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The ADVANCE, January 20, 2021/Page 13A
MRMC
continued from page 1A
that the transaction is being
handled in a fair and trans
parent way, said MRMC
CEO Alan Kent. The public
hearing is expected to occur
in March.
The strategic alliance
with HCA could not come
at a more opportune time,
Kent said. “Stand-alone
community hospitals are
finding it more difficult to
survive in today’s health
care environment. That
pressure has only increased
with the COVID pandemic.
With HCA we become part
of one of the most efficient,
highest-quality health care
systems in the country.”
HCA owns over 180
health care facilities na
tionwide and employs over
250,000 people. “Locally,
we will have access to their
technology, their latest sys
tems of information and
their expertise in patient
care management. We will
also have the resources to be
able to invest in technology,
employees and the commu
nity,” Kent added. “It is the
difference between being
a $130 million company
and a $50 billion company.
There are so many excellent
resources that will come in
the form of new facilities,
the ability to recruit doc
tors, and other resources
far beyond the capacity of a
local, comparatively small,
business to do.”
Mike Calhoun,
MRMC board chair, noted,
“We think it is the best thing
to do for the long term. This
strategic alliance insures
that the citizens of Toombs
and surrounding areas will
have a high-quality, state-
of-the-art medical commu
nity and regional medical
center for the future.”
Calhoun said prelimi
nary discussions about the
outlook of the regional
medical center began in
2018. “The future of rural
hospitals was not looking
good. Health care costs
were going up rapidly and
revenues were going down.
Payments were being re
duced by insurance compa
nies, Medicare and Medic
aid, and there was the issue
of caring for the indigent
population,” he explained.
“We considered at that time
that Meadows was stable,
the hospital was virtually
new, and that maybe we
needed to start looking for
a strategic partner while we
were still in a good position.
You sell when you are up,
not when you are down.”
Calhoun said that
among the prospects for a
merger was HCA, which
responded favorably to
Meadows’ initial inquiries.
“From the start Meadows
was the most interested. It
fit into their strategy in this
part of Georgia,” Calhoun
said. HCA which owns
medical facilities in Way-
cross, Dublin, Augusta and
Macon, as well as Memorial
Hospital in Savannah, a ter
tiary care facility to which
Meadows has referred more
complex medical cases for
some time. “We figured
that it was a matter of time
before HCA came into this
area and we would rather
they come in as a strategic
partner than as competi
tion,” Calhoun observed.
“It was the biggest driv
er in picking HCA as a stra
tegic partner,” Kent said of
the network of HCA health
care centers in this area.
“We will have the oppor
tunity to share resources
and plan regional strategy,”
Kent explained.
Kent noted that
HCA has agreed to assume
the hospital’s existing HUD
debt of $52.8 million in its
entirety. Net proceeds after
the assumption of the debt
are expected to be $30 mil
lion. These funds will be
managed by a newly-creat
ed Meadows Foundation, a
not-for-profit organization
that will directly benefit the
community. Kent said that
$ 10.3 million will be placed
in escrow against potential
future liabilities. In addition
to the purchase price, HCA
has committed to capital
expenditures of at least $10
million over the five-year
period following closing.
Some of Meadows as
sets are not included in the
acquisition: the Thompson
property adjacent to Mead
ows Park, 22 acres east of
the hospital currently un
der option to the Toombs
County Development Au
thority, and the Sweet On
ion Hospitality House.
As a for-profit stock
corporation whose shares
are traded on the New York
Stock Exchange, HCA will
pay income, sales and lo
cal property taxes, which
was not the case with the
tax-exempt, not-for-profit
MRMC, Kent pointed out.
“HCA is expected to gener
ate significant tax revenue
which will benefit the local
governments and schools,”
Kent emphasized.
HCA will establish
an advisory board whose
purpose is to fulfill any
governance accreditation
requirement of the hospi
tal such as reviewing an
nual budgets, capital plans,
provider credentialing,
and overseeing HCA’s cov
enants relating to commu
nity benefit provided in the
purchase agreements. The
advisory board will initially
be composed of three indi
viduals from the communi
ty appointed by Meadows
and three individuals ap
pointed by HCA.
HCA has agreed to
maintain core services for
a period of 10 years (with
some conditions) and has
guaranteed to preserve
and enhance high-quali
ty healthcare services in
Toombs County and the
surrounding areas. Mead
ows Cancer Center, the
Interventional Cardiology
Program and the Obstetrics
Program will be continued
by HCA, Kent said.
