Archive for 2020

The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the Hospital Library. In the summary of operations for the month of October, the hospital had 106 inpatient admissions with 330 inpatient census days. Patients per day in Acute Care came in at 10.6 in October. The hospital showed a loss from operations of $479,327 and expenses over revenues after taxes of $477,722. Cash decreased for the month by $698,139. The days in net account receivables dropped to 100 days, down from 108 in September. During the month, there were 680 emergency room visits to go with 194 ambulance runs with 124 patients being transported, 25 surgery cases, 1,852 outpatient registrations, 274 home health visits, 7,033 lab tests, 1,083 radiological procedures including 824 rehab treatments. Chief of Nursing Debbie Hines gave the Acute Care Staffing by Patient Acuity report that showed the average acuity at 24 patients per day. She also stated that on November 2nd through the 4th, the hospital received a follow-up visit by the state from their visit in September. The hospital has not received a formal letter yet but Hines expects to receive no deficiencies. Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards reported that due to COVID-19, all the fundraisers for 2021 at this time have been postponed until further notice. He went on to say the hospital has received the TytoCare-school focused telemedicine product and the next step is to get the product to the providers and get it tested. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas gave the Medical Staff’s report that included their request to the board to provide CRNA privileges for Karen Zang, CRNA and Jeffrey Colench, CRNA; as well as courtesy staff privileges to Johnathan Beers, DO and Thomas Byrne, MD. The board approved the Medical Staff’s request. Lucas gave the COVID-19 update and said the hospital has purchased a number of pieces of new disinfecting equipment including electrostatic sprayers, backpack sprayers and air purifiers for the sprayer. He also said the hospital is creating a new drive-up testing site that should be available possibly by the end of this week that will allow employees and patients to stay out of the weather. Lucas reported on the hospital expansion and said Canon has completed the MRI installation. He said practice scans will be starting soon. The new drywall outside the Outpatient Registration is almost finished and the HVAC is being installed. Lucas said Phase 3 of the sewer project is nearly complete and Phase 4 in the Administration Hallway is underway. Lucas stated an old Intercounty transformer is going to be moved from its current location to behind Physicians Office Building 3 near the generator. This will be a change order and will cost the hospital extra. The board approved the purchase of a non-magnetic MRI Stretcher for radiology from Merry X-Ray Corp for $3,924. They also set the dates for the election filing for District #2 for the seat currently held by Mike Swyers. Filing will begin on December 15th at 8:00 in the morning and last until January 19th at 4:00 in the afternoon. The December board meeting will be held on December 15th at noon by Zoom in the hospital library and the joint Board of Directors and Medical Staff dinner this year has been cancelled. The board then went into closed session.

The 2020 Honoring our Heroes Marathon will be held this Saturday with the marathon and marathon relay will begin at 7:00 in the morning at the Dent County Commons while the half marathon will begin at Lake Spring at 8:00 in the morning. The route those runners will be going will mostly be on Highway 72 to Lions Club Drive and then finish in the Lions Club Park. The 10k and 5k runs will be mostly at the Rolla Lions Club Park with the 10k diverting to the Veteran’s Park in Rolla before coming back to the Lions Club Park, and they will start at 8:00 in the morning. Get out, cheer on and support these runners who are helping to raise funds for veteran’s organizations, but please practice social distancing. Volunteers can still sign up to help. For more information or to sign up, go to https://www.heroesmarathon.com.

