TMCnet News
Statement on Walker County Hospital District's Evaluation of Hospital ServicesThe following statement was issued by Robert R. Hardy, Chairman of the Walker County Hospital District Board of Managers: "The Walker County Hospital District was established in 1975 to provide quality patient care to the community. For the past 40 years, the District has worked diligently to ensure that the community is offered a broad range of hospital services that meet the needs of County citizens, including Walker County's indigent population. Recent changes to the healthcare reimbursement system and the competitive healthcare market- some attributable to the Affordable Care Act-have altered the traditional market for hospital services and forced medical facilities across the country, especially communities such as Huntsville, to assess their options for maximizing the viability of the hospital. As responsible stewards of our community's medical needs, the District is actively evaluating the best option for ensuring adequate funding to improve th hospital and provide additional services, with the underlying goal of providing quality patient care well into the future. This evaluation includes assessing our arrangement with the Walker County Hospital Corporation, d/b/a Huntsville Memorial Hospital, including the ownership structure of the hospital itself. To assist us in effectively evaluating our options, the District has engaged financial consultants Hilltop Securities and legal advisors Bracewell, LLP and Beatty Bangle Strama P.C. Our priorities in undertaking this process are clear: maintaining a best-in-class facility here in Walker County that provides members of the public with the full range of medical services they require-and deserve. The District is committed to transparency, and we will provide updated information to Walker County citizens throughout this process. To that end, we are creating a website where citizens can obtain information and provide their input. The website will go online soon. Like hospital systems across the country, the District is facing new challenges, but we are confident that we will find a resolution that achieves quality health care for the citizens of Walker County." The Walker County Hospital District of Walker County, Texas is a political subdivision of the State of Texas. The District was authorized by an Enabling Act by the Texas Legislature under Senate Bill No. 1020 of the 62nd Legislature on June 9, 1971. A five member Board of Managers conducts the business of the District. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160210006598/en/ |