HCA has a policy to
serve Medicaid and indi
gent patient populations
that includes providing
free, non-elective care for
uninsured patients whose
income is less than 200% of
the Federal Poverty Level
(FPL), with a tiered ap
proach up to 400% of the
FPL. This policy is more
extensive than MRMC’s,
Kent said.
Kent explained that
HCA will offer employ
ment to all Meadows em
ployees who are in good
standing as of the closing
of the proposed transac
tion at current salary levels
and with similar job titles
and responsibilities. HCA
will not terminate employ
ees without cause for one
year following the closing
except in the event of a fur
ther COVID-related resur
gence. HCA has the ability
to flex the number of hours
worked by hourly paid em
ployees.
Kent said this point is
meant to guarantee the sta
bility of the staff. “They will
be in the same or similar
jobs at the same salary. It’s
just a way of saying, ‘Ev
erybody relax. We’ve got a
hospital to run.’” He added
that being an HCA em
ployee offers employees
the opportunity for upward
mobility and growth within
the HCA organization.
Meadows employees
will transition to HCA
benefit plans with recogni
tion and credit for tenure
at Meadows and participa
tion in all plans on day one
without regard to any pre
existing health conditions
with respect to the health
and disability plans. Con
tracts for all physicians now
under contract at Meadows
will be immediately extend
ed by HCA.
HCA and Meadows
use the same clinical plat
form (Meditech) which is
beneficial because HCA
has a depth of knowledge
and experience with Medi
tech and the clinical staff
will not need to learn a new
clinical platform, Kent ad
vised. Additionally, Mead
ows will be integrated into
all other HCA systems and
industry-leading technolo
gies.
Kent said it is likely that
HCA will modify the name
of the Vidalia medical facil
ity, but there are hopes that
“Meadows” will be retained
and incorporated into the
new HCA title. “We have
been Meadows since 1963.
It would be a shame to have
that go away,” Kent said.
HCA has demonstrated a
tendency to honor com
munities and to incorpo
rate the legacy names of
medical facilities where it
has purchased properties. A
case in point is the hospital
in Waycross where the facil
ity’s historic name, “Memo
rial,” was used in the new
HCA title.
In commenting on the
future of the current boards
serving MRMC, Kent said
these entities will have con
tinuing responsibility to
wind down the operation
of MRMC over the next
few years. “We still have to
do final audits, income tax
returns and cost reports to
the federal government.
These cost reports take
three years or more for the
government to audit and
settle.” Kent said going for
ward it is likely that some
of the boards will eventu
ally be modified or merged.
He said it is yet to be deter
mined who will be serving
on the new HCA board.
The inaugural board of
the new Meadows Founda
tion will be made up of the
five current members of the
executive committee from
the MRMC and the MHA
boards. It will be the job
of the Foundation board
to manage the $30 million
in proceeds from the sale
of MRMC and to establish
a foundation to serve the
community. The operations
of this self-perpetuating
board will be defined and
published.
“This foundation will
be a grant-making founda
tion. It will not make grants
to individuals and it is not
for indigent care since HCA
will provide that. It is being
established for the commu
nity’s benefit and possible
uses might be for health
education and community
wellness,” Kent said. This
Foundation is expected to
be put into place quickly,
perhaps in the next 60 days.
Calhoun elaborated,
“It will be a supporting en
tity and probably have an
executive director at some
point.” The Foundation will
not create programs on its
own but will receive grant
applications from organiza
tions and groups within the
community.
Calhoun, who has been
on the MRMC board since
the 1990s, said the alliance
with HCA seems like a
natural fit. He thinks the re
lationship between the Vi
dalia facility and Memorial
Hospital in Savannah will
strengthen because both
facilities will be within the
HCA organization. He said
of HCA, “They have finan
cial capital; they can buy in
bulk and get discounts we
can’t. They can negotiate
contracts with insurance
companies, Medicaid and
Medicare from a leverage
standpoint that we don’t
have. Their financial power
allows them to be profitable
where independent rural
hospitals cannot.”
He added, “Back in
2018 I was losing sleep
about the future of our
By Rebekah Arnold
Contributing Writer
The Toombs County
Board of Education began
the first meeting of 2021
by welcoming a new mem
ber and reaffirming two re
turning members. Probate
Court Judge Tina S. Lind
sey, in her first swearing
in duties as Probate Court
Judge, gave the oaths of of
fice to Josh Dixon, the new
member representing Dis
trict 6, and to Trent Akins,
District 2, and Michael
Grimes, District 4, as they
began their third terms on
the Board.
Of his new position
in serving the families of
Toombs County Schools,
Dixon said, “I’m excited to
serve with these guys, some
who have been like father
figures to me. I’m younger
and I feel like I can bring
some new ideas. My wife
has worked for different
school systems and I get
an inside track and a lot of
good information on things
that other board members
may not have.”
Dixon continued, “My
Daddy told me at a young
age, ‘Son, you can do 100
things right, but if you do
one thing wrong, people
are going to remember that
one thing you do wrong’. I
try to do things right and
it was humbling to see the
support people gave me
hospital. Since we linked
up with HCA, I don’t lose
sleep. I feel as good about
this decision as any.” He
said about the impending
changes, “HCA is sending
a representative here next
week to help begin the tran
sition. They are committed
to it.”
Wayne Williams, M.D.,
who is a member of the
holding board for MRMC
and who has maintained a
local ENT practice for 14
years, said the community
when I first announced I
was running for the Board.
I just want to help people.
It’s about everybody’s kids
and what we can offer them
that we didn’t have.”
Superintendent Barry
Waller was pleased to an
nounce that the Board of
fice has been moved to the
renovated wing of the pri
mary school, placing most
of the school facilities on
Bulldog Road. The con
struction of the new bus
shop in the same area is ex
pected to be finished by late
spring.
Waller said, “I want to
commend all our Board of
fice employees for the hard
work they did to move just
before the holidays.”
By the end of January,
the Board should be ready
to advertise the old build
ing on East Wesley Avenue
for purchase bids.
The L4GA literacy
grant is being used to repur
pose one of the old school
buses as the “Toombs
County Reading Bus.” This
bus will contain books for
early readers and will be
taken to local day care facil
ities and places in the com
munity where parents of
preschoolers can get books.
Waller continued with
his report, saying that in
this new semester, the
COVID-19 numbers look
high, but this is for quaran-
already has an impressive
range and level of medical
specialties rare for a com
munity the size of Vidalia.
“HCA can insure the con
tinuation of a high quality
of care we are enjoying in
this area. HCA will increase
local access and purchasing
power and open doors to
other systems we don’t have
right now. HCA will allow
us to advance. I would wor
ry about the viability of our
hospital without the help of
a partner like HCA.”
tines, not for positive cases,
which remain low.
No action was to be
taken, but the Board was
informed that the system
would continue to provide
10 days of paid leave for
COVID- related absences,
since the federal provision
ended in December. Waller
said, “If we don’t do that,
it would be like punishing
somebody that didn’t get
COVID the first semester,
but got it the second semes
ter. We feel like it’s the right
thing to do to continue to
honor the benefit.” Board
members agreed with this
decision.
The 2021-2022 school
calendar, which mirrored
the same schedule as the
two previous years, was ap
proved for a one-year basis.
Next year’s economy and
recovery from COVID may
allow the system to resume
planning a calendar for two
years. The Board meeting
schedule for 2021 was also
approved. The Board will
meet the second Thurs
day of each month, with
the exception of October’s
meeting, which will be held
on the second Tuesday be
cause of fall break.
After the nomina
tion and approval of board
member Russ Benton as
Vice Chairman for FY
2021, the board went into
executive session.
VHS STUDENTS REMEMBER WWII — Students in the 9th grade Honors World History clas;
at Vidalia High School have been studying various aspects of World War II, so the\
chose specific topics of fhe war to research and to present their findings on posters
Some of the students found information about their own relatives who had served ir
the military during WWII, so this made the "History" of the war become more relevanl
to them, even 80 years later. L to R: Logan Irvin (Pearl Harbor), Mason Toole (Midway),
and Tuck McDonald (FDR).
Photo by Rebekah Arnold
NEW MEMBER SWORN IN - Probate Court Judge Tina S. Lindsey administers her first
Oath of Office as Judge to Josh Dixon, District 6 representative, at the first Toombs
County Board of Education meeting of 2021.
Toombs County Board of
Education Welcomes New Member