Mayor blames lack of COVID funds for rural health center closure
THOMASVILLE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — A major blow to rural healthcare in the Black Belt continued into the week as the Thomasville Regional Medical Center remained closed until further notice.
The 29-bed facility has been closed since Friday. A sign on the side of Highway 43 and a sign taped to the medical center's front doors said, "ER Closed." All fingers pointed to a funding shortage.
According to Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day, TRMC employees were not paid for their work in the last pay period, and they likely won't be paid in the next pay period either. Day said the funding shortage started during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We were one of three hospitals in the country that didn't get the proper COVID reimbursement," Day said.
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When the Federal government allocated COVID relief funds to hospitals, Day said the feds only took into account the hospital's operating numbers from 2019. TRMC opened in March 2020 and didn't have any numbers to show for 2019.
Day said the owners of TRMC, congressional leaders and the city were told by the feds that the problem would be resolved. The promise led the owner of TRMC, Curtis James, to take out a loan to pay his employees, Day said.
"In my opinion, that in and of itself, began the downward spiral," Day said.
However, the COVID relief funds never came as Day said the feds didn't follow through with their promise. With the medical center in debt, Day said paychecks were unable to be paid.
"[TRMC employees] continued to work. They said, 'if you'll just promise us and help us understand that you're going to have the money, we'll work. We'll continue to work into the next pay period,'" Day said. "That's the kind of people we've got here."
On Friday, Day said the medical center's board met with employees to have an "honest conversation" and discuss the future of TRMC. While Day said there were efforts to keep TRMC open through the weekend, the ultimate decision was made to shut it down until further notice, effective at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Medicare and Medicaid were other issues that Clarke County officials pointed to when asked what caused the doors of TRMC to close. With a large chunk of Thomasville residents using Medicare and Medicaid, TRMC saw low reimbursement rates, according to Clarke County 911 and Emergency Management Agency Director Roy Waite.
"Being in a rural an area where there's three hospitals, it's difficult for all three hospitals to survive," Waite said.
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There are two ambulance services in Clarke County, according to Waite. One service is focused on Jackson and the other serves the rest of the county.
With TRMC out of the equation, two hospitals are left in rural Clarke County: Grove Hill Memorial Hospital, which is about 15 miles away from TRMC, and Jackson Medical Center, which is about 25 miles away from TRMC.
"Those few minutes can matter greatly for the outcome of that patient," Waite said. "Thomasville Regional Medical Center serves not only those in the northern end of Clarke County but also individuals from south Marengo and western Wilcox Counties."
In 2022, TRMC began accommodating a medical helicopter. The helicopter is still using TRMC as a base for its operations.
Though TRMC will likely be foreclosed, Day said discussions to find a new owner have already started. Day said multiple people have expressed interest in purchasing the medical center. Potential buyers, Day said, would likely negotiate the $40 million mortgage on the property.
