Utilities on at DMH with bankruptcy
By JIMMY GALVAN Editor

According to Jasper City Manager Alan Grindstaff, the city has received notice that Greater Gulf Medical Alliance has filed bankruptcy papers.

Greater Gulf Medical Alliance is the company that owns Dickerson Memorial Hospital.

Hospital lawyers filed Chapter 11 in federal bankruptcy court in Houston Thursday, May 8.

Chapter 11 gives corporations and partnerships the opportunity to remain in business by reorganizing and paying their creditors over time, according to information on a federal judiciary Web site.

A meeting had been scheduled in District Judge Joe Bob Golden's court Thursday, May 8 but the meeting was cancelled when the lawyers announced the bank- -ruptcy intentions.

According to county court documents, the city of Jasper filed a lien against Dickerson Memorial Hospital on April 21 in the amount of $174,540.40 in unpaid utilities.

District Judge Joe Bob Golden signed the measure ordering the city not to turn off city services at the facility.

"We do owe the city some money and they have presented us with a demand letter and we have not been able to come up with a plan on repayment between the two of us," said hospital administrator John Tatum last week. "Instead of having the lights turned off here, we filed the restraining order and allow us time to open up a dialogue between us and the city to reach an agreeable strategy for his issue."

Grindstaff said under Chapter 11, the hospital's utilities can't be turned off due to past due amounts.

Grindstaff added that the hospital will have to remain current on its utility bills or "we will send them another demand letter."

Calls to the hospital's attorneys were not returned.