News – Friday, August 28th, 2026

Salem R-80 District Superintendent Nate Wills has released that a traffic accident occurred Thursday afternoon involving a school bus, which was struck behind by another vehicle. Both the students and the bus driver are safe with no medical treatment required. Students were transported home. Law enforcement are investigating the scene, and the district is cooperating fully with the investigation. Because the matter is under investigation and involves student privacy considerations, further details are not able to be shared at this time. Additional information as it becomes available and is able to be shared will be disseminated in the future. For any questions, please contact the district office at 573-729-6642.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors held its public tax hearing on Tuesday evening at 6:30 in the Doctor’s Library. After much discussion, the board voted to approve the proposed tax rate of $0.24 per $100 of assessed valuation. Following the conclusion of the public tax hearing, the board called its regular meeting to order. There were no public comments and no unfinished business. Under New Business, a representative from the Hospital’s Helping Hands Auxiliary spoke about the group’s upcoming quilt raffle and provided a financial update. Since April, the auxiliary has raised $2,887.74 through fundraising, donations, and Gift Box sales, and has spent $2,377.66 on various expenses, including scholarships, and fundraising project supplies. The board then  voted to approve the Resolution of Potential Conflicts of Interest. During Operational Reports, interim CEO/CNO Amber Hogan presented her reports. Hogan noted that the hospital has been awarded a grant of approximately $1.8 million from the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), which must be spent by September 2027. Disbursement of funds is pending CMS-approved revisions to the application. The hospital applied for a match waiver but was denied, and will therefore need to cover a 10% match of the grant amount; the hospital’s foundation has agreed to cover 50% of that required match. The grant will fund several projects, including a new roof for the entire hospital, new exterior-facing windows, replacement of the call light system in Long Term Care and Med Surg, and installation of Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner (PTAC) units in several patient rooms. After much discussion, the board agreed to consult with legal counsel on whether grant-funded projects must be formally bid out. Other updates included TruBridge financial optimization, chargemaster updates, and ambulance upgrade progress. In July, the hospital recorded 65 inpatient admissions, 12 swing-bed admissions, 1,092 outpatient registrations, 650 emergency room visits, and 218 ambulance runs. Net patient revenue for July totaled approximately $1.8 million, against total operating expenses of about $2.3 million, resulting in an overall deficit of approximately $436,000. After approving the financial report, the board reviewed Accounts Receivable (AR) aging. AR currently totals $13.5 million, with approximately $4.6 million more than 120 days old. The hospital currently has 26 days of cash on hand. The board also reviewed two CDs and discussed renewal options, including the possibility of participating in a money market account specifically for political subdivisions. The board voted to approve new CEO Brent Peirick to negotiate CD rates with local banks and to sign a new rate as approved by the board via email vote. Following Kendra Mobray’s Quality Improvement report, the meeting adjourned to closed session to discuss personnel matters. The next regular meeting of the Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors is scheduled for September 29 at 7:00 in the Doctor’s Library and is open to the public.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has released that seal coating operations are scheduled to begin to help preserve the pavement and extend the life of the roadways in Dent County. Work will begin on Sept. 15th and continue through Sept. 16th on Hwy. F, from Hwy. 32 to Hwy. E.