County Approves JMH Funding, Plans to Add New Ambulance

Jasper County residents turned out in large numbers Friday morning to attend the Jasper County Board of Commissioners called meeting on the fiscal year 2025 budget. Many were there to show support for Jasper Memorial Hospital and to encourage the county’s continued funding of the institution.

The county has been funding the institution at approximately $476,201 through an ad valorem tax with a .620 millage rate from last year. Sentiment has been building over the past few years to expand ambulance services in the county through Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Some members of the community got the notion that the commissioners were planning to “defund” the hospital and fund a new ambulance expenditure instead. Citizens ventured out to speak their minds at the top of the meeting.

Citizens Comments

Randy Parker spoke on behalf of continued funding to the hospital. He said that he had visited the hospital many times in the 29 years since moving here. Mr. Parker credited the facility with the fact that he is here today.

Monticello native, former Mayor and former State Representative Susan Holmes said that one month ago the hospital saved her life. She walked into the emergency room (ER) and was amazed at what the facility now offers, she said.

Sheila Collins noted that if the county didn’t have the hospital, residents would have to drive at least 30 minutes for medical care.

Mark Logan spoke to commissioners, “when you make a budget you start with the highest priority. Why are we funding recreation and the senior center? He went on to say that the commission needs to get its spending in order and that the county needs ambulance service. “What good is a hospital if we have no ambulance to get them there,” he concluded.

Mary Lou Jordan, who has lived here since age six, mentioned her mother Dr. Jesse McWhorter, age 96, is resident of the Retreat and she loves it there. Mrs. Jordan said she considers herself a servant but has never served in the manner like the commissioners.

“At the end of the day we want to hear seven words—well done good and faithful servant. Please keep the hospital there.”

James Belcher said that losing the hospital, the second biggest employer in Jasper County, could mean losing the Retreat. He said employees buy gas and groceries that flow back into the local economy. He suggested having a referendum on the ballot with a big election in the fall.

Mary Patrick said that she was really disappointed that the commissioners didn’t seek to inform the community of their thought process. She also reviewed some information from the previous year’s audit of the hospital when she quoted that the hospital had revenue of $11 million last year and that the county funds $400,000. With those numbers, she said that doesn’t close the hospital.

Commissioner Updates

Following the citizens opportunity to speak, the commissioners had their say. Asher Gray noted that the hospital is a non-profit and asked why does the commission give taxpayers’ money to the nursing home and doctors.

“The question is why do we fund non-emergency services with taxpayers’ money when we need emergency services?”

Commissioner Sheila Pounds said that the hospital has been very important in her life as she worked there for 16 years.

“It fed my family. It helped my fathers’s life with an 840 blood sugar. I don’t believe in de funding the hospital.”

She said that everyone should work together on not just the hospital, but everything.

Chairman Bruce Henry said that he wanted to look at funding another ambulance.

Jasper Memorial

Hospital

Following the commentary section, Hospital Administrator Robert Cumbie presented some statistics to the commission about the hospital and fielded several questions. The administrator said the ER had 3,562 annual visits, offers 70 in-patient services, has 50 Retreat patients, and offers several out patient services including providing medical care at the local jail where the physicians travel there to serve the inmates.

He said the facility offers sports physicals to the school and has an indigent fund that treats patients whether or not they have the ability to pay. The hospital employs 165 individuals and that for every $1 paid to employees $2.21 goes back into the community, he said.

Mr. Cumbie addressed the audit figure presented earlier by Mrs. Patrick noting that while the facility made $11 million last year, $14 million went out and that was with the help of grants, donations, and a loan. He said that all of the county’s funds go to ER services.

Mr. Gray said that non-profits can’t make money and questioned some of the salaries of hospital employees listed on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) statement. He said the hospitals’ lowest paid administrator was making $25,000 more than the county’s highest paid employee.

He also questioned the land use and other aspects of the audit including a $1 million loan the facility took out with a financial institution whose president sits on the hospital board.

Commissioner Don Jernigan, who joined the called meeting via phone, noted that of the 916 ER calls that only 57 visited Jasper Memorial. He said a better job of getting more patients to the local hospital was needed instead of transporting to other facilities. If there were more transports locally, he suggested that perhaps there would be less of a need for county funding.

Mr. Cumbie iterated that he and the EMS Director Chris Finch have had discussions about doing such.

In closing his presentation, Mr. Cumbie noted that without donations last year, the facility would have had a loss $1.2 million.

Mr. Gray asked if the county lessened the hospital funding for the next budget year would it affect the facility significantly.

Mr. Cumbie replied, “not right away. We won’t close tomorrow but would have to rectify the loss down the road.”

Following the lengthy discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to continue funding Jasper Memorial Hospital at a 5.71 millage rate.

General Fund

Commissioners then voted to adopt a rollback millage rate of 9.99 for the county wide 2024 tax billing. While also adopting a general fund expenditure budget for FY 2025 of $14,789,706.

Also approved was a solid waste curbside fee of $208.99 annually. County Manager Mike Benton explained that the waste contract fee had increased 5.3 percent from last year and that to absorb the increase fees would have to exceed the current $195 fee. He also noted that next year would be the last of a three year contract with the current provider.

The last action item on the agenda was certainly not the least, as many of the early spectators had made their way out of the main courtroom where the meeting was moved to in order to accommodate the large crowd.

EMS

Mr. Finch presented on the county’s EMS as the commissioners weighed establishing a countywide special district fire and EMS tax. The county currently operates two ambulances, a 2017 model with 200,000 plus miles and another with 300,000 miles. The director reviewed the number of calls from each station with the most coming from Station 1 in the Turtle Cove area with 1,000 plus, the next most from the city of Monticello area, Station 3 numbering about 800, and Station 2 with 200.

The EMS director said that adding two new ambulances could help lower the county’s ISO rating and improve emergency services.

Chairman Henry asked the director about who makes the decision about where to transport when a call comes in. Mr. Finch said that it depends on the situation. “The patient has a say but we look at their condition and review which facility is their best fit,” he replied.

Mr. Finch noted that he had a good working relationship with the hospital but that JMH lacks services patients may need.

“We try to do what’s best for the patient. Last night we went to Atlanta to the Children’s Hospital, the patient needed that.”

He went to explain an actual scenario when two calls came in but only one could be responded to. One patient had trouble breathing and the other a toothache. He said the first inclination was to respond to the breathing call with what information they were given. In the end the breathing call was a patient that had hiccups all day whereas the toothache patient was sepsis.

Chairman Henry said that looking at funding one ambulance was what the county should do now with it being so late in the budget process. A fourth ambulance would require finding a sufficient location for it which would require a great deal of research and time, which the county doesn’t have in order to complete the budget so that the tax commissioner can levy taxes.

Mr. Gray felt it was better to fund two ambulances now than to be back next year adding another one.

Vice-Chair Steven Ledford said he was good with adding a third ambulance and that adding a fourth might be a push with the budget time line in mind.

After some further discussion and review of the budget time line, the commissioners approved a public hearing date for the special fire and EMS tax on Monday, July 1 during their regular monthly meeting and a called meeting for July 12 to vote on the issue.