Supes seek AG opinion concerning OCH info

The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors has sent a letter to Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood's office regarding whether or not OCH Regional Medical Center officials can withhold and delay information intended for prospective hospital bidders.

Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer said in an interview the intended letter is to confirm if OCH has the authority to withhold any information after the data has been requested by the board.

Trainer said the board wants all of the documents, whether it's contracts, spending patterns or other financial information in a reasonable amount of time in order to provide better information to prospective bidders.

“We want to be able to give them that specific information as long as it does not put the hospital at a some type of competitive disadvantage,” Trainer said. “The letter is interpreting what information puts the hospital at a disadvantage from a competitive standpoint.”

A referendum concerning the future of the hospital has been set for Nov. 7, in which county residents will vote to determine what direction to take with OCH.

OCH Administrator and CEO Richard Hilton said the board requested 222 items that requires employees to sift through the information to make sure the hospital is not releasing information that could put the hospital at a disadvantage.

Hilton said the hospital received the copy of the due diligence request on May 1. Hilton said out of the 222 items requested, the hospital completed 182 as of July 7.

Since the request, Hilton said the hospital has put in 587 hours of work on providing the 182 items.

“I think this shows that we have been diligently working in responding to the records request while still maintaining operations of the hospital,” Hilton said.

Hilton said in addition to the requested records, it's a time of the year where staff members have requested off work along with other internal upgrades.

“It's not just something that can be done overnight,” Hilton said.

Trainer said it is important to have as much information as possible in order for the county to receive a very clear proposal. With that information, the board wants to be able to have a very solid proposal.

“If we don't have certain information we are certain that we won't get clarity on the proposal that we will receive from prospective bidders,” Trainer said.

Although the county is submitting this letter, Trainer said he is pleased with the information the board is receiving but wants the flow of information to go from a trickle to a steady stream in order to help further the project.

“We are trying to improve what we have, solidify it, but yet we are trying to gain new ground,” Trainer said.