Okay, I really did want this hospital issue to go away, but I think that there are a few more things that need to see the light of day.
Appeal set for April
A few months ago, we came up with a pretty substantial amount of TAXPAYER money that was being spent to fight this hospital in Spring Hill. Let's review that list again:
1.) Advertising - at this point the number is right around $100,000
2.) Jerry Sharber's retainer - in excess of $100,000
3.) Legal fees from CON hearing - I'll do more research, but it makes items #1 and 2 look pretty paltry.
4.) Legal fees for the appeal - I have heard numbers like $150,000 per month, but will do more research to verify. Let's see...$150,000 x 9 months = 1.35 million
* Remember that the LOSER pays the entire cost
** Remember that the vote was 7-1...and I should repeat 7-1
*** Remember that an HSDA decision is very rarely if EVER overturned.
**** Remember that if a decision is overturned, it will go back to the HSDA to be heard again. The first time it was heard, the decision was 7-1.
***** If all of this does in fact happen, that TAXPAYER cost figure that we are talking about will at least double.
So, having looked at items 1-4, let's just say that OUR money is being spent to the tune of $2,000,000.00 or more to this point. That does not even begin to touch on the economic impact that will be caused by Williamson Medical Center and Maury Regional to both counties. Delaying this hospital development by at least 9 months will also do a few things:
1.) Delay impact fees and take away one year's worth of tax revenue to both counties. How much would that money help things like schools and road construction in all areas of this region?
2.) Delay 350+ jobs to the area
3.) Delay road and infrastructure improvements to the area
4.) Delay construction jobs in the area
5.) Delay the development of other business that likes to ride the coat tails of major industry, which causes further loss of tax and impact revenue to both counties.
...and here is the kicker of it all
This decision by Williamson Medical and Maury Regional to appeal a 7-1 decision is an absolute slap in the face to the citizens that fill your beds, and would have filled your beds for years to come. By delaying development, not only are the counties being EXTREMELY irresponsible with TAXPAYER dollars, but they are alienating a city that is becoming more influential by the day. Great decision WMC and MRH!
Can't we find a better use of several MILLION dollars that this?
Couldn't our school system use a little extra cash?
Why are our County officials allowing this to happen?
Wasn't that vote 7-1?
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Keep following the $$$
Posted by Gorilla in the Corner at 9:38 AM
Labels: County Government, Spring Hill Hospital
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Post Ratings
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is a series of personal opinions and is not meant to reflect an official position by the City of Spring Hill.
18 comments:
Please can someone explain the former Mayor of Franklin on a $100,000 retainer?
It is time for a BOYCOTT of WMC and MRH, plus all the businesses that supported the opposition to our hospital.
This includes every business that every board member of MRH owns or works for, which is the whole board since they voted unanimously to appeal the 7-1 vote in Spring Hill's favor. Look up the board members then find out their business, they must pay.
Then at WMC find out all those on their board who voted to appeal our victory and boycott their businesses. This vote was not unanimous.
These destructive, vengeful people are doing all they can to hurt Spring Hill with our VERY OWN tax money.
They will waste millions before they are through.
No more Mr. & Mrs. Nice, it is time to hit them back harder than they are trying to hit us.
Hello all
I am once again having a cup of coffee and a smoke(at least it is decaf)and thinking about another meeting. I had no intention of posting on the ems decision but the subject of tax dollars made me change my mind.
I think people need to understand the possible future cost to the city taxes. The decision to select R/M puts the city in the position to have to pay the full cost in three years. In the meeting R/M failed to provide the cost they are charging, even though they said they would. The cost is between $700.000 and 1 million for the three years. Mr york said that there was no way to figure the cost for Spring Hill to start an ems system. This is false, in one 10 minute conversation and 2 e-mails I was able to find the cost to operate now. It costs about $400.000 per ambulance per year to operate. So in three years the base line cost will be $800.000 per year for two ambulances. This number does not include inflation or the need for more ambulances due to growth. Mr. York also said that it was a matter of buying ambulances and moving fire dept emts over. The emt level the fire dept operates at is far less than paramedic. It costs about $5000 per class to attend paramedic school. Statiscally the wash out rate is about 50% , so about 1/2 of the fire fighters sent will not pass the first time. This will cost more tax payer money.
I understand that Maury County balked on the money for this deal. This may or may not be the case. It would seem to me that if that were the case it would have been prudent to defer the vote until Allen Lovett could have talked to Rogers Anderson about Williamson County taking the entire city. If Williamson would not do it then at least every option would be gone to save the tax payers money.
The BOMA made a decision to select R/M. My opinion about R/M is well known so I will not repeat it at this time. I just wanted to make it clear the real costs that Spring Hill will face in three years.
be safe all
ole fire fighter
You are incorrect regarding the monthly cost,it is much less than what you have projected. As well, the decision DOES NOT have to go back to the HSDA board. This only occurs if the parties do not accept the administrative law judge's ruling. Realistically, do you think MRH and WMC care if there is a boycott?
Wow five people are going to boycott.What ever will they do?
Even if the monthly legal cost is 1/10 of that, we are still approaching $1,000,000.
Why are the counties doing this?
I wonder which hospital the Governor chose to be treated for his recent illness? Could it be Metro General, a saintly lily white pure not for profit hospital? No........he actually chose a hospital that always has to be on the top of its game, one that has to actually compete, and stay on the cutting edge of technological changes, techniques, and new procedures. Could it be, an evil "For Profit Hospital" existing solely to enrich its shareholders and to skim the cream of the insured market off the top at the expense of the poor decrepid "Not for profits"? I guess when your life depends on it, you really don't give a crap whether they're for profit or not for profit. The only thing that matters is are they good. Governor Bredesen chose HCA Centennial Hospital. Imagine that!
