Sharp County Hospital Foundation, Inc. has been formed

[mike]

Cherokee Village and the northern Sharp County area need a new, local hospital. It should be and is now one of the top priorities for this area if it is going to have lasting, sustainable economic development and a steady and rising population base.

Sharp County Hospital Foundation, Inc. has been formed, thanks to Bob Evins and C.E. Daggett.

Foundation member, Ron Rhodes, of Cherokee Village, issued the following press release:

A group of local citizens have formed an organization named Sharp County Hospital Foundation, Inc.

"The group considers themselves a 'steering committee' with the mission of building a hospital in Sharp County. The foundation has begun the job of gathering support from the people of Sharp County primarily in the areas of Ash Flat, Hardy, Highland and Cherokee Village."

"A spokesperson for the steering committee states, 'We know that a hospital is a critical element in the growth of these communities and more important to the health and welfare of our citizens.' We encourage anyone interested to visit http://www.sharpcountyhospital.com to sign up for updates and information.

http://www.villageronline.com/story/1560048.html

Thanks to The Villager Journal for the article.

This is a critical issue for our community and there are good people at work on this. I wish them success and they have my full support. Let's help this effort any way we can.

For more information, please visit http://www.sharpcountyhospital.com

Mike

[Friend]

Mike,

Thank you very much for posting this important news on the proposed hospital planning. The Steering Committee needs our serious encouragement and thanks.

There is no question that adequate health care is the single most important matter facing our area. It is a matter not only of attracting new folks to come or retire in the area but also to keep folks here.

If one becomes seriously ill, the temptation and sometimes necessity is to move closer to full service hospital care. There is one poster on this Forum that had a near death experience of a ruptured appendix that just barely made it to Batesville in time! This matter is serious! Whatever we can do to get behind the Steering Committee is very important. Thanks to them all.

[mike]

The hospital/ER issue is getting serious and to the forefront as it should be. One way or another, an emergency room or full hospital must be put in, and as quickly as possible. I have always thought of doing the baby steps, crawl before you walk, and as much as we all want and need a full service hospital in northern Sharp County, it is more reasonable to believe that a 24 hour emergency room can be put into place much sooner.

In the following article, the local mayors and the county judge would be happy with an ER. I realize they are looking to solve the immediate problem, and I'm sure they would rather have a hospital, but we require and need that ER now, and we also require and need a full service hospital in the reasonably near future once the ER is in place first. Not debatable.

The goal is a hospital. That is crucial and extremely important for the future of the area. Without a full service hospital in this area in the next few years is going to be a very real strain on the economic and population development of the area. It must be done.

However, we must stop the bleeding first. That is the more realistic, short term goal of a 24 hour emergency room in place first to solve the immediate problem of emergency care very close by. Once that issue is resolved, the area can step back, take a deep breath, take in the big picture and see what we have to work with and where it is coming from, and then jump in and work rationally and diligently towards the required and longer term goal of the needed and required hospital for the Quad Cities.

In my opinion, a full service hospital in northern Sharp County is not debatable. It must be done and it will be done. Period. Let's get an emergency room open asap so that we can spend our time on getting the new hospital approved, funded, constructed, and operational within the next 3 to 4 years. There are very talented and well connected people in this area that can make this happen. They need the support of the community to do it and they need it now.

Does everyone think that is reasonable and workable? You now know how I feel on this vitally important issue. Your thoughts?

http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=10952883

Thanks to KAIT for the story.

Mike

[Friend]

Hi Forum,

Mike, your comments on the hospital seem very sound to me. It is important for us in the community to insist that what we have now with White River is not an acceptable 24/7 ER for Sharp County. We have barely gotten even half way there with that place.

Likewise, one of the major problems with Fulton Hospital (besides being too far away for Sharp folks) is that it seems unable to do anything much more at this point other than patch and ship and run a few tests. I've heard that Medicare requires the ambulance to take a patient to the nearest hospital and most of the time that means a waste of time because Fulton can't get the job done. I have nothing against Fulton and would love to see it grow and flourish and succeed and have a solid reputation, but it seems so marginal at the moment. We can't solve a problem without looking at it honestly. This is not about the Doctors. It is about the limits of the facility as it stands now. If I'm wrong, I would love to be corrected.

Anyway, the Sharp side needs this real ER now as well as the hoped for Hospital coming. I know that one of the issues about the viability of Fountain Place is the absence of a real hospital nearby. You can't get new folks to commit there and the existing ones have to leave once healthcare issues become serious enough. This whole thing affects us on so many levels.

What are other folks thinking in the Forum?

