St. Mark’s: Clarifying Some Misconceptions

To the Editor:

In the Letters to the Editor from the June 5 edition of the Fayette County Record there are several statements made by a writer that are misleading. The writer was referencing the article from the May 29 edition entitled “St. Mark’s Buys Itself Some Time.” I’m not going to debate the writer as he is entitled to his opinion. I would, however, like to share the facts so that his opinion does not muddy the water for other readers.

• St. Mark’s did not borrow additional money from the Federal Government that will have to be repaid. While funds from the Cares Act for the Payroll Protection Program are technically a loan, they are fully forgivable. As long as the funds are expended in accordance with the requirements of the program, the funds do not have to be repaid. Controls are in place to assure we comply with the requirements.

• Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) does not own the mortgage for St. Mark’s. The mortgage is owned by private investors not affiliated with St. Mark’s or CHC or the Federal Government. St. Mark’s did not increase the loan principal. They only restructured how it would be repaid.

• CHC does a Community Health Needs Assessment on behalf of St. Mark’s every three years which includes demographic trends, customer needs, market share and more. This study is very thorough (156 pages) and is available on the St. Mark’s website. It is used as one of the inputs to St. Mark’s annual planning process.

• After the unsuccessful Hospital District election, St. Mark’s engaged a nationally recognized market surveying company to get feedback from Lee and Fayette County citizens. The survey was mailed to every household in Lee and Fayette County. It was also advertised in the Fayette County Record so that anyone who did not receive a copy could obtain one. The feedback from this study was also factored into the annual business plan.

As far as portraying St. Mark’s as successful, what was said was it was in a sustainable financial position for the near term. However, I do consider it a success that we are still here to serve the needs of our community. We, as a community, are very fortunate to have a hospital and the medical professionals in this community to tend to our health needs.

Dudley Piland

President and Chair,

Board of Directors

St. Mark’s Medical Center