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Hospital officials call HUD meeting positive
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Effingham Hospital Authority Chairman Rick Rafter told authority members a delegation’s meeting Department of Housing and Urban Development officials was positive.

Rafter and other hospital representatives had a pre-application meeting with HUD in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25.

“I feel the meetings went well,” Rafter said. “We will hear back from HUD in about four weeks to learn what the next steps will be in the financing process.”

Effingham Hospital is working with HUD, asking the agency to back a $30 million loan for its modernization project. If HUD backs the loan, the hospital authority will realize a 35 percent reduction on the interest rates. This plan allows the federal government to back the modernization loan and does not require Effingham County to guarantee the loan. The only request the Hospital Authority is asking of the county is to continue funding indigent and charity care at 2 mills which is the current millage request and under the plan, the millage request will be capped at 2 mills.

In other business, Stephen Mobley was re-elected to the board to serve a second term representing Springfield. Besides serving on the Effingham Hospital Authority for two years, Mobley was also a Springfield City Council member for 15 years and served as mayor pro-tem for four terms.

He also organized the Effingham County Emergency Medical Service and served as its director from 1979-1984 before co-founding the Coastal Georgia Ambulance Service in 1984. Since 1981, Mobley has operated his consulting firm, L.S. Mobley and Associates Inc. in Springfield.

“Mr. Mobley has provided outstanding service and leadership to the Hospital Authority and has vast health care experience as the person who started the Effingham County EMS and as the person who ran the Memorial air ambulance program before going into his own consulting business,” said Effingham Hospital Administrator Norma Jean Morgan.