Local News – Wednesday, August 18th, 2021

Spring Creek 4-H Club member Presley Strader of Salem made an impression at the Missouri State Fair as she showed the Reserve Champion Dorset. This honor came after she showed at the Phelps County Fair on August 7th and had the Reserve Championship Crossbred Ewe and was the Champion Sheep Showman. That ewe was bred by the Rule Sheep Company. Also at the Phelps County Fair, Strader had the Grand Champion Crossbred Heifer that was bred by Campbell Blecher. Congratulations Preslie on your hard work!

Congratulations also goes out to Clayton Headrick of the Lake Spring 4-H Club as he won the Senior Skeet Doubles last week in St. Louis. He shot a 91-out of 100. Headrick also took 6th place in the Senior Skeet Single competition. Another 4-H club member from the Spring Creek 4-H, Ryker Major, took 16th place in the Senior Skeet Singles in St. Louis. This is Major’s first year competing in this event.

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 July, the hospital had 123 inpatient admissions with 376 inpatient census days. The hospital showed a loss from operations of $220,282 and had an excess of expenses over revenues of $216,666. During the month, there were 850 emergency room visits with 93 admissions, plus there were 210 ambulance runs where 141 patients were transported. In July, there were 24 surgery cases, 1,920 outpatient registrations, 10,290 lab tests, 1,478 radiological procedures, 504 rehab treatments and 246 home health visits with 18 home health admissions. The days in account receivable during the month went down to 62 from 74 in June and days cash on hand stayed at 85. The hospital had a cash decrease during the month of $3,202. Two CD’s will be renewed in August for $100,000 each for .50% from the Bank of Salem for 12 months. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas said Critical Access Hospitals are to receive $50,000 to help with staffing for COVID, but they haven’t received information on how to get it yet. New Chief of Nursing Ashley Sullins gave the Acute Care Staffing by Patient Acuity report that showed the average acuity at 32 per day with 12 patients per day. Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards said the Wings and Strings event in September has been cancelled while the “Dancing with the Salem Stars” program is scheduled for January 22nd at the High School Gym. He said the hospital is waiting on payment for the TytoCare-school focused telemedicine product from USDA, and the plan is still to have the program in place in schools by 2022. Lucas gave the COVID-19 update and said the number of COVID cases as of Tuesday in Dent County is 107 with a positivity rate of 17.2% of those tested. As of Tuesday, 101 employees at the hospital have been totally vaccinated with another 22 having at least one dose. That is a 37% fully vaccination rate with 45% having at least one dose. The visitor policy changed Monday where there is only one entrance to the hospital and that is at the emergency room, patients may only have one visitor per day, long-term care patients cannot see visitors, and door screeners will welcome visitors and patients at the ER door. Lucas reported the renovation work is all but finished except for some minor details that are being worked on and completed. The Cerner Conversion continues as this is “train the trainer” week. Board President Ray Bruno selected the fiscal year 2022 finance committee and is comprised of the same people as last year: Mike Swyers, Willie Strader and A.J. Seay. The board then went into closed session.

Have you been to the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center in Salem where they still have open the exhibit entitled “Dent County Pictorial History?” If you have not yet attended, you are missing a chance to see how history has affected Dent County and their citizens, changes made over the years as well as progress made, all courtesy of a number of photographs taken over the years by the newspapers in town, family photos, special occasion photos such as church and family outings and much more. There is no charge to attend the exhibit and it is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. The exhibit will remain open until August 31st at 202 South Main Street in Salem, next to the Farmers Market.