The following quotes are from the Arkansas Democrat.

 June 8, 1997, Article in Arkansas Democrat and Harrison Daily Times

 “ Healthy Hospital, Healthy County"

  The health of our hospital has been neglected for many years. Walk down the halls of North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, look in a room.

Does the hospital’s appearance impress you?  The hospitals  physical appearance doesn’t convey the impression offered by progressive hospitals.

Residents offered hospital officials an opportunity to update the facility last fall (1996) when their votes ordered the Boone County Quorum Court to let the health-care facility operate as a private, non-profit institute.            

Now (less than a year later) hospital officials (the Non-Profit Group) return to the Quorum Court asking for permission to use County bonds ($10 million) to update the hospital to modern-day specifications.

The North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, Inc.; this non-profit group formed in January, 1996; as officials began pursuing privatization of the hospital.  From its’ inception,the board of the non-profit group included the members of the county-appointed governing board that ran the hospital.

They resigned from the County board about the time the lease was signed.