Your World Today

The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the Hospital Library. At the meeting, the board heard from outgoing Home Health Director Ashley Sullins who presented the results of the patient survey. She said the surveys were down due to COVID-19. She also told the board about changes and updates in Medicare. Sullins also introduced the new Home Health Director who is Kristie Gorman, RN; and also told the board that Amanda Botkin, RN was named the new Home Health Clinical Manager. In the summary of operations for the month of June, the hospital had 105 inpatient admissions with 371 inpatient census days. The hospital showed a loss from operations of $1,411,691, but after adding back taxes and the forgiveness of the hospitals Payroll Protection Plan that came to $2,263,000, left an excess of revenues over expenses of $857,758. During the month, there were 725 emergency room visits to go with 228 ambulance runs with 154 patients being transported, 26 surgery cases, 1,793 outpatient registrations, 223 home health visits, 7,171 lab tests, 1,345 radiological procedures and 596 rehab treatments. Days in account receivable during the month went down to 74 from 82 in May and days cash on hand is at 85. The hospital had a cash decrease during the month of $1,093,291. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas said part of the increase in cash expenses was for the “heroes payment” to employees which was an additional incentive for another year of work. For the fiscal year, the hospital lost 6.9 million dollars, but they may be able to write off the stimulus funds they received for COVID-19 of 4.3 million, but that will not be until the 2022 fiscal year. New Chief of Nursing Ashley Sullins gave the Acute Care Staffing by Patient Acuity report that showed the average acuity at 23 per day with 12 patients per day. Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards said that due to the increase in COVID positivity tests in Dent County, the Wings and Strings event in September has been cancelled. The Dancing with the Salem Stars program has been tentatively set for January 22nd at the High School Gym. He said the hospital has finally talked to the USDA rep on submitting the proper paperwork on the TytoCare-school focused telemedicine product, and the plan is still to have the program in place in schools by 2022. Lucas gave the COVID-19 update and said the positivity rate in Dent County has risen 121% in Dent County and there are 46 current active cases. The hospital made no changes in the visitor policy, but they are constantly reviewing the available information. The board approved courtesy staff privileges for Grace Jackson, MD in telemedicine, and approved the purchase of a five-ton, two stage Carrier Rooftop Air Conditioning unit for the nuclear medicine room for $12,500 from Victor Heating and Cooling, LLC. Lucas reported the renovation work is finishing up and the Cerner Conversion continues. The board elected new officers for the new fiscal year and they are Ray Bruno as Chairman, Mike Swyers as the Vice-Chairman and Willie Strader as Secretary. The hospital board then set the tax rate hearing for Thursday, August 17th at 5:45 before the board went into closed session.

Are you interested in a great volunteer opportunity right here in Salem? If you have a few hours per week to help out in your community in an easy way, look no further than Grace Harbor! They will be opening a temporary shelter soon. Their mission is to serve youth and school-aged kids in Salem and the surrounding areas. If there is availability at Grace Harbor, they will accept other individuals on a case-by- case basis, but the youth are their number one priority. They have a variety of volunteer opportunities at Grace Harbor such as cooking daily meals, grocery shopping, house cleaning, assisting residents, office work, grounds keeping and more. At this time, Grace Harbor has morning, afternoon, mid-afternoon, evening, and overnight shifts available. Volunteers must be at least 20 years of age, have a valid driver’s license, and complete the required testing. The Grace Harbor committee will be holding training meetings next week on Tuesday evening, July 27th, from 6:00-8:00, and then Wednesday, July 28th from 10:00-12:00, and 2:00-4:00. If you are interested in volunteering, please plan on attending one of these meetings. If you have any questions, contact Jenny Summers at 573-247-7062 or Karen Carmier at 573-247-4530.

