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Hospital bid may be public Monday
Published Friday, January 2, 2009
NATCHEZ — County supervisors know the identity of the hospital’s top bidder, and it's great news, Supervisor Mike Lazarus said.
“I think it’s going to be a great deal for the hospital and the entire county,” Lazarus said. “I’m thrilled. It’s better than we thought.”
Natchez Regional Medical Center CEO Scott Phillips said he’ll be at Monday’s Adams County Board of Supervisors meeting to make a formal recommendation as to which bidder is best suited to buy the county’s hospital.
“I’ll review in detail, the status of the sale process,” Phillips said. “And I’ll recommend a course of negotiations with a single buyer.”
Phillips said while he’s still in negotiations with one party, he has divulged the bidder’s identity to the supervisors.
Phillips said he thought it was necessary to make the supervisors aware of the situation.
Phillips did say that he hopes to be able to publicly name that party on Monday, should the supervisors accept his recommendation.
All parties involved are also locked in a confidentiality agreement, Phillips said.
And Lazarus said he can’t see any reason the board won’t take Phillips’ recommendation.
While Phillips said some negotiations are still not complete, he’s also very confident the deal will go through and the county will benefit.
“We’re very pleased with the progress,” he said.
But one aspect of the deal originally outlined in Phillips’ initial plan won’t happen should the sale go though.
He said the bidder has requested the hospital not be made available for auction once the hospital declares bankruptcy.
The hospital is not bankrupt, however, the facility will use bankruptcy as a means to repay its debtors.
Phillips said the fact that the bidder doesn’t want the hospital to be re-opened to bidding speaks to their seriousness as bidders.
And they are serious bidders, Phillips said.
Even though Phillips would not divulge discussed figures, he said, currently proposed purchase prices will satisfy the hospital’s debt.
“It’s going to work out well for the county,” Phillips said.
Hospital board attorney Walter Brown said he was also very pleased by the current bidder and the progress at which the process is moving.
“This started out as a problem, and it’s become a significant opportunity for the county,” Brown said.
Phillips said he hopes to have final purchase agreements circulated and signed by the end of the month.
In mid-November the hospital accepted bids from parties interested in purchasing the facility after the county decided it could no longer operate successfully as a county-owned facility.
Board of Supervisors President Henry Watts did not return phone calls.
Comments
Posted by steve_o (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 12:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
“I think it’s going to be a great deal for the hospital and the entire county,” Lazarus said. “I’m thrilled. It’s better than we thought.”.....
"While Phillips said some negotiations are still not complete, he’s also very confident the deal will go through and the county will benefit".....
“It’s going to work out well for the county,” Phillips said.....
“This started out as a problem, and it’s become a significant opportunity for the county,” Brown said.....
Can someone explain to me in laymans terms how the County will benefit from this happening? Brown, Phillips and Lazarus evidently think this is great!
Posted by presby (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Whatever they tell you will be a half truth at best.
Posted by presby (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don,t think the FBI has anymore secrecy than this hospital hogwash. The hospital got in financial ruin and for some strange reason they acted like nobody knew it or understood how it got that way. Wonder where the accountants and board members got their degrees, Are they any checks and balances on taxpayers or any one else,s monies in Adams county or do they just all loot and blunder the coffers at will???? How do people that have the job of checking on how monies are dispersed seem to know nothing wrong or out of the ordinary is happening until something is so deep in debt they have to sell it or it,s on the brink of bankruptcy????That,s a bunch of nits if you ask me.
Posted by muleman (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They same people who violated the trust put in them by the Adams County taxpayers are making this decision. If they are so smart, how did the hospital get into finacial trouble?
Do they intend to stiff the people they owe money to with bankruptcy proceedings and then sell the hospital to who they think should have it? Won't a bankruptcy judge make this decision? They have already admitted they failed but think this critical decision should be left up to them. This is all very interesting to me. Are they not ashamed and embarassed? Do they have no conscious at all. This stinketh.
Posted by muleman (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 8:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Where are you echo? Can't you make some comments about this?
Posted by LdyBreez (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok, this is only rumor but what I heard was the company who was running NRMC also owned a medical equipment supply company and they were filtering money out of NRMC to that other company by buying equipment NRMC did not need.
Next "what if" one of the bidders was Baptist Hospital in Jackson or Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge? (And no I have no clue on who the bidders are). What if NRMC could draw on the large staff of specialists that everyone travels so far to see. What if our residents didn't have to go to Jackson or Baton Rouge to feel secure about their medical care? Wouldn't that benefit NRMC and Natchez residents? I know it would benefit the patients... Going out of town for treatments is stressful and not an ideal situation for the sick
Posted by muleman (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
LdyBreez,if Baptist, Lady of the Lake or any other such oganization buys NRMC no doctor from one of these places is coming to Natchez to perform any procedure. The healthcare world does not work that way. Most doctors don't want a traveling road show. If anything NRMC would become a spoke in the wheel with the spoke leading out of Natchez. Patients are still going to have to travel for some treatments. They might even have to travel for somethings done in Natchez now. We will just have to wait and see.
Posted by andy (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
LOOKS LIKE BROWN AND BLAND FINALLY GOT PAID AND NOW WE CAN SEE WHO GETS THE HOSPITAL. THANKS MIKE FOR TELLING THE DEMOCRAT.
Posted by getalifenatchez (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 6:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Baptist? St. Dominics? Our Lady of the Lake? St. Frances Cabrini? Rapides Regional? Forest General?.... I'm hoping and praying its Our Lady of the Lake, but I have a gut feeling its not....... Guess we will find out Monday......
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