Archive for 2018

The Salem Memorial District Hospital is proud to announce that beginning in September of 2018 they will be offering full-time and in-house mammography services. This services has been made possible because of a generous donation of a Hologics Mammography Unit with full Digital 3D capabilities from Stephen and Sally Di Pierdomenico, the parents of Julie Moser. This machine is equipped with the latest technology available and the Salem Memorial District Hospital will be one of the first hospitals in the area with this technology. Sally Di Pierdomenico is a breast cancer survivor as she was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 at the age of 78 by a mammogram. The early detection was crucial with her type of cancer and she credits her access to mammograms as the reason for its detection. In Dent County, only 1,266 female patients out of over more 5,000 women who qualify for the tests have had mammograms. Dent, Shannon and Iron County are badly underserved in providing health care for women’s programs, including regular mammograms. The Salem Hospital is applying for a grant which, if awarded, will allow them to provided discounted and free mammogram services to qualified individuals. This grant will allow the hospital to fully serve women in the hospital district. Because it may take some time to receive the grant, the Di Pierdomenico’s have graciously provided funds to cover the program for women until the grant is awarded making affordable coverage for all women in the area without having to travel long distances to receive high quality screenings and diagnostic breast imaging. To find out when appointments can be scheduled, call the SMDH Radiology Department at 729-5917, extension 2430.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 6255, 5525 and 5520, while brush would be cut on county road 6600. He went on to say that ditch work would be done on Dent County Road 5015, commonly called the Doss Road. Purcell said that grading was planned for county road 2430, 2480 and 2490 if the men can get the turbo repaired on another grader. He noted that he attended the South Central Community Action Agency meeting Monday and information can be obtained about the Early Head Start and Head Start programs by contacting Sarah at (573) 729-3500. Purcell added that she also has information about financial assistance with weatherization and utilities where income guidelines apply. He reported that the Tourism Commission met Monday where three proposals were received of which two were approved along with approval of one request for reimbursement. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that grading would be done and materials would be added to Dent County Roads 4353 and 3263, while grading only would be done on county roads 2130, 4330, 3270 and 3275, plus brush was being cut on county road 3230. Larson noted that repair work on low water crossings will be starting as soon as weather permits and that District One will be loaning his district some men when that work starts. He said that the difficulty of the work coupled with the summer heat creates a situation where the safety of the men is a primary concern. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that he had visited with Nick Smith of Septagon Construction and Steve Davis of Shive-Hattery and they are going over bidding specifications and time lines and will be meeting with the Commissioners in preparation for letting bids for the Justice Center. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that absentee voting for the August Primary will begin June 26th and the last day to register to vote in the Primary is July 11th. She also noted that bills were being approved by the Commissioners for Payment. Bill Ard with the Dent County Tourism Tax Commission was in to recommend Mike Homeyer and Darci Blair-Foreyt to replace Kim Gollhofer and Beth Frizzell on the Commission. Their three year terms are up. The Commissioners approved their appointment by a 3-0 vote. Dave Southards was in to compliment the road crew for work on county roads 5105 and 5100. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Troop I’s first drowning of the year occurred Saturday afternoon at approximately 3:15 in Crawford County on the Meramec River about three miles upstream from the confluence of the Huzzah River. The victim, 27-year old Adam Meinecke of Nashville, Tennessee was swimming off the bluff when he submerged and failed to surface. The party he was with called 9-1-1 and a search of the area was conducted. The search continued into Sunday when the Missouri State Dive Team discovered the body in the area where Meinecke went under. Meinecke was pronounced dead by the Crawford Deputy County Coroner Sunday afternoon at 2:12.

An accident occurred in Phelps County Wednesday afternoon about 12:08 on Highway BB near Phelps County Road 3010. According to the Highway Patrol Report a 2004 Kawasaki motorcycle, driven by 29-year old Todd Harget of Rolla attempted to pass and struck a 2014 Ford Expedition, driven by 36-year old Kelly Black of Rolla. Harget suffered serious injuries and was transported to Phelps County Regional Medical Center. The report stated that Harget and Black were wearing their safety devices at the time of the accident. The Kawasaki was totaled and removed from the scene by C & C Towing, while the Ford sustained extensive damage and was removed by Ron Dishman’s Towing.

