As Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.-based Hutcheson Medical Center transitions from a public to a private entity, its board members will be left out to dry if they get sued, according to a report from Times Free Press.
The once-bankrupt hospital was bought by Atlanta-based ApolloMD in December, and the group will likely take over at some point this year, according to the report. However, until then, the Hospital Authority of Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties will continue to run the hospital.
Unfortunately, the board's liability insurance ran out Jan. 1, and elected officials in all three counties declined to use taxpayer money to support so-called "tail-insurance," which for $150,000 would provide board members with $5 million of coverage for legal representation and lawsuit costs for up to six years, according to the report.
"We just want to have protection," State Rep. Tom Weldon (R-Ringgold) who also serves as the board's attorney, told Times Free Press. "We feel like that's appropriate. The people who serve on the hospital board are all volunteers. They were asked to serve. They did. They gave a lot of their time without any pay or compensation."
To be eligible for tail coverage, the board must apply within 30 days of losing their insurance policy — a deadline that will expire Sunday, according to the report.
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