Phoenix wins foreclosure action; major step in reopening hospital
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

A major hurdle was cleared Friday in White County Circuit Court when Judge Thomas H. Sutton entered a judgment of foreclosure on the former hospital and skilled care unit property in Carmi.

The foreclosure was in favor of The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc., the not-for-profit group that has been at work for the past 14 months, attempting to restore hospital services to the county.

The foundation, which has been the creditor in possession of the facilities for several months, is expected to secure clear title to the property at a foreclosure sale in March; the date for the sale has not yet been set. Mt. Vernon attorney Jerry McDonald, acting on behalf of the foundation, presented a motion for a judgment of foreclosure to Judge Sutton Friday afternoon in court here. He indicated that all but one of the defendants in the case, filed by the foundation to gain title of the property, had either defaulted or had been given notice and failed to appear.

The exception was Timothy Ayers, a principal in one of the companies which operated the hospital and skilled care unit after the facilities were sold by Carmi Township several years ago.

But the foundation and Ayers "have resolved our differences," McDonald said, and Greg Stewart, the Carmi attorney representing Ayers, concurred.

McDonald said the foundation would not seek a deficiency judgment against Ayers.

Stewart said he had no objection to McDonald's motion, and Judge Sutton granted it with little fanfare.

McDonald said he will try to schedule a sale as soon as possible after 30 days. He indicated the foundation would "bid in" $1,307,146.30, the amount of the judgment. Should no one top the Phoenix bid, the property will belong to the foundation, without any encumbrances.

Two of the Phoenix Foundation board members attended the hearing and breathed sighs of relief when it was over, noting that the process of gaining control of the property has been a long and arduous one.

The next step, said Lil Fortner, the foundation's director of strategic planning, will be to seek a certificate of need from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. That board meets March 27-28 in Springfield and again May 1-2, she said, adding that the foundation hopes to make its case before the board at the earlier date. It will be represented before the board by a former board chairman, White County native Dr. Glenn Poshard, who volunteered his services several months ago.

Angie Helsel, executive director of the foundation, said the IHFPB may make a decision on the hearing date or could delay a decision.

A stumbling block in the past has been the need to generate the financial support (including contributions and pledges) required to proceed with the application for the certificate of need. But Helsel said the foundation plans to proceed regardless. "This project is about lives," she said. "White County must have a hospital emergency room now."

"Securing the foreclosure judgment acquired today ends any question concerning liens against the property," Fortner added. "This is an extremely positive turning point for the ability of the foundation to restore services to Carmi and White County," Fortner added.

Many potential contributors have held back, Helsel said, apparently waiting to determine whether the foundation had a legitimate chance to reopen the hospital and SCU. She and Fortner expressed the hope that these people will step forward now with significant donations or pledges.

"This is a $5 million project now," said Fortner, referring to the money needed to renovate, reopen and operate the facilities. "And we have asked the community for $1.5 million in support."

As of the end of December, the foundation had received contributions and pledges totaling about $255,000, she said.

"We've been very appreciative of what we've received," Fortner stressed, but she added that significant contributions are needed now to enable the project to proceed. "We hope this [the successful foreclosure] serves as confirmation of the foundation's capability to successfully move forward. Nothing can stop this project if the county and community stand united in this effort. It saves lives, adds jobs and improves our economy."

The women added that the foundation has received about $70,000 in in-kind services that were essential to saving the buildings.

But expenses are mounting. The hospital's main electrical controls were damaged when the facility was closed, the power was turned off and the basement (in which those controls are located) was flooded. It may cost upwards of $150,000 just to do the necessary repairs and move the controls to the main floor, Helsel said.

In addition, the foundation has had to employ loaned "salamander" heaters to maintain an above-freezing temperature in the two facilities, and the fuel for those heaters has been expensive.

Efforts continue to secure grants and other sources of revenue, but often money is available only if matching funds are on hand or if a facility is already operating, The Times was told.

Tax-deductible contributions may be made to The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc. at PO Box 412, Carmi, IL 62821. Pledge forms are available at the offices of The Carmi Times at 323 E. Main St. in Carmi. Direct donations may be deposited at First Bank or one may contact David Campbell, foundation treasurer.

Foundation goes public; hospital-based ER is goal
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

An organization which has been working behind the scenes to restore critical healthcare services here has released information about its activities--and its participants.

"We have been asked by several leaders in the community to disclose to the public our purpose, efforts and who we are," said a spokesman for the The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc. NFP.

"In anticipation of the fate of White County Medical Center [which closed Dec. 20], many of our members had been working toward a solution for Carmi since December of 2004. But the abrupt closing of the hospital required the creation of an organization to further our efforts to reestablish emergency services to the area," the spokesman said.

The Phoenix Foundation submitted documents to the office of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White Dec. 30, 2005 and was recorded as incorporated Jan. 10, 2006.

The foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit corporation (NFP) organized for the purpose of facilitating the restoration of health care services in southern Illinois "and all allied uses and purposes related thereto."

The foundation--in conjunction with Ryan Companies, a renowned national developer and builder, Gemini Consulting Group, Inc. and Initiatives Healthcare, Inc., health care consultants and hospital owner and operators with national and international interests--have evaluated alternatives available and concluded that the most immediate need is a hospital-based emergency room, said the spokesman.

