A two-hour executive session took up most of a specially called meeting by Allen County Hospital trustees Thursday night, yielding no news for public consumption.
“We’re not ready to announce a location for a site at this time,” said Chairman Harry Lee referring to where a new hospital is to be built.
The meeting was called specifically to address land acquisition, which has been a thorn in trustees’ sides ever since the East Street location was deemed too challenging because of poor soil quality.
Since then, trustees have put their focus on a 25-acre parcel of land north of Oregon Road and U.S. 169 as well as a 16.9-acre parcel farther to the west along Oregon Road that abuts the Prairie Spirit Trail and Cedarbrook Golf Course. The latter parcel is owned by the City of Iola and was offered at no cost for the hospital, though a thin strip of the land that abuts Oregon Road is privately owned and most likely would need to be purchased.
IN OTHER news hospital adviser Chuck Wells of Kansas City, apprised trustees of the uncertainty of the nation’s economy and how an unfunded national budget could affect such things as reimbursements to rural and critical access hospitals, such as ACH.
“It’s not time to jump off the bridge,” Wells said, saying he will be watching the turn of events with the nation’s budget talks “with great interest.
“So far critical access hospitals have been spared any cuts,” Wells said.
Trustees still considering sites
