Bartlett Regional Hospital administrators chat with Assembly members during a break at an Assembly finance meeting on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Some Assembly members, including Mayor Beth Weldon, said they’d still like to see the rate stay flat. But that could mean cutting some services or using savings. Bartlett Regional Hospital’s proposed budget for this year projects a loss of $7.5 million. That budget dips into the hospital’s savings this year to cover the loss, but it can’t sustain that for much longer. If the hospital can’t cut costs enough, the hospital’s CFO Joe Wanner says it will essentially be out of money within the next three years.
Assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs said making those major decisions doesn’t feel feasible during this budget cycle, but she thinks they will have to happen in the next year.— due to rising costs, the effects of climate change, and a tight job market.