"Through the encouragement and technical advice of recognized health care professionals, a strategic plan has been developed with a commitment to providing nothing less than quality health care services," the spokesman said.

"In addition to the restoration and future development of a range of health care services, the Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc. will also serve as a vehicle for funding charity care provided by a variety of health care entities in the area."

The foundation's board of directors includes Dr. Zahid Saqib, president; Kay Parkinson, vice president; David Campbell, treasurer; Angie Helsel, secretary; and advisors Mark Stanley, Lil Fortner and Keith Botsch.

"We greatly appreciate all the letters and support received to date as this endeavor has progressed," the spokesman said.

The group's address is Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc. NFP, PO Box 412, Carmi, IL 62821. Its fax number is 382-8374. E-mail may be directed to phoenixfoundsil@aol.com

"We look forward to serving southern Illinois for many years to come," said the spokesman.

Phoenix: local people working to restore care
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

The Times and other media have reported that a group called the Phoenix Foundation Of Southern Illinois, Inc., NFP is working to restore hospital services to White County.

But what is the Phoenix Foundation (which is preparing to apply for a hospital license for White County), and who are its members?

A spokesman for the organization provided these answers.

The Phoenix Foundation is a not-for-profit, charitable organization with a commitment to facilitating quality health care services in the southern Illinois area, she said.

"The current project is restoring a hospital, emergency services and other health care services to Carmi and its surrounding areas.

"The foundation is comprised of a cross-section of experience and community that we are proud to present to the public. Each board member and advisor in Phoenix brings extensive knowledge, experience and skills necessary to fulfill the on-going mission and goals of the Phoenix Foundation," she said, adding that "The members are working diligently on behalf of the Carmi/White County hospital restoration and have volunteered their services for this effort without compensation."

Here is a look at the foundation board members:

Dr. Zahid Saqib, president

Dr. Saqib is a primary care physician who has served the White County area since 1979. A resident of Carmi, a husband and father, he is a graduate of Edwards College and Khyber Medical College, Peshawar University, Pakistan. He served his internship at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago, surgical residence at Christ Hospital, Oak Lawn, and pathology residence at Methodist Medical Center in Peoria.

He is a member of the American Association of Family Practice and Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America. Dr. Saqib was a member of the Carmi Township Hospital board and former president of the White County Medical Center medical staff.

Kay Parkinson, vice president

Kay Parkinson has over 10 years of hospital administration, operations and clinical experience. She is a registered nurse and licensed nursing home administrator. She has expertise in federal and state regulatory statutes, survey guidelines, hospital clinical operations and extensive knowledge of building and life safety codes.

Parkinson was raised in a nursing home in eastern Ohio, where her parents were superintendent and matron of the facility. She and her family moved to Carmi in March 1985. Her daughter, Lauren Parkinson, was raised here, is a graduate of Carmi-White County High School and now attends SIU in Carbondale.

Angie Allen Helsel, secretary

Angie Helsel is a certified nursing home activity director, proficient in federal/state MDS, BCRS, charting requirements, care planning and departmental state survey standards compliance.

Helsel has served in various capacities of the Carmi summer youth recreational programs since 1983. As a very young child, she was introduced to the significant challenges of the critically ill. This shaped her commitment to serving a population with special health care needs. Her professional health care experience, which began in 1998, includes extensive direct patient care providing services to the terminally ill, elderly and frail. She attended Southeastern Illinois College with an emphasis on psychiatric rehabilitation and health/human services.

Born and raised in Carmi, the daughter of Ted and Mayolene Allen, she graduated from Carmi Community High School in 1984. Angie and Larry Helsel have raised a family of three children, Matt Slay, Teddi and Madi Helsel.

David B. Campbell, treasurer

David Campbell has been, since 1993, the owner/operator of Campbell Funeral Homes, originally established in 1954. He has worked in and around the health care arena throughout the course of his career.

Born Dec. 10, 1955 in Carmi, he is the son of Donald L. and Joyce F. Campbell. He graduated from Carmi Community High School in 1974, attended Southeastern Illinois College and completed his education at Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in mortuary science in 1977.

Upon graduation, he committed his efforts to the family business and worked full-time at Campbell Funeral Homes in Carmi and Norris City, where he managed the ambulance service and worked funerals.

Campbell is a member of the Carmi Lions club, a member and director of the Carmi Chamber of Commerce and a member of First Baptist Church in Carmi. He is married to the former Sharon Thackrey.

Mark Stanley, legal advisor

Mark Stanley has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since May 3, 1982. He maintains an office in Carmi and has been a resident of Carmi his entire life. He has devoted much of his life work toward improving Carmi and White County. During the past 20 years he has held the following positions: White County state's attorney, chair of the Evergreen Acres Board of Directors (a not-for-profit organization), chairman and vice chairman of the board for First United Methodist Church in Carmi, president and board member of the Carmi Chamber of Commerce, president of the Carmi Kiwanis Club and chair of the Mineral Law Section Counsel for the Illinois State Bar Association.

