County Approves Agreement to Assist Hospital

(Watch Commissioners discuss this issue starting at the 7:35 mark of the video.)

Henderson County Commissioners Court approved an Interlocal Agreement with the Henderson County Hospital Authority to allow payments from American Rescue Plan Act funds to flow from the County, through the Hospital Authority, to UT Health East Texas - Athens.

"This is to set up a mechanism to assist the hospital in this time with the high number of coronavirus patients that they are serving," said Judge Wade McKinney.

The money will help the hospital provide premium pay to employees because of COVID, helping UT Health East Texas - Athens keep essential personnel.

"(The agreement) is a tool to help in the retention of critical staff," Judge McKinney said.

County Attorney Clint Davis agreed, saying, "The staff that's out there now has the opportunity to go and make a lot more money in other places if they wanted to go travel and they're just trying to retain that staff."

The Hospital Authority will also have to approve the agreement before it goes into effect, Davis said.

The agreement is scheduled to run through Oct. 2.