Officials from IU Health Starke Hospital appeared before the Starke County Board of Commissioners and County Council last night to request permission for IU Health LaPorte Hospital to purchase the facility, equipment and property here in Knox.
In outlining the request, the officials proposed a purchase price of $1.00 for the facility, formerly known as Starke Memorial. In exchange, IU Health Starke Hospital would receive clear title to the real estate, facility, equipment, furnishings and all supplies located within the hospital facility. IU Health LaPorte Hospital would waive any claim for payment of any capital improvement expenditures or outlay of capital assets which have accumulated during the term of the lease.
IU Health LaPorte Hospital would continue to have a separate entity which would oversee operations of IU Health Starke Hospital and would agree to appoint a majority of the board members from the community which would be defined as Starke, Marshall and Pulaski counties.
If IU Health LaPorte Hospital would at any time decide to sell the facility, the county would have the right of first refusal to purchase it back.
The request is that the proposed acquisition and transaction would be completed on or before April 2nd, 2012.
The sale would effectively remove the county from the “hospital business.”
While not making a commitment, the county officials named Commission President Dan Bridegroom, Councilmen Tony Radkiewicz, Marvin McLaughlin,
and Mitch Semans to settle in as the county’s representatives in discussions for the sale. A similar group representing the hospital’s community board will also be
involved in the proceedings. That group will be selected at the hospital’s monthly board meeting on Monday morning.
Again, the county officials did not approve or reject the request to purchase the hospital by IU Health LaPorte Hospital at last night’s meeting.