Lil S. Fortner, health care services and development advisor

The daughter of the late Rev. Robert E. and Bettye J. Fortner, Lil Fortner was born and raised in Carmi. She graduated from Carmi Community High School in 1977. After graduation from high school, Lil attended Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn., where she earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting, psychology and business administration.

As a health care professional with over 20 years in the health care industry, her career includes working for two large national hospital chains and a top 20 national home care chain, as well as a Medicare fiscal intermediary.

Her consulting firm has served health care organizations across the nation consisting of inpatient acute care, long-term care, home care, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities, continuing care retirement communities and management organizations. She has enjoyed extensive experience in the areas of health care strategic planning, development, regulatory compliance, federal and state health care law, finance, reimbursement and operations.

Since her return to this area, she has participated in various opportunities to work as a volunteer assistant coach for the summer Pony Softball League in 2004 and as an assistant coach (IHSA/ASEP certified) of the Carmi-White County High School Lady Bulldog tennis team in 2004 and 2005.

Keith Botsch, financial advisor

H. Keith Botsch, CPA is the owner of Botsch & Associates, CPA's, LLC. In addition to his CPA certification, he is a registered investment advisor. He graduated from Carmi Community High School in 1973 and obtained his bachelor's degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1977. After working for CPA firms in Harrisburg and Evansville, Ind., he started his own accounting firm in 1983 in Carmi and McLeansboro. He has a ten-year history of serving on the board of the former Carmi Township Hospital.

Born in Carmi on Feb. 22, 1955, he is the son of the late Harold and Bonna Botsch. He has four children: Lindsay Gubler, a loan underwriter for Integra Bank; Ryan, who is majoring in engineering at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville; and two daughters, Katelyn and Madison, who attend school in the Carmi-White County Community school district. He is married to the former Vicky Elliott of Carmi.

Besides working in his accounting practice, Botsch manages a family farm, hotel interests and is on the board of directors of Market Street Bancshares, where he chairs the auditing committee. He has worked extensively the past 20 years as the chairman of the White County Economic Development Group and previously on the Carmi Economic Development Commission.

Botsch is a member of First Christian Church of Carmi, the Carmi Kiwanis Club (of which he is a past president) and is a past president of the Carmi Chamber of Commerce.

Carmi hospital windows open, basement flooded, patient records abandoned: state
The State of Illinois has taken legal action against the former operators of the hospital in Carmi.

Dr. Eric Whitaker, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, recently filed a verified complaint for injunctive relief and a verified motion for a preliminary injunction against Cornerstone Healthcare of Illinois, doing business as White County Medical Center. Also named as defendants were James Cheek, individually and as president of Cornerstone; Herschel Breig, individually and as secretary of Cornerstone; and Charles Fulner, Timothy Ayers and Patrick Ayers, identified as members of Cornerstone's board of directors.

The primary goal of the legal action appears to be to ensure the preservation of the hospital's patient records, which the complaints allege have been virtually abandoned within the hospital building.

Summons have been issued to the defendants to appear for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 23 in White County Circuit Court.

Cornerstone was incorporated Oct. 12, 1999 in Illinois and operated the hospital until it was closed (with very little notice) last Dec. 20.

The state's complaint alleges Breig wrote the IDPH Feb. 28 to inform the agency that as of March 31, the defendants would no longer accept responsibility for the medical records and intended to abandon them, leaving them inside the former hospital building.

"Although the letter indicates that the medical records will not be destroyed," the complaint alleges, Breig said that Cornerstone would not preserve them.

The complaints allege that the defendants had a duty to create a plan for the preservation of the records in the event the hospital closed, and that they have a duty to ensure that the records are not destroyed for at least ten years, in accordance with a state law passed in 1953.

According to the complaints, IDPH surveyors visited the former hospital March 27, March 30 and April 4. They found, the documents say, that the building housed 80 shelves of medical records, along with about 50 cardboard boxes containing records; that the building's doors had been hit with paint balls; that part of the ceiling had sustained water damage and was leaking a dark-colored fluid; that one of the basements was flooded; that three basement entrances were flooded from the outside; that the building no longer had electrical service; that several of its windows were broken; and that one window was open.

The agency asked the court to issue an order requiring the defendants to preserve the medical records for at least ten years, for an injunction preventing them from destroying or allowing to be destroyed any documents within that decade, and commanding one or more of the defendants to assume the costs of storing and preserving the records. The IDPH also asks the court to require the defendants to notify it of each location where the records are stored and any location where they might be transferred during the ten-year period.

The request for an injunction states that Illinois law requires a facility that houses patient records to notify the IDPH of where those records are stored or transferred.

 

Foundation takes control of hospital
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

Phoenix group acquires mortgage, takes possession of building, hopes to reopen

A local group has assumed control of the hospital property in Carmi for the first time in years.

Judge Stephen Sawyer granted possession of the former White County Medical Center and Skilled Care Unit to the Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois after a ten-minute hearing Friday morning in White County Circuit Court.

Spokesmen for the not-for-profit foundation, made up of several Carmi residents, indicated that the foundation would take possession of the real estate later in the day. The foundation will conduct an assessment to determine what work is needed to bring the building up to standards. It will seek a certificate of need from state public health authorities and hopes to open a hospital in the building as early as late this year.

