Date: March 29, 2018
Contact: Paul Nathanson, 202-828-1714
Statement by the Board of Managers of the Walker County Hospital District and the Board of Directors of Walker County Hospital Corporation
The following joint statement was issued by Anne Karr-Woodard, Chairman of the Walker County Hospital District Board of Managers, and Walter “Mac” Woodward, President of the Board of Directors of the Walker County Hospital Corporation:
We are pleased to announce an agreement between the Board of Managers of the Walker County Hospital District and the Board of Directors of Walker County Hospital Corporation for the Corporation to continue to operate Huntsville Memorial Hospital as both parties continue to work together to improve the hospital’s financial condition and operations.
The District and the Corporation are jointly committed to ensuring that the members of our community continue to receive high quality patient care, to provide this care near their homes and in the nurturing environment of their families, as well as to ensure support for the outstanding doctors, nurses and allied health professionals at the hospital who provide this care. To achieve this goal, the parties have formed a Joint Task Force to meet regularly to address the challenges faced by the hospital––challenges that many other community hospitals across the country are experiencing––in this changing health care environment.
We are also pleased to announce that the Corporation has engaged Michael Morgan as Huntsville Memorial Hospital’s interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Morgan has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare management and has served in senior executive management positions for several healthcare systems including as chief executive officer, president and chief restructuring officer. He is committed to making the changes necessary for Huntsville Memorial Hospital to succeed in the current healthcare market place.
As part of the agreement, the District will also temporarily decrease certain rent payments to support Huntsville Memorial Hospital.
The District and the Corporation are committed to maintaining an open dialogue with Walker County citizens. We look forward to feedback from the community during this time of transition as we work to preserve quality health care for Walker County for years to come.
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The Walker County Hospital District of Walker County, Texas is a political subdivision of the State of Texas. The District was authorized by an Enabling Act by the Texas Legislature under Senate Bill No. 1020 of the 62nd Legislature on June 9, 1971. A five member Board of Managers conducts the business of the District. Additional information can be found at www.walkercountyhospitaldistrict.org.