County Regional Hospital requires a myriad of coordinates; all the while keeping the doors open for business. “As we close the doors to the emergency room at 101 S. First, we’ll be opening the doors to the emergency room at 3066 N. Kentucky,” the site of the new hospital, said Ron Baker, chief executive officer. The projected Oct. 29 move is on track, but “just by a thread,” Baker told hospital trustees at their meeting Tuesday night. “There are so many interconnecting parts to move in and on time,” Baker said. “If anything hiccups in the middle of this, we could be forced to delay the move.” “Plan B” is to schedule the move for Nov. 5, but that creates problems of it own, Baker said, noting all participants must be notified of the change 30 days in advance; in other words, next week. A T1 line for Internet capabilities has been installed, as have the majority of phone lines. The hospital’s fire alarm system and oxygen tank warning system also rely on telephone connectivity, Baker said. With less than six weeks to go, staff is “decommissioning” certain pieces of equipment in the current hospital to be installed in the new hospital, Baker said.
In a strange turn of parliamentary procedure, Allen County commissioners put off for a week ratifying an agreement to merge county and Iola ambulance services. The action — or inaction — came at the commissioners’ meeting Tuesday morning. On Monday evening, city council members voted 8-0 to approve the merger. Commissioner Tom Williams moved to accept the merger. Chairman Dick Works seconded the motion, but then moved to table that motion, which passed unanimously. Iola Mayor Joel Wicoff pleaded with commissioners to take a stand. “We could discuss this for another year,” and perhaps not be in agreement on all it encompasses, Wicoff said, encouraging commissioners to go ahead with a vote. Works said he had concerns about how the city intended to weave county employees into its employment.
Iola High’s Michael Wilson and Oswego High’s Tag Oldham go all out toward the finish of the varsity boys race Tuesday at the annual Doc Stiles Invitational Tournament. Full results from the cross country meet are on Page B1. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
See MERGER | Page A3
Persistent rumors have seniors in panic Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on the Affordable Care Act, the government’s attempt to provide healthcare for every U.S. citizen. Today’s focus is on senior citizens. Thursday will include the uninsured. Saturday’s will feature small businesses. By SUSAN LYNN susan@iolaregister.com
WORKING in the new hospital
will also require a readjustment of the workflow. “The building is really going to be quite different and will have a profound impact on how we operate,” Baker said. In admissions, for example, two desks need to be staffed during the daytime; one in the front
Sheldon Weisgrau’s sole purpose these days is to inform Kansans about the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Weisgrau will be in Iola next week to help explain the benefits of the new Act, and who will benefit most from signing on. “I’ll also work to dispel a few myths,”
See DIGS | Page A3
Weisgrau said from his Topeka office in a phone interview Monday afternoon. Top of the list is the rumor that Obamacare will wipe out Medicare, the health insurance program for senior citizens, or at the least negatively affect its services. “None of that is true,” Weisgrau said. Weisgrau “If anything, some seniors may see expanded benefits and reduced out-of-pocket costs because of lower co-pays,” he said. Weisgrau also debunked the rumor of pre-assigned care. “Nothing says you can’t choose your own doctor,” he said.
Other advantages for senior citizens is that the much maligned “doughnut hole” for the prescription drug program will be closed. Up until 2012, when the first parts of Obamacare were instituted, Medicare D covered the initial $2,970 of prescription drug charges. Patients then were forced to pay for their drugs out of pocket until their prescription costs soared to= $4,750, at which point insurance coverage began again. In 2012, patients started receiving a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs and a 14 percent discount for generic drugs covered by the Medicare D program. The discounts are on track to get deeper under Obamacare until the See OBAMACARE | Page A3
‘Red Menace’ a bane for Chaplin By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Dr. Frank Scheide will explore the pervasive phenomena of McCarthyism during the Buster Keaton Celebration this weekend. Scheide will discuss the anti-communist movement of the early 1950s with James Karen, actor and longtime friend of the Keaton Family, at 2:20 p.m. Friday. At 9:10 Saturday morning his presentation is Friend-
ship, Film Collaboration and Coping with McCarthyism in the 1950s: Jerome “Jerry” Epstein’s Audio Memoir on Charlie Chaplin. Karen began his entertainment ca- Scheide reer in movies and on stage and television when McCarthyism was at its peak. Chaplin was among Holly-
wood notables blacklisted because of alleged ties to the Communist Party. McCarthyism got its name from Sen. Joe McCarthy, Wisconsin Republican, who was obsessed with unveiling communist sympathizers, whether there was supporting evidence or not. “It was a very ugly time,” See CHAPLIN | Page A5
Haven a lifelong student of cinema By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
Lisa Haven’s infatuation with early American cinema started at a young age, middle school to be exact. “They used to show comedy films during our lunch hour,” Haven said during an interview over the phone. “I guess that’s where it started.” Haven will speak to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin fans alike during the 21st Annual Buster Keaton Celebration. She is
an associate professor of English literature at Ohio University, in A t h e n s , Ohio. H a v e n was working toward a doctorate in 2000 at Ohio University, when she came across Haven some of Chaplin’s t r av e l nar ratives; she eventually based her research on Chaplin.
Quote of the day Vol. 115, No.234
“It just kind of snowballed from there,” she said. As she began attending different conferences across the nation, she became more involved with the Chaplin community. “When you have similar interests like that, the groups are so small,” Haven said. “You get to know each other pretty quickly.” See HAVEN | Page A5
“We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us.” — Albert Einstein 75 Cents
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