Before the Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting Tuesday evening in the hospital library, an audit report from Jean Nyberg of B K & D CPA and Advisors was presented. Nyberg said an unmodified accountant’s opinion was given which indicates it was a clean audit. She mentioned this was a strange year as the hospital received deferred CARES Act funds of approximately 4.4 million dollars and Medicare Advance Payments of $3.25 million dollars that are right now considered liabilities. The hospital also issued bonds in the amount of $2.5 million dollars for renovation projects and took advantage of the Payroll Protection Program valued at $2.3 million dollars. Nyberg stated that when the hospital was without a chief financial officer, financial records were weak for accuracy as well as the patient’s accounts receivable. Reconciliation of the net income revealed numerous adjustments that totaled $3,136,236 that showed expenses over revenues of $1,298,227 for the fiscal year. She said the days revenue in accounts receivable are artificially inflated with the pandemic at 58 days while current assets for the 2020 fiscal year came in at over $25 million dollars. Days cash on hand continues to be inflated at 177 and long term debt increased to over $4 million dollars with the bond issuance and ambulance purchase. The debt to capitalization ratio went up to 36.1% which is well below the 45% acceptable range for critical access hospitals. Before the renovation, Salem was at 5.3%. Even with the loss from operations, Nyberg said the operating revenue for Salem was up which is a good sign for the hospital. With the loss, the net operating margin for the hospital dropped to –6.7% with the total margin falling to –4.8%. The audit committee letter pointed out the significant journal entries and reconciliation that had to be made to the books, the continued lack of segregation of duties between the disbursements and revenue cycle, plus the some small deficiencies with the inventory and credit card purchases. After going over some COVID-19 related provisions with the board, Nyberg updated the board on some new mandates on the horizon. She said the hospital will have to have total price transparency on at least 300 shoppable services by January 1st of 2021 or pay a $300 per day penalty until it is completed. She also said there was going to be a physician fee schedule change with Medicare’s conversion factor and a change in charges for CPT codes that will be released by December 2nd. Nyberg thanked the staff at the hospital for their cooperation with the audit.

A one vehicle accident happened Tuesday afternoon shortly after 3:00 on Dent County Road 3230 at Dent County Road 3240 one mile north of Salem. The report released by the highway patrol states that 60-year old Cynthia Indelicato of Salem was driving a 2002 Dodge pickup eastbound and failed to stop at the stop sign, went through the intersection, ran off the roadway and struck two trees. Indelicato was transported by the highway patrol vehicle to the Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The Dodge was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitakers Towing.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold a special closed session meeting at 5:30 this evening for a student issue before holding their regular board meeting at 6:00 at the R-80 District Administrative Offices Board Room. At the meeting, the board will hear from Dr. Bernie Sirois on the school foundation before Superintendent Lynne Reed will update the board on the COVID-19 situation, talk about the Athletic Advisory and the leadership team meetings. Each of the building principals will give their reports and Athletic Director Phillip Karr will give an update on the Athletic Advisory committee. In new business, the nurses sub pay will be discussed as well as COVID restrictions. The board will also set the board filing dates for the next Municipal Election. The board will then adjourn and go into executive session. The regular board meeting of the Salem R-80 School Board of Education is open to the public.

A one vehicle accident happened Tuesday afternoon at 4:40 in Maries County on Highway H near County Road 422. According to the report from the highway patrol a 2010 Hyundai Elantra being driven by 20 year old Nathaniel Robinson of St. James was northbound and swerved to avoid an animal in the road causing the vehicle to travel off the left side of the road, strike a tree, and overturn. Robinson was taken by Ozark Central Ambulance to Phelps Health for treatment of moderate injuries. The Elantra was totaled and removed from the scene by Owens Towing.

