MIRABEAU B. LAMAR: Hospitals on a merry-go-round (4.2.08)

Mirabeau B. Lamar

Mirabeau gets dizzy watching the hospital merry-go-round. See if you can follow Mirabeau: Columbus Regional bought Doctor’s Hospital … Doctors from the Hughston Clinic bought Summit Hospital in Phenix City and renamed it Jack Hughston Memorial … The old Hughston Hospital — at the backdoor of the clinic — is up for sale and St. Francis and Columbus Regional want to buy it … The lease for Columbus Clinic, next-door neighbors to Doctor’s Hospital, is running out and St. Francis wants to bring them under their umbrella. A new home is proposed near Hughston Hospital — assuming St. Francis is the highest bidder for that facility … Now your head is spinning like Mirabeau’s.

Synovus has hired an outside consultant to streamline the company and people who know tell Mirabeau this could mean a loss of hundreds of jobs from top to bottom. Stay tuned.

Sgt. John Darr has retired from the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Department and folks tell Mirabeau the former jailer intends to run against his old boss — Sheriff Ralph Johnson.

Mirabeau hasn’t seen it yet, but the new book marking Columbus State University’s 50th anniversary is out. Reagan Grimsley, archivist at CSU’s Schwob Library, is the author.

Mirabeau knows how that female passenger felt when airport security forcedly removed her nipple piercings. It sure hurts when they remove Mirabeau’s.

Mirabeau congratulates Maggie Norman — the first woman voted on to the Country Club of Columbus board of directors. Mirabeau warns her that this still doesn’t mean she gets to eat lunch in the Men’s Grill.

Mirabeau wonders if attorney Steve Hyles will really run against the very eccentric Heywood Turner. Sometimes Hyles says yes. Sometimes he says no. Mirabeau advises Hyles to stay out of range when the Municipal Court judge is behind the wheel of his car.

Mirabeau saw the moving man around Columbus State University’s Lumpkin Center this week. Jay Sparks moved from the office of the women’s basketball coach into the athletic director’s office as Herbert Green vacated the AD’s digs and hauled his belongings into an office created for the athletic department’s new fund-raiser.

Mirabeau was told Skip Henderson won’t run for Columbus Council again. Not so, Henderson told Richard Hyatt. He’ll run again because there is so much left to do.

Sometimes Mirabeau can’t decide between the Comedy Channel and Muscogee County School Board meetings. Watching the board sessions, Mirabeau misses Mary Sue Polleys and her skills with a gavel. Watching current chair James Walker try to maintain order during a meeting is like watching Stevie Wonder try to walk across eight lanes of an interstate highway.