City Council hears from hospital, city retirees

By: Denice Thibodeau | GoDanRiver
Published: August 17, 2010

Improvements at Danville Regional Medical Center as well as a cost of living adjustment for retirees were front and center when Danville City Council held its regular meeting Tuesday night.

Eric Deaton, CEO of DRMC, addressed City Council, giving an update on efforts to improve the hospital.

Deaton said more physicians are coming to Danville, emergency room wait time has been improved — and will continue to improve — and efforts have been made to improve communication between hospital management, staff and patients.

Council chambers were also filled with city retirees, who are asking the city to give them an automatic cost of living adjustment every year, which will put them on a more even footing with the amount of increases seen over the last 10 years by people covered in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS).

James Turpin spoke for the group, noting inflation is rising faster than benefits. Since 2000, Turpin said, Danville city retirees have fallen almost $8,000 behind what VRS beneficiaries have received overall.

City Council members agreed to begin looking into the issue at its Sept. 7 work session.

In other matters

-- Danville City Council approved Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services’ performance contract. The city’s 2011 budget includes $170,940 for DPCS. The agency works with community service boards, the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services and the DMHMRSAS Central Office to provide services to people with intellectual disabilities in Danville and Pittsylvania County.

-- City Council members approved the new Emergency Operations and Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plans, a state and federal requirement that addresses the city’s response to emergencies and disasters.

-- Three people were appointed to boards and commissions — Seth Land is joining the Commission of Architectural Review; Faye Brandon joins the Community Improvement Council, and City Councilman Fred Shanks has been appointed to the Utility Commission, replacing Councilman Adam Tomer, who said in a recent interview that he has a scheduling conflict with the commission’s meetings.