Closing instructions for UDSA loan for new Pinckneyville Community Hospital are on the way
The Kansas office of USDA has finished looking over the loan application for Pinckneyville Community Hospital and has issued closing instructions for the loan. Hospital Administrator Tom Hudgins said he was notified by phone Monday prior to the board meeting and was able to view the documents Tuesday.
The paperwork is on its way from Kansas to Champaign, Ill. and from there on to the local office in Mount Vernon. There are still some legal documents that must be executed to satisfy USDA once the closing instructions arrive at the Mount Vernon office. After those are signed, a pre-construction hearing will be held.
Hudgins said there were a couple of easy items on the closing instructions which were dealt with immediately. The remainder of the requirements will be handled as soon as possible. At this time, he has no specific timeline for finalizing the loan.
In the meantime, Construction Manager Robbins Morton will meet with sub-contractors next week to go over safety regulations on the job.
The hospital has no plans to authorize an early start on the job. However, the site remains dry enough to do rough grading, install pipes and fill in a man-made pond which sits where an access road will be.
Though there have been some delays caused by the government shut-down and weather, PCH has put the time to good use, going over the four-year-old drawings with each Department Manager to fine-tune their areas.
Hudgins said the original drawings included a dark room in Radiology which is no longer necessary. The hospital is completely digital. Removing the dark room saves money and created space for an additional dressing room. The latest drawings are in the hands of the architects. Outside the dark room, most of the changes were minor such as preferring tile to carpet, removing an interior wall or moving an electrical outlet.
The official start on the long-awaited project will rely mainly on weather.
In other business, the board:
• reviewed the finances for November. PCH had an operating income of $120,497 and a net income of $163,933. Net income includes revenue from sources other than operations. The year-to-date figures are $102,152 in operating income and $515,728 in net income. The hospital received a $136,000 dividend from their liability insurance carrier, Illinois Provider Trust. The trust can either distribute the profits back to members each year or pay taxes on them. This is the third or fourth year PCH has received a substantial dividend. The programs and guidelines suggested by Illinois Provider Trust have been successful for all members.
• heard that Andy Forbes, the medical student recruited by PCH, will bring his family for a visit the first week of April. Forbes should graduate from medical school and start work at PCH in July 2015. PCH has paid his medical school tuition in exchange for working in Pinckneyville. Hudgins said he hopes to finalize Forbes' contract during his visit.
• heard from the personnel committee that employees' spouses who are covered by the hospital's medical insurance must participate in wellness screening this year. They can complete their initial screening in March then will be screened again in October with employees. The screening determines the premium/deductible tier for those covered.