Staff photo by JAY KOELZER
Bridae construction
Construction on the new Kansas River bridge at Vermont Street was continuing on the south side, with workers hard at work on rock at the coffee dam on the south side of the river. Construction beams to be composed are
Legislature resumes study of Med Center programs
Thursday, July 8, 1976
Staff Writer
By MARION ABARI
KANSAS CITY, KAN.-A five-member Kansas Legislative Interim Committee will return to KU Medical Center July 27 and 28 to continue a study of the center's health care programs.
The committee, headed by State Rep. Denny Burgess, R-Wamego, launched the study in a two-day session last Tuesday at the Med Center.
The committee's task is to present to the legislature a comprehensive picture of the Medical Center's patient care, education and research, according to Med Center Relations.
Other committee members are State Sen. Edward Jr.辉 Jr., R-Leavenworth, vice chairman; State Sen. Albert Campbell, D-Larned; State Rep. George Wingert, D-Ottawa; and State Rep. Bill Morris, R-Wichita.
Efforts to obtain more physicians for Kansas, general upkeep of the Med Center and problems between private practice and state institution are covered in the study.
Reilly said, "the task of reviewing all of the procedures and policies of KU Med
center will require much time and effort. We will not be able to solve overnight problems and deficiencies that have developed over long periods of time."
During last week's session the committee met with Chancellor Archie R. Dykes and Executive Vice Chancellor Robert B. Kugel, international, research and patient care facilities.
KANSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
Vol. 86 No.159
Firemen weighing final city offer
BULLETIN
City officials and representatives of the Lawrence fire fighters will meet before noon tomorrow to continue salary negotiations. The officials of the fire fighters association said today.
By DAVE WARD Staff Writer
Representatives of the Lawrence firefighters' association contacted members late yesterday in an effort to determine their sentiment on the city's final salary proposal formulated Tuesday in meetings with city officials.
Alvin Samuels, president of the association, presented the firefighters' proposal calling for a 2.5 per cent pay hike in January 1977 and an additional 2.5 per cent pay increase in January 1978. However, Buford Watson, city manager, said he couldn't agree to it.
In a Tuesday night meeting of the International Fire Fighters Association, local 1596, members voted to reject what the city termed its final offer but returned to the conference table with a counter proposal yesterday afternoon.
"It has so many ramifications to other operations in the city, that I don't feel I can handle it."
He said the city was reluctant to award one group of city employees a pay increase
The two sides had previously agreed to a six per cent cost of living raise.
without offering it to all of them, something the city says it can't afford.
After Watson rejected the firefighters' proposal yesterday, Arnold Berman, attorney for the firefighters, made a last minute compromise. The firemen would drop their demand for the pay hike in 1978, Berman said.
Watson turned down any pay increase beyond six per cent.
"I think we are paying a competitive wage and I wish you would urge the membership to wait until a salary survey study is completed." Watson said.
Berman said, "We've already extended our authority by dropping the proposed 2.5 per cent pay lapse in 1978, in lieu of insurance that we did it in an effort to settle this dispute."
Watson then said "If this additional pay hike (2.5 percent in 1977) is implemented, it will reduce the disparity in pay between firemen and policemen."
Samuels answered, "A 2.5 per cent pay increase in no way mean pay parity with police. The reduction wouldn't be significant."
Watson said that city policy dictated a certain degree of disparity in pay and that the city's consultant had determined the difference between the top pay for
policemen and the top pay for firemen would be five per cent.
Watson endorsed talks by urging the fire fighters to accept the city's offer to pay half the cost of family health and life insurance in place of both 2.5 per cent pay hikes.
"We think the insurance benefits will have a good effect for all city employees. The effect of changing your salary plan would be devastating to city operations. If we change your salary plan, we'll have to change it for lot of other city employees," said Watson.
When asked after yesterday's meeting
whether the firefighters would come back to the table, tables with another proposal, and so on.
"We're not in a position to urge the membership to accept the city's offer. We can't even return with a counter proposal. We've compromised ourselves right out of our jobs (as negotiators for the firemen)," he said.
On other issues, both sides agreed on for regular firefighters who substitute for captains for more than 48 consecutive weeks. The results of a survey study to begin work immediately.
Malpractice coverage required by new law
By MARION ABARE
KANSAS CITY, Kan.—There's a nationwide trend toward physician practicing without malpractice in insurance, but Kansas law are now prohibited by law from doing it.
The Kansas mlapractice package, which became law July 1, compels health care personnel to be insured for a minimum of $300,000, each year.
