Warner Hospital and Health Service CEO Paul Skowron has been watching closely the budget situation in Springfield, concerned with the status of dollars that would funnel in for Medicaid reimbursements.

Skowron can take a sigh of relief because the new budget from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker allocates funding for Medicaid reimbursements, a very significant chunk of the annual budget for the city-owned entity.

The impacts of the Medicaid dollars coming in is going to allow the hospital to speed up their capital expansion plans. Skowron explains they have purchased the building behind KFC and will be transferring their billing and collections staff to that location after it is renovated. Additionally, they are

going to be able to speed up their projects within the hospital itself.

According to Skowron, the availability of the building behind KFC changes the hospital's plans for the billing department. He explains it is going to save them money on a new building and allow them to advance the emergency room project.

Through not having to build a new building, Skowron says they have saved roughly $200,000 and allows them to dream even bigger about a facility several years down the road.