Archive for 2019

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors met for the regular meeting Tuesday at the hospital library. Two directors were in attendance to provide the board with reports on their departments. Linda Maledy, Director of Materials Management, gave the report on the changes made in her department over the last couple of years going to exclusive electronic ordering and billing, and working with two main vendors that increases their discounts. Trudy Rutland from Long Term Care gave an overview of her department and credits the successes there on the staff and the job they do with the patients. In the summary of operations for June, Chief Financial Officer Monica Stogsdill reported on the gain from operations of $67,145 with an excess of revenues over expenses of $72,196 for the month. For the fiscal year, the hospital had a gain from operations of $974,766 with an excess of revenues over expenses of $1,474,831. She did mention those are unaudited numbers. In June, there were 139 patients admitted to the hospital and the amount of acute care patients per day came in at 13.2. There were 86 medical and surgery patients occurred during June with 282 in-patient census days being reported. The cash flow statement showed a decrease in cash of $461,511 for the month with days in accounts receivable rising to 65 as the hospital’s Medicare biller took a vacation and then suffered an illness. Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hines reported during the month there were 854 emergency room visits, 196 ambulance runs with 147 patients being transported to the hospital, 29 surgical procedures, 1,793 outpatient registrations, 392 home health visits, 9,411 lab tests, 1,407 radiological procedures and 598 rehab treatments. She said there were 352 of the 2019 SMDH Community Health Needs Assessments submitted and the top four priority health needs were illegal and prescription drug abuse, affordable health care and the lack of health insurance in the area, obesity in adults and diabetes, and smoking and the health risks linked to it including COPD, asthma, cancer and heart disease. Hines said an implementation plan has already been put in place to address these issues, mostly through education, but also in working with other health agencies in the area including the Dent County Prevention Coalition. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas said the hospital auxiliary did not meet in July and the Hospital Foundation will hold their “Wings and Strings” fundraiser on Saturday, August 3rd at The Commons. He also said there will be a “Patient Appreciation Day” this Friday at the SMDH Family Medicine parking lot where they will serve up FREE hot dogs and hamburgers from 10:00 until 2:00. There will also be games, a bounce house, prizes, giveaways and more. It is absolutely free and it is where the public can meet all the caretakers and staff. Kasey presented the board with the SMDH Emergency Department quarterly surveys for April through June. A total of 114 surveys were returned and the hospital scored over 90% in almost all categories. He also presented the surveys from the SMDH Family Medicine for the 2nd quarter of the year and there were a total of 579 responses. Again, a positive rating of over 94% was received in all the categories. The board approved courtesy staff privileges for teleradiologists Rebecca Mueller, MD; Thomas Schroyer, MD; Matthew Stadnyk, MD; and John Stephens, MD. Lucas discussed the hospital expansion and said the plans are about 97% completed with some small tweaking still being done. He said the hospital will begin their search for some financing in the near future. Lucas also reported on the SMDH Long-Term Care central bath and restroom renovation and the patient room window replacement. He said the contractors will be submitting their contracts in the next week or so and the clock will begin on the work getting done. The board elected Dennis Fiebelman as the chairman for the new fiscal year while Judy Thompson was elected Vice-Chairman. Ray Bruno was elected as the Secretary. The board agreed to hold the public tax meeting before the next meeting on August 20th at 5:45 before going into closed session.

A new Salem Historic Ghost tour will be held in Salem this Friday night at 8:30 as Jacob Stotler will host a journey through the most commonly misspelled street in Salem..MacArthur Street! This is a one time event, hosted as a leg of our Downtown Ghost Tour. The tour will begin at the First Baptist Parking lot, venturing down MacArthur Street and veering off to explore the side streets joining it. Learn about the architecture, history, and most importantly the spirits that roam the original residential district in Salem. Who was Mr. Butler? Who lived in the Orchard house? Who haunts the old Casey’s? Learn all of this and more at our one and ONLY MacArthur Street Historic Ghost Tour!

