Problem
i. The Ward County Hospital Center (WCHC) wants to buy a new mobile primary care van to use in screening residents in an underserved local neighborhood. The van will last 5 years and costs $68,000. WCHC will pay for the acquisition and maintenance of the van partially from foundation grants and partially from receipts from the county health department. The county has agreed to reimburse WCHC $15 for each patient it screens using the new van. They expect to have 800 patients per year with the van. It will cost $3,000 per year to maintain the vehicle, which includes all relevant costs. WCHC uses a discount rate of 5%. How much will WCHC need in foundation grants this year to make the purchase break-even financially? (Hint: What is the net present value of the costs of buying and operating the van over its lifetime, less the payments that will be received from the county? Are the payments from the county sufficient? If not, how much must be raised in grants before the van is purchased?)
ii. Community Health Center (CHC) is considering spending $50,000 on a blood analyzer. The annual cash profits from the machine will be $7,000 for each of the 7 years of its useful life. The board of directors wants to pursue this investment, because they think the $49,000 CHC will receive is close to the $50,000 cost. What is wrong with the board's logic? What is the IRR on the investment?