Legislators Look at Cuts to Medical Research While Proposed Medical School Expansion is Safe

Georgia lawmakers are beginning their review of state budgets passed by both chambers of the legislature, trying in a conference committee to resolve differences between the two.

One issue is a proposed cut in medical research funding to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

The state senate, in its budget passed today, included a $10 million cut in funding, with about half of that coming from a cancer research center at MCG. Officials say that could devastate the center.

Senator Ed Tarver (D-Augusta) wants the money restored. He says instead, the legislature should shelve the proposed expansion of the college, especially a proposed satellite campus in Athens.

But proponents of expansion say it's badly needed to stave off a doctor shortage.

The issue, therefore, raises a question...Which investment is better? Especially in a money crunch? It's one of the many hard decisions lawmakers will be hashing out this week over a budget that's full of cuts to state agencies, education and public services.

Tarver and some other Augusta-area lawmakers have been opposed to expansion. They do not want Augusta to lose resources to other cities, particularly Athens. Proponents, including Republican Governor Sonny Perdue, say it's the best way to bring medical students to the state, and then retain them when they become doctors.

The other $5 million would be cut from other medical research. The House, meanwhile, also proposed that cut but did not consider funding reductions to the cancer center.

State EPD Says Four Mid-sized Cities May Face Ozone Pollution Status

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has made its official recommendation on which cities in Georgia need to clean up their air. This year, in addition to metro Atlanta, four mid-sized cities were recommended to be non-attainment areas. That means they'll have to work harder to curb ground level ozone pollution.

The cities: Augusta, Athens, Macon and Columbus.

The EPD's recommendations are not final. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will ultimately have the final say.

In the meantime, the cities will study how to clean up their air. One big contributor to ozone pollution is automobile traffic. Cities will look at how to reduce those emissions.

Non-attainment would also put tighter controls on industry.

The cities are likely failing now because they're having to meet tougher federal air quality standards. The EPA will make its final decision on the cities' non-attainment status by March 2010. The state would then have three years to come up with a plan to deal with the ozone.

Ozone is a component of smog, which causes respiratory illnesses.

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Medical College of Georgia responds to Augusta legislator's efforts to stop expansion in Athens

Toni Baker, a spokeswoman for the Medical College of Georgia, has released this statement in response to efforts by Senator Ed Tarver to stop MCG's planned expansion to Athens.

We appreciate Sen. Tarver's comments and his work to ensure the economic future of the state. MCG wants and needs to grow its School of Medicine to provide more physicians for our state. At the direction of the University System of Georgia and at the recommendation of expansion experts, Georgia's health sciences university is growing in all quadrants of the state: with focal points in Augusta, Athens, Savannah and Albany. We do not intend to lose positions in Augusta rather to expand significantly here - growing our medical student numbers from 190 per class to 240 along with concomitant increases in faculty numbers and research. This growth will require a new medical school building in Augusta and likely another research building as well. We look forward to continued work with Sen. Tarver and other members of the legislature on this important initiative for the health of our state, which currently ranks 41st in the nation in overall health indicators, according to the United Health Foundation.

Senator takes steps to delay Medical College of Georgia's expansion to Athens

Sen. Ed Tarver (D-Augusta) says he plans to introduce a measure in the upcoming legislative session to delay expansion of the Medical College of Georgia to Athens. Tarver says the expansion is costly in these tough economic times, especially as state universities are looking at budget cuts that could reach 10 percent. He also does not want to see job losses at MCG's main campus in Augusta, and says residency programs there are vital. Tarver, who used to represent MCG as a special state attorney general before he became a senator and whose wife is employed at the school, opposed the expansion efforts, a project strongly supported by Governor Sonny Perdue.

Athens has lower ER wait times

If you head to an Emergency Room in Athens, you can expect to wait for a doctor less than most Americans. That’s according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. he Athens Banner-Herald reports the average patient wait time at Athens Regional Medical Center is 42 minutes. At St. Mary’s Hospital, it’s 47 minutes. The CDC says in the average American ER, people wait an hour.

UGA salaries near bottom

The University of Georgia is now down near the bottom of faculty salaries among comparable schools. Only one of UGA’s 15 peer institutions has a lower average salary for the most experienced professors, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. In the past 8 to 12 years, the university has fallen victim to what is called salary compression, where raises have not kept pace with inflation and industry standards.

Professors’ pay scales have fallen so far behind that U-G-A is losing important faculty members like Pulitzer Prize-winner Ed Larson and Eve Troutt-Powell, who won the MacArthur Genius Award. Former Governor Zell Miller gave professors a series of raises to combat the problem, but salaries have languished during the tenures of Governors Roy Barnes and Sonny Perdue.

Board of Regents approves Medical College of Georgia expansion plans

The Georgia Board of Regents has approved a resolution accepting a controversial plan for the Medical College of Georgia to expand in multiple cities throughout the state.

The vote serves as a formal endorsement of the plan, which calls for MCG to increase its student body by 60 percent by 2020.

The plan would expand MCG to other cities simultaneously.

That includes a new satellite campus in Athens, in partnership with the University of Georgia.

The proposed Athens campus has caused controversy, with lawmakers in eastern Georgia calling for expansion to happen at the main campus in Augusta first.

While MCG can now move ahead, the plan must ultimately pass muster with the state legislature, which would approve any funding for expansion.

The state is facing a shortage of doctors. Officials hope the proposed expansion will keep more of them in Georgia.

