The first in a series of five town hall meetings in WaKeeney hosted by Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital drew about 25 residents Thursday night.  The hospital, which is owned by the county, is running about a $600,000 deficit.

“The hospital was making money until July,” says hospital board chairman Eric Modine.   “Then our government Medicare payments were delayed and reduced by a third.  We were losing about $200,000 a month.”

Modine says the hospital board and Administrator/CEO Harold Cortois are explaining to the public why the decision has been made to seek $1.8 million in no-fund warrants.  “This money is needed for general operations to get us through 2012 and 2013,” he says.

Cortois says the WaKeeney hospital will have reduced its expenses by nearly 700-thousand dollars at the end of next year.

Trego County Commissioners have issued the resolution for the no fund warrants, and have a approved an upcoming ballot issue for a 1% sales tax.

Four more town hall meetings will be held in January.