By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–There was a packed house for Monday night’s meeting of the Henry County Commission and lengthy discussion of the proposed lease agreement between the Henry County Medical Center and West Tennessee Healthcare. Both the HCMC Board of Trustees and the hospital’s Strategic Planning Committee late last week unanimously recommended a lease agreement with West Tennessee.
In other business during the meeting, County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway announced that Rita Gean, wife of the late County Commissioner Randy Gean, is the only candidate for his interim replacement and that will be acted upon at the April 15 meeting. Anyone else who is interested in filling the District 1 Commission seat until August should contact the County Mayor’s office.
Ridgeway also announced receipt of a letter of resignation from County Property Assessor Charles VanDyke. VanDyke said his resignation is effective April 30. A decision will be made how to fill that seat temporarily on April 15, he said. There are two candidates for the position at the August election: Robert Abbott Jr. and Scott Morrison.
During the hospital update, which was presented by Hospital CEO John Tucker and Board Chairman Bruce Reed, commissioners had numerous questions, mostly centering around whether the hospital is on the right track in entering into a lease agreement with West Tennessee Healthcare.
Tucker distributed a ‘Proposal for Integration’ which was newly-prepared by West Tennessee, outlining its proposal and examining the impact it would have on Henry County, its citizens and employees.
Under the proposal, West Tennessee would enter into a long term (40 year) lease for the real estate under which any new debt related to the operation would be the obligation of West Tennessee. It would commit to providing healthcare in Henry County for the lease duration, would offer current employees a position with the new entity and West Tennessee would also assume all assets and liabilities of the hsopital with the exception of pension funding, existing debt and EMS operation.
Operations of HCMC and its owned clinics would become part of West Tennessee under the integration agreement and EMS and nursing home operations are specifically excluded. West Tennessee will leave the pysical plant from Henry Co. under a long term lease.
Both Reed and Tucker said West Tennessee has not made a definite decision on whether it would reinstate the hospital’s OB operation. Tucker said, “They’re concerned about overpromising and underdelivering.”
Commissioner David “Tater” Hayes said he’s heard all his life that the hospital had to be kept local “and I never understood that. But I do now. But I never heard people talk about we’ve tried to fix it (so a lease agreement wouldn’t be necessary).”
Tucker said, “What do you think we’ve been doing for the past 1 1/2 years?”
Ridgeway noted that Henry County has had the hospital for 71 years “so we’re not going to rush through this. They are the right partner for us, but I don’t want to make a rash decision.”
Commissioner Patrick Burns asked, “But have we done our due diligence?”
He asked whether other hospitals were given the same opportunity to present a proposal to HCMC and Reed and Tucker said yes. They pointed at that both Mercy and Vanderbilt did not even follow up. “They all received the same information and same proposal dates,” Tucker said. “We contacted every system that operates within two hours of us.”
Commissioner Dell Carter said, “I wont be here in 40 years and I want to know if Henry County is going to still own that building and grounds after 40 years.”
“That’s what we’re doing here,” Reed said. “We’re not just trying to protect the county but protect 700 jobs.”
Commissioners asked how employees felt about the proposal and Tucker said, “I think the vast majority of the employees think this is necessary. But we know there are a lot of more and difficult questions ahead”.
His comment was met with applause from the employees in the audience.
Discussion of the proposal will continue at the commission’s April 15 meeting and Ridgeway said he would like for West Tennessee representatives to be at the meeting.
In other business:
–Commissioners approved a change in a PILOT agreement with Dana Sealing. Dana has requested to extend the cap of the PILOT agreement to $32M.
Photo: Hospital CEO John Tucker and Board President Bruce Reed provide an update for the commission. Shannon McFarlin photo.