History Corner

By the end of 1988 the Council hospital was unable to pay its bills. A big part of the problem was that approximately 50% of Accounts Receivable were over 90 days past due.

In the spring of 1989 the hospital discontinued obstetrical services. No more babies would be born there.

Adams County Leader, April 6, 1989: “A frantic fund drive in the past seven days to raise $150,000 has succeeded and the hospital will remain in business at least three more months. Lutheran Health Systems Management Company of Fargo, North Dakota, agreed last week to take over temporary management of the financially troubled hospital if the community could raise $150,000 to pay off debts and provide operating capital. Had the effort fallen short, the 21-bed hospital would have closed for the second time in four years, leaving the town of 900 without emergency care. Doctor Monger emphasized that all the problems are not solved. The problems plaguing many rural hospitals – low Medicare reimbursement, low patient count and lot inability to acquire expensive technology – still exist.”

Adams County Leader, June 1, 1989: “The North Dakota company that operates the Council Community Hospital will decide next week whether it will continue to do so. The Adams County-owned hospital have been losing money for months. ‘The hospital has been doing better,’ said Dale Lake, chairman of the board of directors, ‘but it’s difficult to say what the final outcome will be. It’s still an anxious time for us’.”

Adams County Leader, July 20, 1989: “The Council Community Hospital board has signed a one-year contract with. L.H.S. Management Company of Fargo, North Dakota to manage the hospital in Council effective July 1, 1989.”

Adams County Leader, December 28, 1989: “The Department of Health and Human Services, Region X, Seattle, has notified Council Community Hospital that they have been granted a provider number for their skilled nursing facility. Under this agreement, many of the residents of South West Central Idaho eligible for Medicare and Medicaid may now receive services in Council and receive benefits from the federal and state governments.”

At some point, the official name of the facility became “Council Community Hospital and Care Center.”

In the spring of 1992, the Council Hospital Auxiliary voted to discontinue the organization.

In the summer of 1994 the hospital took over the clinic that Dr. Edwards and Dr. Strouth had established at 204 Illinois Avenue, next to the Council Valley Market. It was only “in partial operation” until it began “full operations” that September.

In September the hospital reported, “The hospital now has one wing for acute care patients, separate from the nursing home wing. We have seven day-a-week clinical care and 24 hour per day emergency care, with a doctor and a nurse practitioner on duty five days a week and a doctor on weekends.”

What might be the worst economic blow to the Council community in recent history came in March of 1995 when the Boise-Cascade sawmill closed. The county was also dealing with the threat of a lawsuit over inadequacies of the county jail in the basement of the courthouse. A contentious debate ensued about whether to build a county prison or a completely new courthouse.

The October 22, 1998 Record newspaper reported that the hospital currently has 20 skilled nursing beds and all were full. A year later the paper said the “Council hospital is looking at the possibility of becoming a Critical Access Hospital.” That same year a fundraising effort paid for a 600 square foot dining/recreation room at the facility.

The Record, June 24, 1999: “The Council Hospital board has been advised that the law has changed since the contract that provides the hospital with physicians, nurse practitioners and administrative services has changed since the contracts were originally adopted, and it is imperative that the contracts be rewritten. Hospital administrators Doctor Sinkinson and Nurse Practitioner Sandy Niehm have the option to renegotiate the contracts or to leave at the end of 120 days.”

Weiser-based CPA Jim Pike said Council hospital errors “could go back to the day the hospital opened.” He laid the blame for more recent problems on a faulty billing program, which should be replaced.

Next week – The struggle for survival continues.

I will be giving another presentation at the New Meadows Depot on April 3 at 7:00 p.m. It will include nearly 100 photos of Mesa Orchards, some of which have only recently been “discovered.” My talk will include stories ranging from founding of the orchards to its eventual demise.

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