The struggling BJC Medical Center needs cash from Banks and Jackson counties to stay afloat.
Rick Massey, a member of BJC Medical Center Authority, appeared before the Jackson County Board of Commissioners Monday night to ask the county to guarantee — and repay — 75 percent of a $5.2 million loan, as well as guarantee 75 percent of a $1 million line of credit.
The authority will make a similar request — for the other 25 percent of support — from the Banks County Board of Commissioners. Financial obligations related to the medical center have always been split on a 75:25 percent ratio between Jackson and Banks counties.
“We have a significant need at the current time for Jackson County and Banks County to guarantee a $5.2 million long-term debt, as well as a $1 million line of credit,” Massey told the Jackson County commissioners. “… We have to restructure this short-term debt. We feel like this is the best-case scenario … We need to restructure that loan and we can’t do that … It is more advantageous to lump this into one long-term repayment.”
The request is to consolidate approximately $1.5 million in debt the two counties are already paying on hospital bonds with $2.5 million in new short-term debt and $1.2 million of accounts payable. The request amounts to an additional $3.7 million in support from the two counties.
2 years ago my husband, already being treated for high blood pressure, began having chest pains and looked horrible. Now I had heard BJC was horrible but never had reason to visit them. It was life threatening and I live right around the corner so I took him there. The doctor who comes in to treat him is over 500 pounds! He comes in and immediately goes to the counter to lean against it because he is out of wind from walking from that little station in the middle of the ER. This isn't a pudgy man who had too many late night snacks, this is a MORBIDLY obese man. He could be smarter than Einstein and know more about medicine than C. Everett Coop but how am I supposed to rely on medical advise from someone who cant even keep their own weight at a manageable level? I swore then, never again. I will go to Athens.
Then 1 year later my next door neighbor's 4 year old son falls and cuts his head. Pouring down blood on his face the mother decides to take him to BJC. I drive her so she can hold a rag to his head. We walk in, no one is at the ER Desk. We wait 30 or so seconds, then I holler "Hello, anyone here?", only to hear from around the corner, "I'll be there in a minute." A minute?!?! A minute?!?! This is an emergency room!! Now maybe a little hospital like that doesn't need someone sitting at that desk 24/7, but when someone walks in they should be high tailing their little butt to see what that person needs. Not "I'll be there in a minute." Again I told myself, never again.
So here we are this week. My daughter jumps off the back of the truck tail gate and twists her ankle. The ankle doesn't appear broken and is only swelling a bit, but she is crying up a storm about how bad it hurts.
It's 9 o'clock at night, I just spent the day moving, and the very nice emergency clinic in Jefferson is closed. Sigh. I decide to take her to BJC for an x-ray JUST to be sure.
By the time we get there she has worked herself up and is sobbing and crying. There was no doubt in my mind, and probably not to anyone who saw her, that the girl was truly in pain. Now maybe not quite as much as her volume indicated, but a lot of pain none-the-less. Long story, so I will just hit the highlights of the horrible bedside manner of the staff there.
The x-ray tech pushes the portable x-ray machine into the room, my daughter hyperventilating and crying harder at the thought of that woman moving her ankle around to x-ray it. The first words out of the woman's mouth at seeing my daughter go into panic mode is "Now you just need to chill out." I wish I could convey the annoyance in the woman's voice. Then as we were being discharged and the nurse was going over the use of the splint she was given, she grabs my daughters ankle and begins to pull the Velcro strap off and on demonstrating. My daughter screams in pain and tries to pull her leg away, to which the nurse only grabs it tighter. I say to the woman, (I am sure in a very annoyed and grumpy way) "She really is in pain." to which she responds by whipping her head around at me and giving me a very mean look "I know that!"
I would like to note after all this ranting that I feel I have always gotten sufficient health care at BJC. The place is run down and the staff are grumpy at best. And while the staff may be competent, you always have the feeling they work here because no one else will hire them.
So again I am swearing, "NEVER AGAIN!" But I am sure in my future I will again be faced with the decision of 30-45 minute ride (depending on traffic) to Athens or tough it out at BJC.
So keep paying taxes to the county you live in
property as well as sales tax and sooner or later you will understand that if BJC is unable
to get the support it needs and closes that you,the tax payer, will still be left holding the bag of debt that go along with it.So the question is for all the obomaholics out there is do you want something for your hard earned money or just keep giving it away to clark and hall counties.