Restaurant owner defends against strip-search case

In the case of a northeast Georgia restaurant facing a lawsuit over allegations managers strip-searched black employees … the parent company says it’s done nothing wrong. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued New Capital Dimensions of Millegeville, which owns the Krystal restaurant in Winder near Athens. The suit claims that in 2005 white managers forced three black employees to submit to strip searches to prove they hadn't stolen money from a cash register. The lawsuit says one employee never returned to work and that others were fired for complaining about racial profiling.

Georgia soldier falls in Iraq

A soldier from Georgia was among five U.S. military personnel killed in an ambush in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Family members say 21-year-old Army Spc. Evan Marshall of Athens was a 2004 graduate of Cedar Shoals High School. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed Monday. A prayer service is to be held at 7:30 p.m. tonight at First Presbyterian Church in Athens.

Athens reservoir back to normal level

Recent rains have helped re-fill a northeast Georgia reservoir officials say was about to run dry. 6 inches of rain in Athens last month means Bear Creek Reservoir is back at its normal level. Bear Creek serves four neighboring counties. As of yesterday it was 5 inches below normal … up from 14 feet below in October.

Medical College of Georgia study recommends expansion in multiple cities

A state-funded report released today says Medical College of Georgia must undertake a major expansion immediately, or else put the health of Georgians at risk.

It warns of a critical doctor shortage, and says medical education, research, and clinical missions must happen in multiple cities in Georgia at the same time to avoid that.

The report was presented to the state's Board of Regents in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Some key recommendations:

*Expand medical education at the college's main campus in Augusta by increasing class size of first year students. Consultants say the increase would give the main campus the largest number of medical students per capita nationwide.

*Open a new medical education and research campus in Athens.

*Provide expanded clinical rotations at campuses in Albany and Savannah.

*Increase the number of medical residencies statewide.

"Our medical needs are increasing. Our population growth is outpacing presently our physician resources and certainly our physician growth and this puts the economy of this state at risk" said Errol Davis, chancellor of the Board of Regents. "We have a plan that, if implemented, will ensure that Georgia is a state and remains a state that is healthy both for its citizens and for its businesses within the state."

The proposed satellite campus in Athens is one of the most controversial recommendations. Consultants urge MCG to open one soon.

They say the campus should be located on the property of a U.S. Navy Supply Corps school that is closing and transferring operations to Rhode Island.

Officials in Athens today welcomed the proposal, but some legislators in the Augusta area decried it.

"We're going to need the physicians, but if we try to do both at one time, we may not do both right, and I'd rather us expand here, grow Augusta, get to the capacity we can get at, educate doctors properly and do a quality job, and then if we have to expand, then take it to Athens for that satellite facility if that's what we decide we should do," said Rep. Ben Harbin (R-Evans).

Harbin's opinion is key. That's because he chairs the powerful House appropriations committee. And whether the Board of Regents approves the recommendations or not, the legislature in effect, has the final say, since they must approve funding for any expansion.

"We are going to fund expansion in Augusta, because it has to happen," said Harbin. "But Athens, we're going to look at it. There's going to have to be a case made right now. I'm not favorable to it...but I may can be persuaded."

In midst of drought, Athens hospitals dig wells

Hospitals in Athens aren’t taking any chances on running out of water during Georgia’s drought. The Athens-Banner Herald reports that St. Mary’s Hospital and Athens Regional Medical Center have drilled wells. Athens Regional already has a working well, and recently drilled another one near the hospital’s new parking deck. The water in the new well has yet to be tested. St. Mary’s recently applied for a pump house permit on a well it drilled several months ago.

U.S. Rep. Broun opens Augusta/Evans office

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Georgia) opened a district office in Evans on Monday.

The office will serve constituents in Columbia, Richmond, McDuffie, Wilkes, Lincoln and Elbert counties.

The office is located at 4246 Washington Road, Suite 6, in Evans. The phone number there is 706-447-3857.

Broun will host a grand opening at another district office in Athens from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

That office will serve constituents in Clarke, Oconee, Jackson, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Greene, Morgan and Madison counties.

It is located at 3706 Atlanta Highway, Suite 3B in Athens. The phone number there is 706-549-9588.

Broun represents Georgia's 10th Congressional District. He took office in July, after a special election to replace U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, who died in February. Broun is up for re-election next year.

Navy supply corps school closer to relocating

The navy is apparently one step closer to relocating a supply corps school from Athens to Rhode Island.

It also comes closer to clearing the way for the Medical College of Georgia to possibly open a branch campus there.

The Athens Banner Herald is reporting that navy officials have signed a $24.5 million contract with a construction firm in Rhode Island. It includes plans to construct a new building and renovate an existing one in Newport.

The Athens school provides administrative, logistical and media training to sailors and Marines. Officials expect it to close it within three years.

Governor Sonny Perdue and officials in Athens want the property to be used as a branch campus of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

The proposal is controversial, though. Some community leaders in Augusta want any expansion of the medical school to happen at the main campus there.

Man arrested for infecting woman with HIV

Athens police have arrested a man accused of infecting a woman with HIV without her knowledge. Authorities say the woman, who recently discovered she has AIDS, traced back the infection to Keyvin Shurrod Lyle. He has been charged with felony reckless conduct. In Georgia, it is a felony to not disclose HIV positive status to a sexual partner.

College students to perform "War of the Worlds"

A theater group at the University of Georgia is reviving the "War of the Worlds." That the play about an alien invasion whose broadcast by Orson Welles 70 years ago created panic when listeners mistook it for actual news. The theater troupe will perform the radio play Saturday before a live audience at the Classic Center in Athens. The show will be broadcast on WUGA-FM, Athens’ the local Georgia Public Broadcasting affiliate, and on the Internet.