By Mike Ricketts miker@tmnews.com
BEDFORD — By a majority vote — barely, the Dunn Hospital Board of Governors agreed Wednesday night to allow an additional 30 days for two hospital groups to submit written bids for taking over the county’s hospital operations.
Hospital board president Eric Koch presented to the 10 board members the recommendation that the Lawrence County Council had made Tuesday night to extend the negotiations to allow Ascension Health Inc. to have the same opportunity to make a bid on the hospital as Clarian Health Inc. has had. A third for-profit group LifePoint, previously interested in Dunn, removed itself from consideration.
Clarian, which includes Methodist and Riley Hospital for Children, operates Bedford Regional Medical Center, and Ascension, which operates St. Vincent’s, are both interested in Dunn Memorial Hospital.
Prior to approving the recommendation, Dunn board member and Chief of Staff Dr. Deborah Craton said she would again state that the medical staff of the hospital believes talks with Ascension aren’t in the best interest of health care for Lawrence County residents.
“Again, I will have to voice the opinion of the medical staff that wants unified health care,” Craton said. “And only Clarian would bring about a unified health-care system in Lawrence County.”
After Dunn board member Mike LaGrange made the motion to accept the county’s recommendation and it received a second, Koch asked for a showing of those in favor and those against. With the verbal vote seemingly the same, he asked for another one.
“Motion carries,” Koch said.
While no show of hands was requested, Koch, after the meeting, said the vote received the needed majority and none of those against it disputed that a majority was in favor.
After a failed effort for Clarian to take over Dunn in 1999, talks again surfaced in 2006 that Clarian was interested in unifying the county’s health care.
A change in the operations at Dunn would require majority approval of four boards — Dunn Board of Governors, Dunn Association, and the county commissioners and county council.
Despite that Dunn doctors and the BRMC board have published full-page advertisements encouraging Lawrence County citizens that creating a single hospital under the umbrella of Clarian and in partnership with BRMC is best, the Lawrence County Council voted Tuesday night to slow down the process and allow Ascension an opportunity to present a bid.
“The committee recommends for Dunn Memorial Hospital to enter into a standstill agreement with St. Vincent’s (Ascension Health Care) so that offers (from Clarian and Ascension) can be considered on fair footing,” said council President Mike Branham.
During Tuesday night’s meeting, Branham said Ascension has made an offer of a five- to 10-year lease of Dunn that could pay the county up to $750,000 a year for the facility.
He, however, said Clarian’s merger proposal makes only a monetary offer of a one-time $300,000 payment if a certain profit level hit. And while money isn’t the only issue, Branham said, considering the county’s ongoing struggles with high unemployment, it has to be taken into consideration. He said the annual Ascension payment could be used for the county’s economic development.
At Tuesday’s meeting, county commissioner Chris May voiced concern that entering talks with Ascension could end Clarian’s interest in the hospital.
Branham and councilman Jim Edwards aren’t concerned with that.
“There will be someone interested,” Edwards added.
Times-Mail Assistant Managing Editor Mike Ricketts welcomes comments at 277-7255 or by e-mail at miker@tmnews.com.
