(BENTON, IL) — The Franklin Hospital Board of Directors debated the hospital’s plans for expansion during Monday night’s meeting. The hospital is waiting for final approval from state health officials on its $8.2 million plan that includes several things like renovating the emergency room, adding a specialty clinic, pharmacy and nuclear imaging and making improvements to the building’s exterior and parking lot. In order for the hospital to stay eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement from the state, some mandated electrical work costing $500,000 will begin next year and must be finished by July 2017. Money for the hospital’s improvements will likely come through a combination of loans – one from the USDA’s Rural Development program and one privately with a USDA guarantee. Some concern about whether or not the hospital can pay for all of this was brought up at the meeting seeing that the hospital didn’t meet projected revenues last year, but one board member said the upgrades are needed to increase revenue. No action was taken on the project.