The oldest part of Eureka Springs Hospital has potential structural issues that need immediate attention.

That’s what the facility’s chief executive officer told members of the hospital commission during its monthly regular meeting held Monday, Nov. 17.

Hospital CEO Tiffany Means told the commission that cracks and crumbling in the 1927 building need to be addressed as soon as possible.

“It’s concerning. It’s very concerning structurally,” Means said of the area of the hospital that is mainly used for administrative offices and not for patient care. “I’ve done some walk-arounds and I’m going to be requesting a structural risk assessment at this time. We have some walls that are widening. We have some foundation that is very weak. We need to get an idea of what we are looking at structurally and if there is actually some true concerns and dangers there.

“With that, I want us to forward think. I want us to think about our building, our plans in a oneyear, three-year and five-year plan. …. not ignore the fact that we’re going to be having to address some future issues and we need to be a little bit prepared for that.”

Commissioner Kate Dryer asked chair Sandy Martin if the cost of a structural engineering report is something that the city could contribute.

“It’s possible,” Martin said. “I’ll talk to [Mayor] Butch [Berry].”

Means asked if there was an area in the “1967 building” where staff could be housed temporarily.

“It isn’t formally vetted out, but we are looking at areas of the 1967 building, especially in the dietary area to possibly move down in there if we need to,” Means said. “But, we just need to be aware that the current condition of the structure is very concerning.

“I’m not an architect, but when I see cracks … and sometime they’ve measured those cracks … and they’ve widened even more. And in the basement I’m seeing a lot of structural things that have crumbled. It’s just concerning.”

Martin said the first step would be for Paul Sutherland, the city’s building inspector, to take a look at the concerns.

“Have him take a look through there, and then have him engage another inspector,” Martin said. “I will call Paul and get that scheduled.”

NEW BRANDING, COMMITTEE

Means told commissioners that the hospital’s social media accounts would be disabled after Thursday, Nov. 20, and then would be relaunched with a new hospital logo and branding.

“We will be revitalizing a brand-new site with a brand-new logo,” Means said. “We are excited about sharing the future with all these bright things, these exciting times and forward movement.”

Something else new will be a hospital advocacy committee that is currently being formed with members of the community and will begin meeting quarterly in 2026, Means said.

“I want to emphasize the purpose is to strengthen transparency and collaboration between the hospital and the community, focusing on patient experience, health literacy, equitable access,” she said of the new committee. “This will help us align right with our CMS … and family engagement standards and REH requirements.”

The committee will consist of eight members, including community representatives and former patients, Means said.

“Two community members have already committed to join this exciting initiative,” she said. “So, our first meeting again will be scheduled for around January 2026, marking the start of a quarterly session to guide patient-centered improvements and community health education.”

FACILITY UPGRADES

A new HVAC system was recently installed, and new flooring for the 1927 building is getting underway soon, Means told commissioners.

“The parking lot repair, planning is still strategizing financially,” she said, “how can we find ways to come up with the money and the funds, and so I would like to continue to partner with the city on this project.”

Trees were recently removed on the hospital property to help meet FAA guidelines as far as clearance for pilots to land on the helipad as well, the CEO said.

GOOD OCTOBER

Means and hospital chief financial officer Cynthia Asbury said October was a good month financially.

“We had a very good October,” Means said. “… What I want to share in that manner is overall we improved our charge capture processes by driving consistent revenue growth month over month. And while margins remain slightly negative year to date, the trend shows stabilization based on October.

“October’s net income, and with contract labor savings and outpatient growth, gives positive movement by year end. … We will see more of the impact of all of the changes in August, September and October and more in December. So, we will be able to report those out in January, but we’re still seeing some changes there in our labor costs.”

Asbury reported that the hospital’s bank balances were up approximately $61,000 in October.

“We had a great October overall,” Asbury said. “… Our charge capture being up, I mean it’s a huge driving factor to ensure that we have a viable hospital, and the moving forward, and we don’t have any revenue leakage.”

The hospital billed “over $1 million in charges” for the month, Asbury said.

“Expenses remain about stable, about where we’d typically kind of estimate them,” she said. “… We did have an income, we had a profit for the month of a little over $318,000 for the month of October.”

“That’s great,” Martin responded. “Billing out $1 million … that’s fabulous.”

Asbury replied: “Yes, everything’s moving forward. I do think we’re moving in the right direction with everything.”