Trustee chairman: Elected body will continue to guide process

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(Editor’s note: This column was submitted Tuesday afternoon by Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustee Chairman Mr. Steve Rozier).

The mission of Perry County Memorial Hospital has never wavered — to be the first choice of quality health care for our community. It is a mission the Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees takes very seriously, and it guides our decisions, from the smallest of contracts to charting any new path forward.
Recently there have been several conversations about the future of our hospital, and unfortunately several rumors and incorrect assumptions were included. I want to set the record straight.
As an elected body, we understand we have an obligation to the citizens to ensure the hospital is always acting in the best interest of the lives they care for and planning for the future of healthcare in Perry County. The Trustees seek guidance from experts in healthcare – the doctors, nurses, and hospital administration – who have dedicated their lives to providing quality and affordable health care. We appreciate their hard work and expertise as we explore the future of health care in Perry County.
• The Board of Trustees is not considering closing Perry County Memorial Hospital.
• The Board of Trustees is not considering selling Perry County Memorial Hospital.
• The Board of Trustees is not considering replacing the hospital’s administration team or the hard-working physicians, nurses, and health professionals who care for patients.
• No binding decisions have been made.
The Perry County Health System Board and the Board of Trustees are considering whether we can forge a partnership that will allow us to improve and expand health care in Perry County without sacrificing local control or high quality of care. In doing so, we have sought the help of our providers who practice in Perryville and the hospital administration team.
Our oversight as the elected body governing the hospital will continue to guide this process. Make no mistake, as we consider any path forward, our evaluation will focus on the following items:
• To provide excellent patient care;

• Expand health care services offered in Perryville;
• Retain local control, including our leadership team;
• Be conscious of health care costs to families and employers;
• Protect existing employees and our culture of care;
• Recruit and retain physicians to Perryville; and
• Provide patients in Perryville with more choices, both in town and nearby.
While evaluating possible relationships, the Board of Trustees has conducted some meetings in closed session, which has been a necessary part of the process as we review confidential information.
As we continue, more information will be able to be shared publicly and we will continue to be receptive to feedback from the community.
If the Board of Trustees decides to take the next step and explore a possible relationship with a particular hospital or health system, we look forward to engaging the community and sharing key information. Community outreach, continued information gathering, and further expert analysis will be essential as this process continues.
The Trustees will continue to ensure that Perry County Memorial Hospital remains the first choice of quality health care for our community.

- Steve Rozier, Chair, Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees