Governor Expected to Review CMMC Hospital Board Make-Up

              THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1972
In Near Future-
Governor Expected to Review
CMMC Hospital Board Make-Up
By MERRILEE LEATHER.
MAN
Journal Staff Writer
An announcement concern-i
n g Confederate Memorial
Medical C e n t e r ' s hospital
board is expected to be made
in the near f u t u r e , The
Journal learned today.
According to a spokesman
in the governor's office, the
governor will begin a review
of the present CMMC hospital
board next week to determine
whether or not he will make
any changes or member re-placements.
HOWEVER, THE s o u r c e
said, any possible new ap-pointments
that may be made
should be considered "tempo-rary"
since there will no
longer be any CMMC board as
of Jan. 1, 1973 when the new
superboard of health goes into
effect.
Besides the superboard of
health, there will be a state-wide
advisory board to the
superboard, but no advisory
boards from individual hospi-tals
such as CMMC or Charity
Hospital in New Orleans.
The spokesman emphasized
that any possible new appoint-ments
made to the CMMC
board should not in any way
mean or imply that any of
these new appointees will be
named to either the super-board
or to te statewide ad-hvisory
board.
Shreveport attorney Robert
Pugh, when contacted about
any near announcements, said
any names of possible ap-pointments
to the CMMC
board would have to come
through the governor's office,
but said any appointments
would strictly be temporary
with a "mop up" job. Since
the CMMC board would be
abolished on Jan. 1.
A NEW ORLEANS televi-sion
station and the Associat-ed
Press reported Wednesday
that Dr. Charles Mary, cur-rently
d i r e c t o r of Charity
Hospital in New Orleans, will
be named head of the new
superboard of health today.
The report also said that
Dr. Ramson Vidrine, head of
the State D e p a r t m e n t of
Health — one of the agencies
to be consolidated — will be
appointed Mary's assistant.
Gov. Edwin Edwards ac-knowledged
several weeks ago
at a news conference that
Marv was among the top
candidates for the superboard
post and Baton Rouge source
state that rumors to this
effect "have been in the air
for some time."
HOWEVER. A check with
the governor's o f f i c e this
morning r e v e a l e d that no
announcement concerning su-per-
board nosts were exnected
to be made todav. The gover-nors'
office also said as of
now no commission has been
ordered.
A spokesman in the gover-nor's
office said there is no
need for any board until Jan.
1, but that dr. Mary nossiblv
could be appointed prior to
that date in order to prepare
himself for the job.
A c c o r d i n g to state law,
state commissions are made
by the governor and then filed
with the secretary of state.
After these two steps, the
commissions then are given
to the individuals.
UNTIL THIS final step is
taken, said the Baton Rouge
source, any announcements or
appointments to either the
superboard or to the state
a d v i s o r y board should be
considered either "tentative"
or "speculative."
The superboard of health,
which was created by the last
s e s s i o n of the legislature,
consolidates 59 former state
agencies and boards into one.