CMYK T
h u r s d a y
, J
T H E
u n e
24, 2010 | V
o l
. 98, N
o
. 70
D A I L Y
MISSISSIPPIAN The Student Newspaper
of
The University
of
M i ss i ss i p p i | S e r v i n g O l e M i ss
and
Oxford
since
1911 |
www.thedmonline.com
UMMC EXPANSION COMES UNDER SCRUTINY BY JASON DARBY
this week B A R N A R D O B S E R VAT O R Y
GAMMILL GALLERY EXHIBITION ‘Spirit of New Orleans,’ photographs by Bruce Keyes from the book by the same name, presents a three-decade odyssey through the streets of the Big Easy. Museum open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Daily Mississippian
State hospitals are looking to health officials in order to resolve a year-long dispute over what they feel is a lack of regulations placed on the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson. The medical center must receive state approval prior to engaging in any construction projects or purchasing any expensive, high-tech equipment. The approval must be based on a regional need demonstrated by the medical center. This decision comes after an opinion was released two weeks ago by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood’s office. However, the Health Department may grant UMMC permission to purchase equipment or carry out construction projects on a case-bycase basis. The requests may be approved even if UMMC cannot provide a regional need for the equipment. This contradicts a standing state law requiring that regional need be displayed prior to constructing additional facilities or purchasing state-of-the-art equipment. The aim of this law is to prevent costs to the state government for the unnecessary duplication of resources. The issue came to the forefront of the Health Department’s agenda last year when UMMC requested radiation equipment used to treat cancer patients. Area hospitals opposed this acquisition, stating that UMMC could not provide a regional need for the equipment. Attorneys for several state hospitals, especially those in the Jackson area, argue that exempting the medical center from the law provides an unfair advantage in the state’s medical field. In a statement, Tom Kirkland, attorney for Health Management Associates, which includes several medical centers in the Jackson area, relayed the concerns of area hospitals. “If UMMC were allowed to do that, it could saturate the market and prevent us from being able to expand or offer services,” Kirkland said. However, Dr. James Keeton, UMMC ViceChancellor for Health Affairs, said he does not view the acquisition of high-tech equipment as
Free, open to the public
FORD CENTER
THE KING AND I In this rich Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, English widow Anna Leonowens comes to Siam in the 1860s to tutor the many wives and children of the country’s king. She soon discovers that she and the king live in two different worlds headed for a collision. Part of the 2010 Oxford Shakespeare Festival’s A Royal Season. $14-$18, starts at noon. UMMC.EDU
providing the center with a competitive edge, but rather as a successful training tool for its students. “As the state’s only academic health sciences center, the University of Mississippi Medical Center is obligated, and is required by its accrediting bodies, to train future physicians, nurses, dentists, and allied health professionals in modern facilities using state-of-the-art technology,” Keeton said. This is not the first time that UMMC has been reviewed by the state attorney general’s office in regards to certificate-of-need requirements, or CON laws. In 2000, then Attorney General Mike Moore determined UMMC to be exempt of the CON laws. Attorney General Hood’s office revisited this decision after attorneys opposed to the decision met with Hood in March. In the new decision Hood states that the UMMC is not exempt and must comply with CON laws. However, it still leaves the final decision in the hands of the state Health Department. After acknowledging that there is no express exemption from the CON laws, Hood said,
“However, it is the opinion of this office that the Department of Health has the statutory discretion to make determinations of reviewability and/ or provide in the State Health Plan that services or activities provided by the UMCC, including UMCC’s request for this particular equipment, are exempt from certain provisions of the CON laws, when the request is necessary or desirable for UMCC’s teaching or research mission.” When asked for further comment or a statement on the decision, Jan Schaefer, Hood’s Public Information Officer, said that the policy of their office was that the opinions speak for themselves, and declined further comment on the issue. “Our health-care professionals serve the state’s population and work in its medical establishments by providing modern settings, highquality equipment and top-notch instruction; UMMC can give its students the best training possible,” Keeton said. “Those factors help our graduates give patients better care and be competitive in the job market. As well, they are integral to our mission and to the continued health improvement of all Mississippians.”
inside OPINION
THE WORLD ‘CUP’
LIFESTYLES
BACHELOR OF THE WEEK #2
POWER OUTAGE St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church gets HITS OLE MISS “green light” to begin expansion CAMPUS TUESDAY BY ELLEN TICHNELL
BY LANCE INGRAM News Editor
Students and faculty found themselves working in the dark Tuesday morning. The entire University of Mississippi Oxford campus lost electricity due to the outage. The outage occurred as a result of a cooling failure on one of the transformer fans at the Rebel substation, said Russ Buchholz, interim associate director at the Physical Plant. Crews were on the job immediately to correct the problem and were able to restore service to the transformer quickly, Buchholz said. Buchholz said the power was out for approximately 45 minutes.
The Daily Mississippian
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church has received the go-ahead to construct a new education building. The Office Education Complex is designed to be two stories and 10,000 square feet. The lower level will provide classrooms for Sunday school classes for all ages, and the upper level will hold offices as well as multipurpose rooms that can be used for meetings. The church was glad to receive the building approval from the Oxford Planning Commission so members will have new space to work and grow as a church as well as gain a building that matches the sanctuary and welcomes the surrounding neighborhood, Rick Addy, president of the church’s building commission, said.
SPORTS
PART 3: WITHOUT TERRICO WHITE LANCE INGRAM | The Daily Mississippian
Addy said they hope to begin construction in late fall. The completion of this project will provide additional space to be used by the church as they seek to teach others about Catholicism and reach out to the community. In September 2009, Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church announced on their website that they were officially debt-free after completing the construction of their new sanctuary. Upon achieving this goal, they
also announced building plans for their Office Education Complex were being finalized for them to begin the process of presenting them to the OPC for approval. The building has been designed by Ronald Garner of Ronald Garner Architects, who attended the OPC’s meeting held first on February 10, 2010. The church is accepting donations to aid in the costs of constructions. To contribute to this fund, visit stjohnoxford.org.