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Show Garfield Memorial Hospital Faces Serious Financial Challenges PANGUITCH Garfield County Memorial Hospital in Panguitch is in serious financial trouble according to informationm released this week in an official news release from Garfield County Commissioners and County Engineer Engin-eer Brian Bremner. Estimates for this fiscal year indicate the hospital will operate at a loss of approximately approx-imately $800,000. Even the most liberal estimates, which discount depreciation, identify identi-fy a deficit of more than half a million dollars. The projections have Intermountain Health Care (IHC) officials and Garfield County Commissioners frantically searching search-ing for a solution. "The hospital and extended care facility are some of the county's most valuable assets. We have to find a way to keep them operating," said Commissioner Maloy Dodds. Hospital administrators and board members have been discussing discus-sing several options including 1) transferring ownership to Garfield County, institution of a one cent countywide sales tax, and contracting contract-ing with IHC or some other entity to run the facility; 2) reducing services, closing the hospital and extended care facility and leaving only the clinic open in Panguitch. "None of the options discussed to this point are very attractive," Commissioner Dodds stated, "but one thing is clear, the public needs to be involved in this decision." Garfield County is planning to hold various open houses in the coming weeks throughout the county to solicit public input. In a Monday interview, hospital administrator Eric Packer explained that IHC totally owns Garfield Memorial Hospital and clinic facilities. facili-ties. Packer said he had met twice previously with county commissioners commis-sioners and IHC representatives to keep the county informed of the serious financial obligations of the facility. Both agreed the public needs to know more about the issues surrounding sur-rounding the operation of the hospital hos-pital which has been losing money for the past dozen or so years. Intermountain Health Care, said Packer, wants to work through the situation, and will not abandon the area but will seriously begin to look at reducing medical and emergency emer-gency services to a level that Garfield Gar-field County can afford if no alternatives alter-natives are determined. The reasons revenue is down at the IHC-owned facility are numerous numer-ous and complicated, Packer explained. ex-plained. For rural health care facilities facili-ties in general, those reasons include : 1) having too small a population base. A broader population popula-tion base is needed to sustain the services and facilities offered in Panguitch. 2) Health care practices are changing, treatment procedures not taking as long, patients not having to come back for return visits. Also, more referrals are be- ing made to specialists drawing patients pa-tients out of Garfield County. 3) In order to balance the Federal budget health care nationwide is having to respond to the Balanced Budget' Act. They were originally slated for a one-third reduction of outpatient Medicare but now the government has reconsidered and the cuts will not be as deep. Commissioner Maloy Dodds said about three months ago John Hoops from IHC came to Panguitch Pan-guitch to discuss the serious nature of budget problems at Garfield Memorial Hospital and he indicated they were then experiencing a financial shortfall of $700,000. Dodds is over health care as part of his leadership role in Garfield County. He met with IHC and hospital board members in a workshop to discuss ramifications. IHC assured Garfield County they were not in a crisis management situation and would not run out on the county but wanted to work through these financial problems. But Dodds reported Hoops as saying IHC simply wasn't prepared to continue sustaining heavy financial losses in Garfield County. There were several options discussed and IHC made it clear they were not even considering replacing Dr. E. Terry Henrie when he retired in 2000. They didn't have the budget for that. Quite simply said Dodds, "if Dr. Henrie is (See HOSPITAL on page 3-A) HOSPITAL From Front Page not being replaced, Dr. Richard Birch indicated that without a third physician he would not be staying at Garfield Memorial Hospital." And these events, he said, "would also ultimately impact Dr. ShaunJ Shurtliff." The second thing IHC would be looking at is closing outlying clinics clin-ics which would save approximately approxi-mately $200,000 per year. Then over a period of time they would phase out the hospital and emergency services and probably just keep the clinic in Panguitch. "Subsequently," said Dodds, "they have made a proposal for Garfield County to accept the hospital and clinics outright in the year 2000 from IHC. IHC would also write out a check for operation of the facility to the county for approximately $800,000 for the year 2000 and Garfield County would accept all liability for any remaining finances." Dodds made it clear that Garfield County commissioners have realized the importance of maintaining quality health care in the county and are committed to authorize a search for a third physician stating that the county (See HOSPITAL on page 4-A) HOSPITAL From Page 3-A would cover the expenses of that position. "But," he said, "time was needed to take options to the people of the county." One of the those options is to implement a one cent sales tax to subsidize the cost of health care across the county. Using a sales tax would mean that the tourist population would be funding the cost of health care as compared to a rise in property tax which would lay the burden on local people. However, said Dodds, any time you impact tourism you also potentially impact towns across the county. Dodds wants to begin a series of open houses in January to take the options to the people of the county but by 2001 a plan has to be fully in place in order to maintain the present services offered. off-ered. Dodds also emphasized that closing the hospital and related facilities would create heavy impacts im-pacts across the county since the IHC payroll in Garfield County is the second largest private payroll countywide. |