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The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the Hospital Library. At the meeting, the summary of operations for the month of May showed a loss from operations of $367,340 and an after tax loss of $362,596. Way down were in-patient admissions and they were at 47 which is 35 admissions below budget and 17 less than last year. Because of that, inpatient revenue was only at $318,785. A positive for the month were registered outpatients as they came in at 2,007 which is 257 above budget. Cash decreased during the month by $296,372 and the days in net account receivables went up from 49 days to 52 days. During the month, Director of Nursing Carol Lacy said there were 831 emergency room visits with the average turnaround time of 123 minutes. There were 191 ambulance runs with 191 patients being assessed, 15 surgery cases, 91 home health visits, 12,323 lab tests which may be a new record, 1,129 radiological procedures, 169 CT scans, 24 MRI scans, 11 nuclear med scans, 514 rehab treatments, 224 dialysis treatments and 278 clinical visits. Lacy gave the ambulance average response times and the Salem Hospital is doing better than last year in all but one category, and is also better than the state average in most categories. Assistant Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas said that the Critical Access Hospital software from CPSI would go live on July 1^st.  He said that the staff is continually reviewing processes and creating consistency with the software programs. Board member Joe Brand said that the foundation advisory board members include Phil Newcom, Ruth Ann Parker, Karl Dittman, Hershel Moser, Leon Kreisler, Dr. J.J.Tune, Sarah Huff and employee representative Kathy Weldon. Their next meeting will be in August. The board reviewed the results of the Community Needs Assessment Survey that identified community health needs. Appreciative of the surveys that were returned, Lacy said that she felt that the surveys were not totally representative of the population makeup of Dent County as only 16% of the surveys received were from those making under $20,000 per year. The top three needs identified through the surveys included obesity, heart disease and cancer. The board reviewed the list of goals established by the committee and the planned intervention for all three categories. After some discussion, the board approved to move forward and disseminate the findings to the community by the end of the month. The board then reviewed the fiscal year 2014 operating budget and capital budget. The expected gain from operations for the next fiscal year was $9,236 from a net operating revenue of 18.5 million dollars. After tax revenues are expected to be over $469,000. The capital budget came in at $388,637 with approximately $195,000 going to information systems and the electronic medical conversion. The board approved the operating and capital budgets for the fiscal year 2014. In purchases, the board approved the purchase of a new centrifuge for the lab to replace a machine that went down. The Hettich EBA20S cost  $2,250 from DiRuscio and Associates and came with a five-year warranty. They then went into closed session.

An accident occurred on Tuesday at 11:00 in the morning in Phelps County on Highway 72 about three miles East of Rolla. According to the Highway Patrol report, a 2002 Kia Sportage driven by 24-year old Rebakah Humphrey of Salem was turning left onto County Road 5160 when a 2001 Dodge Stratus driven by 19-year old Kelsey Adam of Rolla struck the rear of her vehicle. Both vehicles sustained minor damages and were driven from the scene. Suffering minor injuries were occupants 5-year old Harley Humphrey and 6-year old Hunter Humphrey, both of Salem. Both occupants were transported by ambulance to the Phelps County Regional Medical Center. All involved were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

The Salem Police Department has released more of their reports. On Friday, June 7^th at 7:59 in the morning, an officer was dispatched to Walmart in reference to a theft. The investigation revealed that a suspect on video stole a cell phone valued at $600. Later that afternoon at 12:07, an officer was contacted at the station in reference to a theft from a grave. The investigation revealed that someone took a wreath valued at $60 from a gravesite at Cedar Grove Cemetery. Later on the afternoon at 3:29, an officer was dispatched to Walmart in reference to a theft from the cash drawer. That investigation revealed that a 20-year old Salem female had been taking money from a cash drawer totaling $300. She was arrested, issued a summons to appear in court, and released. Later that night at 8:44, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 300 block of North Walker in reference to a domestic dispute. The investigation led to the arrest of a 33-year old Salem male for disorderly conduct. He was issued a summons to appear in court and incarcerated on a 12-hour hold. On Saturday, June 8^th at 4:21 in the morning, an officer was dispatched to Walmart in reference to a trespasser. That investigation revealed that a 35-year old Salem male was trespassing after having been issued a no trespass order for Walmart properties. He was arrested, issued a summons to appear in court, and released. Later that evening at 7:12, an officer was dispatched to the 1300 block of South Gertrude in reference to a disturbance. The investigation led to the arrest of a 26-year old Salem female for disorderly conduct. She was issued a summons to appear in court and released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding the thefts, which are still under investigation.

A cultural exhibit featuring the Current River and it’s history will be at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center at 202 South Main Streetstarting today and lasting through the 31^st of July. The exhibit is called, “Current River: The Beautiful River, It’s Strong people and It’s Unique Culture.” The exhibit is sponsored by the LAD Foundation, Bank of Salem, Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Salem Area Arts Council. The exhibit will feature a number of old photographs and artifacts of the logging, mining, farming and tourism industries as well as how the people lived and worked along the river. For more information, call the ONCRC at 729-0029.

The South Central Missouri 2013 Cattlemen’s Tour will be held July 15^th through the 18^th sponsored by the Dent County and Maries County Extensions. This year, the tour will go to Portageville to the Missouri University Delta Center which is an MU Ag Experiment station. From there, the tour will go the Four L Herefords in Atwood, Tennessee, then to the Triple L Ranch in Franklin, Tennessee before the tour makes a stop at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville where participants will take in a show. The 5^th stop on the tour will be a two hour “do it yourself” tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville before moving on the Robert Elliott and Sons Angus Farm in Adams, Tennessee. The 7^th stop on the tour will be to King Livestock in Hopkinsville, Kentucky while the final stop will be at the University of Illinois Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in Simpson, Illinois. The cost of the tour is $900 per couple or $550 for a single person and that will include all transportation, lodging and noon meals, plus any other tickets or fees associated with the stop. There must be a minimum of 30 paid participants for the tour to be held. For more information or to book your reservation, call Ted Cunningham at the Dent County Extension office at 729-3196 or on his cell at 573-453-0058. The deadline for enrollment is July 1^st.

Sports [TOP]

Jeff Samardzija pitched into the ninth inning to help the Chicago Cubs take a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. Carlos Beltran hit a solo home run and Yadier Molina added an RBI single for the Cardinals. Adam Wainwright (10-4) gave up all four runs on seven hits over seven innings of work. The Cardinals and Cubs will play again tonight and you can hear it on KSMO Radio starting at 6:40.

The Cleveland Indians used a three-run eighth inning to beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-3, in the second tilt of a three-game series at Progressive Field. Royals’ starter Ervin Santana surrendered just one run on three hits with six strikeouts in seven innings. Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez each recorded an RBI for the Royals, who will play the Indians again tonight.

Obituaries   [TOP] 

Funeral services for Sylvester G. Martin of Salem, age 91, will be held today at 1:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem. Interment will be in the North Lawn Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Victor Baptist Church.

Funeral services for Maxine Helen Jones of Salem, age 92 will be held Thursday at 10:00 at the Wilson Mortuary Chapel in Salem. Visitation will be from 9:30 until service time. Interment will be in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church. 

Funeral services for Jean Bass Dean of Arizona, formerly of Salem, will be Saturday at 2:00 at the Dent County Memorial Chapel. Interment will be in the North Lawn Cemetery.

Weather   [TOP]