Carrus updates trustees on Bristow Hospital finances and seeks state approval to open 25 beds

At the Bristow Hospital Authority meeting on Aug. 19, 2024, Jill Atchley of Carrus Lakeside Health L.L.C. gave trustees a status report on operations at Bristow Hospital, including a profit-and-loss handout for review. Atchley told trustees, "they have everything billed out."

City Attorney Beth Anne Childs said she has met with Carrus COO Ambu Nachimuthu about the hospital's financial struggles and plans to meet with the State Department of Health to seek approval to open 25 additional beds. Childs said the authority should remove the urgent care's costs and rent from the hospital profit-and-loss statement so trustees can see a "true statement" of hospital finances, and she urged residents to support the facility. "She asks that everyone patronize the Hospital and encourage others too as well," the minutes record.

The presentation covered billing status and a printed profit-and-loss report distributed to trustees; no detailed line-item figures beyond the handout are recorded in the minutes. Trustees did not record follow-up questions or requests for additional numeric detail in the minutes.

The authority then authorized its trust attorney to negotiate a potential increase in operational funding conditional on receipt of specified financial records and consideration of rental income, a step trustees took to give staff a path to pursue additional support while the department of health review continues. The meeting minutes do not record a timetable for the state review or an exact dollar amount for any potential funding increase.

Next steps recorded in the minutes: the city attorney will pursue the State Department of Health approval for the additional beds, the trust attorney was authorized to enter negotiations subject to documentation, and trustees were encouraged to promote use of hospital services by the community.