IHS pulls funding for Sage Hospital
Entrance to Sage Memorial Hospital. (Times file photo – Donovan Quintero)
CHINLE
The Indian Health Service has pulled its PL 93-638 funding for Sage Memorial Hospital, the Navajo Area Indian Health Service stated in a press release this week.
The grant, which was $16.8 million in 2011 (the most recent documents available from the IRS), constituted almost half Sage’s $34 million in revenue that year.
The statement advises Sage’s Native American patients to go to other IHS hospitals for their health care needs unless it is an emergency and Sage is the closest hospital.
However, Sage was open for business as usual Wednesday and acting CEO Christi El-Meligi issued a written statement saying “all health care services at Sage Memorial will continue without any interruption during this period of time that the board of directors addresses contractual matters with Indian Health Services.”
“Sage would also like to assure the community that any Native American seeking care will not be responsible to pay for those services,” the statement continues. “Any rumors circulating (in) the community implying Sage’s closure, or that patients will be required to pay for services, are completely false.”
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