news

By Mary Ann Greier
Salem News
Published: Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

SALEM - Sixth District U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson learned more about two new services being offered by Salem Community Hospital during a tour Monday afternoon, crediting the facility for its forward thinking.

"They're leading the way here. I think it's tremendous the way they're leaning forward and understanding the health care needs of the community," Johnson said.

The Republican from Marietta visited the Behavioral Medicine and Wellness Center located in a building across the street from the hospital first, then went inside the hospital to see the Wound Healing Center which was set to handle its first patients today.

"They are progressive in their outreach to the community," he said.

The Behavioral Medicine and Wellness Center opened in August to provide intensive outpatient treatment and support for

people facing mental health issues, with the goal of filling a gap in services between hospitalization and traditional outpatient therapy.

The Wound Healing Center will offer patients specialized care for chronic wounds and unresponsive conditions, including treatment through hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Johnson said he was happy his office could help with the success of both services, assisting with cutting through some of the red tape and writing letters of support.

During an interview with the Salem News earlier in the afternoon, the congressman said he's preparing to return to Washington for the new session which begins next week, with extension of the payroll tax credit for a year and job creation the biggest priorities.

When asked about the payroll tax credit mess that occurred before the holidays, Johnson blamed the Democrat-led Senate for what happened. He said the House sent the Senate a plan that extended the credit for a year and addressed issues regarding unemployment and Medicare reimbursement rates, with the cost paid for through the elimination of wasteful federal spending, with pay freezes for federal workers and stopping millionaires from being able to collect unemployment and food stamps.

According to Johnson, the Senate stripped all that out and increased fees for mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, paying for the tax break by raising fees on each segment of America.

"It's not the House of Representatives, it's the Senate of the United States that's not doing its job," he said.

He said the House sent 27 jobs bills and a 2012 budget that would have addressed the issues that most Americans are concerned with today to the Senate in 2011, but once the legislation gets to the Senate, there's no action.

He called the situation frustrating, but also said he's hopeful both sides will be able to sit down in conference to address the differences and get the payroll tax credit extended before the end-of-February deadline created by the two-month extension.

Johnson said they'll be looking at regulatory reforms and tax reforms that could help with the job situation this year. Plans call for his office to promote job fairs and job forums all up and down the Sixth District, with a job fair catering to veterans scheduled for May 17 in East Liverpool. He said employers from the shale business will be plentiful, noting he wants to make sure those jobs related to the Marcellus and Utica shale industry go to Ohioans.

When asked about the area's earthquakes and the use of injection wells for wastewater from natural gas and oil drilling, he said he has spoken to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources director and feels the state is doing a great job by analyzing the data. He said any "policy should be based on science and fact, not on political convenience."

Johnson again stressed the need for the government to get a national vision related to energy production and said he's committed to battling the administration over proposed rules to cut coal production by 50 percent. He said he's not a "no regulation person," but favors common sense regulation. He said the country needs a national energy vision which keeps in mind public health and safety and national security issues, not regulations thrown up as barriers to progress.

Johnson is scheduled to return to Salem on Wednesday to tour Quaker Manufacturing and have a roundtable discussion about tax reform, the corporate tax rate, and the state of manufacturing in the Mahoning Valley. Quaker Manufacturing is about to kick-off its 50th year in business.