Looking to collect all viewpoints before making a final decision, Trigg County Hospital’s Board of Directors and CEO John Sumner tabled potential approvals of new MRI and CT machines for the cardiac clinic Thursday night.
However, they did open those bid packets and subjected them to discussion.
For an MRI, Siemens returned a bid of $1.3 million plus another $655,000 for a modular building, Canon returned a bid of nearly $1.1 million plus another $650,000, and GE returned a bid of $1.1 million and no price for a housing structure.
For a CT, GE offered an upgrade to Trigg County’s current unit for $138,000, Commonwealth sent in a bid of $442,000 for a new unit, and Canon submitted one for $585,000.
Sumner did note that new machines would be much more prudent than upgrades.
In other hospital news:
— Sumner said the most-recently ordered transit ambulance would arrive sometime around Memorial Day, and going forward, don’t be surprised if Trigg County’s boxes arrive with brush guards on the front of them.
A recent run-in with a deer led to a $16,000 repair, and in a funny exchange, Sumner and Board Member Joe Nichols urged it was better to be safe than sorry.
Sumner went on to mention that Trigg County’s ambulance department is in good shape and “very strong.”
— Board members also unanimously approved for an increase of insurance coverage for Trigg County Hospital’s asset profile. Sumner said he wanted to move toward a $50,000 deductible and leave the premium the same for an extra $14 million in coverage, and added that another $6,250 would increase coverage another $10 million, bringing the policy to around $60 million.
The reasons for this, Sumner said, stemmed from conversations about increased hospital value and west Kentucky’s recent dealings with inclement weather.
— Sumner said the emergency room is now painted and has new flooring, and the HVAC system should be in hand within the next 30 days. However, it will take a crane to set it, and it’s replacing the 24-year-old unit that controls the 1999 project, the emergency room and a large portion of the main hospital.