I JUST CAN'T "LET IT BE"

I think the local hospital has let down the citizens of Henry County. The administration and board of directors has chosen to transfer our hospital bit by bit to St. Vincent’s.

For years the hospital’s board of directors and administration has promised that this hospital will remain loyal to Henry County citizens and under local control. The recent facts paint quite a different picture.

First the administration took over the practices of primary care doctors. The FPs fell first, then the pediatricians and finally the internists at the Clinic. The few primary care physicians that remained independent were pushed out of hospital practice. All save yours truly (so far).

Next, the administration replaced these local doctors with hospitalists from St. Vincent’s. This decision prevents you from being cared for by your own doctor when you’re in the hospital. Instead your life is in the hands of nurse practitioners and doctors you have never met before.

Then, the administration contracted with St. Vincent’s to supply the emergency room doctors. This decision marginalized our local and longstanding ER physicians.

Most recently, the administration announced a “partnership” with St. Vincent’s to start a heart cath lab. It should come as no surprise now hat our hometown cardiologist is being replaced by cardiologists from our “partner”.

You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to know that it is just a matter of time before a statue of Mary is out front, welcoming patients to the latest hospital being incorporated into the St. Vincent’s network.

A HOSPITAL (NOT) OF THE PEOPLE, (NOT) FOR THE PEOPLE, AND (NOT) BY THE PEOPLE

I think that the citizens of Henry County have a right to know what is going on at their local hospital. I see changes being made that are not in the best interest of our community.

The hospital administration seems to be immune from public criticism. And indeed, who is willing to stand up and say what needs saying?

Is it the local doctors, who have the most intimate knowledge of the changes occurring? It should be, but it is hard to criticize your boss publically and all of the local doctors who have staff privileges at the hospital (save yours truly) are employees of the hospital.

Is it the hospital board of trustees which has the power and responsibility to oversee the administration and ensure that changes being made benefit the local citizens? It should be, but it has a long history of rubber-stamping any administration request.

Is it the Board of County Commissioners (appointers of the board of trustees) which allows the hospital CEO to continue in an ill-conceived and short-sighted direction? It should be, but these people are too busy devising boondoggles like the Health & Wellness Clinic.

The bottom line is that I am the only person not under anyone’s thumb with knowledge that the hospital’s current direction fails to best serve the citizens of Henry County. The next three weeks will outline the problem and how it affects my (and possible your doctor’s) ability to provide patients with the best healthcare locally.