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Commission appoints three trustees to Southwest Medical Center; candidates press billing and oversight issues
Summary
The Seward County Commission appointed Stacy Cope, Joe DeNoyer and Dennis Sanders to the Southwest Medical Center Board of Trustees. Applicants and commissioners discussed concerns about billing practices, past attorney-general opinions, and the hospital’s budgetary oversight.
The Seward County Board of Commissioners appointed three trustees to the Southwest Medical Center Board of Trustees on March 16, naming Stacy Cope and Joe DeNoyer to two-year terms (expiring 04/01/2028) and Dennis Sanders to a three-year term (expiring 04/01/2029).
The appointment followed public presentations by several applicants. Stacy Cope described her past term service and work on the hospital finance committee and said she hopes to help return the hospital to stronger financial footing. Joe DeNoyer recounted board accomplishments he attributed to the current administration — including reducing expensive travel nurse usage and recruiting local staff — and said the board is examining whether to bring hospital billing back in-house after problems with a private billing firm.
Jose Lara, a former mayor and past hospital trustee who also applied, told commissioners he has kept documentation related to prior disputes with the billing vendor and cited two attorney-general opinions issued in 2025 and 2026 that he said criticized the board’s handling of an apparent conflict and budget procedures. Lara said collections practices tied to the billing vendor had sent community members to collections and sometimes to court, and he urged stronger local controls and improved charity-care handling.
Commissioners used ballots to assign staggered term expirations and then moved to appoint the recommended candidates; the board approved the appointments on a voice vote (4–0–1 per the chair’s announcement). No commissioner proposed altering the composition of the board beyond the appointments made during the meeting.
Quote: "We're looking at bringing billing back in house," said a trustee-applicant describing the board’s priorities.
Next steps: The newly appointed trustees will assume their seats April 1; commissioners and hospital representatives discussed integrating attorney-general guidance into annual budget submission and oversight practices.
Provenance: candidate remarks and Q&A began in public presentations and concluded with the commission’s vote to appoint the three trustees.
