St. Luke Hospital has great year
St. Luke Hospital and Living Center had an excellent year in 2001, increasing profitability while upgrading facilities and maintaining high-quality patient care, Marion County Hospital District No. 1 board members reported Thursday at their regular monthly meeting.
"Financially, it really was a banner year at St. Luke," said Doug Newman, administrator.
Board members also were pleased with positive financial figures in the home care program.
The fiscal picture is good because few rural hospitals are able to meet expenses without relying heavily on a city or other government entity. St. Luke draws less than four mills from the district, roughly the eastern half of the county.
In addition, improvements included extensive remodeling of one wing of the living center. Remodeling of the office suite occupied by Prairie View is ongoing.
A long-term need remaining is improvement to surgery and birthing rooms. A preliminary study, though, indicates expanding within existing walls could cost more than $800,000 for a limited amount of space, Newman said.
In other reports:
The hospital auxiliary is holding its annual meeting Thursday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church. Newman is the speaker.
Kevin Crompelton has been hired as finance director. He will spend two or three weeks training in North Dakota and Colorado before assuming his duties full-time at St. Luke.
Purchase of two patient transport beds was approved at a cost of $2,760 each. The modern transports will allow x-rays without having to move the patient and have other features.
A physician who was close to coming to Marion changed his mind, mostly due to his wife's desire to be closer to family in the Kansas City area, it was reported. "You don't recruit a physician, you recruit the whole family," Newman said.
A complaint was received about the hospital's lack of a high-flying flag, especially after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The hospital's flagpole is near the original front door, between the hospital and clinic, and is no longer usable. Plans to install a new one were discussed this summer but the living center improvement project took priority, Newman said.
Kevin Fruechting served as chairman in the absence of Gene Winkler.
