On Tuesday night in his address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama said the United States could wait no longer for reform of the medical-care system.
On Wednesday afternoon, the trustees of Newman Regional Health illustrated in a dramatic fashion the need for changes. In an attempt to stem a rising tide of red ink, the board decided to close several programs at Lyon County’s hospital. That will mean lost jobs and a reduction of the number of medical professionals in town. The hospital may also make some changes in scheduling that could reduce the total pay of some nurses and technicians.
The hospital does not have much choice. If Newman continued to lose money, it would — eventually — have to close. For the community, which relies on Newman for a wide range of medical services, the survival of the hospital comes first. A few programs — however useful — and a few jobs must come second. Sadly, this kind of decision is being made, out of necessity, by boards across the country.
It is possible that the president’s plans for the U.S. health-care system could put Newman back on a strong footing and, with increases in the availability of medical insurance, bolster the numbers of paying patients who use the hospital. But the details of the president’s plan have not been announced, and any changes in the health-care system will have to clear the hurdle of Congress before the money flows.
So the trustees of Newman — and the people of Lyon County — have reason to hope.
But hope alone was not a sufficient reason to delay action to protect the core services offered by the hospital.
The trustees did what they had to do.
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor
bandit1 (anonymous) says...
Unfortunately the President wants to pay for plan by cutting medicare and mediciad reimbursement which accounts for 75% of Newman business. This plan will not help the hospital and will probably result in more programs lost.
February 26, 2009 at 3:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dale011 (anonymous) says...
The President just plans to tax and spend like all Democrats. He continues to pander to the left and is wholly responsible for the drop in the stock market since his election due to his constant fear mongering. His agenda will bankrupt our grand children's grandchildren, and everyone is lining up with their hands out wanting their share of the "G" money. It is sad and truly pathetic. I can't wait for the next round of elections where the good folks in flyover country will have had enough of the fools in Congress ruining our lives so they can live high and happy on our dollar. Just say no to big government and bigger taxes.
February 26, 2009 at 4:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gazette_reader (anonymous) says...
Newman was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Quality care costs money. As much as this hurts, both for the employees and the community, it's better than short-staffing every single department. In a hospital especially, overworked and exhausted staff can lead to deadly mistakes. Even having too few people in admissions can mean accidentally mis-entering data like drug allergies and conditions.
I am hopeful that those displaced by the decision will be able to find work quickly.
February 26, 2009 at 6:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
trbluma (anonymous) says...
This is the very thing that scares the hell out of me. Everyone thinks or hopes the government can bail them out or save them. The government has a proven track record of failure at any business endevor. You want help, help yourself, I'm tired of funding everybody else's life plus my own.
February 28, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
Who could have seen this coming when Newman's started acting like it was a private hospital instead of a basic care county hospital? Obviously our county couldn't fund all that stuff or provide enough patients to support it. The time to pay the piper has come and many employees are going to bear the brunt. Will we learn now what a county hospital is and is not???????
March 1, 2009 at 1:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )