Health and Hospital Corporation board approves consent agenda; hears budget, bond and program updates

The Health and Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees on an otherwise routine agenda approved its consent calendar by a 5-0 roll call vote and then heard reports on the corporation’s upcoming budget presentation to the City-County Council, a planned bond refunding timetable, supplier-diversity spending, public-health program outcomes and behavioral-health expansions.

“Tomorrow evening at 05:30 in the Public Assembly Room, the Health and Hospital, we will be presenting our budget to the City-County Council Municipal Corporations Committee,” said Paul Babcock, CEO and president of the Health and Hospital Corporation, noting trustees could watch the committee online on channel 16.

The nut graf: trustees were given fiscal and program updates ahead of a council review of the corporation’s 2026 budget and were asked to note several operational items that will return for board action later. The board approved the consent agenda — which included minutes, treasurer and CFO reports, appointments and clinical-privilege forms — and then received briefing-level reports rather than taking additional votes.

Finance and bonds: James Simpson, interim chief financial officer and assistant treasurer, reported year-to-date fund-balance results through Aug. 31 and an updated schedule for a bond refunding. Simpson said the change in fund balance through Aug. 31 showed “a decrease of 12,100,000.0,” an improvement from the prior month’s $13,300,000 decrease, and projected an improved year-end decrease of $23,200,000 compared with a prior $28,900,000 projection. He attributed some of the improvement to…