News – Thursday, August 1st, 2024

The City of Salem is pleased to inform you that late Tuesday, they successfully brought the main well back online with a new pump. The new well pump coming online and the recent use of fire hydrants for a structure fire has temporarily increased turbidity in our water system, with the northeast part of town being the most impacted. The city will be flushing hydrants in the northeast part of town to help remove sediment and reduce turbidity. The water should begin to clear up over the next couple of days. The City of Salem appreciates your patience and understanding as we work to ensure the quality of our water.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital (SMDH) Board of Directors had their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 30th in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital. This was the first official board meeting attended by the hospital’s new CEO Brooke Bollman. During the Administrator’s Report, Ms. Bollman stated the hospital is getting a new vaccine refrigerator for their clinic, and one of the two freezers in the dietary department has been repaired. The hospital received three free on the hospital’s financial situation. The board moved on to the Summary of Operations for the month of June and CFO Kayla Chamberlain provided the updates that shows the overall Inpatient Admissions and Outpatient Registrations for June 2024 are lower than they were for June 2023. Emergency room visits and ambulance runs were also down compared to last year. For the month of June, the clinic experienced a net loss of $6,751.89. The hospital’s net operating revenue for June was near $1.6 million dollars while their total operating expenses were around $1.7 million dollars providing a loss from operations from June of $79,359.46. After taxes, the hospital had an excess of expenses over revenues of $79,202.61. SMDH’s ending cash balance for June as indicated by their cash flow statement was $214,289. The 340B program revenue totaled $24,577 for the month of June. The Chief Nursing Officer report was given by Kayla Chamberlain. She said the hospital plans to reimplement the Student Intern Program. The transmission on one of the ambulances went out and that is in the process of being repaired. There are multiple openings for employment within the hospital, to including many nursing positions, Long Term Care Director, and Chief Nursing officer. Board president Dr. Leigh Ann Price, asked for clarification on staffing shortages. It was explained that area hospitals continue raising the amount hospital employees are paid and SMDH remains the lowest paying employer in the area. Ms. Bollman stated they plan to prioritize that issue. In the month of June, the hospital hired six new people, and seven left employment, for various reasons. During the Chief of Staff Report, the board voted and unanimously approved new privileges for physicians: Dr. Natasha Nazari (Telepsychiatry), Dr. Henry Onyeaka (Telepsychiatry), and Dr. Brian Quigley (Telepsychiatry). The QAPI Report was unanimously approved by the board. When the board moved on to Old Business, the strategic planning update was tabled until the first of the year to allow Ms. Bollman time to acclimate herself to the area as well as the hospital’s administration. The tax levy increase discussion was also tabled to a further date. For new business, the hospital board voted and unanimously approved to change their meeting time to the last Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. A “Conflict of Interest” resolution was unanimously approved without further discussion, and the Public Tax Hearing was set for August 27th at 6:45 PM. The board then moved into closed session.

The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) will launch a new program supporting beginning farmers today. The initiative offers tax deductions to farm owners who sell or lease land to qualifying beginning farmers. Farm owners selling land to beginning farmers after August 28, 2023, may qualify for capital gains deductions on their Missouri adjusted gross income. The deduction percentage varies based on the capital gain amount, ranging from 100% for gains up to $2 million to 20% for gains between $5-6 million. For those renting or leasing to beginning farmers, a deduction of up to $25,000 per tax year is available on income received from these arrangements. MASBDA Executive Director Jill Wood stated this program complements their existing Beginning Farmer Loan program. Agriculture Director Chris Chinn emphasized the initiative’s role in supporting farmland transition to the next generation. Farm owners must obtain certification from MASBDA to claim the deduction. For more information or to apply, visit masbda.com or contact MASBDA at 573-751-2129 or masbda@mda.mo.gov.