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Show t k I T MOUFIMN TIME! I VOL 1, No. 9 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17. 1981 New By REGINA COATS Tima Stiff WEST VALLEY CITY Announcement of - a new replacement hospital has been made by Valley West Hospital officials. The new hospital will contain a bed complement of 139 and will cost apsaid Michael proximately $20,441,000, E. Alfred, hospital administrator. structure, the Designed as a five-stonew hospital will contain 132,000 square feet with room for future expansion consistent with West Valley population growth, said Alfred. Construction is estimated to begin in the spring of 1982 and should be completed in early 1984, said Alfred. The concept of a new hospital emanated from the need to upgrade and renovate the current facility because of changes in codes, seismic safety requirements and construction standards as well as the need to provide additional services to the community. After growth trend review and in consideration of the difficulties in space $20-milii- ry SERVING WEST VALLEY CITY, KEARNS AND MAGNA FIFTEEN CENTS replacement hospital to be built in West to a facility designed two decades ago, a determined officials hospital replacement facility would be justified. According to statistics released by hospital officials last week. Valley West expects to service 195,200 area residents by 1985, an increase of almost 50,000 patients over 1980. Hospital records show 4.8 days is the average length of stay for patients with 3,400 5,442 annual admissions, surgeries performed, 15,393 outpatient visits, and 34,000 emergency visits. The new hospital will include the transfer of 20 beds from Salt Lake County Mental Health, said Alfred. This new facility is much needed in our our community and will firm-u- p hospital, position as a said Dr. Wallace L. Chambers, M.D., and chairman of the Valley West Hospital board of trustees. The new hospital will allow us to upgrade our services and provide extensaid Dr. sive care to the patient, David B. Isaac, M.D. and chief of staff at Valley West Hospital. It will allow us to attract additional state-of-the-a- rt to this side of the valley. The aesthetics of the new hospital will look nice and greatly add to our community, he said. Valley West Hospital opened its short-terdoors as a general in acute hospital July of 1963. Over the years it has expanded and currently contains a bed complement of 97, encompassing all of the usual services in a community facility. In January 1979, Valley West Hospital was acquired by Hospital Corporation of America, a Nashville, Tenn. company which owns and operates more than 350 hospitals throughout the nation. c. physicians t , x. i "' 40-be- d, Hospital officials say while service will be enhanced by the new facility, additional cost to the patient will be minimized. They anticipate increased volume associated with the new hospital will limit the need to raise charges substantially. The State Department of Health granted approval for the 139-be- d replacement hospital on Nov. 20. '' ' r! ,.n - - " icrq -- V. rru ' - Y nn .r' J iru 1 riwa " T) ,vs Aa architects conception of the sew Valley West Hospital. Construction on the hospital Is scheduled to begin in the spring of 1982. Completion b planned for early 1984. The new hospital will replace the existing facility and make Academy needs additional funds available 139 beds to the West alley ( alley West Hospital (It) community. photo) Utah's police officers work up to 18 months without training By REGINA COATS Tima Stiff TAYLORSVILLE-T- he policeman who responds to your cry for help next week may have no more training to protect you than you do. And without , training, he may be on the street working as a policeman for up to 18 months. Carl C. Berensen, assistant director of the Sute of Utahs Peace Officer Standards and Training Division, 4525 South 2700 West, said most peace officers are on the jqb kng before they are effectively trainedand educated in the duties of their job. some They get said Berensen. But its not comparable to what we do with them when they come here. Berensen attributes the lack of training to a lack of monies set aside for training police officers. In 1968 the legislature passed a law that all officers be certified through a basic training program within 18 months of hiring, said Berensen. In 1968, 200 hours of training were required, he said. Today it is 400 hours. Although that law establishes a minimum level of training for officers, in practice.it also allows officers to work an average of nine to 16 months And without adequate training. sometimes as many as 18 months. Berensen said police officials are seeking legislation to change that law so officers are trained sooner. Primarily, the problem seems to be a lack of funding. There was a fee assessment bill passed last year that added a fee to citation issued for moving every said violations or criminal actions, Berensen. It was supposed to go for officer training, but instead we only see about 210ths of it. The rest goes into the general fund and is used by the sute for a number of safety projects. Berensen said the fee is assessed by judges when offenders come to court. Utahs sute legislature then disperses funds thus accrued. Theres no reason why the people who cause the problems shouldnt pay for police training," said Berensen. Offenders are told when fined the assessment is for police training. But if they are assessed six dollars, we only get one dollar of that. Its called a police officers assessment fund, but its not. And thats not the only financial concern a policeman has. Berensen, whos been in the law enforcement business for 21 years, says if he had it to do over again he wouldn't. There's a high turnover in police Policemen get work, said Berensen. disillusioned after a few years. They come into it because they want to serve. They hate to leave police work, but can't afford to live on the salaries," said Berensen. But Berensen admits some trainees are not cut out for police work. Some of them have problems with authority. Psychological evaluations are done here. If problems are detected, the police . academy informs the local agency that sent the trainees. , Some people can handle authority, some can't, said Berensen. These men have minutes to make human-right- s derisions. It's difficult to be aware of all the constitutional ramifications of each decision." We have a minority of graduates were not happy with, said Berensen. But suggested the