Perry County hospital CEO says potential partnership agreement could take several months

The chief executive officer of Perry County Memorial Hospital said the process of hammering out a partnership with the Mercy health care organization could take several more months.

Chris Wibbenmeyer recently answered several questions about a potential partnership between the Perryville, Missouri, hospital and the Mercy system after the hospital's appointed board voted to begin negotiations on a non-binding "letter of intent," which would allow the organizations to share sensitive financial information. Wibbenmeyer said the negotiations toward a partnership will last into the summer.

"The process will take as long as necessary to accomplish the goals and objectives to best serve our community. We estimate this could take anywhere from four to eight months," he said in an email.

When asked what factors board members used to choose Mercy as a potential partner over Southeast- HEALTH, which was also in the running, Wibbenmeyer noted familiarity and success with Critical Access Hospital affiliations, quality health care scores, low cost of care and long-term sustainability.

Any partnership will require the approval of the hospital's five-member elected board and county commissioners.

For the past couple months, the possibility of Perry County Memorial partnering with another organization has generated intense public scrutiny, with officials from all the health care organizations sponsoring public forums. Area business leaders also sponsored a news conference and forum.

Wibbenmeyer said hospital officials will continue to discuss the issue with community members.

"In tandem with Mercy, we will continue to educate all of our community on the many benefits from this strategic partnership," he pledged. "We appreciate the community's engagement in this process and we will continue to keep the public informed as we move forward."

A component of SoutheastHEALTH's proposal involved locating a nursing school in Perryville, which would be an extension of its nursing program associated with Southeast Missouri State University. At the public forums, a number of people questioned whether the nursing school would come to fruition if Perry County Memorial partnered with Mercy. Wibbenmeyer said hospital officials will work toward that goal.

"We will continue to support and work toward the development of a local school of nursing program," he said. "We value all of our employees, and we understand the benefits of local higher education programs and hope to accomplish this goal."