Business leaders seek transparency from PCMH

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Several Perry County business leaders, calling out a lack of transparency, are seeking to start a dialogue with Perry County Memorial Hospital leadership regarding a possible merger.
On Tuesday morning, Frank Robinson read a statement and took questions from the Robinson Event Center regarding the hospital’s future.
PCMH administration was invited but declined to attend.
The health care entities which were distributed requests for information three months ago included SoutheastHEALTH, St. Francis Health and Mercy Health, according to Robinson.
“It’s been brought to our attention that PCMH leadership made a recommendation on January 26 to the Board of Directors to have Mercy assume hospital operations,” stated a Feb. 1 letter, which was addressed to Perry County commissioners Mike Sauer, Jay Wengert and Keith Hoehn, as well as Perry County Clerk Jared Kutz. “This decision is being made by a small group of people in private meetings. This lack of transparency and secret maneuvering calls for your immediate attention as the PCMH private board has historically acted without transparency. The community’s citizens have a right to information that directly affects their access to health care.”
Robinson thanked those in attendance Tuesday, then explained the process of how a meeting got scheduled.
He requested PCMH CEO Chris Wibbenmeyer or a board member attend and the intensions of PCMH.
“That was the of intention of our meeting today, to have the hospital explain to us what their plan is,” he said.
“A lot of these businesses in Perryville have working relationships with Southeast Hospital, maybe other hospitals, too,” Robinson said. “I know Robinson Construction company has a relationship with Southeast hospital. We’re happy with it. It’s a long-term relationship, and we don’t want anything to happen to that without us having input or knowledge. We’d like to keep that relationship with Southeast (HEALTH). We talked to other businesses in Perry County and I was surprised to learn that so many other businesses have the same attitude that we had, that Southeast was the preferred health care provider for our employees and our companies that prices were favorable and their services were good, so that’s why we, as businesses, got together and wrote letters addressed to SoutheastHEALTH.”
Fred Ducharme, former vice president for T.G., now working as a consultant for the new technical educational facility, then read a letter from area business leaders.
“We are writing to express deep concern and to request your immediate attention regarding Perry County Memorial Hospital’s Board of Directors RFI process to determine the future of healthcare services delivery to the residents of Perry County,” the 12-paragraph letter stated. Eric Hasty, the CFO of Buchheit Enterprises; Thomas Welge, the president of Gilster Mary-Lee Corporation; Frank Robinson, the CEO of Robinson Construction; and Robert Patrick, the president of T.G. Missouri provided signatures at the end of the letter.
“We ask that you defer action on any matters concerning the PCMH lease and other pertinent matters until there is full and complete disclosure of information and understanding of what has taken place,” the letter states in its closing paragraph. “Furthermore, we ask that you act in the best interest of the citizens of Perry County and its business community.”
The Perry County County commission issued a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“The Perry County Commission’s top priorities related to the services of Perry County Memorial Hospital is ensuring the ongoing delivery of quality healthcare services in Perry County for our residents, protecting the jobs at Perry County Memorial Hospital and throughout the community and ensuring that any process affecting Perry County Memorial Hospital is transparent and one that provides our citizens an opportunity to give input and ask questions about the future of the county’s hospital and healthcare system.
“The current lease related to the facilities of Perry County Memorial Hospital is effective through June 1, 2028 and to the best of our knowledge any amendments, modifications, alterations or terminations of that agreement between the Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and Perry County Health Systems requires the approval of the Perry County Commission,” the Perry County Commission said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Robinson explained they want to gather more information.
“Our letter was sent to the county commissioners by those local businesses,” Robinson said. “What we’re asking is that they defer action on any matters concerning the PCMH lease and other pertinent matters until there is full and complete disclosure of information and understanding of what has taken place. Furthermore, we ask that you act in the best interest of the citizens of Perry County…That’s a very simple ask, but it’s something that we feel they have the responsibility to…we are asking the commission not to enter, or extend any lease agreements with Perry County Hospital or with Mercy until they are fully aware of what it’s about.”
SoutheastHEALTH and Southeast Missouri State Missouri University have had discussions about forming a partnership to start a nursing school at a new $8 million vocational building, according to Robinson.
“That’s big for Perry County,” Robinson said.
If a possible agreement with PCMH and Mercy is announced, any discussions of partnerships may have to go back to the negotiation stage, according to Robinson.
“It’ll be entirely up to Mercy as to what will happen with that nursing school, they’ll have to work out their own arrangements,” he said. “It was well along the way, and may be jeopardized…”
Robinson closed his prepared comments by reading a letter to the editor which was distributed to news media.
“I think they are about to make a very irresponsible decision,” Robinson wrote as part of the letter.
(See Robinson’s entire letter to the editor on this topic on page 7A).
Robinson urged citizens to take a more active role in the hospital’s future and contact members of the publicly elected hospital board as well as the Perry County commissioners.
“We would like to know what’s going on, all we are asking you is to tell us, what is happening. I think we have a very reasonable request.”
Robinson said many individuals have reached out to him, offering comments and feedback on this matter.
“The calls that I’ve gotten so far have been very supportive of what we feel is happening,” Robinson said. “…I think that as our position gets better known, there will be lots of discussions with our county commissioners and with the elected hospital board.”
Robinson was asked if he’s gathered any information from those serving on the hospital boards, public or private.
“I’ve learned nothing from them,” he said. “What we have learned comes from individuals that just assume not disclose their names.”
Robinson said he did receive feedback from board member Darryl Niswonger and PCMH CEO Chris Wibbenmeyer.
“They both gave favorable comments about Mercy and no comments otherwise,” Robinson said.
“I will say that it’s very difficult to get information from board members or the hospital staff,” Robinson said. “I think they feel like they’ve signed confidentiality agreements and they’re not supposed to talk.”
Robinson ultimately believes a final decision rests with the county commission.
“It may take a court decision to learn or it may be that our citizens of Perry County can push and cause that to happen,” Robinson said.

