Trainer places OCH assessment on supes agenda

District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said Friday he will ask the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to consider a resolution asking OCH Regional Medical Center’s Board of Trustees to support an assessment of the county-owned hospital during the supervisors Monday meeting.
An independent assessment is required before any sale of the hospital can occur. Trainer made a similar push to explore the county’s options related to the hospital in 2012 and 2013, including the consideration of a 50-year lease from a Tennessee-based medical group.
“It’s a process that can be good for our community,” Trainer said. “It’s good to have a conversation about it.”
Past discussions of the hospital have brought out large crowds of OCH supporters in favor of keeping the hospital under county control.
Trainer placed “hospital assessment” under county business on the agenda for Monday’s 9 a.m. meeting at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse. The proposed resolution has not been drafted, according to Trainer.
During the previous board term, the board voted 3-2 to issue a request for proposals to complete an assessment of the hospital, but never voted to conduct the assessment, which stopped consideration of the proposed leasing of the hospital in 2013.
Trainer acknowledged that OCH’s most recent audit is the best report it has had in years, noting that it strengthens the position of the hospital. He said it would be “detrimental” for the county to stick its head in the sand and not consider all of its options. According to the audit, the hospital's net position has increased by approximately $4 million over the last two years.
Monday will mark the first discussion of the hospital for the new board. District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller is the lone new supervisor since the last round of hospital discussions, replacing former District 4 Supervisor Daniel Jackson, who cast one of the three votes against moving forward with a strategic assessment in 2012. District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard also voted against hiring a company to conduct an assessment in 2012.
Trainer and District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams voted for conducting an assessment at the time.