WRH loses no time after tax passes
When heavy weather and tornadoes came through the Demopolis area Dec. 16, six or seven ambulances brought the injured to Whitfield Regional Hospital. They were suffering from multiple contusions, and one had a broken leg.
Extra staff was called in to the Emergency Department to handle the influx of patients.
The hospital also opened its doors to those seeking shelter, and 130 people and seven dogs crowded into the basement classroom.
From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. the hospital and its staff took care of the people who sought help. Just about the time everything was cleared, the ED then was called on to deliver a baby.
“That six hours is why the hospital is needed,” said CEO/Administrator Doug Brewer.
It was only six days earlier when WHR opened its Christmas stocking early. Voters in Marengo County passed a 4-mil property tax dedicated to its operation.
Brewer isn’t wasting time leveraging the expected income from the tax to benefit the hospital. On Dec. 23 he had another meeting with an investment firm to finalize plans to offer bonds within 45-60 days.
The value of the bonds is “up in the air,” Brewer said, but he estimated their worth would be between $12 million and $16 million, “depending on the structure.”
But the hospital didn’t wait for the bonds to be issued before announcing the first project. On Monday it assumed the operation of the Fitz-Gerald Clinic.
Brewer stressed WRH didn’t purchase the clinic. He had been in discussions with Dr. Maurice Fitz-Gerald for the last three months as the doctor explored options to make sure his office continued operating.
Nothing could be finalized until the hospital was assured of an income, Brewer said. “We couldn’t commit to do that because we didn’t have the cash flow to do it over the long term.”
Renamed the Whit Family Clinic Fitz-Gerald, it marches in line with WRH’s goal to open more rural health clinics. “This fits into that model very well,” said Brewer.
All employees, including Dr. Fitz-Gerald, will remain on staff. “We’re simply trying to keep 27 jobs and make sure that 100 people a day are seen by medical professionals,” he added.
Second on the list of priorities is the reopening of the obstetrical unit. Brewer hopes it will be up and running sometime in the third quarter of 2020.
The hospital will be working with the University of Alabama Medical School. Dr. Ashley Steiner, now seeing patients in the University Medical Center office in the WRH Outpatient Building, will help get the unit up and running with her partners.
Third on the to-do list is the expansion and upgrade of the Emergency Department, Brewer continued. The architectural plans are ready, but the challenge will be to keep the ED operational while all the construction work is going on.
The preliminary estimates of the work are in the $1.5 million range, and Brewer hopes construction will start by the end of 2020.
WRH also will be upgrading the facility aesthetics with new painting and repairs while also replacing ancient boilers, repaving the parking lot, repairing the roof, installing new flooring and replacing outdated and antiquated equipment.
Since Brewer took over the administration of WRH 18 months ago the hospital has put into place strategies that he believes will help it break even. He has shared with the hospital board of directors what he calls four “buckets” for where the income from the bond issue will go:
- Infrastructure, including new boilers and facility upgrades.
- Project related, such as a south Marengo County clinic and the Emergency Department.
- Cash flow needs to help the hospital get caught up.
- Reserves to cover emergencies
“We’re going to get much better and be able to handle even more,” Brewer promised.