Local News – Monday, November 28th, 2022
The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors received their audit report Tuesday night for Fiscal Year 2022 from Jean Nyberg of FOVIS, formally known as BKD, LLP. Nyberg said her firm gave the hospital an unmodified opinion which is the best they can give for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2022, She reported SMDH had a cash decrease during the year of 1.9 million dollars due an operating loss and the Medicare reduction where the hospital had to repay Medicare’s advance during COVID with a reduced reimbursement from them. The hospital did receive 2.4 million dollars in CARES Act funds during the fiscal year. Nyberg reported the hospital improved their days in accounts receivable reducing it from 58 in 2021 to 31 in 2022 with 66 days cash on hand which is about normal for a critical access hospital. The hospital did have an increase in revenues of 1.8 million dollars but had decrease in their net position of $1,667,000. She told the board the long-term debt to capitalization ratio for the Salem Hospital stands at 29% which now includes capital leases. Nyberg told the board the net operating margin for the hospital this past fiscal year stands at -18.8% which is better than last year’s -28.4% margin. She did say the hospital had non-operating revenues of 2.9 million dollars for the last fiscal year which should just about do it for substantial CARES Act funds, but some ARPA funds may be reflected in the next fiscal year budget for the transformer repair and ambulance purchases. Nyberg went on to report that FOVIS noted one material deficiency with a significant amount of journal entries, reconciliations and with the accounts receivable. Due to some of these issues, there was an audit adjustment needed of $995,213. With that being said, Nyberg said the hospital is on the right course, but it will still be 18 months or longer before an accurate assessment could be done. She did state the hospital may want to take a hard look at departments that are not profitable such as dialysis and Home Health to see if moving forward with them is the right move or divesting themselves of those services may be necessary.
The City of Salem and the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce will hold their Christmas Parade of Lights this Saturday starting at 5:30 from the corner of South Grand and Franklin to the Dent County Courthouse. The parade will go east on Franklin, then north on MacArthur to 4th Street and then progress east to the courthouse square. You are invited to be a part of the parade and the theme will be “Under the Christmas Tree” with this year’s Grand Marshall former Mayor Gary Brown. The parade winners this year are sponsored by Sinks Pharmacy. Entry forms are available at the Salem Chamber of Commerce Office, on their Facebook page or by calling the chamber office at 729-6900. They
can e-mail or fax you a form as well and all forms need to be turned into the chamber office by this Wednesday. The parade lineup will begin at 5:00 and the parade will be livestreamed on KSMO Media.
The last signup for the Dent County Toy Drive and the Salvation Army Angel Tree will be from 3:30 until 5:30 this afternoon at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. This is the last day to sign-up your children and some documentation will be required. These programs are limited to children from newborn to 12-years of age, and the parent or guardian they live with MUST sign them up. The parent needs to bring with them a birth certificate or shot record or current grade card to prove the child’s age; and the parents must live in Dent County. A current utility bill or a letter from the school the child attends will also work. Only one person per family may register and no children are allowed to be present during the signups. Parents will be asked the interests of each child, and they should know their children’s clothes and shoe sizes. For parents to save some time, there is a link on the Dent County Toy Drive Facebook Page to complete the pre-registration form. The Dent County Toy Drive and the Salvation Army want all children to have a great Christmas, but they are also asking parents not to participate unless you truly need their help. If you have questions, message the Dent County Toy Drive on their Facebook page or call 729-8163.
A one vehicle accident happened Thanksgiving morning just after 8:00 in Phelps County on County Road 7520 about a quarter mile from Highway T. The report released from the highway patrol states that a 2013 Smart car being driven by 56-year-old Tammy Striplin of Devils Elbow was traveling east when she traveled off the left side of the road before striking a ditch and overturning. Striplin, who was not wearing a safety restraint, suffered serious injuries, and was taken by ambulance to Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla. The vehicle was totaled and removed from the scene by D&D Towing.