Hospital officials tour new patient tower

March 2, 2005

By TASHA STEIMER
Index-Journal staff writer

Hospital and construction administrators saw the progress of work on the new patient tower at Self Regional Medical Center Tuesday during a tour of the facility.
The tower will house all existing patient rooms located throughout the present facility, with 232 rooms on seven floors and kitchen and central sterile processing facilities in the basement.
Although the tower is not scheduled to begin accepting patients until February 2006, John Nance, senior project manager for Skanska USA Building Inc., said central sterile processing in the basement of the facility is well on its way.
“It will be the only part of the project that will be handed over to the owners before the rest of the tower in February 2006,” he said.
Central sterile processing handles the cleaning and sterilizing of medical tools and instruments, as well as other equipment used at the hospital.
Nance said construction on the tower is on schedule and under budget.
The first floor of the tower will be connected to the main building of the hospital and includes rooms for outpatient recovery.
The second and third floors will have split nursing stations so two departments can share rooms. Rooms for pediatrics and the Women’s Center will be located on the second floor, and rooms on the third floor will be divided between orthopedic and vascular patients. Surgical patients will have rooms on the fourth floor, and telemetry units will be located on the seventh and eighth floors. The fifth and sixth floors will be reserved for other patients.
Jay Kirby, vice president of support services administration for Self Regional Healthcare, said the original plans for the tower left the eighth floor open as extra space but the board of trustees decided to add more patient rooms.
“As the demand for services picked up, the board thought it was necessary to meet that demand,” he said. “We can put those beds to use, and now is the time to go ahead and do that while construction is under way.”
Dan Branyon, spokesman for Self Regional Healthcare, said patient volume at the facility has increase by 47 percent over the past five years.
Even though the patient tower will replace the existing rooms, Kirby said nothing will be done to the current rooms for at least three to five years after the tower is completed.
“We’ll study the demand and forecast to look at utilization and trends to see how that space can best be used,” he said. “Self has grown from a local to a regional hospital, and we’ll continue to review the original building plan to see if it still will apply with our new role.”
Harold O’Dell, construction manager for Self Regional Healthcare, said the new patients rooms will be 50 percent larger than the current rooms and all will include a handicapped-accessible bathroom, armoire, futon and television.
“All the equipment nurses or doctors will need is located right inside the door before they go into the patient area,” he said. “There will be scrubs, gloves, booties, anything else they need. There will eventually be a computer in every room so doctors or nurses will be able to do patient charting there,” he said.
Kirby said all the rooms have been wired for computer use, but it has yet to be decided if a system will be installed, be portable or have a wireless connection.
Trustee Len Bornemann, executive director of the Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce, who also took a tour of the tower Tuesday, said he was excited to see the progress on the project.
“They’ve made incredibly good progress,” he said. “I’m glad to see that the (design of the rooms) include input from all employees – the nurses, physicians, the people who maintain the rooms. The plan for the new facility will be good for everyone in the community.”

Catherine Doolittle

NINETY SIX – Catherine Pardue Doolittle, 77, of 120 Pender Row Circle, Ninety Six, died Monday, February 28, 2005.
Born in Hartsville, she was a daughter of the late Haskell and Bessie Benson Pardue. She was a member of Ninety Six Pentecostal Holiness Church.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Mrs. Grady (Thelma) Rodgers.
Surviving are two sons, Danny Doolittle and his wife, Debra, of Myrtle Beach and Eddie Doolittle of Stewart, TN; two daughters, Ann Williams and her husband, Jimmy, of Ninety Six and Cathy Arnold and her husband, John, of Fountain Inn; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Barbara and Ralph Bixby of Atlanta, GA and Faye and Jim Cromer of Leesville; a brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Betty Pardue of Elgin; five grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Ben Edwards officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Jim Cromer, Ralph Bixby, Ray Kidd, James S. “Shannon” Williams, James “Bo” Rodgers and Roy Horne.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial and Honor Program, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1942.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Hal Goodwin

Harold J. “Hal” Goodwin, 57, of 318 Damascus Church Road, husband of Teresa Goree Goodwin, died Tuesday, March 1, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home.

