RAWLINS -- Administrators for Memorial Hospital of Carbon County say the facility is struggling to cover the budget and needs to come up with $230,000 to meet payroll next week.

Chief Financial Officer Rick White says the hospital has about $170,000 in the bank and must pay out $400,000 in paychecks at the end of next week.

"I will meet payroll before I make other payments," White told the hospital board.

He says it's not an insurmountable task because the hospital collects about $70,000 a day.

But the hospital also has fallen behind on paying supply vendors, including those that provide fuel for ambulances as well as lab, medical, pharmacy and surgical supplies.

White said 30 supply vendors have put the hospital on a credit hold so it can't get more supplies unless it makes a payment or covers the bill.

Board members said the best way to fix the hospital's financial problems is to train employees how to better manage sending and collecting bills. Currently, it takes the hospital about 80 days to collect a bill. The hospital wants to decrease that to 54 days.

White has said the major problem with training is finding the money to pay for it.