A handful of people requested to speak before the Cass County Memorial Hospital’s Board of Trustees during the meeting today (Tuesday), in Atlantic. Before the board discussed for nearly two-hours, their options for keeping the Behavioral Health Unit open or closing the unit entirely, they heard from individuals who’ve dealt with mental health issues in their families, educators, and health care professionals. One of those who spoke was Chuck Smith, who said the hospital has met, and should continue to meet, both the physical and mental health needs of the community. He says to stop providing behavioral health services in Cass County would be a “step backwards.”

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Director Roger Herring, who served as Principal of the Atlantic High School for 20-years, said he always tried to promote the community to prospective teachers, doctors and others who were considering locating here with their families. One of the selling points, is the fact Atlantic has a full, comprehensive medical facility. Herring says if the BHU were to be eliminated, there would be a void in the programs that we are able to offer. He says we need to be able to provide both physical, and mental health. Herring said the BHU, and other psychiatric services offered to students at CCMH, the Link Center and Behavioral Health Department, have saved the lives of some of his former students. He says it’s the hospital’s business to save lives, whether it’s teen suicide or families who are in crisis, they need to have somewhere to turn to. Herrings says sending them 60-miles away to Des Moines or Omaha, or further, could mean people’s lives will be lost.

Patty Koontz, a Behavior Disorder Teacher, says 106 students had their mental health needs met at the facility, last year. She says no other school district in Iowa has a Board Certified Psychiatrist on-call, available, like the Atlantic School District does. She says sending students elsewhere, would result in a disruption in the “continuity of care” the students currently receive.

The CCMH Board of Trustees Chair Steve Sisler said regardless of what happens to the BHU, they will find a way to provide mental health services to students. The question remains however, whether it will be on the CCMH campus, or elsewhere.

A crash between two vehicles Monday evening in Atlantic resulted in two people being sent to the hospital. Atlantic Police report the driver of one of the vehicles, Thomas Sandbothe, of Griswold, and an unidentified passenger in his vehicle were injured, and transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital.

The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 71 and 14^th Street, at around 6:50-p.m. Officials say a vehicle driven by Brandon Cook, of Bridgewater, was eastbound on 14^th Street, as Sandbothe was traveling south on Highway 71. Cook told police he thought Sandbothe was going to turn right onto 14^th Street, and proceeded into the intersection, where the vehicles collided.

Cook was cited for failure to obey a stop or yield sign. Damage from the crash amounted to $10,650.

A conference room at the Cass County Memorial Hospital was packed this (Tuesday) morning, with onlookers and persons voicing their concerns over the possible closure of the Behavioral Health Unit at CCMH. A special meeting of the CCMH Board of Trustees had been called to discuss the future of the unit, which reportedly cost the hospital nearly one-half million dollars last year, due to un-reimbursed Medicare and Medicaid expenditures. After nearly two-hours, no decision was made on closing the facility. Instead, the board will look into other options, including downsizing costs associated with remodeling of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to accommodate the BHU.

CCMH Administrator Pat Markham said architects who are working on the current remodeling project, also drew-up a draft for remodeling the ICU to make room for a downsized BHU unit. She says it wouldn’t be an ideal situation, but it would be functional. It would have four beds instead of the current eight. Rough estimates put the cost at $240- to $250,000.

That doesn’t include mechanical and electrical costs. Markham says they didn’t look at having a separate building on the CCMH campus for a Behavioral Health Unit when they came up with the original remodeling plans, because they anticipated losses associated with the unit. The prospect of downsizing the BHU instead of eliminating it entirely, was a bit easier for the board to accept, but they reached a stalemate, when a vote was taken on a motion to reduce the number of beds from eight-to four.

Board Members John Molgaard, Steve Sisler and Leanne Pellet voted against the motion, while members Ned Brown, Phyllis Stakey and Lois Casey voted in favor. The board was short one member due to a vacancy. Pellet said she voted against the motion, because she doesn’t know where the funding would come from to keep the unit functioning.

After the meeting, Cass County Supervisor Chuck Rieken said the reason the CCMH Board of Trustees reached a stalemate, is because they want the hard numbers crunched on how much a remodeling of the ICU would cost, and the possible revenue alternatives that are available, before any decision is made. He says the Board is on the right track, but both the CCMH Board, and the Board of Supervisors need to know the hard numbers before any consideration can be given to funding or not funding the BHU in the future.

One option that was raised to fund the BHU, involved an increase in the hospital’s tax asking, which is currently at 46-percent. Rieken said the county can’t pursue that, and neither can the CCMH Trustees, without sound legal advice.

CCMH Trustee Ned Brown said during the meeting, that if they should eventually increase the tax asking, it would have nothing to do with the current construction project. Instead, it would only be to keep the BHU “alive.”

Four people, two adults and two teens were injured, one of them critically, during an two-vehicle accident Monday afternoon, in Shelby County. Sheriff’s officials say the driver of one of the vehicles, 50-year old Scott Sholtz, and his passengers 16-year old Olivia Sholtz and 17-year old Rhett Sholtz, all from Hampton, NE, were hurt in the crash. All three were transported to Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan. Olivia Sholtz was later transferred by helicopter to Creighton Hospital in Omaha. The driver of the other vehicle, identified as 70-year old Carol Schimerowski, of Earling, was also hurt and treated for her injuries at the hospital in Harlan.

Authorities say Scott Sholtz’ 2008 Saturn was traveling south on Highway 59 at around 3:30-p.m., when a northbound 2007 Ford Taurus driven by Schimerowski, attempted to turn left onto Highway 37. The resulting collision totaled both vehicles.

The accident remains under investigation.