Billy James

Billy Louis James, 59, of 110 Biltmore St., died Tuesday, March 1, 2005 at his home.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home.

Dorothy K. Smith

INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, FL – Dorothy K. Smith, 78, of Indian Harbour Beach, died Saturday, February 26, 2005.
Born in Greenwood, S.C., she had lived in Brevard County for the last 6 years.
Dorothy is survived by her two daughters, Geraldine Pruitt and Jean Thornton; brother, Arthur Lee Keenan; five grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald F. Smith; parents, Clyde W. and Irene Keenan, and her sister, Hazel Coursey.
Services will be held in Greenwood, S.C. at a later date.
Please sign the guest register at www.beachfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Genevieve Watkins

CLINTON – Genevieve Story Watkins, 87, resident of The Presbyterian Home, died March 1, 2005 at The Presbyterian Home.
Born in Anderson, SC, May 29, 1917, she was a daughter of the late William Paul, Sr. and Genevieve Hunter Watkins. She was a graduate of Lander University in Greenwood and received her Master’s Degree in Sociology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.
Her field of education indicated her concern for people, the guidance of youth and their spiritual growth.Her career challenges included Girl Scout executive, director of YWCA in Charlotte, NC and she retired as director of Social Services at the Greenwood Methodist Home. After retiring, she volunteered her services to community, church and civic organizations. She was a lifetime member of the First Presbyterian Church in Greenwood where she served as deacon.
Since 1992 she had resided at Frampton Hall and the Presbyterian Home in Clinton. Her life and her deeds brought a feeling of security to many, and were certainly a blessing to her family. Surviving are a brother, William Paul Watkins, Jr. of Highlands, NC; two nieces, three nephews and a great-niece.
Graveside services will be conducted at 11 AM Thursday in Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Rev. Robert H. Brozina and the Rev. David Mayo officiating.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home where the family will receive friends from 9:30 to 10:30 Thursday morning.
For additional information, please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
BLYTH FUNERAL HOME IS ASSISTING THE WATKINS FAMILY.
PAID OBITUARY

Eagles remain warm by beating Vikings, 2-0

March 2, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Many of the Greenwood High School boys soccer players may have walked off their home field Tuesday night feeling frostbitten.
With the temperature hovering around 35 degrees at kickoff, the Eagles were kept warm thanks to a 2-0 victory over crosstown rival Emerald in the season opener for both teams.
“It’s good to come away with a win on a day like this,” senior midfielder Tyler Davis said.
“The wind played a big factor. It (the cold) made it tough to run, especially in the beginning until you warmed up.”
Davis provided the Eagles’ insurance goal 10 minutes into the second half on a penalty kick.
The senior also helped set up the team’s first goal when his corner kick ricocheted back to teammate Adam Standley, who drilled a 15-yard shot into the lower left corner of the goal.
“If you can come in and get a win against your crosstown rivals, especially in these conditions, it starts the season off on the right foot,” Greenwood coach Jamie McClendon said.
“Our offensive pressure was almost like our best defense. Running at them, creating chances and getting them disorganized in the back were the biggest things tonight.”
The Eagles’ pressure offense made it a busy night for Emerald keeper Josh Dean, who was in goal in place of injured all-state goalkeeper C.K. Kirkland.
Dean finished with 11 saves, while Greenwood counterpart Ben Shirley ended the night with three.
In the 30th minute, Davis played it in the right corner of the Emerald defensive zone for the Eagles’ fourth corner kick of the match.
Davis sent the pass to the far side of the field, where a Vikings defender tried to clear it back with a header. However, the ball wound up at Standley’s foot, setting up the game’s first goal.
“That really got things going for us,” Davis said of the go-ahead goal.
The Eagles were looking for insurance seven minutes into the second half. Junior midfielder Julian Nexsen set a long pass to Standley, who cut around an Emerald defender for a shot at the top of the penalty box. But Dean made the save to keep the Vikings within a goal.
“Josh has done exceptional well for us. This is exactly what he’s needed,” Emerald coach Brad Nickles said. “We are real positive about what we saw, considering what we had missing out there.”
Greenwood got the security it needed with 30 minutes remaining. Davis gained possession at midfield and sent a pass down the left sideline for Alex Bollinger. The Greenwood striker cut inside before being taken down by a Vikings defender inside the penalty box, setting up a penalty kick.
Davis’ PK to the right side of Dean made it a two-goal lead for the Eagles.
“Having a 2-0 lead with 10 minutes to go is big,” said McClendon, who is in his first season as the Eagles coach after heading up the Greenwood girls program last season. “You still don’t want to give up a goal, but if you do then you still have the lead. It’s just a matter of safety.”

