Observations...
We hear that the execs from Integris Hospital Corp. in OKC will be in town Sept. 13 to present the site plan for a new hospital in Grove costing $58 million, of which local residents, taxpayers and hospital employees are being asked to donate $5 million. No word on whether this will be a private meeting with the City Manager or in a public session of the Grove hospital trust authority and we'll be the last to know, since the local hospital PR department does not read The Observer or furnish it with news releases. But they want $1 million of your tax money…Just in case there is an attorney licensed to practice Law in Oklahoma lurking inside city government, a Notice was sent to all employees this week advising them of the position being open of City Attorney. Just normal city policy, says City Hall, and they also placed a Help Wanted ad in the local paper, not in the legal notices..…GMSA sent out a Notice to the media this week advising that Coliform Bacteria appeared in the Grove water supply test samples on July 5, 2007 due to cross contamination of test samples in the carrying case. Steps have been taken to insure the mistake does not occur again, says GMSA. But what took them so long, six weeks, to reveal it…Look for postcards at your mailbox, if legal requirements are followed…"Politicians are like diapers, they should be changed regularly, and for the same reasons."..from the movie "Man of the Year."..The Atlanta Falcons have adopted a new stadium song…"Who Let the Dogs Out."…
Labels: Observations...
posted by Editor | 1:13 AM
6 Comments:
According to my math, the plans for a new $58 million hospital in Grove look pretty advantageous to the City of Grove and its citizens. Integris will put up $53 million and $5 million will come from the community. Of that $5 million, $4 million is provided by voluntary gifts from individuals and businesses who are interested in having a first-class hospital in the community. The City provides $1 million of the $58 million.
What does the community get in return for this investment, only about two percent of which is taxpayers' money? In addition to a modern hospital that will attract high quality staff, including better docs and nurses to advance the quality of care, this seems to be a prime opportunity from the standpoint of local economic development. I have not seem the specific numbers, but for the sake of discussion, lets say that the increased business a new hospital would attract would result in an additional five doctors on staff. That might mean ten additional nurses, and another ten support staff. Maybe this math isn't exact, but you can get the general picture. Perhaps twenty-five new jobs in Grove at a range of income from okay to high.
Now I know that some folks in Grove will oppose anything that requires even modest support from the taxpayers. But an investment of $1 million from the public coffers for a new $58 million hospital, providing both higher quality health care and additional, high paying jobs, is a no-brainer by any rational analysis.
By the way, I understand that one generous and public-spirited citizen of Grove is personally donating $1 million to this project. This matches the entire contribution being contributed by the taxpayers.
The new Integris hospital in Grove is just about the greatest deal to advance the community that I can imagine. Let's support this rather than complain about what I consider to be a relatively modest $1 million in public funding.
The relatively modest $1 million in public funding comes to $200 for each man, woman and child resident of Grove.
We have taken no sides on whether a new hospital should be built, how much it will cost, or whether or not city funds should be donated.
But we are outraged at the heavy handedness of the "public spirited citizen" in his intimidation of the hospital PR department and the hospital President. Big donations come with big strings. The continued abuse of the Grove Observer and its editor by the above mentioned is not appreciated and wins no friends.
The Editor
"Heavy handedness," "intimidation," "big strings," "continued abuse of the Grove Observer?" Very interesting language. And in the form of an accusation that the chief executive officer of the hospital is being intimidated, a rather startling allegation that one would expect the editor to support with some facts.
Certainly the Grove Observer has every right to its opinions. But for the Observer to aggressively attack those that are working hard to bring a new hospital to Grove seems to run counter to a goal of advancing the community. Further, the very public name calling on the part of the Observer appears to this gentle reader as being in itself heavy-handed, might well be considered an attempt to intimidate, and is often clearly abusive.
It also seems patently disingenuous to claim that the Observer has taken no sides on the hospital issue or whether City funds should be contributed. Every comment I've seen in the Observer has most clearly been highly negative, including the above. I wonder what would have been written had the Observer actually taken what it would consider to be a negative position?
Call me at 791-0203; we'll have coffee and I will explain it all to you. Of course you will have to leave your anonymous role behind.
The Editor
Whether the Citzens of Grove and surrounding area need a new hospital or not isn't really the question. The question is should our tax dollars be used for this project without the vote of the people. Various administrations have put forward the idea that any changes ie Water and Sewer Plant expansions, the Civic Center should be voted on by the residents of Grove. If the current hospital is running at less than 3/4 capacity why should the city give $1 million to a new one with only 68 beds and at the same time cut the budget for pot holes, asphalt overlay, poorly designed streets,etc. Try driving down Baycrest in a rain storm and you find two rivers running down each lane. So refering to the math used in a previous comment you bring in five new doctors who in all likelyhood are going to be GP's and two may stay and three will probably leave for lack of patients. Grove has lost some good Doctors because of lack of need for their specialties. If I am in need of any serious medical attention other than a yearly physical exam, new hospital or not, I'm going to either Joplin or Tulsa and I think most of the citizens will follow.
Would it surprise anyone to know that the local hospital occupancy rate is less than 25%?
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