Arson suspected at Yuk
The state fire marshall's office is investigating a fire that caused an estimated 100,000 damage to the Yukup Center and the Hillicrest Shopping Center yesterday.
George Rogge, chief investigator, said yesterday that results of the investigation may be released by tomorrow. The KBI is analyzing evidence gathered by Rogge. He said he had no idea what results would be.
"The fire is still of a very suspicious nature," Rogge said. "At this point we can't tell what will be determined."
Floyd Dibbern, state fire marshall.
The fire began about 3:15 a.m. in the northeast corner of the building, which houses the two tawns. Firemen brought the fire to the building in an hour and remained until daylight.
said he suspected arson was the cause of the fire.
Dibbern said that an investigation was a normal procedure for such large fires.
Lee Dunn, legal counsel for KU Medical center, said that the Kansas law was an unfortunate misunderstanding.
A similar fire caused about $169,000 damage to the same structure April 23. A gasoline can thrown through a window or ledge caused the blaze. No one was charged.
"It's not just physicians that have to have this minimum $100,000-$300,000, but osteopaths, chiropractors, nurse anesthetists and dentists—all sorts of people who never had any high risk or exposure to malpractice before," Dunn said.
"THE POSSIBILITY of a dentist being sued is so much slimmer than doctors, whose possibility of getting sued is slim anyway," he said.
Most Med Center physicians carry insurance with St. Paul Companies, Kansas City, Mo.
Jeffrey Segall, underwriter for St. Paul Companies, said the Kansas mallepractice firm has written an offer to
"It is quite clear they are accomplices. We have a right and duty by international law to protect our citizens ... We must act with courage or use excessive force, Herzog added.
The Organization of African Unity asked the council to take up the charge that Israel should be recognized as an independent nation.
Israel denies aggression, decries Amin's role
wrong and offer doctors a place to get mal-practice coverage.
"We believe the Ugandan government was part and parcel of this operation," Israeli Ambassador Chaim Herzog said in an interview on the NBC "Today Show."
Segal said, "If a doctor can show three letters of rejection from insurance companies, then the state will provide malpractice coverage."
The state will provide insurance to physicians or other health care providers who are unable to get insurance coverage elsewhere. The 'health care stabilization fund' created by the state will insure. A surcharge, paid by each person insured, will establish this fund. Seall said.
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (AP)—Israel prepared yesterday to defend before the Security Council its military rescue operation in Uganda and to provide what it said was evidence of Ugandan President Idi Amin's cooperation with the hikers.
Israeli defense officials earlier said Israel had evidence that the Ugandaan leader
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman in Israel said Israel would present proof of the attack.
have known about the hijack plot in advance.
SEGALL SAID the insurance companies would handle all paperwork entailed in the collecting of the surcharge but receive no fees.
though some Africans had misgivings about defending Amin. Many U.N. diplomats privately expressed the feeling that Amin阻击了 U.N. forces in the hijackers during the week in Uganda.
The three Israeli planes stopped in Nairobi, Kenya, on the way home from Uganda, and there have been various incidents where two planes stepped on route to the raid.
Several of the hostages freed by the
THE 15-MEMBER Security Council originally scheduled a meeting for today, but it was announced later the debate would be set back to tomorow afternoon because Ugandan Foreign Minister Juan Orts could no longer attend. The diplomats indicated they intended to expand the debate into a full-dress assault on hijacking and terrorism.
U. N. diplomats generally agree with Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim's assertion that the Israeli raid was "a serious violation of the sovereignty of a member state." But they voice admiration for the skill and daring of the Israelis.
Dunn said he thought that Kansas main-practice legislation could be unconstitutional.
The ordeal began with the hijack of an Air France airbus over Greece on June 27. A total of 149 persons were released over the next few days, and Israel freed more than 100 others—mostly Israelis or other Jews in its lightning airport raid. Three hostages, one Israeli soldier, seven hijackers and 20 Ugandan soldiers died.
Israeli command raided on Uganda's Embel airport Sanday said upon Ugandan soldiers had fully cooperated with the Palestinian and German hijackers. An Israeli government said he had his government was preparing testimony from the hostages and other sources.
AMIN HAS loudly criticized both Israel and neighboring Kenya for the raid. He said Israel violated his country's sovereignty by sending a drone to the moment of collaboration with the Israeli raiders.
The state has the right to set qualifications to practice such as graduating from an accredited medical school, he said, but doesn't have the right to require a person to spend money on insurance in order to practice medicine.
An Idaho statute, similar to Kansas', that required every health care provider in the state to buy insurance in order to practice, was recently found unconstitutional, Dunn said. Similar legislation is under attack in Ohio, he said, but hasn't been ruled on yet.
Dunn said mparactice legislation in Kansas would benefit two groups in the state, the plaintiff's attorney and the insurance companies. Those who claim the legislation will come to physician's defense don't know what they're talking about, he said.
BEVERLY ZADOROZNY, a physician therapist at the Med Center, said she hadn't been insured previously, although some of her clients had received through their professional association.
Zadoromya said she had never felt the need of insurance before and wondered how patients would react if they knew she was insured.
Dunn said the mere presence of insurance wouldn't encourage more lawsuits. Patients file lawsuits if they feel they've been injured and not because someone carries insurance,
A Johnson County physician, who asked that he not be named, said he had no insurance.
See MALPRACTICE page 3
Local Vietnamese adjust easily to new way of life
By CHARLOTTE KIRK
Lawrence's two Vietnamese refugee families apparently have made the transition to American life well, and will now welcome a third refugee city to the city.
The Ngoc The Nguyen and Chiu Duc Vinh families, who came to Lawrence last summer after the South Vietnamese evacuation, are expected to be joined soon. Mr. Nguyen said he was waiting in Bangkok, Thailand, to fly to the U.S., Bobby Patton, member of the
"I've had to start all over; I've tried my best to prosper."
Lawrence Refugee Committee, said yesterday.
NGOC THO Nguyen, his wife Nghia, and their four children came to Lawrence July 14 of last year. They lived with the Harold Siegert family for two weeks until they moved into an apartment at 1600 Haskell Drive.
The Nguyen and Vinh families said although they had adjusted to American life, they were still very unhappy.
"Not much is different in my country so we have only had to adjust to the language," we have said.
Ngyen and his wife said they gained proficiency in reading and writing English as a result of jobs they held in Saigon. Ngyen was an associate professor of history at the University of Saigon. Nghia translated documents for the U.S. Defense Attach-
as a housekeeper, speaks English quite fluently. She said her husband, who works in KU's medicinal chemistry lab, was shy about speaking English.
"ENGLISH IS not so hard to read, but it is very difficult to pronounce," she said. "Mrs. Siegler has worked with us to learn English since we came here."
Nguyen said sometimes he heard words wrong and accused about making an in-terruption complaint.
Nghia, who works in KU residence halls
Although the language has posed a large barrier, Nghia said some things were very familiar. Nghia wears floured blouses, and Nghia tennis shoes at work, much like a coogler.
"The FOOD is different, but we still eat Vietnamese food when we get the chance," Nghia said. "You see, Vietnamese food takes much long; to prepare and since I am working, I usually just have time to fix American food, which is a lot faster."
"We wore the same clothes in Saigon. Our money matters are the same here also. We planned how we would spend our money every month like we do," she said.
The four Nguyen children, 7, 10, 12 and 13 years old, have completed one year at Lawrence schools. They did so well this year. Children allowed to skip a grade, this fall, she said.
"The children used to learn French in Saigon schools, but they adjusted to conversational English faster than my husband and I did," she said.
"I'm GLAD that God has helped us and I think everything is okay now," Nghi said. She said they hoped to become naturalized in Italy, by a few years.
She said her children really liked American food.
She said they hoped to become naturalized U.S. citizens in a few years.
CHIEU DUC Vinh, his wife, Nghia, and their six children came to Lawrence from Saigon a week after the Nguyens. They were hosted by John Boulton, assistant professor of wind and percussion, until they moved into a house at 733 Missouri.
Although the Lutheran Church supported them when they first came to Lawrence,
they are self-supporting now and have purchased a station wagon. They also hope to move out of their apartment and into a house.
The other Vietnamese refugee family has not done quite as well with English as the other refugees.
Vinh and his children speak English fluently, but his wife speaks no English.
"I'm glad God's helped us... I think everything's okay."
The English training class my wife was
in was discontinued and we haven't been able to find a place for her to learn," he
Financially, the Vinhs said, they have done well. They have been self-supporting since April, when Vinh got a job at the Cooperative Farm Chemicals Association. Until that time they were supported by private donations.
"WHEN I lived in Saigon I had many possessions, but when I came over here, I came empty-handed," Vinh said. "I have tried to do as best I can, and I have tried my best to noserrow."
Because this is the first anniversary of the families ' arrival in Lawrence, the Lutheran Churches plan to sponsor a reunion and picnic.
Staff photo by JAY KOELZER
Having been in the United States for a year, Nighi Nguyen, who works in the cafeteria in Ellsworth Hall, says she is glad that her family left Saigon April 29, 1975.