The Doe Run Company awarded two full scholarships for two recipients to attend the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) 2019 Summer Explosives Camp in June. The scholarship recipients were Keara Brickey from Bunker High School and Tanner Morgan from West County High School. As part of the camp, students toured one of Doe Run’s mines to see firsthand how skills they’ve learned apply to mining careers.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of the Independence Day Parade where the Commercial Float winner was Quality Plumbing and Construction, and the Non-Commercial winner was the Salem Memorial District Hospital. The Horsemanship Award went to Jodie Dean. The Salem Chamber thanks everyone who attended the parade on July 4th and all those who participated.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will meet tonight at the City Hall Council Chambers for their regular meeting at 7:00. The board will hear bids for a John Deere 444k Loader for the street department and also bids for 2019 Ford Explorer for the police department. After the consent agenda, the board will hear City Administrator Ray Walden’s report which will include setting a date for a nuisance workshop that will be open to the public. In the Introduction and Reading of Bills and Resolutions, the board will discuss Bill #3424 that creates an ordinance to amend an previous ordnance that will remove the turn signal requirement for utility vehicles and also correct a scrivener’s error. They will then discuss Resolution #17-2019 that authorizes the mayor and city clerk to execute a Missouri Warranty Deed on the sale of city property to Coffman Investment Company to expand their business. The board will also hear Resolution #18-2019 that would allow the mayor to execute an agreement between the City of Salem and John Deere Financial for the lease of a 2019 John Deere 444K Model Loader. The board will then go into closed session to discuss contracts and personnel. The meeting of the city of Salem Board of Aldermen is open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released reports for June 19th through 25th. On Wednesday, June 19th, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the 1400 block of West Highway 32. During the course of the traffic stop, a 30-year-old Salem man was arrested for driving while having his license revoked or suspended – a 2nd or subsequent offense. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. Then on Saturday, June 22nd, deputies conducted a traffic stop near the Highway 32/72 intersection. During the course of the traffic stop, a 25-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active warrant through the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he later posted bond and was released. On Sunday, June 23rd, deputies traveled to a residence near the 400 block of Dent County Road 2190 to attempt to serve an arrest warrant. During the course of the incident, a 42-year-old Salem man was arrested for an active warrant through Dent County. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail where he later posted bond and was released. Finally, on Tuesday, June 25th, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the 2200 block of West Highway 32. During the course of the traffic stop, a 27-year-old Licking woman was arrested for operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license, a 1st offense. The woman was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where she was fingerprinted, issued summons and released. Please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241 if you have any information concerning an investigation.

The Missouri Department of Revenue wants the public to know that the new REAL ID compliant driver’s license and ID cards are available. The Department began offering REAL ID compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards in March 2019. Under Missouri law, applying for a REAL ID-compliant driver license or ID card is optional. Effective October 1st, 2020, residents of every U.S. state and territory will be required to present a REAL ID-compliant driver license or ID card, or another form of ID accepted by the Transportation Security Administration, to board federally regulated domestic flights. Individuals will also be required to present a REAL ID-compliant driver license or ID card, or another form of acceptable ID, to access federal facilities, including military bases and federal courthouses, and to enter nuclear power plants. “REAL ID” comes from the REAL ID Act of 2005, a federal law that focused on fraud protection, anti-terrorism, and driver licenses and non-driver ID card security. The REAL ID Act established minimum security standards for state-issued driver licenses and ID cards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for official purposes driver licenses and ID cards from states that do not meet these standards. Visit dor.mo.gov/drivers/real-id-information/ for more information.

Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to an informational meeting on Johnson’s Shut-Ins, Taum Sauk and Jay Nixon State Parks at 2:00 this Saturday. The meeting will be held at the Black River Center at Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park. The public is invited to share comments about the state parks and their operations. Park staff will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. Input from the public is important to Missouri State Parks. These informational meetings, which are being held in all state parks and historic sites, helps create two-way communication with the public. Johnson Shut-Ins State Park is located at 148 Taum Sauk Trail in Lesterville which is in southeast Missouri. For more information, please contact the park at 573-546-2450 extension 1001. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com.