If all goes as planned, county-owned Natchez Regional Medical Center could file for bankruptcy in a few weeks.

Hospital board of trustees’ attorney Walter Brown said this week that the bill moving through the Mississippi Legislature should be clearing through the Senate soon. A similar bill just passed the House of Representatives.

Legislative approval is required before the hospital can file bankruptcy in federal court.

Also this week, Adams County Board of Supervisors Board President Darryl Grennell indicated the hospital’s board of trustees is working to coordinate meetings to keep the supervisors updated on the hospital’s status.

Such meetings would be great and appreciated, but what supervisors — and ultimately the taxpayers who own the hospital — need is a clear understanding of the hospital’s current finances.

Has the hospital provided month-by-month financial statements to supervisors from January 2013 through the most recent period? If so, we urge the county to publicize those results.

If such records have not been provided by the hospital’s leadership, why not?

At the same time as the bankruptcy proceedings are being prepared, hospital leaders say they continue negotiations with a prospective buyer.

With no detailed knowledge of hospital financial records, how on earth can county supervisors — who ultimately must decide whether or not to sell the facility — determine if a sale is in the best interest of the owners or if the sale price is acceptable or not?