Poor management,overworked administrative employees & employees with insufficient training (administrative again) are the main reasons for the hospitals financial problems. When staff is cut in almost every department, and the healthcare professionals are overloaded, wait times will be longer and the staff's temperment shorter.
because you don't want to help your town,people like you is what gave BJC a bad reputation not paying your bills at the hospital that is the reason the hospital is in trouble that it is in, and i hope you don't get your wish on the way to Athens hospital.No all people to not think the way you do, i live here and pay taxes here,and to not want to see my town go down hill just because of people like you that wants to pay taxes here and go to Athens to give them money to fix up there hospitals. So if you want to give Athens so much money why don't you live there and not here. So move to Athens and give us a break!
as well as others I know been fighting battles with the
business office for months over bills not being filed
correctly, adjustments not taken so on... I've been
in and out of the hospital many times and they just can't
their act together. Perhaps it is the folks in the office
that files/bills insurance that is costing them so much
money, can't collect if you don't file it right. They
will continue to struggle until they find someone that can
do the main job in bringing money into that place!
I've often been told it was not their job they'd have
the girl that handles that call me back or it was 4:30
they've shut the computer down already call back. When
you ask to speak to someone over that dept. she is away
her desk, perhaps she isone of those smokers that hang outside
all the time, no wonder the lady is confused in the office
and can't help or won't even try!
Two years later, we get a bill! I notify the same officer at our company and BJC didn't even file the Workers Comp claim until then and in return it was denied by Workers Comp because it took them 2 years to file it. Now the collection agency says we are responsible? I think not! This is currently being worked on by Workers Comp. We are being told not to worry about it; it was BJC's fault because they didn't file it in a timely matter.
Now tell me how can any hospital or company stay afloat long with billing practices such as this?
THIS ER DOCTOR YOU THINK IS TO BIG.YOU NEED TO BE HERE WHEN HE WENT DOWN ON A FLOOR ON HIS HANDS AND KNEES TO SAVE A LIFE.WHEN HE GIVES ANOTHER PATIENT A CHANCE FOR LIFE WITH LIFE SUPPORT.EVEN THOSE PEOPLE HAVING A HEART ATTACK.WE SAVE LIVES!YOU DON'T KNOW US PERSONALY.YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DO UNLESS YOU SEE US EVERY DAY.SO DON'T KNOCK US.WE KNOW HOW TO CARE IS OUR SLOGAN AND I FOR ONE BELIVE IN IT!
I don't think BJC is a bad hospital, however I wouldn't think it's a fantastic one either. But then every hospital has it's good and bad situations. BJC is no different.
BJC being the closest hospital to Banks/Jackson I'm glad it's there, but I don't think I would let BJC handle something serious.
I also think many patients don't pay their bills, but then again, with the salaries being paid in the area, would anybody be able to? Especially without insurance.
BJC is just fine, and should stay in business but I am the first to say BJC does not need a new building built at the cost of Banks or Jackson governments. Bailout? I'm not sure I'm in agreement with this either.
As far as driving to Athens, people living in Banks County must drive the 15 miles to Commerce they can certainly drive a little farther and drive to Athens and have much more choice in shopping or mdse. Try living in Homer, one must drive at least 20 miles round trip just to buy anything so Athens just ain't that far.
I know the same things happen at bigger hospital. But no hot water on the wing I was in blew the whisle.
I wish now that I didn't have my surgery there cause I feel like I he wasn't as good as a surgern as he thought he was. He got sued and left without giving a referal and it has been almost 2 years of nothing but headaches for me, another doctor wants to do same surgery again. Was it done right the first time? It has really broke my trust with doctors cause I had so much trust in him. If he was to open office I would go to him but won't say that I would do another surgery again. Once colon is taken out can't put back. I had problems after and told him and never did find out what it was before he closed his office without a notice. That was a slap in my face from BJC staff or doctor whoever made that call. I don't think they should close their doors but if Dr. Ash came back and had another surgern to help him they might could keep it going. Most everybody trusted Dr. Ash but he needed help. And that would of brought BJC out of the red.
How many times to you get bad service other places & you say to your self, "Wow it must have been a really off day for them". But yet you still go back?
My last thing is that if the emplyees you talk to are grumpy it may be because of attitude that is given to them by people who come to BJC Medical & while there are here all they do is complain about the past!
