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Stephens Hospital board solve one problem, face another

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Stephens Hospital board solve one problem, face another

Wed, 09/11/2019 - 4:31 pm

There was a lot discussed at the Stephens County Hospital Board meeting on Aug. 29, including the Sacred Cross proposal, new budget and tax rate, and the swearing in of a new member.

It is budget season for everyone in Stephens County and the hospital board spend much of their Aug. 29 meeting looking over a budget. Their proposed 2019-2020 fiscal budget became harder to approve because of a loss of supplemental money. Close to 230,000 dollars was taken away from the hospital because of the loss of UPL (upper payment limit). This set SMH in the negative to which during the meeting they discussed several ways to make up the cost. 

They outlined several ways to gain money or add a source of revenue in order to offset the deficit.  This included cutting staff, upping their lab intake, and adding general surgery. 

Several on the board stated that the most reasonable source of revenue would be adding general surgery, but to them it was a huge risk. The board went through several scenarios to determine whether this project would be feasible for the hospital. The board was unable to come to a decision on the proposed budget during their Aug. 29 meeting, they held another board meeting on Thursday Sept. 5. For more on this meeting please see page 2.

The SMH board’s discussed budget took into account the tax rate, to which they approved the proposal of $0.245 per $100 valuation of a property. This is up a penny from the current rate which is $0.239. The proposed rate will go to two public hearing in accordance with state law at noon on Thursday Sept. 12 and Tuesday Sept. 17.

Stephens Memorial Hospital CEO and Administrator, Matthew Kempton updated the room on the Sacred Cross Ambulance Service proposal, which the board had heavily discussed in their previous meeting. The board had asked for updated financial statements for Stephens County alone, to which Kempton stated that Scared Cross is still working on getting. 

He was able to inform the board that the hospital has reached a deal, similar to the one they currently have, with the city and county to split the $300,000 evenly. According to Kempton each entity would pay $100,000 to ensure that the hospital’s ambulance service stays operational. 

With the financials and proposal discussed the SMH board was able to swear in a new board member. Kaylee Curtis took the oath of office during the meeting, being appointed to the unexpired term of Ted Goldsmith. Curtis will hold the position until May 2021.

The next Stephens Memorial Hospital Board meeting will be held at noon on Sept. 26.