Editor’s Note: In a recent guest column by William “Bill” Bohnert concerning the Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, questions were raised about whether board member Patrick Naeger disclosed a potential conflict of interest involving a lawsuit filed by his father against Perry County Health Systems (PCHS). The Republic-Monitor did not contact Naeger prior to publication of that column. After meeting with Naeger and reviewing documents he provided, the newspaper is publishing the following clarification and response.
Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees member Patrick Naeger recently met with the Republic- Monitor to dispute statements made about him in a guest column written by Board of Trustees chairman William “Bill” Bohnert. During the meeting, Naeger provided documents he said demonstrate that he disclosed a potential conflict of interest involving a lawsuit filed by his father against Perry County Health Systems and that the issue had been previously reviewed by attorneys.
Bohnert’s column raised questions about a lawsuit filed by Barry Naeger — Patrick Naeger’s father — against PCHS and suggested the Board of Trustees had not been notified of a possible conflict of interest.
Naeger strongly disputes that claim. “I fully disclosed everything,” Naeger said during the meeting. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
DISCLOSURE FORMS PROVIDED
Among the documents Naeger presented were conflict- of-interest disclosure forms and correspondence involving attorneys representing the Board of Trustees and PCHS. One disclosure form dated April 29, 2021, states that Naeger disclosed that his father’s company, Professional Clinics LLC, was suing PCHS for breach of contract. According to the form, the case was pending at the time. A later disclosure form dated March 2, 2023, indicates that no conflict of interest existed at that time. Naeger said the lawsuit was settled in 2022 and that he did not have any ownership interest in the company involved in the case. Court records show that Professional Clinics LLC filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Perry County Health Systems that was resolved in 2022.
ATTORNEY CORRESPONDENCE
Naeger also provided a letter dated Oct. 1, 2025, from attorney Ben Askew, counsel for Perry County Health Systems. In that correspondence, Askew stated that the lawsuit between Professional Clinics LLC and PCHS was pending in 2021 and resolved in 2022. The letter also states that Naeger joined the PCHS board in 2023. The letter further indicates that, during Naeger’s time on the PCHS board, no conflict of interest had been identified by the organization.
LEASE TERMINATION CITED
Another document reviewed by the Republic-Monitor was a lease termination agreement dated Oct. 1, 2023. According to Naeger, that agreement ended a lease between the Board of Trustees and PCHS that previously required two trustees to serve on the PCHS board. Naeger said once the lease was terminated as part of the transition of hospital operations to Mercy, that requirement ended. “The lease required two trustees to be on the PCHS board,” Naeger said. “Once the lease was terminated, that requirement was gone.”
ONGOING BOARD DISAGREEMENTS
The issues raised in Bohnert’s column are part of broader disagreements among members of the Board of Trustees regarding the transition of Perry County Memorial Hospital operations to Mercy and the winding down of Perry County Health Systems.
In his column, Bohnert wrote that trustees lost access to PCHS financial records after changes were made to the organization’s bylaws and raised concerns about how funds were being handled during the winddown of the organization.
Naeger said the claims in the column have been frustrating and damaging.
“These false statements written in my hometown newspaper can damage my reputation and my standing in the community,” Naeger wrote in a follow-up email to the newspaper.
The Republic-Monitor reviewed the documents Naeger provided, including disclosure forms, court records and attorney correspondence, in preparing this report.
