30 years ago

MARQUETTE — Pediatricians with Marquette General Hospital expressed relief after meeting with hospital administration Thursday about the proposed “relocation” of twochildren’s treatment units. But the meeting still drew fire from MGH critics. “It was the first time all the physicians and all the hospital administrators have been able to meet on this and discuss it this thoroughly,” pediatrician Michael G. Nidiffer said. Nidiffer said doctors were surprised recently by the relocation proposal. Although it had been discussed for several years, it had only taken on an active status when it was brought up by the administration at a pediatrics section meeting two weeks ago. The hospital administration also neglected the union’s input in the process, said MGH Registered Nurse Marge Pokorski, staff council chairperson for the Michigan Nurses Association. The union returned to work Sept. 23 after a two-month strike over staffing and other issues. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss what administrators are calling “right-sizing,” or adjusting hospital staff and service levels to meet patient counts. Christiansen said doctors are concerned about a proposal to move the pediatrics unit to an adult unit. Moving pediatrics would divide nursing care between adults and children, he said. Assistant Administrator Sharon Shaffer said such “right-sizing” is not downsizing, because it involved no layoffs, but rather adjusts personnel levels through attrition.

60 years ago

MARQUETTE– Five-year-old Steven Cable will present a piano recital Friday at 7 p.m. in the lower auditorium of Bethel Baptist Church. The young pianist began his music studies early this year in the Music Readiness course of Memo Beyers, and has continued with private lessons for about six months. Steven will play three groups of pieces. The opening selections will be seven selections from On My Way by David Carr Glover. Next, he will sing and play music with a story. The reader will be Mark Bur. The concluding selections will be from contemporary composers Kabalevsky, Bartok, Kraehenbuehl and Burnam. The program will be followed by a social hour. Interested persons are invited to attend the recital. Last Sunday the program was given for the present members of the Music Readiness course and their parents in the home of Mrs. Beyers.