Perry County business leaders want transparency in hospital action

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Several Perry County business leaders presented a letter Tuesday morning to county commissioners asking for "transparency" with regard to negotiations between Perry County Memorial Hospital and a potential partner, Mercy of St. Louis.

The letter -- signed by Eric Hasty, chief financial officer, Buchheit Enterprises; Thomas Welge, president, Gilster-Mary Lee Corp.; Frank Robinson, chief executive officer, Robinson Construction; and Robert Patrick, president, TG Missouri -- contends PCHM leaders recommended Jan. 26 to the hospital's board of directors the hospital enter into a partnership with Mercy. It was sent to county commissioners and the county clerk.

"This decision is being made by a small group of people in private meetings," the letter states. "This lack of transparency and secret maneuvering calls for your immediate attention as the PCMH private board has historically acted without transparency. The community's citizens have a right to information that directly affects their access to health care."

According to information from Perry County Economic Development Authority, TG Missouri is the county's largest employer (1,700), with Gilster-Mary Lee the county's second largest employer (1,200) and Robinson Construction third (450).

Perry County Memorial Hospital is the fourth-largest employer (400).

The business leaders stressed ongoing relationships with Southeast- HEALTH as the network provider at PCMH.

"A decision by PCMH to partner with any other health system besides SoutheastHEALTH would not only create an undesirable situation for our employees and their families, it would likely cause them to travel to seek medical services at facilities other than the local hospital," Robinson's comments in the letter contend. "It would also likely increase the cost of health care for all the residents of Perry County and could endanger the future of hospital services."

Patrick agrees in the letter.

Frank Robinson of Robinson Construction speaks Tuesday morning at a meeting in the construction company's Event Center in Perryville, Missouri. Robinson presented a letter signed by several local business leaders seeking "transparency" is negotiations Perry County Memorial Hospital officials are having with regard to a potential partnership with Mercy of St. Louis.Rick Fahr ~ rfahr@semissiourian.com

"We feel strongly that SoutheastHEALTH would be a great organization to carry the local health system forward, while providing access to specialty care and keeping our hospital in operation for the Perryville community and TG workforce," he states.

A statement from PCMH said hospital administrators indicated no decision on a potential partnership has been made and pledged transparency in any such decision.

"Any path forward will ensure Perry County Health System will be able to continue to provide excellent patient care, retain local control, be conscious of health care costs to families and employers, protect existing employees, and recruit and retain physicians," the statement reads. "The Health System Board and the Board of Trustees are fully involved. If a decision is made to explore a possible relationship with any particular hospital, then we look forward to engaging the community during that process."

A Mercy official said Tuesday the organization had no comment.

County officials weigh in

A letter from county officials -- Mike Sauer, presiding county commissioner; Jay Wengert, District 1 commissioner; and Keith Hoehn, District 2 commissioner -- dated Tuesday to the hospital's board of directors, publicly elected board of trustees and Chris Wibbenmeyer, chief executive officer of the hospital, contends on Oct. 21, trustee Steve Rozier and Wibbenmeyer asked commissioners and County Clerk Jared Kutz to sign non-disclosure agreements with respect for the hospital's request for information from various health care organizations. The letter states the officials did so "with the assumption we would be kept abreast of the process. However, to date we have received no official update, and although we do have a meeting planned for later this month, we are quite surprised to hear [the hospital] may have already made a recommendation to the PCMH Board of Trustees and that the Trustees may take action on it."

The letter contends the County Commission has final authority on any lease or sale of "all or substantially all of the assets of the hospital," and notes a current lease running through June 1, 2028, would require county commissioners to alter.

Two boards -- directors of the organization's not-for-profit corporation and publicly elected trustees -- oversee the hospital. Directors are Keith Moeckel, Darrell Niswonger, Beth Guth, Kay Taylor and Linda Buerck. Trustees are Steve Rozier, Greg Unger, Patrick Naeger, Niswonger and Guth. None of the directors or trustees commented on the issue Monday, and none attended Tuesday's meeting or issued statements on the situation.

Nursing program

Carlos Vargas, president of Southeast Missouri State University, noted in the business leaders' letter ongoing communications among SEMO, Southeast- HEALTH and Ranken Technical College for a potential nursing school in Perryville.

Ranken, based in St. Louis, has a Perryville location.

"Bringing [registered nurse] and [Bachelor of Science in Nursing] programs from the Southeast College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Southeast Missouri State University to Perryville to collaborate with Ranken will foster a consistent labor pipeline for Perryville and the region," Vargas states.