Robinson thinks the county can require more information before making a decision on a future lease agreement.
“I would expect that the county commission could see the agreements the hospital would enter into with Mercy,” Robinson said. “I would expect that the Perry County Hospital Board would explain why they have these meetings secretly, and why the non-disclosure agreements they signed are necessary and what has happened in those secret meetings. What caused this decision to go to partner with Mercy Hospital. I don’t understand that.”
Ducharme wants the hospital to provide metrics which may have led to its potential merger recommendation.
“Some of the things from my background that I’d like to see is when they make a decision, what are their quality metrics for making the decision on? What’s the infection rate?
What was Jefferson County Hospital like when Mercy took over that hospital, what happened? Was there negative feelings in there? What’s the ratio between nurses and patients…and patient satisfaction.
Those are the types of metrics that we should be able to measure and see what’s on there. If they come with excellent (feedback) and everything is growing, it might be a great relationship. Those are the types of things that we want to see…transparency.”
Robinson said the community hasn’t had a say.
“I felt like I didn’t have the power to fight this,” he said. “We went to the different businesses to learn what their relationship was with their health insurance plans. Surprisingly, (we) found everybody had the same exact opinion that we had. I was surprised at that. That’s the attitude of all these different industries…I thought the way to approach this was to get the community businesses involved and then have the power to talk to the county commissioners.”
Asked if he expected Wibbenmeyer or someone representing the hospital to attend Tuesday, Robinson was optimistic.
“I was thinking Chris would come,” Robinson said.

SATISFIED WITH SOUTHEAST
Robinson reiterated that his company, and others in the area, have been pleased with its ongoing relationship with SoutheastHEALTH.
“We are happy with the healthcare prices and increase that we’ve had with SoutheastHEALTH and with our arrangement in the last years, we’re very satisfied with it. I don’t know that our prices would have to go up with Mercy,
I’m suspicious that they would. One concern I’ve got is that if we go from a local hospital to a major city hospital that programs will change, that everything will change at the hospital. I fear that prices will go up…Health care is a major issue for our employees and Robinson Construction…We would be concerned about services leaving and going to St. Louis.”
Robinson said business leaders attempted to start a dialogue with hospital administration, especially with the possible partnership with a future nursing school at the vocational building.
“We started talking with Chris Wibbenmeyer, particularly when we got the opportunity for the nursing school to come to Perryville,” he said. “We are aware that our hospital is not doing well financially.”
From his perspective, Robinson said the entire process has felt sped up.
“This decision is going much faster than I ever thought it would go,” Robinson said. “We were all very surprised to learn that they’re leaning toward Mercy.
We thought it would be one of the Cape (Girardeau) hospitals. But somehow Mercy hospital has convinced the hospital staff and board that they are the provider that they should choose. I think many people in our community feel differently and we don’t know why. That’s why we’re asking.”
During the press conference, Robinson was asked if St. Francis’ Health Systems’ recent purchase of property east of Highway 51 and south of Alma Avenue in Perryville influenced the PCMH and its administration to possibly consider Mercy.
“They have the ability to construct a medical facility there,” Robinson said of St. Francis owning the property. “I’ve heard different rumors. I have heard that they might, they might not, but they have the capability of doing that.”
Why Mercy, Robinson was asked?
“Mercy has, I am sure, a good legal staff,” he said. “They will try to get things set in stone as quickly as they can and may before we have the opportunity to mobilize our community to respond to this. I feel that our best opportunity is to get the county commission to understand what we have to say and to understand their role with this whole decision. That’s what we’re trying to do with our business leaders.”
Finding answers to questions have proved to be a challenge, Robinson noted.
“We’ve not had any luck going to the hospital board or hospital staff,” he said. “I have tried repeatedly.”
If and when a formal announcement comes, Robinson will still be trying to find out why.
“Once this decision is made, and if it happens, somebody’s going to have to make a complete explanation to our community, what they’re doing and why, and convince us, then we’re going to have to three, four, five, six years and make a decision whether they did the right thing or wrong thing,” Robinson said.
Robinson conceded the role of the county commissioners makes any decision complex.
“That’s a hard decision to make legally,” he said. I know the county commission feels that they’ve got a six-year lease with the hospital and they’ll have to extend that lease with some entity. The private board, as I understand it, have confidentiality agreements. They can’t talk.
They make the major decisions. The publicly elected board can talk and they should talk, but they don’t know anything. That’s what I understand. The private board makes decisions in secrecy. I think it’s been going on this way a good while.”
PCMH is a big part of the community and Robinson wants to ensure it remains that way.
“We’ve got a valuable asset and we need it to make money, we need it to be run properly,” he said. “We need it to be run profitably.
“I hope you understand our concern for Perry County and where we’re going. We’ve got a lot going well with our community and we want to keep it that way.”
Tuesday afternoon the Perry County Health System provided the following statement via e-mail.
“Any path forward will ensure Perry County Health System will be able to continue to provide excellent patient care, retain local control, be conscious of health care costs to families and employers, protect existing employees, and recruit and retain physicians.
The Health System Board and the Board of Trustees are fully involved. If a decision is made to explore a possible relationship with any particular hospital, then we look forward to engaging the community during that process.”