FERRIDAY &045; The Riverland Medical Center hospital board decided Tuesday to lease the former office of Dr. Gerald Broussard in Huntington Plaza with a $50,000 Department of Health and Hospitals grant to implement a pediatric unit.

Riverland plans to lease the office space until the board decides if it wants to buy Don’s Drugs in Ferriday to implement both the pediatric unit and Kid Med program. For the time being the Kid Med program will stay at its current location in the Cardiac unit.

The board decided against purchasing Don’s Drugs for $70,000 immediately so as to further look into what renovations would have to be done to the building and other compliances.

The DHH grant has to be spent by June 30 and will be reimbursed a month later, according to Vernon Stevens, Riverland administrator.

Originally, the pediatric unit and Kid Med program were to be implemented into the Concordia Health Unit after a merger with Riverland, but that motion failed in a Concordia Parish Police Jury meeting.

The reason the merger was proposed was due to DHH wanting to cut its budget and transfer health units out of state control.

Moving forward seemed to be the theme for the night’s meeting as the board passed a motion to lease new laboratory equipment from Beckman-Culter, a medical equipment supply company.

The new laboratory equipment was proposed to be more efficient and less costly than Riverland’s current equipment. Tests will be downloaded and when finished, sent electronically back to the nurse’s station, therefore saving time.

The board also approved the signing of a contract with Natchez architect Johnny Waycaster to start designing a new roof for Riverland.

The board commented on the poor condition of the roof and admitted something needs to be done soon, but also want to get a firm price from Waycaster.

Going along with the good tone and progressiveness of the meeting, Riverland’s cash flow is up from last month.

In April, Riverland’s cash flow was $840,00 and this month is $1,170,000. The net revenue also was said to be on average at $1,041,000.