general caliber of police officers will not change until the public offers more funding for salaries. Berensen said Masatch front police wages start at $900 to $1,000 per month. Officers are then attracted to better paying areas once they become certified in low-pa- y areas. The new training center offers a more practical application of skills than e a college program would offer, said Berensen. The training center's facilities a'e impressive. It provides everything from class and dormitory rooms to moot police-scienc- courtrooms and video reproduction where training films can be made or viewed. The training center, open vince September on 4525 South 2700 West, provides 40 hours of a classroom work each week for the 30 students who come for 10 weeks of training in each of eight yearly sessions. We train officers for the whole said Berensen. Those hired sute, today in any part of Ihe stale of Utah will be in the center for training in about nine months, said Berensen. The state pays all training costs while local police agencies pay salaries and travel expenses of officers who come to train, said Berensen. Those officers radius of living outside a 20-t- o the training center are housed in the facilitys dormitories while attending facilities classes. Although trainees have already been hired before they come to the center, PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 4 Georgette finds new home By REGINA COATS Tima Stiff cement exercises this week with officer! completing a 10- - Budget reduction brings protest By REGINA COATS Tima Stiff WEST VALLEY CITY A resolution budget reduction! requiring for 25 West Valley City department! brought an immediate protest from the West Valley police department in Tuesday mornings commission meeting. Russell Sanderson, city auditors ofthe called resolution a fice, precautionary measure that would give cushion against the city a exceeding their annual projected budget. After having carefully reviewed the police department budget, I find it will be very difficult to cut the $125,986 bring requested by the city auditor, said David C. Campbell, chief of police in West Valley City. The only area realistic to look at when contemplating the cost of a budget cut of this magnitude is personnel. he said, adding that the cost for one officer scale is $27,739 annually in at top-pant one-perce- nt y cluding fringe benefits. Campbell said in order to cut the departments budget five percent, there would be a loss of nine police officers. If the commission chooses to reduce the already stringent budget of the West Valley Police Department, they should do so with the dear understanding of the results of their decision upon the levels of protection bring afforded the citizens of West Valley, said Campbell. He said neighborhood patrols have this situation. Campbell said it was unfortunate the decisions on the current mill levy and bare bones operating budget were made on apparently inaccurate information. Mayor Henry Price told Campbell to 1 look at other ways of cutting back. dont think it will have to be personnel, he said. Though commissioner Renee Mac lay reducwas in favor of the tion, she said The same council that already been greatly reduced and will deal with it should enact it. I dont object to the response tunes are now much longer than they should be. reduction," she said. "I do object to "During the month of November, 189 our dealing with it. incidents or calls for service were The resolution was passed with Price backlogged, due to officers not bring and Commissioner Jerald Wagstaff said Campbell. available, voting in favor of it and Mackay voting Ido not fed the best interests of the against it. citizens of West Valley would be served In earlier commission business, by setting bade what has been demon- August Clissmeyer of Deloite, Haskins strated already to be a minimum levei of and Sells presented the citys 1981 audit service in midstream m order to meet PLEASL TURN TO PAGE 2 nt five-perce- nt MAGNA Georgette has the kind of long, slender body most females only dream of. But she need not be envied to maintain that shapely figure she lives on water and mil worms, and that thin body at its healthiest comes in a shade of bright green. Georgette, a Magna praying mantis, has become part of the Jerry Cattcn family at 2769 South 8950 West, since her capture in October. I used to call her George unto she laid two egg sacks, said her sponsor, Heidi RomreQ, 13, a pert little blonde Brockbank Junior High student. And now that Heidis got her name right. Georgette seems quite content to live tied to a small wicker basket that sits in Heidis bedroom. Heidis mother, Sunday Catten, admits she stays her distance from Georgette, ever since Heidi warned her the praying mantis bite is said to be worse than a bee sting. Heidi, one of Jehovahs Witnesses, found Georgette one day while witnessing. She carried her from house to house on a stick, leaving her cm the lawn while witnessing at various homes. 1 caught her with a stick, but 1 was kind of scared to do it, said Heidi, who nonetheless adds with enthusiasm that she likes bugs and insects and is generally unafraid of them. Heidi said her science teacher at Brockbank told her its very unusual for her new pet to have stayed alive in her care for the past two months. I just tied a string around its waist and tied her to the little wicker basket. said Heidi. Georgette can find water in a small clam shell nestled inside the basket, and Heidi supplements her diet of milworms with an occasional grasshopper treat when she can find one. Georgette added a natural flourish to her wicker basket home by decorating n the handle with two egg sacks, in color, and about the size of a half walnut shell. Heidi said as many as 20 to 100 baby praying man rises may emerge one day from each sack. Heidi's mother plan pet-sto- re grey-brow- to relocate the egg sacks on a tree limb in their yard before their due date arrives in early spring. Sometimes she acts like she's groping toward Heidi when shes said Heidi's mother, watering her, pointing out a natural affinity between the two. If I hadn't brought her inside, she would have died from the cold or starved to death by now," said Heidi. And Georgette can almost be seen to give Heidi a squeeze of gratitude as she inches langorously up her arm. 9 4 c Inside Opinion and commentary Entertainment Community nens Church news Obituaries Sports School news ''m S Page Page Page Page Page Page Page 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. |
