The Scurry County Hospital District board of directors tabled action on the 2017 budget because the administration is working on restructuring the loan on the construction project.
Board chairman Russell Riggan said if the negotiations work out in the district’s favor it would “have a positive impact for the district” and on the budget. He said that if the $10 million note is restructured, it could result in a lower tax rate.
The board agreed to table the budget presentation until its Aug. 24 meeting.
During the financial presentation, Riggan said Cogdell Memorial Hospital had its fifth straight month of positive net income and 10 of the last 12 months have seen the hospital operate in the black.
“It has taken some time, but our financials are looking better,” he said, adding bad debt was down by $300,000 for the month of June. “That is phenomenal.”
The board approved a resolution supporting a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan for equipment purchases. The $1.664 million loan will be paid off over 15 years with a 3 percent interest rate, according to Chief Executive Officer Ella Helms.
Policy and procedure updates covering food supply policy, food temperature for patient trays, defrosting meat, food storage policy, storage and use of leftovers, refrigerator and freezer temperatures, standardized recipes for patient food, maintain of logs for refrigerator temperature, vegetable and fruits for special diets and Cogdell Rehab policies for rehab, speech and aquatic patients were approved by the board.
The board also completed its hospice orientation. The district board will serve as the governing board of the hospice program at the hospital, which may have its first patient next month, according to administrator Laurie Roland.
“I think this will be a great service we can provide our community,” Roland said.
The board also approved credentials for Dr. Mark Davis, EmCare physician; Dr. Donald Quick, oncologist; Dr. Kiran Yalamanchili, oncologist; and Rhonda Greco, family nurse practitioner.
Helms also discussed the results of an employee survey of the hospital. She said employees were overall pleased that patient safety is among the top concerns for the administration and most agreed that the hospital was “going in the right direction.”
Helms also said employees agreed that department heads had “the best interest of the hospital in mind” on a daily basis.
Following a 20-minute closed session to discuss management matters, the board took no action.
Image
Body