Local News – Friday, August 4th, 2023
Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors Chairman Ray Bruno reported Thursday in a press release that effective immediately, Jason Edwards would become the interim CEO of the Salem Hospital until further notice. Edwards has served the hospital in a variety of roles for 20 years. Bruno says under Edwards leadership, the hospital will continue to move forward and provide the highest quality patient-centered healthcare with compassion and professional excellence. He will be replacing Wayne Reid who had been the hospital CEO since last August. Bruno said he was sad that board members A.J. Seay and Willie Strader elected to resign from the board, rather than work on the different philosophies the board members had for the future of the hospital. He indicated the board is looking to fill the two board vacancies from the resignations. There is now an opening for a new member from District 4 and a new member from District 6. Anyone who is interested in serving on the board from those districts may apply at the Salem Hospital administrative office during regular business hours. Bruno said a special Board of Directors meeting would be held on Tuesday, August 15th to interview candidates for the board. In response to the 30-day termination letter, Bruno commented that RHG was hired to an original 90-day contract back in February of 2022 to stabilize the financial operations of the hospital and they did. In April of 2022, the contract was extended for a full year to help continue to improve the operations and get the hospital through the payback of Medicare payments. In April of 2023, the board renewed the contract for one year with a 30-day out by a 4-2 vote, and RHG used that out to terminate their management services. Later Thursday after the press release, Rural Health Group said the naming of Edwards as CEO was in violation of the contract signed in April. They sent a letter to Chairman Bruno giving the hospital until the close of business Monday to sign an amendment that RHG provided handing pay and supervision of the CEO over to the SMH Board of Directors. The amendment would release any employees or agents of RHG from liability. If the hospital does not sign the amendment, RHG can terminate the agreement immediately by written notice to the hospital. Also in the letter, RHG was willing to stay on until September 1st to help with the transition provided the amendment is signed and that the hospital would continue to honor the terms and provisions of the agreement.
The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning in the courthouse. In the road report District One Commissioner Wes Mobray said that brush would be cut on Dent County Road 5130 and his crew was out checking roads after Wednesday night’s storms. He indicated there were probably a lot of trees down. District Two Commissioner Gary Polk reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2183, 2190, 2200 and 2370, plus rock would be put on the hill on county road 2210 and they would be patching a washout on county road 2150. He also reported that rock would be hauled to county roads 2150, 2190, 2200 and 2370. Polk noted that his crew would be patching a washout around the Anutt Community Center. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson reported he received information from MRPC about MoDOT’s Central District public meeting in Jefferson City August 8th, to discuss the draft of the updated High Priority Unfunded Needs list for transportation in central Missouri. The meeting will be held Tuesday afternoon and evening from 4:30 until 6:00 at the Missouri River Regional Library Art Gallery at 214 Adams Street. Larson went on to say that he would attend the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting Thursday afternoon and that there would be a special waste collection in Salem in September. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reminded the public entities to advertise their upcoming tax rate hearings. Mobray said the commission would seek lease-purchase financing for the two new graders scheduled to arrive in September. He will notify the banks by phone and will be delivering bid specs to them. Mobray said bids will be due in to the Dent County Clerk’s office by 10:00 Monday, September 11th and the amount to be financed is $485,897.15. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.
Dent County Prosecutor Andrew M. Curley on Thursday, August 3rd, presented a check for the sum of $40,527.19 to the Missouri Department of Social Services. The money returned to the state of Missouri is the result of efforts by law enforcement involving the recovery of misused Medicaid funds that occurred in Dent County.
An accident happened early Thursday morning at 1:15 in Phelps County on Highway 63 about two miles south of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Ford Escape being driven by a 16-year-old male juvenile of St. James, was traveling south when he failed to negotiate a curve and traveled off the right side of the road and struck several trees. The teen suffered moderate injuries and was transported by a private vehicle to Phelps Health Hospital. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by D&D Towing. The reported stated that the juvenile was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.