Cognizant of an impending local graduation, Trigg County Hospital’s Board of Trustees convened for a rapid session Thursday night — hearing a series of updates from President & CEO John Sumner.
Among them:
+ A closing date on the Rose’s Building has been set for next week, and Trustees approved for Sumner to seek a $1 million insurance policy on the property.
+ After watching last year’s federal grant promises get sliced apart by new administration policies, Sumner said new federal opportunities could be ahead for what many hope to be a new EMS facility.
If won, Sumner said federal appropriations would be $3.2 million, and state appropriations would be $800,000.
+ In the Dr. Bostick renovation, Sumner said sheet rock and painting are going on, leaving only some plumbing, lighting, floors and drop ceilings to finish.
While HR and medical records will move there, Sumner said it could theoretically create more room for incoming dermatologist Jamie Slagel, who begins her Cadiz practice in June.
+ A new “EMERGENCY” light on the Trigg County Hospital main sign should be in operation as early as next week.
+ As for the hopes for a new main hub generator, Sumner said that’s “not going to be as easy of a project” as originally anticipated, and mainly because of the need for a new transfer switch. It will require study from an electrical engineer.
+ The new parking lot and emergency room lighting project is already out to bid.
+ Sumner also noted he wanted to put discussions of a Primary Care remodel on hold for the next two months, until they can fully evaluate plans for the Rose’s acquisition.
+ And the MRI project is “back moving,” Sumner said, with a July/August timeline back into focus.
In other hospital news:
— Though results “aren’t final” and remain subject to audit, Chief Financial Officer Don Michael said Trigg County Hospital just finished up one of its more successful fiscal years in recent memory. There’s enough cash on hand, according to him, for the company to operate almost an entire year without taking in new revenues.
In fact, Michael said that since 2016, cash at the hospital has increased $23 million, and its net assets have increased $33 million.
It’s worth noting that Trigg County’s ambulance tax was enacted in 2018 at 10 cents per $100 of assessed property value — which has since been lowered as property value continues to skyrocket nationwide.
At that time, it was expected to generate between $800,000 and $1 million annually to help the county run and maintain a zero-sum ambulance service, and that has been its typical range.
Instead, much of the hospital’s economic upturn has been increased use of its new and existing services over the last seven years. Just last month, Michael said revenues in ER, CT, ultrasound and cardiac efforts were all up over last spring.
— And Kara Allen noted that Trigg County Hospital recently had a short commercial run on News Channel 5 in Nashville, Tennessee, through its popular “Good Morning Sunshine” video campaign.
