IRON MOUNTAIN, MI Dickinson County Healthcare has been approved for a $16.9 million loan from USDA Rural Development.
The approval is the result of two years of effort by hospital officials, community members and legislative leaders. Officials say half the money will be used to refinance hospital debt. The other half will go toward the purchase of medical equipment like a CT scanner, MRI, and linear accelerator, and upgrades of the hospital’s Information Technology and Electronic Medical Records systems.
The hospital had considered bankruptcy in 2018 after two potential mergers fell through. The USDA denied a loan in 2019, but approved it after DCH made improvements like attracting more doctors.
tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com DICKINSON COUNTY HEALTHCARE System had a news conference Thursday after securing a $16.9 million Rural Development loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The money will be used to refinance debt and acquire new equipment, hospital officials said. From left are Margaret Minerick, DCHS board chair; Chuck Nelson, DCHS president and CEO; Brian Donahue, DCHS chief financial officer; and Dr. Maryam Hamidi, radiation oncologist. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo) CHUCK NELSON, CEO of Dickinson County Healthcare System, speaks at a news conference Thursday after the Iron Mountain hospital secured a $16.9 million Rural Development loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)
janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com
IRON MOUNTAIN Dickinson County Memorial Hospital currently has no COVID-19 patients as vaccination efforts continue and administrators point to a better financial picture than two years ago.
“We haven’t had a (coronavirus) patient for a couple of weeks,” Sue Hadley, director of nursing, said during a hospital board Zoom meeting Thursday. “Hopefully, we continue to see that,” she added.
Dickinson County has reported no deaths from COVID-19 since early January. Iron County, however, has had 12 deaths over that same span, according to Dickinson-Iron District Health Department postings.
Most of Dickinson County’s 67 deaths to date were from mid-October through December.
IRON MOUNTAIN Mark Angeli, 85, of Iron Mountain, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, at Dickinson County Healthcare System in Iron Mountain. Funeral arra
Dickinson County Memorial Hospital. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)
IRON MOUNTAIN Dickinson County Memorial Hospital currently has no COVID-19 patients as vaccination efforts continue and administrators point to a better financial picture than two years ago.
“We haven’t had a (coronavirus) patient for a couple of weeks,” Sue Hadley, director of nursing, said during a hospital board Zoom meeting Thursday. “Hopefully, we continue to see that,” she added.
Dickinson County has reported no deaths from COVID-19 since early January. Iron County, however, has had 12 deaths over that same span, according to Dickinson-Iron District Health Department postings.
Most of Dickinson County’s 67 deaths to date were from mid-October through December.