Oktibbeha County supervisors hired a consultant Monday to assist with a potential evaluation of OCH Regional Medical Center’s financial health, but not before District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard said fellow board members are “re-opening old wounds” by flirting with a process that could lead to a sale or lease of the county-controlled hospital.
Although the board has not yet formally voted to conduct such an analysis, supervisors hired Woodrell Advisory and Consulting Services LLC to advise the county as it positions itself to put OCH’s finances under the microscope.
Led by Frederick Woodrell, the former chief executive officer of the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s hospital and clinics, the firm is set to receive $10,000 for advisory services, which includes two on-site trips, a letter of agreement states.
Additional fees “may be due for time spent” if “hospital management fails to cooperate fully,” the agreement states.
A financial analysis is the first step required by state law before a county or other agency can move forward with a potential sale or lease of a government-controlled health care facility.
If the county approves an assessment, District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said Woodrell would not handle the study.
Supervisors did not issue a request for proposals for the services. Instead, Trainer said he brought the proposal after coming into contact with Woodrell in past discussions about OCH.
After Trainer suggested supervisors move forward with the agreement, Howard repeatedly asked why the board would hire a consultant before approving an assessment. He accused Trainer of “talking in circles” on the issue.
“What if we hire this consultant … and it’s a 3-2 vote not to have an assessment done? Then what do we do? Wouldn’t you think (a vote to conduct the analysis) would be the first thing you’d do?” Howard asked. “Let’s be real: You want to have an assessment done of the hospital.”
Trainer countered Howard, saying Woodrell can help with a number of issues ahead of such a vote.
“The consultant helps with other things on the front end, as it relates to getting an understanding,” Trainer said. “(Woodrell) can serve as a mediator or as a liaison between this board and the hospital board for whatever situations may occur. If you get to that point, you still need someone with expertise on determining what is a good assessment versus just picking a low bid.”
The two supervisors continued a back and forth until Howard pressed Trainer on his refusal to appoint a trustee from his district to the hospital board. The board president, Howard said, has allowed the position to sit vacant for almost a year.
Supervisors previously tasked County Administrator Emily Garrard to set up a meeting with OCH trustees earlier this spring, but Garrard said she was unable obtain suitable dates from the hospital board.
Howard said he spoke to trustees, and the board agreed to meet with supervisors on May 24. The meeting was delayed, he said, as a trustee recovered from a recent surgery.
“I feel like there’s a wealth of knowledge out there at the hospital. If we can’t communicate with our trustees … then why do we appoint them?” Howard asked. “We can go through this process either by starting off smoothly together, or we can open up those wounds. Right now, what it seems like is you want to retain a hired gun, go march out to the hospital and say ‘This is what we’re going to do’ when you, first of all, won’t even appoint a trustee and, second of all, won’t even talk to the trustees.”
After the meeting, Trainer said he “has no desire” to appoint a trustee “due to the nature of what potentially and possibly could happen as it relates to the transition.”
Trainer also said he didn’t want to put a new appointee through the stress of handling a contentious issue.
District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller and District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams supported Trainer’s motion to hire Woodrell, while both Howard and District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery opposed.
Statewide and national trends in declining hospital bed occupancy and hospital mergers are forcing communities to study their health care facilities, Miller said, and supervisors would be naive to think those trends will not affect Oktibbeha County in the future.
“Nine out of 10 hospitals in the country are evaluating some form of partnership or alignment, and 87 percent of hospitals across the country to pursue alignment with another hospital or health care system,” she said while citing statistics released in April’s Mississippi Rural Health Care Summit. “(Summit speakers) stressed the need for hospitals to evaluate, adapt and change to ensure long-term health care for communities. Our hospital is a vital part of our community, and we want to ensure quality, long-term health care.”
Williams said having a consultant would allow him to make informed decisions moving forward in the process.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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