Phoenix about three weeks ago negotiated the purchase of the mortgage on the property from the previous mortgagee, a New York City corporation, said Mark Stanley, the Carmi attorney who represents Phoenix. The foundation then filed a foreclosure action Friday in White County Circuit Court. And while that motion is pending, Judge Sawyer granted Stanley's request that the foundation be placed in control of the property immediately.

The hospital (which closed Dec. 20) and skilled care facility (which closed prior to that date) have been virtually abandoned since late last year, Stanley said. The basement area is flooded, utilities have been turned off, the building's heating and air conditioning systems have not been operated for months, mold and mildew are growing and some fixtures have "vanished," he added.

It was necessary for the foundation to take possession of the buildings in order to halt the process of decay associated with their abandonment, he said.

Judge Sawyer asked if the defendants in the foreclosure case (Cornerstone Healthcare of Illinois, which formerly operated the facilities, and others) had been notified of the action. Stanley said they had not but that the state's records give Cornerstone's address as 400 Plum St.--the hospital address--and no one from Cornerstone is there. Further steps may be necessary to locate Cornerstone and notify it of the proceedings, he added.

Judge Sawyer asked if immediate possession were necessary and if Phoenix has the resources to address the facilities' repair needs. Stanley answered in the affirmative in both cases and said Phoenix intended, later in the day, to arrange for insurance coverage on the buildings and to change the locks so that no unauthorized persons could enter. He added that an assessment will be done to determine what work is necessary and what the cost of that work might be. And he added that Phoenix hopes to go before the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board in July to seek licensing.

Judge Sawyer then granted the motion for immediate possession and ordered that Cornerstone be notified of the action.

Stanley told The Times that Cornerstone and the other defendants owe about $800,000 on the mortgage, in addition to about $82,000 in interest and $13,000 in late fees. It will be a risk for Phoenix to spend money to repair the facility, while technically Cornerstone could pay off the debt and reassume control, he noted.

Kay Parkinson, a member of the Phoenix board, said the "best case scenario" is that the state will issue a certificate of need to Phoenix in July--and that a hospital could reopen within three or four months. "But that's really pushing it," she added.

"It would be great if it could be opened by the end of the year," Stanley added.

Parkinson stressed that the hospital management would be "a completely new entity," not associated in any way with Cornerstone.

And Stanley pointed out that the foreclosure is against the real estate; other debts incurred by Cornerstone are not addressed by the action.

Parkinson said Phoenix decided on this action after looking at the possibility of using other buildings for a hospital. But none were found that could be prepared for use as quickly as the former hospital building, she added.

She noted that Phoenix is not only a not-for-profit operation but that all the work done so far by its members has been on a volunteer basis. Stanley has not been paid for his work or the filing fees. And he added that no one involved in Phoenix is "out to make money" through that association.

"Our concern is with providing care to the whole county," Parkinson added.

"The goal is to have the foundation or a subsidiary of the foundation own the real estate and for Phoenix to organize or contract for the management of a hospital," said Stanley. "You can see what happens when you don't own the real estate," referring to the hospital's history since it was sold several years ago by Carmi Township.

Friday's action does not affect several leased, modular buildings on the hospital grounds, nor the patient records believed to be stored inside. Phoenix has no authority over those records, Stanley stressed.

Hundreds tour former hospital, nursing home; invited to pledge financial help
An estimated 200 area residents got a look Saturday and Sunday at the Carmi buildings which formerly housed a hospital and skilled nursing facility.

They learned more about a local not-for-profit group's plans to restore hospital services (including an emergency room) there, establish a clinic and reopen a nursing home, complete with an Alzheimer's unit.

And they were invited to help, as well over $1 million will be needed to renovate the buildings and add necessary furnishings and equipment.

The tours were conducted Saturday and Sunday afternoons by representatives of The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, followed by informational sessions during which Phoenix disclosed its plans for what was once Carmi Township Hospital (more recently White County Medical Center) and its Skilled Care Unit.

The not-for-profit local foundation is the creditor in possession of the former hospital and nursing home and is attempting to secure clear title to the property. But in the meantime, with the help of dozens of volunteers, it has been cleaning up the facilities, in hopes that they can be reopened.

The group hopes to operate a 12-bed hospital (with two private and four semi-private rooms, as well as two observation beds), with an emergency room and essential ancillary services. A clinic would be opened in the 7,200-square-foot area closest to Plum Street. And a 74-bed nursing home (with an Alzheimer's unit capable of housing eight residents) would be opened in the former SCU; all beds would be Medicare- and Medicaid-certified.

Phoenix Medical Center and Phoenix Rehabilitation and Nursing Care (the tentative names for the hospital and nursing home), along with the clinic, would be housed in the current buildings (erected in 1953 and 1973, respectively), although foundation officials recognize that at some point the aging buildings will have to be replaced.

But in the short term, the foundation hopes to restore hospital services, make primary care more accessible and add sorely needed nursing and Alzheimer's beds.

Angie Helsel of Carmi, secretary of the Phoenix group and a former SCU employee, led Saturday's tours of the buildings, which began in the SCU and continued in the former hospital. Visitors saw facilities which were clean and in order, due (said Helsel) to the hard work of many volunteers over the past few weeks.

