Two Alabama lawmakers have asked the state's attorney general to investigate indigent care funds at county-owned Cooper Green Mercy Hospital in Birmingham, according to a Birmingham News report.
Reps. Mary Moore and John Rogers want a probe on whether Jefferson County Commission inappropriately took, or "siphoned off," money from the indigent care fund at Cooper Green Mercy. The lawmakers say that the commission is allowed to take 1 percent of the fund for administrative purposes, but "for years they took up to 10 times that amount" and allegedly owe money back to the fund.
The lawmakers also want more information on how the delayed closure of the hospital's inpatient care unit will affect patient care. The county commission voted to stop inpatient and emergency room care at Cooper Green in August and instead offer services for indigent patients through a network of outpatient clinics.
"What happens to someone who has cancer and is getting treatment at Cooper Green," Rep. Moore said in the report. "They have been told by these commissioners that the hospital is closing on Dec. 1, and now in addition to battling this disease they have to worry that they have no idea where they are supposed to go on Dec. 2 for their next round of chemotherapy."
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Reps. Mary Moore and John Rogers want a probe on whether Jefferson County Commission inappropriately took, or "siphoned off," money from the indigent care fund at Cooper Green Mercy. The lawmakers say that the commission is allowed to take 1 percent of the fund for administrative purposes, but "for years they took up to 10 times that amount" and allegedly owe money back to the fund.
The lawmakers also want more information on how the delayed closure of the hospital's inpatient care unit will affect patient care. The county commission voted to stop inpatient and emergency room care at Cooper Green in August and instead offer services for indigent patients through a network of outpatient clinics.
"What happens to someone who has cancer and is getting treatment at Cooper Green," Rep. Moore said in the report. "They have been told by these commissioners that the hospital is closing on Dec. 1, and now in addition to battling this disease they have to worry that they have no idea where they are supposed to go on Dec. 2 for their next round of chemotherapy."
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