Monticello Live

Mainline Health Systems Inc. (MHSI), a local community health clinic, celebrates National Health Center Week (NHCW) every year. NHCW is always reserved for the first full week in August. MHSI reached out to Mayor Jason Akers, who kindly agreed to create a proclamation in honor of National Health Center Week, which will be celebrated August 6^th – August 12^th. Mainline Health Systems Inc. Monticello Clinic was honored to have the mayor present to read the proclamation in honor of celebration.

To learn more about National Health Center Week, visit their website at https://healthcenterweek.org/about-nhcw/.

Drew Memorial Health System received a 4-star rating when the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the new patient experience star ratings. Drew Memorial has one of the highest patient experience ratings out of all of the hospitals in the Southeast Arkansas region. (more…)

The Drew Memorial Hospital board of directors held a special called meeting, Friday afternoon, to discuss several urgent topics, including cash on hand, a sustainability plan to keep the hospital in operation, and discussion of the potential merger with Baptist health systems.

Topics discussed included the fact that Drew Memorial provides $16 million in yearly payroll to employees, relations with funding sources like Blue Cross and Medicare, and also dealing with creditors and ways to collect more revenue.

The video of the meeting is posted below.

If this proposed long-term lease, likely for 25 years, takes place, it could begin as early as July 1, of this year.

Drew Memorial is owned by Drew County, and would continue to be.

The transaction also requires support of approximately 1/2% sales tax increase for the hospital by members of the current Drew Memorial board of directors.

A wide range of questions were asked by the board and hospital staff, and doctors, most of which were answered with either descriptions that were pleasing to most, or in some cases, “just look at our past history of how we’ve dealt with other local hospitals that have joined our system.”

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