Wal-Mart is making it easier for you to lend a helping hand to your local Dent County Salvation Army Service Unit. Going on now, customers at the Wal-Mart Superstore in Salem have the opportunity to donate to the Salvation Army by rounding up their total to the nearest dollar when paying at the register. This can only be done at any manned register. Additionally, the Red Kettle bell ringers will get an early start outside Wal-Mart this Saturday, November 21st. Normally, the famous red kettle collections locally wouldn’t start until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and yes, the bell ringers will also be out that day, and then every Friday and Saturday until Thursday, December 24th which of course is Christmas Eve. Counter kettles will also be located at various locations throughout the community. The kettles are the primary way that funds are raised to continue to meet the needs of the less fortunate in our community. Volunteer bell ringers are needed each year to help raise funds. To volunteer to ring the bell at the red kettle, please call Susie at 729-6771 or 247-7099 or The Salvation Army office at 729-8163.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen met at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory Monday night. Stan Podorski from the Salem Christmas Committee requested that 4th Street be closed on Saturday, December 5th from noon until 3:00 from Highway 19 to Jackson Street, and from Highway 19 to McArthur from 3:00 until 5:00 for the Healthy Dent County “Santa Dash” at 3:00 as well as to prepare for the Chamber of Commerce Parade of Lights. After the consent agenda was approved, Planning and Zoning Chairman Gary Brown addressed the board about the properties at 712 North Hickory and 713 North Oak. The owner, Noah Wills, wanted to separate the properties but they did not meet the required lot size or setbacks set by the city. Brown said the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the request, if the Board of Adjustment waived the required setbacks which they did at their meeting on November 3rd. City Administrator Ray Walden reported there were some material delays on the new counters and cabinets and they are being installed this week. The new glass will then be installed along with the electric and ethernet cables, and once that is completed, the offices will then be ready to reopen. Until then, the City Administration offices will continue to run from the City Hall Council Chambers. Walden said a new updated video on city projects is on the city’s Facebook page. Park and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois reported that she has 20 participants who will have displays for the “Light up the Park” drive-through light display with possibly five or six more still possible. She also said work would continue at the old city hall as 186 seats have been ordered for the theatre section, plus the city is advertising for bids for new ceiling tiles and lights. Public Works Director Mark Nash said electric bills went out Thursday for the period of July 31st through August 29th. Walden said the city offices would be closed for Thanksgiving on November 26th and 27th. Kevin James brought up some continuing issues with the utility bills that still haven’t been solved from previous months and wants these problems addressed quickly. The board approved Bill #3466 that splits the properties at 712 N. Hickory and 713 N. Oak before discussing bills #3467 and 3468 that dealt with funding engineering services for an ADA accessibility study to city facilities. Robert Conaway from C.M. Archer Engineers explained that MoDOT is trying to make s Robert Conaway from C.M. Archer Engineers ure that cities start to comply with the 1990’s law and if they don’t comply soon, those cities may not qualify for other available grants through MoDOT like TAP. Archer will get a list from the city and check out the projects that need addressing. This will be the first step in creating a city-wide plan. The board then approved Bill #3467 that allows the mayor to execute the Traffic Engineering Assistance Program with MoDOT that will reimburse up to $8,000 in the engineering costs; and Bill #3468 that allows the mayor to execute an agreement with C.M. Archer Engineering to provide services to assess the transportation related ADA accessibility compliance of the city for $10,000. The board approved Bill #3469 that amended the qualifications for alderman as required by state statute. They also approved Bill #3470 that allowed for city to purchase property from Hershel Moser, Julia Moser and Kenneth Tyler Sherrell to build a new well for water storage for the growth of the city. In Resolution, 20-2020 the board postponed renewing the Memorandum of Understanding that allows William Lynch Elementary and the ECSE Developmental Pre-School to use the old city hall during emergency situations until the next meeting so that can add a clause that would require approval of the mayor or city administrator if for more than 24 hours. The board went on to approve Resolution 21-2020 that sets the date for the 2021 Municipal Election, filing dates, and qualifications of being an alderman. After a long discussion with City Attorney James Weber, the board elected to deny a permit for Samara Dozier at 1506 South Main to keep mini-pigs at her home. The board then went into closed session.

This fall, The Doe Run Company has pledged nearly $9,000 to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum at local school districts. The support is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to strengthen educational opportunities in Southeast Missouri and prepare area students for successful careers. Doe Run’s donation to Bunker R-III School District helped fund technology tools that enhance existing math curriculum. Students can use interactive tools and online videos to learn how to solve math problems, both when they are in school and at home. The donation to Viburnum Middle School will fund the purchase of CUE robots to teach coding skills, K’Nex bridge building kits, microscopes and other building materials that encourage active learning through creative problem-solving. Doe Run also helped Viburnum High School purchase two V5 competition starter kits from the VEX Robotics Company. Students in the Robotics Club will construct the robots this year to participate in the upcoming VEX Robotics competitions. At North Wood R-IV in Salem, Doe Run’s donation will fund STEM kits that enable middle school students to build prototypes, perform experiments, and analyze and interpret data. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM occupations are projected to grow by nearly 800,000 by 2029. Over the past year, Doe Run has donated $49,000 to support STEM programs and scholarships for elementary through college-level students to strengthen educational opportunities and prepare the future workforce.