The Interpretive staff at the Current River State Park invite the public to a blackberry feast at the Blackberry Bramblers workshop from 9:00 in 6:00 in the morning until 2:00 Sunday afternoon, July 25th or Monday, July 26th. Park staff will make a wide range of wild blackberry treats for participants to sample and learn how to make including blackberry jelly, blackberry kefir ice cream, blackberry cobbler and more. All blackberries will be provided. For those who would like to take jelly home, please bring a small jar to the workshop. This is an informative and hands-on class. Participants should bring their own lunch. Space is limited and registration is required. Those interested in attending, should call Connie at 573-751-1224 or email connie.weber@dnr.mo.gov to register. The public is strongly encouraged to follow social-distancing guidelines and be proactive in protecting themselves and others. The Current River State Park is located at 11053 Dent County Road 19D near Salem in southeast Missouri. For more information about the park, call 573-751-6414. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen met Monday evening in the City Hall Council Chambers for their regular meeting. Bill #3488 was introduced that would have moved the Board of Aldermen meetings from the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month to the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. Before the vote, mayor Brad Nash said that he would have conflicts with meetings on Tuesdays where he would not be able to attend the meetings due to his job as fire chief. Alderwoman Kim Steelman and Alderman Shawn Bolerjack voted against the bill while Aldermen Kevin James and Greg Parker voted for the bill. Mayor Brad Nash cast the deciding “no” vote and the bill was defeated. Salem Police Chief Joe Chase explained to the board the need for a new digital repeater and dispatch conversion that would make it easier for the Salem Police Department to communicate with the Dent County Sheriff’s Department and monitor the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Chase brought up instances where they could not communicate at some accident sites even though officers could see each other. He said fortunately there were no issues, but it is not a safe environment. The cost of the repeater and conversion is $41,339.91. The board approved the budgeted purchase. The board approved the appointment of Tiffin Felkerson and Caleb Shepherd to the Salem Park and Recreation Board, and the appointment of Aldermen Shawn Bolerjack to the Airport Board. The board discussed the trailer court license for the trailer park at 307 Truman Avenue called Greenbriar. The board approved the trailer court license application for the Greenbriar pending the passing of an inspection. The Park Street Trailer Court has not yet submitted their application. Salem Police Chief Joe Chase said he would talk with the owner and give him a limited amount of time to be in compliance or be issued citations. City Administrator Ray Walden was not in attendance but did pass on the monthly numbers at the Salem Community Center@The Armory for June and they came in at 4,574. Mark Nash gave an update on the utilities to the board. He said they found the main problem with the water meters were incorrectly installed connectors. They are being replaced and then checked at the time of replacement to make sure they are working properly. After a long discussion on the rezoning of the property at 306 East Franklin from commercial to industrial, the board tabled the issue to do more research and wait until the city attorney would be able to be at the meeting. The meeting was then adjourned.

