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Show Reasons for not selling hospital Dear Editor: Our Hospital Board in correcting information last week should have done a little more homework. As they suggested, we encourage them to study the issue itself. 1. If the county had proper management they would not need this expertise that H.C.A. has had a chance to exhibit and failed. Roosevelt works in the black by usipg their own heads. 2. If this board feels it is not qualified, perhaps it should be replaced with people that are. Although local people may be on the board if HCA. takes over and "local autonomy" is enacted, the ultimate decision of who sits on the board rests with H C A. Therefore, anyone who does not agree with their policies will not be there very long. 3. There are many people in the local community qualified to work at the hospital, however due to the present management they will not work here. 4. If rates are going ' to increase' whether or not H.C.A. purchases the hospital, why not keep it in our own hands and purchase the equipment, etc. The 50 to 60 thousand dollars per month that will leave our community and go to Nashville, Tenn., can certainly be utilized here. The people in this community did not spend over 4 million dollars so they could go to Rangely or Roosevelt for reasonable "quality care." 6. Other bids were not sought. One commissioner stated that when we have something to sell, people usually come to us. Chartham Corp. came in unsolicited and notifed our paper that it was unable to obtain sufficient information in-formation for a competitive bid. In termountain Health Care was not contacted for the second time until a tentative agreement had leen reached with H.C.A. 7. Although H.C.A. owns and operates 191 hospitals, they only average 70 percent bed occupancy across the nation. Why is this? Prices? Also their overseas hospitals are only in developed countries. No profit in underdeveloped un-derdeveloped countries? 8. Of course H.C.A. supports "volunteer" programs. Who would tin n down free labor? 9. If H.C.A. provides financial management, expertise in government reimbursement, quality assurance in nursing care etc., why haven't they done all this during their two year management. Two years certainly is enough time to impliment these items. 10. True H.C.A. has capital required for equipment. That's why they had a net profit last year of million. 11. On job security we can only say we would certainly feel more secure being a name for the county than a number for a giant corporation. In closing we do not feel we would need H.C.A. to initiate any of these programs if our hospital was leased to a reputable firm. Recruliment can be done on the community level, quality assurance in nursing care and other programs should have been invited before now. CASH. Citizens Against Sale of Hospital DAN CONEY |