The modular buildings which the former owners installed on the hospital grounds were to be removed Monday, and the original hospital entrance will again be used for that purpose, she said.

Lil Fortner, a Phoenix board member and a Carmi native with 20 years' experience in the healthcare industry, conducted Saturday's informational meeting.

"We have to have emergency services again" in White County, she said. "We have a lot of passion about this."

And she said there's no reason a hospital with an emergency room can't succeed here, adding that even if Illinois allowed free-standing ERs (which it doesn't), ERs lose money and it isn't financially feasible to have one without a hospital.

Fortner dispelled two rumors, one that Phoenix has assumed the former owners' debt. "Not true!" she said, adding that Phoenix holds the mortgage on the property but is not responsible for the Cornerstone debt. The second rumor she cited was that the facilities were in such bad condition that they couldn't be salvaged. "You know now that that isn't true," she said to the group after it had completed the tour.

"We have halted the deterioration, except for some minor vandalism," Fortner said. And Helsel added that the foundation has been forced to spend about $1,000 to replace or repair windows destroyed by vandals with rocks or paintballs.

"We've changed the locks and have done all we could to keep the vandals out, and the clean-up crews have done a fantastic job," said Fortner. "The buildings had been trashed. It was horrible. And the former owners took nearly everything they thought was valuable" when they moved out. Some of it has been reclaimed, but things such as a John Munsey clock and paintings donated by local groups are still missing, as well as most of the dining room furniture, a piano, stereo and many other furnishings and pieces of equipment. (Roberta Campbell has donated a new refrigerator, and many others have helped. And the City of Carmi has also been very helpful, the speakers said.)

The group was told that the hospital will offer what can reasonably be provided. "But we won't try to keep you here if another hospital has the specialty services or equipment that you need. We won't hold you hostage here. We'll send you to where you need to be," said Fortner.

Phoenix plans to file an application for a certificate of need (a necessary step in hospital licensure) Tuesday morning with the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, she said. And the foundation hopes to accompany it with sufficient pledges and contributions to show that this community wants a hospital and nursing home. That's critical, she said, to getting the CON approved.

If and when the license is granted and a hospital and nursing facility are reopened, she said, "We want to ensure that no outsider can ever again do to this town what they [Cornerstone] did."

Local people will remain in control, she said.

"We need for you to trust us. We need for the entire county to trust us, and the entire county will benefit."

After the licensing hurdles are met, it's likely that the nursing home will reopen before the hospital does, since it will probably take fewer building alterations to bring the 1973 building up to code than the older hospital structure. Codes have become more stringent in the years since the two facilities opened, and it will take more time and more money to bring the hospital up to code than the nursing facility, the group was told.

Fortner said Community Health Emergency Services, Inc., which has facilities in Harrisburg and Cairo, will open a primary care clinic on the east (Plum Street) side of the hospital building. "They can bring in primary care physicians and have longer hours of operation" than most doctors' offices, she said, staying open until 7, 8 or 9 p.m., depending on the demand. She expressed the hope that people will use the clinic when it's appropriate for their illness instead of going to the emergency room in the early evenings; handling patients in the ER is far more expensive than in a doctor's office setting, she added. The clinic can take advantage of reimbursements, grants and money from not-for-profits to recoup some of its costs, and it will charge patients on a sliding scale (depending on their ability to pay).

Of course, if patients have a true emergency, said Fortner, "They need to present to the ER."

Fortner said Phoenix is proceeding with a foreclosure in hopes of clearing the title to the buildings. That process is taking a little longer than expected because one of the defendants (she did not say who) is contesting the action, and she said it could be 60 or 90 days--or more--before the foreclosure is completed.

In the meantime, an appraisal of the property is being done; but major work on the buildings must await clearing of title.

Fortner said "a minor miracle" is about to occur. The Illinois Department of Public Health will conduct a "courtesy survey" of the buildings Wednesday, she said, a rare event. "They've been very compassionate with us; it's amazing how helpful they have been."

She said an estimated $1.5 million is needed for renovation and restoring necessary equipment at the two facilities.

And she said pledges of financial help from the public are needed.

Pledge forms are available at First Bank and at the office of The Carmi Times. Persons may indicate an amount pledged, when they might make the money available and may even make the pledge contingent upon an event (such as granting by the state of the certificate of need). Money contributed is tax-deductible.

"Several people have mentioned that they had previously pledged," said Fortner. But she noted that unless those pledges were made directly to Phoenix--and not as part of a hospital survey conducted several months ago by a separate group--"we are unaware of those pledges."

One may also make monetary contributions into the Phoenix contributions account at First Bank, which is separate from the foundation's operations account and can't be tapped without unanimous approval by the Phoenix board.

Fortner said members of the board have "contributed substantial personal funds" to the effort. "We're not asking you to do anything we haven't done," she added.

"We'll be prudent, and we'll be good stewards," she said. "We'll operate effectively but not luxuriously."

Fortner, who now works in healthcare in the Chicago area, said she will not take a paid position with the local facilities.

"I'm here only to support this project," she said. "I've been working on it since before the Skilled Care Unit closed" (months before the hospital was shut down).