Judging last Friday morning included the Goat and Sheep Show. In the market goat competition, Judge Reichel selected Baylee Park’s 54-pound goat, Greta Vogel’s 64-pound goat and Josie Howard’s 89-pound goat as class winners. Howard’s goat was awarded Champion Goat and Schafer’s was the Reserve Champion Goat. A light-weight goat was exhibited by Mikayla Huebner, and Charlie Duncan showed a Breeding Doeling. Eleven exhibitors competed in Goat Showmanship with Abbi Terrel winning the Junior Division, Greta Vogel taking home the award in the Intermediate Division, and Lori Terrill winning the Senior Division. Three classes of Market Lambs yielded class winners by Emma Fleener with a 112-pound lamb, Josie Howard with a 130-pounder, and Preslie Strader with a 138-pound lamb. The Champion Lamb went to Strader, and Tyffany LuCerne’s second place lamb in the heavy weight class was named Reserve Champion Lamb. Twelve exhibitors competed in Sheep Showmanship. The Junior Showmanship Award went to Josie Howard, Preslie Strader was selected as Intermediate winner and Kennedy Major was named the Senior Showmanship Champion.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office has submitted the following reports for early July. On Friday, July 2nd, a deputy traveled to a residence in the 15,000 block of South Highway 19 to serve an arrest warrant. During the incident, a 71-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active warrant through Dent County. He was transported to the Dent County Jail where he later posted bond and was released. That same day, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 800 block of East Scenic Rivers Boulevard. During the traffic stop, a 19-year-old Salem man was arrested for purchasing or attempting to purchase, or for the possession of liquor by a minor, a 1st offense. The teenager was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. Then on July 5th, a deputy traveled to the 500 block of North Highway 19 to serve an arrest warrant. During the incident, a 22-year-old Salem woman was arrested for having an active warrant through Dent County. She was transported to the Dent County Jail where she was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. On Thursday, July 8th while on routine patrol, a deputy observed a 35-year-old Salem woman operating a motor vehicle on Dent County Road 4110. The deputy knew that the woman’s driving privileges had been revoked. The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle but was unable to locate it. A short time later, the deputy found the vehicle and conducted the traffic stop on East Dent Street. The woman that had been operating the vehicle previously was now in the passenger seat of the vehicle. During the traffic stop, the 35-year-old Salem woman was arrested for driving while having her license revoked or suspended. Also arrested during the traffic stop was a 32-year-old Salem man for driving while having his license revoked or suspended, a 2nd offense. The two people were transported to the Dent County Jail where they were fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. If you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s office at 729-3241.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. At the meeting, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5390, 5500, 6370, 6380 and 6670 while brush would also be cut on county roads 6370 and 6380. He reported a crew would be installing a driveway pipe purchased by the owner of the property on Dent County Road 5015, and a man would be going to Springfield to get oil for chip and seal repair. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 4350 and 4353, while materials would be added and grading done on county road 4010. He stated materials would be added and patch grading done along with a culvert being repaired on Dent County Road 4020 where water overflowed across the road over the weekend. Larson indicated other workers would be checking for washouts in the Sligo and Boss areas from the heavy rains they received. He added brush would be cut on county roads 3180 and 3220, and service on Grader #37 would be performed later this week. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended a meeting last Wednesday at the Salem Community Center@The Armory on the next generation of the 9-1-1 system that will be coming down from the state. More information on that will be forthcoming in the near future. Dent County Sheriff Bob Wells has requested the county advertise the sale of two vehicles from the Sheriff’s Department: a 2009 Chevy Trailblazer with 175,000 plus miles and a 1998 Dodge with 157,000 plus miles. Bids on those vehicles will be accepted in the county clerk’s office until 10:00 Monday, August 2nd. Please indicate on your envelope the bid is for the vehicles for the sheriff’s department. The Road and Bridge Department also has surplus property to sell. Included will be three trucks, and old brush cutter, chainsaws and more. The items will be available for viewing at the Dent County Road and Bridge Department on Highway 32-72 West. If you want to submit a bid, please drop it off at the Dent County Clerk’s Office at the courthouse by August 9th at 10:00 and mark your envelope “Road and Bridge Equipment bid.” Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she balanced with the collector and assessor on all collections, abatements and add-ons for the month of June. Commissioner Skiles said he received a communication from Bonnie Prigge from the MRPC that a meeting will be held soon on what the ARPA funds the county will be receiving can be used for in the near future. The board approved setting the tax levy hearing for August 23rd at 10:00 at the courthouse for the General Revenue Fund, Road and Bridge Fund, SB 40 Fund and Senior Citizens Service Fund. At 10:00, the commission opened bids for their required financial audit and received two bids. The first from Daniel Jones and Associates from Arnold was for $16,500 and the other was from Devereux and Company from St. Charles for $15,000. The commission went with the low bid. Devereux and Company have done the last two audits for the county. At the last meeting, the commission heard the monthly turnover report from Collector Shannon VanKirk. She also said that as of last week, there were eight properties that did not get their 2018 real estate taxes paid in full by June 30th. The commissioners also approved the Tech Electronics three-year contract to perform the fire inspections at the Dent County Jail at an annual cost of $1,020. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday at 9:00 at the courthouse.

The City of Salem Utility Committee will be meeting this evening at 6:00 at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory, 1200 West Rolla Road. The meeting was called by committee chair Shawn Bolerjack. On the agenda will be an update on utility billing and discussion of utility shut offs. The committee will also review a financial update on the fiscal year 2021-2022 budget along with discussion of the February cold snap bill and utility rates. Other items on the agenda include a discussion of utility and street department projects for fiscal year 2021-2022 and the Exceleron pre-paid project update and finally a discussion on high water consumption before adjourning. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will be meeting this evening at 6:00 in the R-80 High School Library for their regular meeting. After the consent agenda the Board will hear communications. Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed will report on a variety of issues including a Coaches Meeting, District Community Liaison Training, and Summer Work. In new business the board will review bids for milk, bread, food and supplies, fuel and pest control. The Board will set the date and time for the tax rate hearing and the regular August Board Meeting. Other topics to be considered will include a band teacher MOU with North Wood R-IV, return to learning plan, personnel handbook, COVID training stipend and MSBA policy recommendations. The Board will hear resignations before adjourning and moving into Executive Session for the discussion of personnel. The regular Board Meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will conduct their July meeting this evening at 6:00 in the hospital library. After the approval of the minutes from the June 22nd meeting, Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will report on the summary of the operations and statistics for the month of June followed by the Chief of Nursing Report with Ashley Sullins. There will be a Hospital Auxiliary Report and the hospital foundation, plus the marketing and community perception report will be given by Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards. In old business, Lucas will give the board an update on Covid-19, the hospital expansion and renovation, and the Cerner conversion. New business may consist of the review of purchases since the last meeting and the election of officers. The Board will set the Public Tax Meeting for August 17th at 5:45. The board may vote to go into closed session. The SMDH Board meeting is open to the public provided they wear a mask to the meeting.