Lyon County commissioners met with the Newman Regional Health Board of Trustees as part of a joint meeting Wednesday.
County Commission Chair Martin complimented the work of the hospital administrative team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hospital CEO Bob Wright, meanwhile, thanked commissioners for their ongoing support of the hospital, notably appropriations over the past decade to help fund large-scale equipment needs or projects like the emergency department that came online early last year.
As expected, the hospital’s monthly financial report showed patient days down 26 percent from April 2019 and admissions down by 19 percent. Net monthly income was $231,000, well above the projected loss of $1.2 million, but that also reflects initial CARES Act funding to help offset coronavirus expenses and the loss of revenue with numerous elective procedures either canceled or delayed. Newman Regional Health is getting $12 million in grants and it’s awaiting around $5 million of that amount. It also has to pay back around $10.6 million in advanced money from Medicare starting in August, but Wright says the hospital could have the same cash balance in April 2021 that it had last month.
