As a physician working at the OCH Regional Medical Center (OCH) for about 10 years now, I have had the privilege to work with all the employees at OCH who provide a wonderful service to our community. I have been amazed by their loyalty, service, and general concern.
What we have now is a bad remake of the failed effort that weighed heavily over all our community during the 2012-2013 holiday season. Despite a resounding community response in 2013 to staunchly support OCH remaining publicly owned, a new unprovoked strike has been launched against the hospital, the OCH Board of Trustees, its employees, and its community suppliers.
Sadly, a majority of the Oktibbeha Board of Supervisors did not take the time to request a review of the all the free, unbiased, and publicly available financial data on OCH as happened in 2013. That review led to a clear decision that keeping OCH public was based on sound financial evidence, and a public hospital was in the best interest of the community.
A 2011 Hany Study showed OCH had an annual economic impact of $106,000,000 on the local community.
More recently, in November 2016 independent auditors have completed their evaluation of OCH and stated the hospital was in good standing financially. They also stated that there is no reason to sell or lease the hospital from a financial standpoint.
As a result, within the last few days, the OCH Board of Trustees, a group appointed by the Oktibbeha Board of Supervisors, has once again publicly opposed selling or leasing of the hospital in a unanimous vote.
Disregarding the continued solid financial position of the hospital, the Oktibbeha Board of Supervisors, with no input from the hospital, healthcare community, OCH Board of Trustees, or the general community, voted to spend tens of thousands of taxpayers dollars on a consulting firm to “evaluate the hospital.” This study had no clear motive, unless you understand that it meets a step in the statutory requirement to sell or lease the hospital.
Ominously, the same consulting firm the Board of Supervisors picked has been promoting the sell/lease of public hospitals since at least 2012. At that time, the firm made a pitch to the National Association of Counties promoting the sell of public hospitals. If that doesn’t make you pause, one of the principals in the recently retained consulting firm was vice president of acquisitions for Capella Healthcare — the same company that made an offer to the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors in 2013 to lease or purchase OCH even while the public was overwhelmingly opposed to any sort of sell or lease.
Stroudwater, the consulting firm selected by the Board of Supervisors, has released a report completed in secrecy without allowing anyone to challenge their opinions before releasing it to the public. The OCH administration, OCH Board of Trustees, hospital staff, healthcare community, auditors, and patients were completely omitted from the review process.
While I could write at length about the negative impacts privatization of the hospital will have on patient care, availability of services and the local economy, my plea today is for the thousands of people most impacted by this saddening and unwarranted attack: the OCH employees, service providers, and their families.
As Chief of Staff, it pains me to see the anxiety and fear of losing jobs for a politically motivated and unjust quest that we as a community addressed only four years ago. If anything, the hospital and its services are in an even better position now than 2013.
The 2015 Hany Study now shows OCH having an annual economic impact of $118,000,000 on the local community (an 11.2% increase during a very difficult economic period where many communities have been stagnant or losing parts of their economies). So, let’s not have the grinches steal this Christmas season.
Let’s make it clear that any move to sell or lease our community hospital puts all the community at risk. Let peace, harmony, and truth ring the bells of Christmas.
The writer is Medical Chief of Staff at Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville.
Editors note: A public hearing on the status of the OCH is scheduled for 5:30 Tuesday at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse.
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