The Kinder Council heard from Jackie Reviel, CEO of Allen Parish Community Healthcare, Monday evening and approved resolutions to move forward in financial matters.
Revial came to the meeting with drawings of the proposal to expand and update the town’s hospital. She explained there are three phases to the hospital’s plans and a rural health care center expansion. The hospital’s first phase is to add a new ER including laboratory, radiology and surgery. She said the last surgical procedures were probably performed in 2010.
“We’re very excited,” she told the council. The second phase will add a med surg unit complete with four ICU beds and will probably occur about a year to a year-and-a-half after Phase One is completed. The last phase will include the behavioral health beds, conference room, kitchen area and dining room.
The hospital is beginning the process of securing funds, etc. for Phase One. It does have the funding to begin constructing the rural health care clinic which will include the administration building. She said they have five doctors now, and the area utilized now is not very efficient.
“That will go up first,” she said.
She explained that the look of the hospital would change as the phases of the plans were completed. She had pictures of parking, buildings and landscaping to illustrate the future of the hospital for the council members.
When asked if services like dialysis would come to the hospital since community members must drive out of town at this time, she said yes. She said procedures like dialysis, mammograms, etc. would help the hospital grow including new jobs in the future.
The council did adopt two resolutions for financial matters concerning Kinder. The first was to apply for a bond for $3,350,000 for waste water treatment plant improvements. The second deals with refinancing $4.5 million sewer bond monies to save the council money. If approved, the council would save about $20,000 over the next 15 years by lowering payments from $158,859 to $136,384 for a savings of $22,475 a year.
The engineer reported applications for the LGAP and CWEP funds were due and completed. He also said they are working on the application for the La. Watershed funding for the Nixon Subdivision, which is due by February 26.
Chief Paul Courville said two officers had retired and asked if the two part-time personnel could be made full time. The council approved the move.
Councilwoman Latoya Tunwar announced there would be no Black History Month celebration due to Covid-19.
