Ellsworth County Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bair delivered bad news to county commissioners Monday at their weekly meeting.

The $1.9 million loan the hospital received from the Small Business Administration through the Cares Act has been rescinded because ECMC is a governmental agency. “Talk about a kick in the gut,”

“Talk about a kick in the gut,” Bair said. “We’re very much at risk without that loan.”

Also known as the Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act, the Cares Act focuses on relief for small busi nesses and their employees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bair said in his estimation, the hospital’s situation is exactly why the Cares Act was written in the first place. Bair said he had planned to use the money to pay the salaries of his 150 plus employees for the next five pay periods. Bair noted that since Kansas

Bair noted that since Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued her statewide stay-at-home order several weeks ago to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, patient visits to ECMC have decreased 50 percent, a trend across the United States. That loss of patient volume (and associated revenue) has a negative effect on ECMC.

“It costs a lot to run a hospital,” he said.

Bair said if a small business keeps its employees on the payroll using the funds, then the loan becomes a grant and any repayment is forgiven.

Bair said he is working with federal legislators and Dave Brownback of Citizens State Bank in hopes of getting the loan reinstated. He asked commissioners to be supportive of the hospital’s efforts to secure the loan if they are contacted by local, state and federal officials.

“Absolutely,” Commissioner Kermit Rush said.

Bair said if the hospital can’t secure the loan, he might have to look at employee furloughs, adding it takes $22 million a year to run ECMC.

“We will do what we have to do to keep it open,” Bair said.

Bair said when the COVID-19 crisis passes, ECMC will be busier than it has ever been.

“We’re going to need our staff,” he said.

In other business:

• Kerianne Ehrlich, supervisor of the county health department, said Ellsworth County is still negative for COVID-19 cases at the moment.

• After two executive sessions to discuss non-elected personnel (benefits), commissioners approved a $1 per hour raise for Ehrlich, from $26.57 per hour to $27.57 per hour. Later in the day, however, Ehrlich told the I-R she had turned down the raise.

“It’s jut not an appropriate time (for a raise),” she said.

Ehrlich also called Steve Dlabal, commission chairman, and told him of her decision.

• Ehrlich said the county health department received a $13,156 Kansas Public Health Crisis Response grant for relief from the COVID-19 crisis.

She has also applied for a $750 Sunflower COVID-19 grant. Ehrlich also plans to apply for a COVID-19 relief grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.

• Approval was given to a $30 donation to Boot Hill Distillery in Dodge City for a shipment of hand sanitizer for health workers.