Arkansas - Digital Publishing

Life Support
The Federal Trade Commission
has issued at least one subpoena
involving an investigation
into the planned purchase
of Mercy Hot Springs by Capella
Healthcare of Franklin, Tenn.
We don’t have too many
details involving what the FTC
is looking for by questioning
health care officials.
But if the FTC is subpoenaing
people, it usually means it is
inclined to block a sale on antitrust
grounds. Capella already
owns another hospital in Hot
Springs, National Park Medical
Center.
An FTC spokesman said he
couldn’t comment on the nonpublic
investigation.
“At this time, we don’t have
any new information to share,”
a Mercy spokeswoman said in
an email last week. “We look
Arkansas
Business
Whispers
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forward to providing an update
once there is new information.”
When the proposed sale was
announced in April, outrage
swept through Hot Springs.
It caused Eric Jackson, the
general manager of Oaklawn
Park in Hot Springs, to resign
from Mercy’s national board
of directors. “I have a strong
conviction” that a faith-based,
not-for-profit hospital is the best
hospital for Hot Springs, Jackson
said at the time.
Also, Bishop Anthony B.
Taylor of the Catholic Diocese of
Little Rock expressed uneasiness
about the deal.
Taylor said in a statement
in April that he was concerned
about the “negative impact this
purchase could have on the
medical care available to the
poor and on the Hot Springs
community in general.”
Shoppes Site Sold
Did you hear that a prominent
North Little Rock congregation
has expanded its holdings
south of Interstate 40?
First Pentecostal Church of
Jesus Christ now owns about
90 acres across from its 1401
Calvary Road campus after four
transactions.
We understand the church
intends to develop a school
campus with a supporting
sports complex on the property
at the southwest corner of North
Hills Boulevard and I-40.
First Pentecostal operates
Calvary Academy, which has a
members-only enrollment of
about 240 students in grades
PK-12 at the church.
The new development would
include facilities for the church’s
Truth College at The Rock, a theology
school with an enrollment
of about 80 students.
We’re told the congregation
may develop a new sanctuary
complex as well to replace its
current landlocked location.
Two parcels in the assembly
process involved a conventional
exchange of land for money,
more than $1 million all told.
The sellers were HDJ Realty
LLC, led by Hal Matthews,
30
N
40
$638,000 for about 15.5 acres
at the southwest corner of I-40
and North Hills, and General
Properties Inc., led by James P.
Matthews, $420,000 for about 10
acres adjoining the HDJ parcel
to the south.
The other two deals involved
donations from Clifton and
Shirley Norman, about 37.5
acres adjoining the General
Properties land to the west, and
Doda Construction, led by David
Bruning and Doug Meyer, about
Arkansas Business January 28, 2013 3
First
Pentecostal
Church
Frontage Road
Land Acquired for
Future Church
Development
East 19th Street
Calvary Road
40
North Hills Boulevard
27 acres adjoining the HDJ parcel
to the west.
The Normans bought their
property, which includes Mulligan’s
Golf Range, for $1.7 million
in late December. The
couple purchased it from Terraforma
LLC, another Bruning-
Meyer entity.
This puzzle of contiguous
property lies along the west
side of North Hills Boulevard
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