Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 27 May 1995 — Page 1
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INDIANA’S GREATEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
100th YEAR
- pa lURjwfi Or. Arthur Johnson .'i.. Dr. Johnson wiHbemlssod Dr. Arthur Johnson died May 20. He was the pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church for 39 years. For many decades, Johnson was influential in the church and community. He was born in Inverness, Miss., March 15, 1925. (See obituary inside Section D.)
as‘The ’Collette on air name, s WTLC*FM “Night Jazz” program from 11984. - nightly program was the first in Indianapolis radio tosbowcase top jazz and jazz fusion artists. ForOostofher
years, her radio program was No. 1 among all Indianapolis radio stations. . . r 7 .-•r- jt£ g&r&i a. :< ■
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■ NUMBER 21 ■ SATURDAY, MAY 27,1995 ■ PHONE 317/924-5143 ■ 500 Crawford has Blacks’ back in merger talk
By STEPHEN B. JOHNSON Staff Writer As plans get underway for a possible merger between the Indiana University Medical Center and Methodist Hospital, an eightmember panel met for the first time with a consultant team to voice concerns and draw up a game plan to meet the deadline for approval. If the merger is approved, it is scheduled go into effect Oct. 1. The eight-member group will review the proposed collaboration agreement to determine what is best for Hoosier taxpayers, health Memorial Day salute Blacks died for two kinds of freedom By STEVE THOMAS Staff Writer Indianapolis named a school after a Black early casualty of the Revolutionary War, Crispus Attucks. The previous chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest ranking military officer, was Black, U.S. Army Gen. Colin Powell. From Attucks to Powell, and flowing through the corridors of history in the making, Blacks have served in American conflicts. They toiled in battle fora nation stewing in the blatant racism of the past and in the subtle, systemic barriers to progress of the present. But when millionsof Americans watch or read mainstream media accounts of those battles, with the possible exception of those regarding Powell’s role during Operation Desert Storm, Black soldiers, sailors, air personnel and Marines have been remembered more for being Black service members than for proudly and deftly serving their country. Motion pictures like “The Walking Dead,” recently have reminded the nation that African See BLACKS Page A4
care consumers, the health care industry, Indiana University Hospitals, the effect on indigent care and the effect on medical education. “The independent panel has been formed to make an independent recommendation to the governor based on the information assembled,” said Attorney General Pamela Carter. “The role of the panel and the consultants will be to recommend the best amenities to the governor. Part of our recommendation will be and including information received from the consultants.” Consultants felt it was impor-
tant to look at the merger from both sides of the picture in terms of making a just decision. “It is important to understand in terms of IU and to a great extent Methodist in terms of rivalry,” said Larry Lewin, a representative of the Lewin-VHI consultant team. “There may be reasons why a merger like this one does not make sense but, at the same time, it is important to understand why mergers like this one are being pursued and what they will be able to accomplish.” In order for the merger to be successful, two factors must come into play. There must be access to
significant amounts of capital to invest in people and in the infrastructure. There also is a need for flexibility to enter into an agreement on the basis of interest within the hospital, according to the consultants. The decisions made in regard to the merge.r will have an effect on academic medical centers locally and nationally. “Indiana University Medical Center is the second largest medical center in the nation,” said Carter. “The decisions that are made here in Indiana will have a (ripple) effect not only in the state but nationwide because it is so
vast.” A major concern one member of the panel had, which the consultants would have to evaluate, was the future of Wishard Hospital as well as that of Riley Children’s Hospital and of indigent care for the patients currently being served, in the event of a merger. Several panel members were not in favor of a merger if it would be detrimental to the existence of other hospitals within the city. “First and foremost you have to look at the impact a consolidation will have on the delivery of health care to the largest concentration of See TALK Page A4
Indiana royalty
Meet four 1995 500 princesses; from the left, Keunna Moran, Artelia Poindexter, Angela DeCarla Hudson and Anlka Hutchinson. (Recorder Photo by Wilbert Fulford)
Branches reform system serving neglected youth
SHONDA McCLAIN Staff Writer Mayor Stephen Goldsmith has joined Juvenile Court Judge James Payne on the jurist’s crusade to restructure the children’s services system in Marion County. Payne explained that the Marion County Juvenile Justice Division will issue a request for proposal for a unique intake and assessment center for abused and neglected children who currently come through a disjointed system that does not effectively meet children’s needs. “The judge issued a request for a centralized intake center for children who are in trouble, not delinquents,” emphasized Goldsmith. “This is an effort to more quickly assess and address the needs of those children who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in a
fragmented and failing system. It also supports the effort to move the current back-end placement of children to front-end prevention and family preservation.” The RFP identifies the need for a single point of entry evaluation of nondelinquent children so that appropriate recommendations regarding initial placement can be made. This would include alternative placement options, including home settings and more secure emergency shelter care. “It is important that our identification of assessment and treatment needs for abused and neglected children have a single point of entry,” said Payne. “This assures consistency in our efforts to achieve safe and appropriate outcomes for these children.” Goldsmith believes making Sm YOUTH Page AS
Ait Fair Area youth have a baH, and learn, at the Broad Ripple Art Fair. (Recorder Photo by Willie Wright)
500 not for everybody By ANNETTE L. ANDERSON Staff Writer It is almost that time, again. Not “Miller Time,” to which many Pacers fans refer. But time for the 79th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Although there are thousands and thousands of race fans eager to hear the roar of the engines and watch the drivers compete at astonishing speeds, there are those in the Black community who wish it would just go away. “That race is not for Black people,” said Tiska Reed. “We don’t benefit at all. The hotels and motels charge outrageous rates. Those are white hotels and motels. The fine dining restaurants get all the patrons. Of course, they are Sm 500 Pag* AS