"I love this town," she said, then took a few moments to contain her emotions.

Fortner noted that White County Medical Center had critical access status--putting it in a favorable financial position--before it closed.

"Critical access hospitals rarely close," she said. "It was so rare that the story hit a national magazine.

"It [the closure] should not have happened."

Fortner told the group that Phoenix is committed to reopening the hospital and nursing home.

"We won't give up. We'll succeed if the community helps us."

 

Helsel appointed Phoenix executive director; 56,000 records to be sorted
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc. NFP has announced the appointment of Angie Allen Helsel as its executive director.

"Angie has worked tirelessly as a member of Phoenix and a volunteer," said a spokesman for the local not-for-profit corporation, "to ensure the efforts of the foundation have successfully continued as we pursue the restoration of hospital and health care services to Carmi and White County."

Helsel has been instrumental in and driven initiatives critical to the success of opening the hospital and nursing home in Carmi, the spokesman added, "by working with federal and state legislators, the attorney general's office, the governor's office, Illinois Department of Public Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, local government, attorneys, contractors, community groups, volunteers and Phoenix committee members.

"She spearheaded the reclamation of the hospital property and has been managing the effort to protect the property from further deterioration as we prepare for future operations."

As executive director, Helsel will continue those efforts and will now manage the medical records project, the spokesman said.

A final order was entered in White County Circuit Court Friday regarding possession and administration rights over medical records previously abandoned.

"The Phoenix Foundation is now in a position to ensure the records in our possession will be preserved in accordance with state and federal law and will not leave the State of Illinois," said the spokesman.

"The intensive work effort to protect, preserve and provide necessary medical information resources is underway," adding that there are an estimated 56,000 records to be administered.

"The Phoenix Foundation has received records in an 'as is' condition. We ask the public to be patient with us as we begin the task of organizing the records for administration.

"Our commitment to the community is extremely high; however, we need appropriate time to organize the volume of medical records data acquired."

The spokesman said anyone with a critical and immediate need for records should fax a written request to 382-3892.

"We will keep the public informed concerning our progress and will be happy to address non-emergency records requests as soon as we are able," the spokesman said. "In the meantime, please know the records we have received are secured.

"The foundation is proud to serve the community and county in this effort and is very grateful for the support provided by the many volunteers, groups and citizens."

 

Significant contributions needed for hospital to reopen: Poshard
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

White County will have an extraordinary ally in its pursuit of a hospital--if the people of the county do their part.

Glenn Poshard offered Tuesday night to represent the local group trying to restore hospital services here before the state agency with the power to permit it.

But first, he and others cautioned at a public meeting in the former Skilled Care Unit dining room, enough money must be raised--or pledged--to persuade the agency that White County is serious about wanting a hospital.

Poshard spoke for nearly an hour to a group of over 100 people, then he and others involved in the effort answered questions from the crowd.

The forum was a public meeting hosted by The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, the not-for-profit local group dedicated to reopening the hospital.

And the meeting came one day before the first anniversary of the closing of the hospital, originally known as Carmi Township Hospital but more recently as White County Medical Center.

David Campbell of the foundation chaired the meeting and introduced Poshard, the Heralds Prairie Township native who is now president of Southern Illinois University. A former member of the Illinois Legislature, Poshard later spent a decade in Congress (and chaired the House Rural Health Committee). And he is a former member--and chairman for two years--of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, the agency before which The Phoenix Foundation will have to appear if it hopes to reopen the hospital. The foundation hopes to have the board approve a certificate of need, a major step toward getting legal authority to reopen.

Poshard called the five-member IHFPB "a very powerful board" and cautioned that it "tends to stick closely to its rules and regulations."

The 1998 Democratic candidate for governor said emergency care is vital to any community. What happens, he asked, if a young football player breaks his leg in a game, or a farm worker sustains a life-threatening injury? "How can you say that you don't need a hospital?" he asked.

Poshard called it "unconscionable" for a community of the size and wealth of Carmi not to have a hospital, and he said if communities such as McLeansboro, Eldorado, Fairfield and Mt. Carmel can have "thriving" hospitals, Carmi can, as well.

But he cautioned that the community doesn't need a hospital of 40 or 50 beds, as it did when CTH opened more than 50 years ago. "Do what you can do," he said, calling for a hospital big enough to take care of basic healthcare needs and to provide emergency services.

Poshard said a hospital is a quality of life issue. Businesses and industries will not locate in communities without adequate healthcare and good schools, he said, adding that Carmi will be competitive for such growth only if it regains a hospital.

He added that rural populations, as a rule, are more elderly, more ill and less wealthy than elsewhere, and periodically need an infusion of talented and ambitious young couples and their children to revitalize a town. And those kinds of people won't come to a community without adequate healthcare, he said.

Poshard said he is proud to be a product of the Herald and Brownsville schools, as well as Carmi Township High School, and he said Carmi is still noted for its good schools. But the community needs a good hospital, he stressed.

Every community needs a project to create real unity and a sense of community, the speaker said. "What better mission than getting your hospital and nursing home back in order?" He challenged his listeners not to "settle into mediocrity" and to work toward getting a hospital, invoking the Bible that "Without a vision, the people perish."

