American LaFrance to shutter six plants

By Daily Journal Staff

American LaFrance announced it will close six facilities across the country, including two in the Lowcountry, as part of its reorganization plan filed with the federal bankruptcy court Sunday.

In doing so, the company plans to consolidate its South Carolina operations under one roof, collapsing its chassis manufacturing facility in Jedburg and parts distribution center in Hanahan into the existing 500,000-square-foot Summerville facility that serves as the emergency-vehicle manufacturer’s headquarters.

This will improve efficiencies and minimize transportation costs, the company said in its plan filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware.

It is unclear how many, if any, local jobs will be eliminated in the consolidation if the plan is approved. The company employs 471 workers at its three locations in the Lowcountry.

Calls to William Snyder, the company’s chief restructuring officer, and its attorney Christopher Ward, were not immediately returned Monday morning.

In a prepared statement, Snyder said, “This plan allows the company to clear the deck of contentious litigation, clean up its balance sheet and quickly exit bankruptcy.”

“It is anticipated the unsecured creditors would much prefer reorganization with a significant return than a quick asset sale followed by liquidation of the old company,” he said.

Also slated for closure are the Florida-based ambulance manufacturing and service centers located in Sanford and Lake Mary, respectively, that collectively employ 154 workers. Saying it is no longer a profitable venture, American LaFrance plans to cease producing ambulances after this year.

The company’s 2008 business plan calls for production of 1,781 trucks, of which 291 are firetrucks and ambulances.

In Pennsylvania, the company aims to move the functions of its Lebanon-based fire service center to the site of its manufacturing plant based in Ephrata, a town about 20 miles to the southeast. It will also close a vehicle dealership in Portland, Ore., that employs 10 people; the company’s only other dealership, located in Los Angeles, would remain open under the plan.

The court has set March 3 to approve the company's disclosure statement and April 9 to approve the confirmation of the plan, under which the reorganized company would assume roughly $27 million of the $84 million in unsecured debt currently saddling the company.

It also establishes a fund of assets, including $5 million in cash, and litigation assets with an estimated value of $17 million, for the remainder of the claimants to share on a prorated basis.

Unsecured creditors with balances of $2,500 or below, and those willing to reduce the claim to $2,500, would be paid in full without interest.

The company also filed a motion to sell the assets of the company if the plan is not approved. A hearing to establish bidding procedures is set for Feb. 21.

First patients check in to MUSC’s new Ashley River Tower

By Daily Journal Staff

If not for the scalpels and the doctors, the stunning architecture and built-in comforts at MUSC’s new Ashley River Tower would make the place seem more like a hotel than a hospital.

About 60 current MUSC patients will check in to the new hospital throughout the day. The first surgeries will take place Tuesday as the 641,000-square-foot facility makes its official debut following years of study, design, planning and construction. 

The 156-bed tower with its massive curved glass façade — meant to evoke the image of a sailboat — will house the hospital’s cardiovascular and digestive disease centers.

Hospital staff transferred the first patient at 7 a.m. today. 

Based on a concept of “healing hospitality,” the architecture represents a growing trend in hospital design as the emphasis shifts from staid efficiency to patient comfort.  

The idea is that patients will heal more quickly if their attitude is upbeat.

The seven-story patient hospitality tower and adjoining four-story diagnostic and treatment center includes nine operating rooms, catheterization labs, interventional radiology labs, state-of-the-art endoscopy suites, imaging suites, outpatient clinic space and a dedicated around-the-clock chest pain center for rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Among the finer details, patients and their families will have access to retail shopping, valet parking, high-speed Internet and rooms offering views of the waterfront that would evoke envy in most any developer.

The hospital also will sideline as an art museum.

Through a joint collaboration with the College of Charleston, the hospital will showcase the works of 54 S.C. artists in an exhibit dubbed the Contemporary Carolina Collection.

More than 870 original works of art will be displayed throughout the seven-story patient hospitality tower and adjoining four-story diagnostic and treatment center.

New high-tech machine targets tumors with precision

By Daily Journal Staff

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina have joined forces to bring the latest in cancer-busting technology to veterans and other Lowcountry residents.

On Jan. 31, the facilities unveiled their new TomoTherapy Hi-Art Treatment System that is able to focus radiation on tumors of all sizes throughout the body while minimizing the damage to surrounding tissue.

The machine will be housed at MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center.

It can be used to treat tumors in the head and neck, brain, lung and chest wall, pancreas, lymph nodes, spine, prostate, abdomen and rectum. The machine uses 3-D computed tomography images to “paint” the tumor, allowing treatment teams to evaluate the tumor daily and refine dosage as necessary. During treatment, a thin beam rotates 360 degrees around the body delivering the radiation with pinpoint accuracy.

“We consider it the most important breakthrough in radiation therapy in the past few years. It provides the most accurate treatment available for some cancers,” said Joseph Jenrette, chair of MUSC’s Department of Radiation Oncology.

In early December, Roper St. Francis Health Center unveiled a similar cancer-fighting machine called the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System.

It shoots x-ray beams as thin as “the tip of a pencil” at abnormal cells with an accuracy the makers say won’t stray more than the width of a strand of hair.

The hospitals will continue to offer traditional radiation treatment, but these machines are considered a breakthrough in treating some of the most difficult cancer cases.

Public workshop tonight on Calhoun Street park

By Daily Journal Staff

The city of Charleston will host a public workshop from 5:30 to 7 tonight to gather ideas on the design of a new park planned for the block bordered by Calhoun, Concord, Washington and Laurel streets.

The workshop will be at the Charleston County Library Auditorium at 68 Calhoun St.

The city is seeking input from citizens for the new park, which has been in the planning stages for six years. The park would connect the city to the Cooper River and provide an additional five acres of green space to the city.

The design team of ColeJenest & Stone is designing the park and the public meeting will give residents a chance to provide input on the character, qualities and activities that will help the park complement the city’s existing green spaces.

Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said the city is committed to building a new green space with a quality and importance to the public realm that will be comparable to Waterfront Park, Marion Square and Liberty Square.

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Clarification

The Charleston Defense Contractors Association last week donated $18,700 for a 3-D printer to the Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston. A Feb. 1 Daily Journal story, “New Carolina announces newest industry cluster,” incorrectly reported the donor as a result of erroneous information.

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