Editor:

I have been employed in the healthcare system for nearly 40 years. There have been many changes in that length of time, and no one person is to blame. As a society, we have come from being those who pay for services rendered, to expecting much for nothing.

Many folks expect goods and services/use of facilities “free”. But they themselves aren’t willing nor could they afford to work for no pay. We all need to be paid for the work we do. That is just how it is. I can’t get electricity to my home if I don’t pay the bill. If I don’t pay for gasoline to run my truck, I don’t have transportation. I can’t go to the grocery store and take food off the shelf without paying for it. Health care should be viewed in the same manner, however, by law hospitals cannot refuse to treat those needing care. Boards and administration can be blamed but that doesn’t change the fact that healthcare has changed and morphed into a system that is faulty at best.

The last thing that we should let happen is to close a hospital that is trying to provide services to more than just a county. Many say that closure of Cedar County Memorial Hospital is not the goal, but are less than willing to support it with a tax increase for the first time ever in a sixty year history.

Support of a business or lack of is your right, and I respect that. But keep in mind that we do provide services to the county in other ways than our presence in El Dorado Springs. Let us not forget the facility in Stockton that houses the Cedar County Health Department, the Exercise Center and a classroom. The classroom is available upon request for use at no charge (while Cedar County Memorial Hospital continues to pay for the electricity and upkeep of the building).

For those not knowing the real truth about the Cedar County Health Department in Stockton, the hours were cut in November of 2017 because it was severely underutilized.  It was not cost effective to keep staff there five days a week.

Everyone wants to blame the Board of Trustees and Administration for needing to increase the tax levy. The Board and Administration can’t win on any decision they make. I have read various Facebook posts referring that there is mismanagement. If there is any mismanagement as far as I can see, it is keeping a satellite facility open that costs more in operation than it brings in. Cedar County Memorial Hospital needs to at least break even financially as it is a non-profit facility. The Exercise Center is losing more than $40,000 a year. At that loss, to break even the exercise center would need about 134 people to pay $300 per year for the opportunity to use the exercise center. Those in Stockton who have tried to run a fitness center over the years… most have closed, I’m guessing because they couldn’t afford to keep them open due to the costs of running a business. YET…Cedar County Memorial Hospital is expected to keep services there for the few that access it. We have an RN who sits at the office of the health department two days a week. There are many days that she doesn’t see anyone. Mostly she prints birth and death certificates. We seem to be the last resort for immunizations because many are accessing their physician for those. That is fine, but we cannot continue losing money there in the off chance that someone forgot to schedule their child’s immunizations with their doctor, and be expected to provide service at last minute, with no appointment.

If we staffed the health department five days per week, would the building be full of community need? We know it would not. We know how many phone calls are coming in to that office as the phones are switched to the El Dorado Springs site when the department is closed. There aren’t many calls coming in.

Many use other health departments who operate off a mil tax. There are health departments that won’t let residents of other counties access their office because their residents are paying for the service, not the non-residents. We need to take care of what is ours, whether we want to or not. Support your community with your tax dollars whether it be health care or in the grocery store. Small business cannot survive without your support. Small towns cannot survive without your support.

I ask for your support. Vote YES April 7 for Cedar County Memorial Hospital/Cedar County Health Department.

Respectfully,

Jenean Ehlers, RN Community Services Manager Cedar County Health Department-a service of Cedar County Memorial Hospital

El Dorado Springs

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