[Chuck]

Hi Forum,

Thanks Mike for the information on the Sharp County Hospital Foundation, Inc. We all need to support, and take part in any way we can, in the efforts being put forth to establish a hospital in northern Sharp County. I have also read the KAIT8 article, and there are differences from what I have heard in the past.
I have lived here for 8 years now and have seen a hospital discussion only once before. That was at an informational meeting at the North Golf Course for the people running for office at that time. Sharp County Judge Larry Brown was running for that position at that time. Both Judge Brown and our former Mayor were happy to have the K&N building. Judge Brown lives in Cave City, a short drive to WRMC. He seems to have changed his opinion now, that now he would be happy to see a 24/7 ER here. The fact that our Mayors in the quad city area agree, that they also would be happy to see the same, does not bode well for us.
A 24/7 Emergency Room will not solve our problem at all. The retired people in the area need much more. In my opinion it would hurt our chances for the hospital we desperately need to be built in the future. Why I believe this is that we continue to deal with White River Medical Center and North Complex Administrator Joe Walls in this discussion.
WRMC and Joe Walls have been the stumbling blocks we have seen since losing the CV hospital. I was glad to see that when this foundation was formed, they had opinions from other small town hospitals that this idea was indeed feasible. That was great.
Now Mr. Walls steps in and everyone is talking of an ER first, all he needs is the money. If we tie ourselves to WRMC with an ER, we will be tied to their decisions in the future. What we need is a stand alone hospital, or at least satellite with a hospital that is conscious to our needs. Baxter Regional in Mt. Home would be great. A possible VA hospital would also be great.
In terms of the Sharp County Economic Development Group, it would be a huge success and a model for the creation of jobs and well being for us and other communities across Arkansas to see.
We also need our voice and our stories to be heard. This has not taken place. We read about groups getting together to discuss this after the fact. I wonder how many people in this area have been lost already. This is why
I agree with Mike that a full service hospital in northern Sharp County is not debatable. It must be done.

[Friend]

Hi Forum,

Chuck raises an excellent point. Is it possible that the 24/7 ER will later be considered a basis to say our needs have already been met and actually derail the stand alone hospital? I am with Chuck that the 24/7 ER must be a direct step to the hospital --- and ideally the hospital's construction would be underway while the ER runs.

We desperately need medical outfits who are committed in principle to the stand alone hospital, and we need to bring to the discussion only a hospital outfit that is so committed. We need straight talk about the commitment to the hospital from the very start.

The issue should not be what is most profitable for a hospital chain but what best serves this community that has been medically neglected for way too long. The studies already seem to indicate that a hospital can run successfully in similar size areas. I am delighted by the excellent local people involved with moving us forward on this and their commitment to the common good. They deserve our thanks.

[sandycollie]

This is a big determining factor on where we will retire. If we knew for sure a 24 hour emergency room is coming soon at the least that would alleviate my worries. What happened to the old hospital? Why can't they just reopen that one instead of the time and money it would take to build a new one?

[Friend]

Sandycollie,

I hope that others will chime in on this one who know a lot more than I do about the closing of the old hospital. The bottom line as I understand it was that the last owner who is now located in Florida wanted to sell it for more than could be afforded by any prospective buyers. The problem then was compounded in that because it ceased being active, if it were to be reopened, it would have to be brought up to new code levels which would be cost prohibitive beyond anything imaginable. It is sad that it was allowed to lapse and a deal could not be struck. It needs to be said that there is medical emergency care in the area. It is just not what we really need in size and scope.

[Chuck]

Hi Forum, I think the former owner was an investor that had several hospitals. He was in financial trouble with a couple of them and he drained all he could from this hospital, until it was no longer making money because of mismanagement. It then closed, went up for sale, and during that time it lost its grandfather clause to reopen as a hospital due to how long it had been closed.
I guess the bad news is, when looking at the matter at this moment, is that all we have now is an urgent care facility.
The good news is that we have leaders in our community that have set up the Sharp County Hospital Foundation. They can't just give us a thumbs up or say it will work. We all need to support them in their efforts, and help in any way we can. We have to make it a community effort, so our voices will be heard and we can all work toward a common goal.
I just read yesterday that the Bella Vista area in NW Arkansas received a 145 million dollar grant for the building of The Bella Vista Bypass. They have needed this for years, and it sets an example for us, that we too can get things done if we work together.
I hope that helped some.

[mike]

For all those interested in the updates of this foundation, I am on their mailing list and have received the following update and am passing it along for you to read:

====

Sharp County Hospital Foundation

Updates for 8-24-2009

News and Updates Below:


1. BOARD MEMBERS

Bob Evins, Banker
Martin Carpenter, Banker
Larry Bronson, Architect
Phyllis Kates, Retired College Professor/Program Administrator
Bob Burton, Methodist Minister/Retired Hospital Administrator
Ron Rhodes, Real Estate Broker
Eben Daggett, Real Estate Developer

The Board Members receive no compensation.


2. 501 C 3 Application (Tax Exempt Status)

The application was mailed to the Internal Revenue Service this week. We expect it will take two to four months to hear from them.


3. Feasibility Study

We have contacted four National C.P.A. firms that specialize in hospital work. We hope to receive proposals this week.


4. Fundraising

We have established accounts at Liberty Bank of Arkansas and First National Banking Company. We will open accounts at the other local banks in the next few weeks but in order to open accounts we need funds to deposit. If you wish to make a donation please feel free to do so. In addition, we will need a substantial amount of money to pay for the feasibility study. Donations should be made to “SHARP COUNTY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION”.


5. Volunteers

We have had several people volunteer to help this effort and we will need all the help we can get. If you are willing to volunteer please send us an email through our website: http://www.sharpcountyhospital.com . