Times Journal

Posted October 1, 2014 at 2:48 pm

The Russell County Hospital Board of Directors unanimously voted to extend the management agreement with Baptist Health Ventures through October 20 at their regular monthly meeting two weeks ago Thursday night.

The management agreement was set to expire September 20.

The hospital board can extend their agreement with Baptist only through the end of this year after Baptist announced they were cutting ties with the facility several months back.

Judge-Executive Gary Robertson, who was in attendance, asked the board if there had been any movement in terms of finding new management for the facility or if they had a timetable they were operating on.

“We’re still talking and still have options on the table,” said Charles Blankenship, the board’s chairman.

Blankenship said the decision was being made with “due diligence.”

“Our hospital is going in the right direction and we want to keep it going that way,” he said. “We just don’t want to stumble and fall back.”

Blankenship said it was the board’s hope to have new management for the hospital by the first of the year.

“We should be able to,” he said. “It is a tough business and we need some good management.”