Beaufort County Hospital Deal Falls Through，eastern heal
The hospitals board of trustees is currently debating what proposal to recommend to the Beaufort County Commission.
Four companies submitted bids to essentially takeover hospital operations from Beaufort Regional Health Systems. Three of them made the final cut to get to this stage. The hospitals negotiating team will recommend one of thethree proposals to the board of trustees this afternoon.
Theres still no guarantee that University Health Systems will ultimately be next in line. Richardson will continue to fight its proposal because it would hand over the entire hospital property after 30 years.
LHP’s second proposal is a joint venture operation. Under this scenario， LHP would pay $24 million in cash for 80 percent ownership. Beaufort Regional Health Systems would own 20 percent of the hospital， but would maintain half of the positions on the governing board.
It was all push back， said Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson.
The Beaufort County Commission still plans to meetWednesday afternoon in closed session with its attorney to discuss the situation. It was initially scheduled to meet with Community Health Systems about its proposal. The meeting will now focus on part of the injunction that accuses the commission of violating North Carolinas open meetings law.
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LHP Hospital Group is based in Plano， Texas. It offers two alternatives. The first is a prepaid lease worth $22 million for a 30-year term with options to renew. This proposal also includes a $20 million capital investment over ten years.
The meeting starts at 4:30 in the Beaufort Community College multi-purpose room.
Beaufort County commissioner and hospital board member Hood Richardson released a statement today that said， The County Commissioners will continue its thorough study of available alternatives for the operation of our communitys hospital. We have good proposals still on the table and we want to protect the value of this most important county asset.
Beaufort County Hospital Deal Falls Through，eastern heal，Its not quite back to square one， but its close. This has been a divisive issue for a long time. Thats one of the reasons Community Health Systems withdrew.
WASHINGTON， N.C. – A decision expected today could go a long way toward determining the future of the financially-strapped Beaufort County Medical Center.
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Todays vote by the Beaufort Regional Health Systems Board of Trustees will be brought to a special meeting of the Beaufort County Commission tonight at 7 to decide the next step. Paul Spruill says the meeting could be canceled if the hospital board does not come up with a recommendation. The Beaufort County Commission has the final say on any deal. Spruill says if there is a recommendation， commissioners would likely spent 3 to 4 weeks to review the decision and the potential suitors.
UHS runs its flagship hospital， Pitt County Memorial Hospital and seven others in eastern Carolina. UHS supporters say Beaufort County needs that relationship.
Supporters of CHS worry that UHS would become too dominant in the region. The CHS offer is also more lucrative. Most of all， people just want the commissioners to take their time on the decision.
A misty night underscores the foggy future of Beaufort Regional Health System. Word that Community Health Systems wont move forward did not sit well with its most outspoken supporter， Beaufort County Commissioner， Hood Richardson， who also sits on the hospital’s board of trustees.
University Health Systems supporters say they will fight the board again if the next decision goes against them.
Today， we learned Community Health Systems of Tennessee withdrew its offer to lease the hospital.
The hospital board has yet to schedule a meeting to go over its next move. Trustees will consider their options after meeting with their lawyer. Its unlikely that the whole proposal process will have to start from the beginning unless a new company comes along expressing interest.
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Community Health Systems initially got the nod over two other finalists: LHP Hospital Group of Texas and University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina， the owner of Pitt County Memorial Hospital. University Health Systems came out as the runner up in tBeaufort County Hospital Deal Falls Through，eastern healhe hospital board vote and is the clear choice of hospital employees.
Community Health Systems took a big step Monday toward running the Beaufort County Medical Center. The hospitals board of trustees voted 5-4 in vor of that deal late Monday afternoon.
Economic impact， quality of healthcare， and then the integration opportunity， said Jennings. And by that I mean which partner can get us up and running as a hospital， back to optimum functionality first and foremost.
Beaufort Regional Health Systems Board of Trustees gave its trust to Community Health Systems of Franklin， Tennessee.
Im mad as hell and Im not gonna take it anymore! yelled Kathy Vasquez from the podium.
In the end， it came down to money. Community health seastern health systemystems offered 30-million dollars upfront to lease the property for 30 years with an option to buy the hospital for ten million dollars after that. It proposes a 25-million dollar capital investment over the first five years， including two-million to recruit doctors. Critics say the for-profit company with more than two-billion dollars in assets would put money before patients.
We are not gonna give our hospital away. So， if UHS wants us， theyre gonna have to put some money on the table， Richardson said.
Its a business， health care is business， said Sonya Jones， Nurse. I understand that， we all do. But lets just take time to consider it.
Theyre upset with the hospitals Board of Trustees recommendation to county commissioners that the hospital should let Community Health Systems of Tennessee run the cility. The for-profit CHS offered $30 million upfront to lease the property for 30 years with an option to buy the hospital for $10 million after that.
WASHINGTON， N.C. – One of the largest hospital companies in the country is on course to get even larger.
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WASHINGTON， N.C.- Controversy surrounding the financially strapped hospital in Beaufort County has reached another level. Hundreds of people showed up for a rally Saturday afternoon upset with a decision by the hospitals board this week. Trustees voted in vor of letting a for-profit company manage the hospital. However， hospital employees overwhelmingly oppose the move. They want to see a company with more local experience.
Organizers plan to bring a petition signed by people at Saturday’s rally to the Beaufort County Commission meeting Monday night.
