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County administrator previews possible $10 million pass-through loan for health cooperative; Rogers Behavioral Health announces local project
Summary
Administrator Andy Alberado told the board the county is considering a cooperative hospital'related loan request and described options for a county morgue and other health-service responses after a local hospital closure; Rogers Behavioral Health is moving ahead with a state-funded mental health facility and a groundbreaking is scheduled.
County Administrator Andy Alberado used the organizational meeting's operational update to preview several health-sector items the board will see in coming months.
Alberado said a health cooperative that is working to reopen hospital services locally has asked the county to consider acting as a pass-through for a $10 million state trust fund loan to support startup costs. "They came to the county in the fall and asked us to consider a $10 million pass-through loan," Alberado said. He said administration is assembling information for the executive committee and that the cooperative "will likely be here in the next month or two to present that request to the full board."
Alberado described the options under consideration for replacing a county morgue capacity lost when the regional hospital closed, including a congressional earmark the county applied for and temporary use of cooperative-operated space at the former hospital site (the cooperative currently provides morgue access at no cost under a written agreement). He cautioned the board about long-term security of relying on cooperative facilities if a new permanent solution is not developed.
Alberado also briefed the board on a separate but related development: Rogers Behavioral Health has secured $10 million in state funding to establish a mental health facility in the region. He invited board members to a groundbreaking scheduled for April 30 for the Rogers site and said the project will bring inpatient mental-health capacity to the area, which administrators expect will reduce long transports for involuntary mental-health commitments and free law enforcement resources.
Alberado said administration will return with detailed financial and legal information before the board would be asked to take any loan-related action, and noted the county would evaluate taxpayer risk if a borrower defaulted. "They will present their request to the full board, answer questions," he told supervisors.
Provenance: Administrator briefing and Q&A run from the County Administrator's operational update through the cooperative/hospital discussion in the transcript.
