Two opposing views of giving Jennie Stuart Health over to the larger hospital group Deaconess of Evansville, Indiana, were heard Wednesday evening during the first open meeting on the proposal.
Discussions did not appear to change the minds of those in attendance — at least not among the 20 or so people who spoke during the hourlong session at Jennie Stuart. Roughly 100 people were in attendance.
Proponents see a Deaconess deal as a strategic move needed for long-term viability and to ensure Jennie Stuart has enough capital to pay for essential upgrades in technology and other aspects of the hospital.
Opponents believe the board is giving away a community-held asset, with estimated equity of at least $140 million, and that Hopkinsville will lose local control of the hospital.
Board chair Leslie Carroll and others representing Jennie Stuart outlined the hospital’s financial challenges in the face of information technology shortcomings and the need to upgrade costly software for electronic health records, generally known as EHR. A search for better technology that tracks medical records, billing and other operations eventually led to a board decision to seek a “more fully integrated partnership,” said Carroll, who outlined the board’s steps in a slide presentation. Deaconess emerged as the best partner, she said.