The recommendation now goes to the Beaufort County Commission for approval.
Weve been rather clear that for our patient population and for the type of medicine we practice， we really feel that University Health System is a better fit， McCarter said.
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This comes after a judge granted a judicial petition for a temporary injunction on the decision to sell the hospital to CHS.
Employees plan to hold a rally Saturday to explain their position.
However， hospital employees overwhelmingly support the bid of University Health Systems， the parent company of Pitt County Memorial Hospital and seven others in the region.
The hospital Board of Trustees recently recommended handing over operations of the cility to CHS.
Its a victory for hospital employees who rallied over the weekend against Community Health Systems.
Community Health Systems won the recommendation from the hospital board to run the cility a little more than a week ago. The company explained its reasons for pulling out in a letter to the board chairperson and county manager， citing a strong reaction across the community， a divisive force among the medical community and hospital employees and the ten-day injunction that kept the County Commission from finalizing the deal.
We need Pitt Memorial Hospital， said Gary McGowan. Its an ace in the hole compared to what theyre trying to give us.
Commissioners will go over their process for approving a management offer.
Mondays vote is not the final word. The board of trustees brought its recommendation to the Beaufort County Commission during a special meeting Monday night. County Manager Paul Spruill expects commissioners to review the recommendation and talk to the potential suitors over the next three to four weeks before a final vote.
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Mayor Archie Jennings gives three reasons to stay with UHS.
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Locals say the solution is clear too.
The bids up for consideration came from University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina， Community Health Systems，and LHP Hospital Group.
Community Health Systems currently has a small presence in Eastern Carolina. The publicly traded company owns one hospital in the region: Martin General. Its winning proposal beat bids from LHP Hospital Group of Plano， Texas and local hospital giant University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina.
The citizens of Beaufort County are not pleased， overwhelmingly not pleased， said Derik Davis， rally emcee.
Organizers say the benefits are obvious; The closeness of University Health Systems not just in miles， but in relationship terms， said Davis.
When you pile up all of these things， what do you expect? Richardson asked.
WASHINGTON， N.C. – Members of the negotiating team for Beaufort Regional Health System are split on their recommendation to enter a long-term lease agreement to run the Beaufort County Medical Center.
CHS， for healthcare， quality issues， and with regards to their growth track record， they would， CHS would be my choice， said Alice Mills-Sadler， Beaufort Regional Health System Board of Trustees Chair.
Quite frankly， were ecstatic， said Dr. Rachel McCarter， Beaufort Regional Health System Chief of Staff.
This is the latest step to try to improve the hospitals financial situation. Its been hemorrhaging money. The hope is that Community Health Systems can turn that around.
WASHINGTON， N.C. – A Beaufort County judge says the County Commissioners didnt give everyone a chance to share their opinion about the te of Beaufort Regional Hospital.
The majority of the trustees balked at the prospect of losing the property at that point. There was also concern that University Health Systems would turn into a local monopoly. It already owns 8 other hospitals in the region， including its flagship Pitt County Memorial Hospital. Trustee Clifton Gray went so r to say University Health Systems could become the Walmart of healthcare for Eastern North Carolina.
Whats more important， human life or profit? said Mary-Walter Rumley of Washington.
Superior Court judge Walter Godwin Jr. granted a judicial petition for a temporary injunction on the decision to sell the hospital to Community Health Systems. The injunction will last 10 days.
WASHINGTON， N.C. – Trustees for Beaufort Regional Health System have to find another company to take over their struggling hospital. A deal moving forward to hand off operations to Community Health Systems fell through Tuesday when C.H.S. pulled its offer.
On Monday， the hospital board recommended going with Community Health Systems of Tennessee.
While folks at the rally come from all different backgrounds， they all believe in one thing: University Health Systems. They say the partnership ensures quality healthcare will stay right here in their community.
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Richardson says theyre still looking at an offer from University Health Systems， an option thats getting a lot of support from hospital employees.
University Health Systems， which owns Pitt County Memorial Hospital and 7 others in the region， proposes a 20-year lease agreement worth $18 million prepaid. It would assume Beaufort Regional Health Systems’ current assets and liabilities. UHS also promises to make $21 million in capital investments over the first five years of the deal.
The sentiment is clear.
That means County Commissioners cannot make a decision on the transfer of Beaufort Regional Health System until the injunction is lifted.
Community Health Systems is based in Franklin， Tennessee. It proposes a 30-year lease agreement worth $30 million upfront and investing $25 million in capital improvements over the first five years. CHS also offers spending $2 million to recruit doctors in the first five years.
WASHINGTON， N.C. – The te of Beaufort Regional Hospital is still up in the air.
That division is between University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina and Community Health Systems based in Franklin， Tennessee.
Trustees for Beaufort Regional Health System recommend entering a long-term lease agreement with Community Health Systems to run the Beaufort County Medical Center.
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WASHINGTON， N.C. – Beaufort County commissioners meet this afternoon to take the next step of the management takeover of the Beaufort County Hospital.
This， while hospital employees try to move the deal in a different direction.
You have somebody that have no loyalty to this community. What corporate， what corporate good have they done in Martin County? I can’t find any， said Edwin Hardy， Trustee.
The proposal from University Health Systems was the only other one that got serious consideration. It offered a 30-year lease worth $24 million up front， but it would take over complete ownership at the end of the term.