Poshard said it would be wise to reopen the nursing home first, adding that no certificate of need is required to do so. "Just get the license reinstated," he said. Getting the nursing facility reopened could be a first step toward getting cash flow started, he added.

The not-for-profit status of the foundation is a plus, Poshard said, adding that many successful Illinois hospitals are run on a not-for-profit basis.

But he added that it's not easy to get a certificate of need from the IHFPB. That board has "absolute autonomy and authority" to approve a CON. But the foundation will need help in technical expertise and representation before the board, in an effort to convince it that a hospital is needed here--and that the foundation has the financial resources to open and operate it.

Poshard said the law forbids him from discussing the Carmi situation with the board members outside of the hearing setting. But he said he would go before the board at that time to represent the foundation--if it wants him to.

"I'll do my best to help you," he said, adding that a paid lobbyist might charge from $50,000 to $150,000 to carry the foundation's case to the board.

Poshard said it's his understanding that the foundation is already working on getting the CON and may submit an application as early as next month. A hearing is generally scheduled for two to three months later, he added.

If a CON is granted, the next step is to go before the Illinois Department of Public Health to obtain licensure. That agency would send representatives to Carmi to inspect the hospital. One team from IDPH made a courtesy inspection earlier, and it's been estimated that it would take about $1.5 million in work to bring the hospital facility up to state standards. But that could change, upon a second visit, Poshard cautioned.

There has been talk, he said, of asking Gov. Rod Blagojevich to circumvent the law and allow the hospital to be reopened under current conditions. But Poshard warned against that. "I wouldn't advise it, and if I were governor I wouldn't do it," he said, contending that it would open the state to liability that would not be advisable. "I'd go through the legal process instead. It will take a little longer, but I think it's entirely possible" to reopen, he added.

Once the building is brought up to standards and licensed, it could open. And Poshard said if it could have 80 to 90 percent occupancy (in the hospital and nursing home), it could be profitable.

But he said securing the cooperation of local physicians is essential. Poshard recalled that there has been a history of conflict between doctors and administrators here over the years, and he said unless that tendency is resolved, it's unlikely a hospital could succeed here.

"You've got to use it. The local physicians have to use it. It's not enough just to use the emergency room." He said the hospital should be able to provide excellent basic healthcare, but the community has to make up its mind to use it.

Poshard said the foundation needs to locate "a bunch of gung-ho, young, professional, competent doctors," and he noted that the Southern Illinois University Medical School is turning out physicians committed to practicing in medically underserved areas such as this. He called for the involvement of the county board, city council and other local groups in the recruitment process.

Many of those attending the meeting had questions for Poshard, Campbell and others from the foundation (Angie Helsel and Lil Fortner among them).

Someone asked about financial help from the government, and Poshard cautioned that this is unlikely, from either the state or federal authorities. But Helsel said the foundation will ask for support from U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, and Poshard said "I'd beat down the doors" of legislators if he were here. "You've got to try."

He predicted that most of the hospital's patients will be on Medicaid or Medicare, and hospitals receive a lower level of reimbursement for services provided to those people than those who have private insurance.

Poshard said he has worked with Fred Bernstein (who plans to put a clinic into the eastern part of the hospital) for more than 30 years, on many projects in many communities, and called Bernstein "one of the area's foremost advocates of rural healthcare." He said the clinic will be a welcome addition, but it won't be open 24 hours a day. And so an emergency room (which by Illinois law cannot exist outside of a hospital) is still desirable.

The hospital formerly had the critical care designation, a valuable tool in helping hospitals dependent upon Medicare and Medicaid to survive. But that designation has been lost and is difficult to regain, said Poshard.

Perhaps the toughest task facing the foundation is the need to raise significant money, he said. "We have to show [the state board] that we have the money, through pledges or donations, to do the project," said Campbell. "And right now we don't."

Poshard noted that contributions are tax-deductible, and he suggested soliciting pledges and getting commitments. "If the certificate of need process is successful, you kick in some cash. And then if you get the license, you kick in the rest. Do it in stages, based on the success of the process. That way you don't have to worry about losing your money if the project falls through."

Campbell said that in addition to the money needed to bring the hospital up to current standards, the foundation may need another $1.5 million in operating capital to get the hospital rolling, until the cash flow begins. He said the foundation has been conservative in spending the money already donated, hoping to use as much of it as possible for the long-term repairs needed. But it has had to pay significant bills for insuring the building and heating it--as much as $300 per day for the kerosene needed to fuel "salamander" heaters loaned to the foundation during a recent cold spell (the foundation hasn't had the money to heat the hospital wing or fix its boiler).

Poshard said it's fortunate that the foundation stepped in to take possession when it did (last spring), as buildings tend to deteriorate rapidly when not heated.

Campbell praised the volunteers who have worked at the facilities, as well as the contractors who have provided their services at no cost. But he said the foundation has been able to collect less than a quarter of a million dollars, and "We have a distance to go."

Poshard was asked if a tax could be put in place to support the hospital (which was, while under Carmi Township ownership, supported in part by a tax levied on property within the township). It would be possible, he said, but might require a referendum.

