Audit says Arkansas Health Department overpaid trauma group

     (AP) – A state auditor says the Arkansas Department of Health

overpaid the Arkansas Trauma Education and Research Foundation by $655,886

between February 2012 and June 2015.

     The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the department paid the foundation

almost $2.5 million for estimated costs rather than the $1.83 million actual

costs to provide trauma training courses for hospitals, nurses and doctors.

     Sara Sherrod, staff auditor for Arkansas Legislative Audit, told the

Legislative Joint Auditing Committee Friday the department’s contracts with the

foundation also required that equipment acquired by the foundation and

reimbursed through the contract was the department’s property. But the

foundation sold a piece of equipment for $45,000 last year that it purchased in

2012 for $74,350.

     Sherrod says the state was the foundation’s largest client and its primary

source of revenue.

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