During the Thomasville City Council meeting on August 12, Mayor Sheldon Day said there will be “quite a lot of activity” around the hospital in the next few weeks.

Day said the letter of intent of the current group that is managing the Thomasville Regional Medical

Center (TRMC) will open this week. The hospital’s board of directors is confident that something will happen with the hospital’s owners this week.

There are “several interested parties” at the hospital, Day said, including the group that currently runs the operation, a second group and a third that may be considered as a partner with one of the other two groups.

“We’ll see how things play out over the next 30 days or so. But I think we’re going to see movement one way or another. We’re going to have to see movement one way or another soon,” Day said.

On Aug. 12, Day said, the hospital board had a long conversation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which holds the loan guarantees for the private placement debt currently in place. There are some provisions for how that debt will be handled during the transfer of ownership.

“We’re hoping that there are at least two different groups that want to buy the hospital and there may be a third group that could be very useful. We have a lot going right,” Day said. “The good news is that the hospital is still open and functioning. Keep praying for the hospital and this situation because a lot has to happen for all of this to come together. I think it will happen, but it’s been a tough road to get it all done.”

Day said he appreciates the work and interest of people who want to preserve and expand health care in our community. He said it needs to be expanded significantly. Day is hopeful the community will persuade one of the groups to purchase the hospital and join with larger groups to provide the type of care not typically available in rural areas.

“That’s our goal. That’s always been our goal. Hopefully we can get over this hurdle and get going because we need it,” Day said.