BREAKING NEWS: SCH could close in 60 days if deal isn’t made

During the Stephens County Hospital Authority meeting with the Stephens County Board of Commissioners and the Toccoa City Commission on Tuesday, the hospital asked for a large financial commitment from the county.

According to Stephens County Hospital Interim Chief Executive Officer Ray Ledbetter, the hospital is requesting the county contributes between $3- and $5 million, annually, to keep the hospital from closing.

Stephens County Board of Commissioners Chairperson Michelle Ivester tells WNEG News that the county was blindsided by the news that the hospital was so close to closing its doors.

“We are very disheartened to find out the financial state of our hospital. We were alongside the employees, last night, when we learned the news of their financial state. There’s going to be some decision that have to be made moving forward. We’re really hoping that the City of Toccoa will partner with us in making these decisions. Obviously, the Hospital Authority will be on board with making these decisions and whatever that needs to be done moving forward with the County Hospital; they ultimately oversee the hospital. We have no regulation or authority out there. This is not something that we can make a decision on; the way they run their hospital or the things they do out there. There’s a lot of questions that need to be asked and a lot of answers that need to be uncovered,” she said.

Ivester says it’ll take the entire community coming together to find a solution.

“I think most of all, for us Commissioners, our hearts truly break for these employees of the hospital. My whole life here, I’ve known so many great nurses at that hospital who are passionate and have a heart for this and they care about their citizens. We want to make sure they’re taken care of and included in these discussions. I think these need to be open meetings, and they need to be included in those meetings. They have the most at stake here. The citizens need to be included in the meetings they have a lot at stake here too. Everyone needs to be at the table. We just need to find a way to move forward. We need to see what options we have; based on last night’s meeting, we have several, none are standout great options; but they are options,” she said.

Ivester says during the Authority meeting on Tuesday, Hospital officials say the county has 60 days to decide before the hospital has to do something.

There were five options presented to the County Commission on Tuesday, including: 1) do nothing; 2) close; 3) affiliation through management agreement; 4) Equity Buyout; and 5) stand alone with the County supporting the hospital with $3- to $5 million annually.

If the hospital is forced to close, around 400 Stephens County Hospital employees will lose their jobs.

In the coming weeks, Ivester says the County will schedule a meeting to further discuss the hospital moving forward.

WNEG News will continue to follow this story and bring you updates as they become available.