Tariff hikes could prove costly to hospital E-R expansion

Prisma, the parent corporation of Oconee Memorial, is allocating more than $12 million dollars to expand the local hospital’s emergency department. And last night Cortni Nations gave details of the hospital foundation’s efforts to supplement the project budget by raising one million dollars thru community donations. Hunter Kome, chief operating officer of Oconee Memorial, told the hospital’s Holdings Board the committee planning the expansion has narrowed the choice of a builder to one local contractor, though the final price to triple the size of the emergency department is still in limbo due to volatility in the market place. In answer to a question from board member Peter Barnes, Kome admitted there’s the potential for the cost to rise above estimate if the continuing tariff squabble between the U-S and China affects the price of steel.