State Cuts Could Close Dayton Hospital

DAYTON - Columbia County Health System staff members and commissioners voiced concern Monday night that recently proposed budget cuts at the state level may cause the closure of Dayton General Hospital.

Jim Kimes, a member of the district's board of commissioners, told the Dayton City Council on Monday that a round of cuts to be proposed in the upcoming special session would cut about $400,000 from Dayton General Hospital's budget.

The cuts target critical care access hospitals in rural areas across the state.

"If their proposal goes through, 15 of the 38 (rural hospitals) may have to close," Kimes said. "It borders on immoral."

Usually, the state gives about $38 million to critical care hospitals, Kimes said. With the cuts, that amount would be reduced by $22 million.

Dayton would be affected because if the proposed cuts pass, Medicaid payments to the hospital would be reduced by 73 percent, about $400,000.

With this cut and other proposed cuts the district knew were coming, Kimes said the hospital would not be able to operate and the district does not want to go to the voters for money to keep the doors open.

"It would be virtually impossible to continue the hospital," Kimes said.

Kimes said he and others in the district are working to educate local legislators to make sure they understand the hospital does not make money under the reimbursement rate for Medicaid patients.

He said he is urging members of the community to send letters to local legislators and the governor to prevent these cuts from being made.

Mayor Craig George said the hospital employs more people in the county than any other entity and the city will be sending a letter directly to the governor by the end of the week asking her not to support the cuts.

"I encourage every individual (to write letters)," George said. "This is the biggest (cut) I've heard of."

Charlie Button, chief executive officer of the health district, said even though $400,000 is about 5 percent of the district's budget, there are more cuts coming that will affect the nursing home and clinics.

" We can survive with some other cuts, but we can't take $400,000 off the top," Button said.