Little Advancement Seen On Hospital Front

Huntsville, TN (2011-01-03) Little progress has occurred in the continuing effort to find a new operator for the Scott County Hospital in the last two weeks, due to the holiday period. Commissioners continue to look for ways to speed up the process.

With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays falling between the last meeting of the full County Commission and Monday night’s work session, little new information has come from Mercy Health Partners on the search for a new operator on the local health care facility. Community Development Committee Chairman Paul C. Strunk reminded Commissioners that the window for responses to Mercy’s Request For Proposal (RFP) closed on Thursday, December 30, and would take Ponder and Company, the firm hired by Mercy Health to evaluate those proposals, some time to go through the various offers. “They hope to have more information to bring to us at our meeting on January 18,” Strunk said.

In mid-December, Mercy Health Partners issued a RFP for any or all of its Tennessee assets, including Scott County. Ponder and Company reportedly sent out fifteen packets of information to pre-selected companies. As of the Monday, the County was unaware of how many companies had responded.

Meanwhile, local leaders are continuing to keep the lines of communication open between the County, Mercy and Ponder & Company. County Mayor Jeff Tibbals stated that he had been in contact with Ponder and Company and the firm was aware of the prospects identified by the County to assume the local operation. Those companies, which were not included in the original fifteen, will have to wait for Ponder and Company to evaluate the initial RFPs. Ponder and Company may take RFPs from the locally identified firms; however, those RFPs are conditional and will not be issued if one of the original respondents provides a favorable offer. “This company is going to be doing things in the best interest (of Mercy) at the corporate level, not for Scott County,” commented Strunk.

At this point, all the County can do is wait for answers. “So, once again, we’re sitting here at Mercy’s mercy,” quipped Commissioner Gerry Garrett.

If a viable operator for the Scott County Hospital isn’t found soon, the Commission may take a more active role. Chairman Strunk, in response to a question posed by Commissioner Willie Boyatt, recommended the County issue its own RFP for the local facility in May—one year before the effective date of the termination of Mercy’s lease. The process to identify and ink an agreement with a new healthcare company is expected to take at least twelve months.

In other business Monday night:

· The newly formed Scott County Beer Board recommended the full Commission amend the county’s local beer sale regulations to allow package sales and on-site consumption of alcohol within 500 feet of a school, church, or other public area where people congregate;

· The Intergovernmental Committee recommended convening the Right-Of-Way Committee to address a request by landowners on Saw Mill Road to close the road to through traffic;

· The Building & Grounds Committee tabled the issue of relocating the County Maintenance Garage from the County School Bus Garage in Huntsville to the old Capital Hill School until at least January 18, 2010. The Commission has been considering the move, since a persistent, pronounced roof leak and drainage problem at the school bus garage has left maintenance personnel working in adverse conditions; and,

· The Intergovernmental Committee put its stamp of approval on the 2011 holiday calendar for county employees.