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will be holding a blood drive at the Salem Memorial District Hospital from 9:00 this morning until 2:00 this afternoon. All negative blood types are in short supply. To donate blood, you need to weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and bring a valid photo ID. Participants will get a free heather gray T-Shirt with a patriotic summer message. For more information, call Debra Piatt at 729-6626.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors met for the regular meeting Tuesday evening at the hospital library. Chief Financial Officer Monica Stogsdill gave the summary of operations for May that showed a gain from operations of $96,604 with an excess of revenues over expenses of $100,174 for the month as the hospital received $259,000 from Medicaid which went against the deductions from revenue for the month. In May, only 59 patients were admitted to the hospital as acute care patients per day for May came in at 6.6. The cash flow statement showed a decrease in cash of $67,821 for the month with days in accounts receivable hovering at 61. Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hines reported during the month there were 890 emergency room visits, 253 ambulance runs with 165 patients being transported to the hospital, 23 surgical procedures, 1,872 outpatient registrations, 398 home health visits, 8,091 lab tests, 1,156 radiological procedures and 645 rehab treatments. The days cash-on-hand for the hospital stands at 87 year-to-date and that is way over the Critical Access Hospital state average of 65. Hines said the hospital had 21 Quality Improvement projects done since the program started last July. They will be reviewing all the projects in June and make sure the projects are all still on track before starting new projects in July. Chief Operating Officer Chris Strickland reported on the hospital foundation and the golf tournament held on June 8th raised almost $15,000 as they had 21 teams participate. He said he and Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas are finalizing the organization structure of the foundation and will soon be submitting the 501 C 3 paperwork. He also said the “Dancing with the Stars” will be held January 26th at the SHS Gym as the City Hall Auditorium is having repairs made to it. Strickland said the billboard across the street from Wal-Mart has finally been installed and another billboard on Highway 19 south toward Echo Bluff has been erected. He also went over the new philosophy on the perception and marketing of the hospital through social media and You Tube. New videos will be made soon that will be added to the Hospital You Tube channel. He also said the hospital sponsored the City of Salem Baseball League, the Summer Kick off event at the pool and is part of the new Project Rise working with Healthy Dent County. He said they will be improving their website, Internal Marketing, revamp their radio ads and create TV ads for You Tube and TV, and improve the property signage. Strickland said the Health Fair in May was attended by 321 people bring the total to date of 625. The next health screening will be held on September 19th and 20th. The board received the proposed fiscal year 2019 budget at the last meeting and there were some minor changes, but they approved the budget that showed an anticipated a 1% increase in admissions, a 1% decrease in inpatient census days, a 2% increase in outpatient registrations and a 2% decrease in Emergency Room visits. Lucas reminded the board that new officers will be elected at the July meeting. Board member Ray Bruno brought up the possibility of a name dedication for the cafeteria to a long time hospital employee who recently passed away. Information will be gathered about the employee and Chris Strickland stated he would put together a press release on the event. The board then went into closed session.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will conduct their regular monthly meeting tonight at the boardroom beginning at 6:00. After approval of the agenda, Superintendent John McColloch will then give a facilities update, summer school update, and Board committee assignments. McColloch’s report will be followed by reports from principals on events and happenings at each of the buildings in the district. In old business the Board will consider adoption of the 2018-2019 budget. During new business, the Board will consider adoption of a resolution for WADA Transfer, adoption of Board Policy BBFA, review 2017-2018 budget revisions, consider a resolution to adopt the Dent County Multi-Jurisdiction Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan, and consider surplus property bids. The Board will also hear resignations and vote to go into Executive Session after adjournment. The regular monthly meeting of the Salem R-80 Board of Education is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released some reports. On Wednesday, June 6th at about 6:00 in the evening, an officer responded to a property damage report. The investigation revealed an unknown person had caused damage to a 2014 Jeep Cherokee between the hours of 8:00 in the morning and 3:30 in the afternoon. The report is still under investigation. On Thursday evening, June 7th at about 7:37, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. The investigation led to the arrest of a 74-year old man from Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $62.28. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Friday, June 8th at about 5:09 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. That investigation led to the arrest of a 22-year old female from Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $59.45. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Saturday, June 9th at about 4:07 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to another shoplifter. That investigation led to the arrest of a 30-year old male from Bixby for stealing merchandise and bringing it back into the store for a refund. The amount of the stolen items was $227.43. The suspect received three summons to appear in court and released. That evening at about 10:48, an officer conducted a traffic stop. The investigation led to the arrest of a 37-year old male from Salem for a felony driving while being intoxicated, and driving while having their license suspended. It was also determined the suspect had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from Pike County. The suspect was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office for incarceration. If anyone has information about ongoing reports, please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242.