Board tries to buy back BGH equipment
REDSTONE TWP. – Piece by piece Frank Ricco Tuesday bought back the furniture and equipment the nonprofit board he heads needs to resume medical care at the former Browns-ville General Hospital. The contents of the hospital were auctioned Tuesday by Great American Group, the auction house that purchased the personal property in bankruptcy court earlier this year. The for-profit group of investors who ran the hospital from March 2005 through January 2006 had claimed ownership of the personal property and auctioned it through Federal Bankruptcy Court to help pay its creditors. The auction run by Great American was open to the public and attracted about 100 on-line bidders and a rotating crowd of about 35 at the hospital throughout the day.
It took more than six hours to auction the items that filled the hospital. On-line bidders checked in from Wisconsin, Florida, Texas and Mississippi. Cars in the parking lot sported license plates from Indiana, West Virginia, Florida and Illinois. One man said he came in from Mexico. He purchased x-ray equipment and other medical equipment and supplies to be resold to medical facilities in his home country.
Ricco attended the auction with a list he and other board members had put together of key items they would need to open a psychiatric unit, skilled nursing unit, urgent care and laboratory at the former hospital. He was often successful in getting what he wanted.
“We had a couple of unexpected things we had to buy, like the wall lights over the beds that we thought were staying with the facility. I paid $10,000 for the big generator. It would be $25,000 to $30,000 new, and we have to have it,” Ricco said.
“We have enough stuff to equip the skilled nursing and the urgent care center. We bought some stuff for the lab and we bought all the operating room lighting. That’s an expense we hadn’t anticipated needing to bid on.”
Ricco said he also purchased some of the commercial kitchen equipment and the boardroom table and chairs, as well as waiting room furniture.
Ron White of Republic, the owner of Hugo’s restaurant in Centerville, said he considered buying some of the kitchen equipment but decided not to bid.
“They’re trying to keep a facility here. They’re going to need all that stuff. I’m not going to bid against them; I’m part of the community,” White said.
Ralph Anderson of California, who bought a television for $35, said it was encouraging to see Ricco bidding on so many items.
“Ricco’s buying a lot of stuff. I think they’re trying to start it back up,” Anderson said.
A Brownsville man, who declined to give his name, said he was there to consider buying some of the non-medical items, but he was encouraged to see Ricco buying up medical equipment.
“It’s good to see that some community leaders are here who want the hospital to come back,” the man said.
The Brownsville man said he is also considering the possibility of opening an eBay store, possibly using some of the things he purchased Tuesday.
Gerald Jackson, of Jackson Auction Services in Belle Vernon, was on hand for the sale, but mostly to buy supplies for his own service, not items to resell.
“I’m opening a new auction in Belle Vernon, so I bought shelving and chairs,” Jackson said.
Luann Snyder of Beallsville, who was originally hired to head the skilled nursing unit that was to have opened last fall but never did, was also bidding on items.
Her initial purchases she said were bargains for her personal use: a refrigerator and stove for a total of about $75. She later purchased a computer rack system for $13,000.
Bob Junk, who works for Cherry Tree Nursing Center, said he purchased conference tables, the lunchroom chairs and a defibrillator unit, as well as the furnishings from the chapel.
“We wanted to keep the chapel intact. We’ll move it right into the nursing center. That way, it stays in the community,” Junk said.