Pair of Sears carry EHS girls to victory

March 2, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Special to The Index-Journal

It was a tale of two Sears for the Emerald High School girls soccer team.
Kasie Sears scored the game’s lone goal for the Lady Vikings, while Kayla Sears played stifling second-half defense as Emerald downed crosstown rival Greenwood, 1-0, Tuesday night.
Despite frigid temperatures, the two teams staged a contest that went right down to the wire.
“I wouldn’t say that the weather was a factor as much physically as it was mentally,” Emerald coach Paul Dodd said. “You could see in some of the girls’ body language on both teams that the weather was having an effect.”
The Lady Vikings were the aggressor offensively for most of the first half. Kasie Sears pounded five shots on goal throughout the half, but was denied by Greenwood goalkeeper Shannon Lomnick on each attempt.
Midway through the first half the Lady Eagles had perhaps their best opportunity of the night to score. Greenwood’s Robin Smith booted the ball over top of the Emerald defense towards the left corner of the Lady Vikings’ goal. However, Emerald goalkeeper Rachel Baggett made a twisting, diving save, preventing Smith’s attempt.
The two teams were knotted at 0-0 at halftime.
Two minutes into the second half the Lady Vikings found the back of the net. Erika Bishop fired a pass to a streaking Kasie Sears in the middle of the field. A couple of dribbles later, Sears rocketed what would be the game winning goal past Lomnick, putting the Lady Vikings up 1-0.
Emerald was able to stave off Greenwood for the remainder of the contest, due in large part to an aggressive defensive attack. Kayla Sears denied the Lady Eagles time and time again at the point of attack.
“We’re looking for lots of penetration and lots of pace from them,” Dodd said of the Sears’. “We knew it would be tough. Greenwood gave us exactly what I expected,” stated Dodd.
Emerald (1-0) will play Crestwood on Saturday at the Airport Tournament. Greenwood (0-1) will play host to Greenwood Christian next Tuesday.

Thurmond’s service was exactly what people saw

March 2, 2005

In recently released FBI files on the late Senator Strom Thurmond, it’s clear that he was what most South Carolinians perceived him to be: straightforward and one who raised constituent service to an art form. It also showed him to be strongly opposed to communism.
Commenting on Thurmond’s help for “his people back home,” Walter Edgar, who is head of the Southern Studies program at the University of South Carolina, said, “This was Thurmond’s way of crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘I.’ It’s real old-fashioned.”
Neal Thigpen, political science professor at Francis Marion University, said about Thurmond, “What you saw was what you got.”

THAT WAS THURMOND, without a doubt. Some may think that is contrary to the reality surrounding the revelation about his mixed-race daughter. That, however, did not alter in any way his attitude toward working for the people of South Carolina. In that respect, you got exactly what you saw.
It’s safe to say that no other elected official ever did more for the people of the Palmetto State than Thurmond. Others, of course, did much for this state while serving in Congress.
Greenwood’s Bryan Dorn, for example, was a champion of veterans affairs and medical care for them. Charleston’s Mendel Rivers brought so much military money into the state it became legend.
None, however, could top Thurmond. He promised and he delivered. That’s what made him the longest serving senator of all time. The people – all the people – knew it.