Isn't it good to know that we will soon have the same option?
There is whole lot more of us than five.
Quit trying to minimize the waste of hard earned taxpayer dollars on an appeal that is fruitless.
The county commissioners that are allowing this to happen could put my taxes to work on providing more schools, working to improve our roads, etc.
I suspect at some point both WMC & MRH will approach the County Commissioners for more funding because they needlessly spent millions on an appeal and then they will have to pay HCA's costs.
MRH dosen't surprise me because my Commissioners have allowed MRH to waste and continue to waste taxpayer dollars. However, Williamson County Commissioners allowing this to continue certainly surprises me. Williamson county has become nationally recognized because of their frugal management and wise spending. To allow the waste of taxpayer dollars is certainly uncharacteristic of them. The leadership of WMC apparantly has pulled the wool over someones eyes.
I hope someone recognizes the waste before it goes to far!
Of course the gestapo-like leaders of MRH & WMC care if there is a boycott.
Have you been drinking some of the moonshine made up on Sugar Ridge?
This boycott, so to speak, of MRH has been going on for years, people `bleeding all the way to Nashville hospitals'.
Now it will continue and grow to more and more people.
I ran into a woman manager at one of the local Spring Hill banks the other day and she took her daughter to Centennial Emergency Room from Spring Hill because she did want to wait for 5 hours at WMC and would never go to MRH.
If these hospital leaders do not care about the huge amounts of ill will they are creating all over Maury and Williamson County, they should be fired on Monday before they hurt the hospitals even more than they already have.
Who is guarding the total waste of our tax dollars these hospital administrators are spending like drunken sailors with no hope of overturning the 7-1 vote!
They do not care. That is why they have the positions they do. They are hired to run a business, not be afraid of what the public thinks. Do you think everyone likes Bush? It doesn't matter to him, because just like gas, when you are critically ill, and ambulance is not going to take you all the way into Nashville. They will take you to the closest hospital. How surprised will you be to wake up in the MRH ICU? And then realize that the MRH EMS, MRH ER, and MRH ICU just saved your life. Poetic Justice!
Violations of HIPPA laws
Disregard for taxpayer dollars
Continuing to create division
Our County Commissioners are sitting idly by and allowing this appeal of the Spring Hill hospital to continue. I as well as many other ciizens are beginning to wonder who is really calling the shots.
There are several County Commissioners whom are very capable of bringing this waste of money to an end. Why are they not challenging the near sighted leadership of WMC & MRH?
What a waste! As you can tell I am beginning to question the leadership or lack of in our County Mayor & Commissioners.
Williamson Medical Center has forged strong alliances with Williamson County Health Department, Williamson County Schools, Franklin Special School District, public and private businesses, and community residents.
The above was taken from Williamson Medical Centers web site.
I've got two problems with the statement.
1) Why are the community residents listed last in the statement? When the citizens are the backbone of any business. Do the residents really matter or is MONEY the reason for filing an appeal of the CON for the Spring Hill hopsital.
2) Any forging of relationships with the (LAST) residents is quickly eroding as their "true colors" are starting to shine through.
Apparently the people who go to the health department or the schools in Williamson County are not citizens. Evil evil sentences.
Speaking of following the money, I am closing accounts at the bank whose leader heads up the MRH Board and taking my business from others that do the same to appeal our CON 7-1 affirmative vote. I am not just hitting Maury County but also Williamson.
These arrogant, vengeful hospital leaders have never run into any group as focused and ready for a fight as we in Spring Hill are!!!
Anonymous 17:15 said:
"They will take you to the closest hospital. How surprised will you be to wake up in the MRH ICU? And then realize that the MRH EMS, MRH ER, and MRH ICU just saved your life. Poetic Justice!"
And that's why I'm so glad I live on the Williamson County side of Spring Hill!
http://www.maury.tennesseetrustee.com/index.cgi?BISKIT=4334998&CONTEXT=art&cat=123492&art=294
This is a good tool to calculate property taxes in Maury County -
Long hospital wait can mean someone’s life is being saved
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I can certainly understand the lady’s feelings of having to wait in the Emergency Room for four hours.
I don’t like to wait either. Nobody does. We are a fast-paced society.
We never know what is going on behind closed doors. In the waiting room we may not see the ambulance stretcher going in, or they may already be back there when we come in. They always take emergencies first — that’s what it is — an Emergency Room. It could be a child not breathing having to be put on a ventilator, an older person having a severe heart attack or a terrible car accident involving several people. These things can require many of the hospital’s personnel at one time. Nurses, doctors and the others have to have bathroom breaks and lunch breaks though many times they do not get lunch breaks.
As you may have guessed by now, I’m a retired R.N. During my career, I’ve worked at hospitals in Nashville (three), New York and Indiana. I worked at Maury County seven years in the 60s and worked at Maury Regional Hospital the last 15 years before my retirement
Maury Regional was my very favorite place to work, although it was the most physically exhausting hospital I worked. I spent most of my career in the Recovery Room and Intensive Care Units. In my earlier years I also worked on the surgical floor and the psychiatric unit.
It’s also been my favorite hospital for my hospitalizations. It is undoubtedly the cleanest hospital I’ve ever worked in or been in.
It really hurts to hear our hospital lambasted so much — especially when I know what goes on behind the closed doors. It also makes a difference if you have not been hospitalized at another hospital.
Frankie Fuson, R.N.,
Columbia
Frankie,
How much did MRH pay you to write that. Come on, everyone knows that if you worked at three hpspitals in Nashville that there is no way that MRH could be better than them, unless one of them was Maharry or General or whatever they call it.
Are you sure your first name is not Chandler?
Post a Comment