Mike Ray, one of four White County Board members present, noted that a public safety tax referendum designed to raise money for the county ambulance service failed last spring. The county board would be supportive of an effort to pass a referendum on behalf of a hospital, he predicted, but he added that many other groups would be needed to promote the idea.

Is it possible to recover any money from the former hospital owners, one listener asked. Helsel (the foundation's executive director) said it's unlikely at this point but not beyond the realm of possibility, eventually.

The foundation is currently the "creditor in possession" of the hospital and SCU and hopes that the final obstacle to a successful foreclosure action will come within a matter of weeks, Campbell said. The group has been reluctant to spend significant dollars on the facilities until it has secure title, he added.

Paul A. Schumaker, a retired Carmi insurance and real estate broker, rose to assert that there is more than enough money in White County to finance the reopening of the hospital. "We should be able to put $1 million in the bank by Dec. 31," he said, challenging his listeners to make significant tax-deductible contributions now rather than give the money to "Uncle Sam."

"If you give what you can comfortably give, we can do it!" he said. And Poshard said the community needs to act now.

Campbell said the "unbelievable help" of volunteers has resulted in the SCU rooms looking "spectacular and ready for occupancy." Without those volunteers, he said, "the place would have crumbled."

A question was raised about staffing the hospital. Helsel said five local doctors have all expressed their support for the foundation's effort, and "not one has said he won't admit" patients. She said Bernstein will bring at least three doctors to town when he opens a clinic, and the emergency room would have two to four physicians. "I think that will be enough to fill ten hospital beds," she said.

Poshard noted that physician assistants are becoming more important in healthcare and that the SIU medical school also trains those professionals.

"If you had 10-12 doctors and two or three PAs, you'd be fully staffed and your hospital should be capable of handling almost anything," he said. And Helsel said one PA has already expressed interest in locating here.

Fortner stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that the foundation was formed last winter and has put in thousands of hours of work in its effort to restore services.

"We don't want to drag this out another year," she said. "We still need money. We don't have the matching funds we need to get grants.

"This is our best chance to get a hospital for this community," she said, adding that once the hospital is reestablished and profitable, a new facility can be built--after we show that the community will support a hospital.

Helsel said many people have provided their help at no cost, "But how long can you expect people to work for free?"

And Fortner said the foundation has been "blessed" by all the support and has made "huge strides," but the next step can't be taken without money.

"Your best shot," said Poshard, "is a combination of public and private support. Supplement private gifts with a small tax."

The Phoenix representatives expressed the foundation's appreciation to Poshard for his offer to meet before the state board on the group's behalf.

"This is still my home," Poshard replied.

 

Hospital building, skilled care belong to Phoenix now--no strings attached
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

The hospital and skilled care unit buildings in Carmi are once again under local ownership--period.

A foreclosure sale was held this morning at the Courthouse in Carmi, and The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc., which held the mortgage on the properties, was the only bidder.

A deed was to be recorded later today in the office of County Clerk Paula Dozier, officially transferring full title in the Plum Street properties to the not-for-profit foundation.

Today's sale brings to an end more than a year of efforts by the local foundation (formed in December 2005, even as the prior owners were closing the hospital) to gain full control of the 1953 hospital and attached SCU, built in the '70s.

"The property is free and clear and in total ownership and possession of the foundation," said spokesman Lil Fortner.

She said the foundation is moving forward on efforts before the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board to acquire permits to operate a skilled care facility and hospital here again.

And she expressed the hope that today's legal proceedings will enhance the foundation's ability to raise the money necessary to reopen the facilities.

 

Phoenix Foundation cites progress in restoring hospital, skilled care unit
Printed with authorization of The Carmi Times

Fifteen months after the hospital in Carmi closed, a local not-for-profit group has made substantial progress toward its goal of restoring services.

The Phoenix Foundation of Southern Illinois, Inc., in a "where are we now?" summary, cited these recent developments:

-- Feb. 9: Judge Thomas H. Sutton signed off on a foreclosure judgment against the former owners.

-- Feb. 28: The nursing home Certificate of Need application was delivered to Springfield and is currently under review.

-- March 15: Sheriff Doug Maier auctioned the property with only one bidder--The Phoenix Foundation. The foundation now owns the hospital and skilled care unit property, free and clear.

"Now that the property ownership is no longer an outstanding issue," said the Phoenix statement, the foundation has been able to accomplish the following:

-- March 19, the Certificate of Need application for the hospital was delivered to Springfield.

-- With the assistance of the Greater Wabash Regional Planning Commission, the foundation has initiated a grant request to the Delta Regional Authority. If awarded, the funds will probably not be received until the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

-- More grant applications are under research, but the foundation still needs matching funds to qualify.

"Angie Helsel is working feverishly on legislative efforts that will pay off for Carmi and White County," said the statement of the foundation's executive director. "We want to thank all of our legislators and their staff, federal and state, for coming together for the common good of this community and county."

The foundation has "begged" the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board for the earliest permit hearing date possible, the summary indicated.

"In the meantime, we have to work on the electrical system for the hospital." This effort will help prepare the building for a clinic, outpatient lab and imaging services, the foundation said. But it added that donations of money are very much needed.