I think the past should die. We all live in this community & if we can't all pull together to help pick it back up we will all be worse off then before.
For the future when you have a bad experience ask to speak with the hospital supervisor. Complain to them who can do something about it & not on the computer on mainstreet news!
One time my husband had cut his head on his job. He went to Winder Barrow hospital, pouring blood from his scalp. He had to stand there and fill out paper work while holding a blood soaked towel on his head. I couldn't believe it! I was furious!! A few months later when I was delivering my child at ARMC, I conveyed this story to a nurse. She sighed and said, "Sorry, but EVERY emergency room is like that. Even here. Unless you come in with an injury or illness that is life threatening, you are going to wait. Only patients who come by ambulance have NO wait time."
I have waited HOURS at St. Mary's with my child running a 105 temperature...so people need to realize that emergency rooms at any hospital are going to have those kind of issues. I have had a few bad experiences at St. Mary's AND ARMC, but I don't think they should close the doors! Lots of people have had bad experiences at the Athen's hospitals. I'm sure there are some very satisfied BJC patients, I being one.
Another thing to consider is that BJC offers valuable services, such as testing, CT scans, x-rays. I have had several friends that had surgery at BJC and were 100% satisfied.
The biggest factor with that is the surgeon. People will follow a good doctor, even to a hospital that seems substandard when compared to the competition. The facility makes a big difference as well, but when more reputable doctors get on board, it gives the public confidence.
Yes...about 14 years ago I had a bad experience at BJC and swore I'd never go back. Certain events happened that basically forced me to go there for an MRI. I was pleased with the service and have used them many other times. It's not my top choice, but it has certainly provided services that are needed in this area.
This community needs a local hospital. Most Hospital Emergency Rooms are always busy, BJC is no exception. Most of the patient do not have emergenciens....BJC is no exception.
If you are 40 minutes from Athens and you don't have an emergency, you will wait several hours to be seen. If you go to Grady hospital and you don't have an emergency you may wait 24 hours to be seen. You will never wait more than an 2 hours to be seen in a small hospital like BJC.
All of the hospitals in North Georgia are having financial problems, that includes Northeast Georgia, Athens Regional and St Mary's Hospital, and Stephens County .
Why ? Its simple: because the patients cannot/won't pay their bills.
People should stop using the emergency rooms for non-urgent problems, and start paying their hospital bills if they want to keep the hospital open. No hospital can survive if the patients don't pay their bill. If the citizens continue to use the emergency room for non-emergent problems and are unable to pay their bills, the hospital cannot pay the doctors and nurses. This means the hospital will be short staffed at all times because they cannot afford to pay the staff.
This economic downturn has absolutely nothing to to with Obama and everything to do with the Federal Reserve and Congress Robbing the American and a previous administration that failed to veto a single spending bill in his first 7 yrs in office, running up the national debt by 5.5 trillion dollars to 11 trillion dollars in 8 short years. Our country is on the verge of financial bankrupt. Small hospitals like BJC Medical center and others that support a community of people who do not pay their bills are going to be hit very hard. Even Lanier Park Hospital in Gainesville had to shut its dooor. Now what?? All of the non bill paying patients that were going to Lanier Park are going to go to North East Georgia and Bankrupt that hospital too. If patients don't pay their bills hospitals cannot survive.
The country is 11.5 trillion dollars in debt. There is no money to bailout anyone. The bailout money is money borrowed from the Federal Reserve with interest. Forget about Bailouts.
If you are having heart attack you can't afford to wait 30 minutes...you'll be dead. You need to go to the closest facility immediately otherwise you'll probably die. BJC and smaller hospitals can stablize your condition and prevent you from dying, then arrange for you to be transferred to another facility like Grady, Northeast Georgia , Athens Regional or St Mary's Hospital. If you are having a life threatening emergency..and most people will, you want to go to the nearest facility, get stablizing treatment and transfered by ambulance or life flight helicopter service to the appropriate facility . Lets face it. If you need stablizing treatment and you have to drive 30=-40 minutes...cancel Christmas.
This is a business partially backed by local governments. If the hospital has been doing so poorly on its bottom line for so long, then why would we as taxpayers continue to throw away good money for such a meager return? For the satisfaction of an extremely few, aging local residents, the financial burden will be placed on the shoulders of the younger generations to pay for this obvious short-term bailout. This is not about keeping around our band-aid facility but gambling with tax dollars.