Montgomery City Council establishes healthcare authority

The Montgomery City Council created a healthcare authority Nov. 3 despite concerns about whether the Montgomery County Commission will join in.

The healthcare authority will be a separate legal entity that will handle funding for hospitals in Montgomery County.

No funding source for the healthcare authority has been identified. Council President Cornelius Calhoun said the county commission must create the funding mechanism, and that for now the city is only responsible for the legal costs of setting up the healthcare authority.  

Huntsville Hospital, Decatur-Morgan Hospital, North Alabama Medical Center in Florence, DCH Health System in Tuscaloosa, Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis, RMC Anniston and East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika are among the hospitals in Alabama that operate under the Health Care Authorities Act of 1982 and 1984.

There is no public (government owned) hospital in Montgomery, but Jackson Hospital and the Baptist Medical Centers accept patients that have no insurance. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed has advocated creating a healthcare authority to protect healthcare access in Montgomery “for the long term.”

The city council voted to create the healthcare authority despite concerns that the Montgomery County Commission has not yet voted to support the authority.

“If the county decides not to engage (with the healthcare authority), what did that path look like?” Councilor Oronde Mitchell asked.

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Councilor Andrew Szymanski said he was concerned that the roles of the city and the county are not laid out in the authority resolution. Councilor Charles Jinwright noted that the Montgomery healthcare authority doesn’t give Pike Road and Hope Hull any responsibility for the county’s hospital needs.

Calhoun and Reed asked the council to proceed despite their concerns.

“I think it's just absolutely insane for this council just sit back and wait over another government entity (Montgomery County) to lead us on what we’re trying to go,” Calhoun said.

Reed agreed. “The city has established various authorities for various things, and they didn't wait on the county. They didn't wait on the state or anybody else,” he said.  

As for funding, Reed and City Attorney Lyn Head said that the council could amend the resolution creating the healthcare authority later as funding sources are identified.

In the end, the council voted 6-3 to create the healthcare authority. Councilors Jinwright, Glen Pruitt and Julie Beard voted against the measure.

The Montgomery City Council meets at 5 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of the month at City Hall on 103 North Perry Street. Recordings of meetings can be found on YouTube and Facebook.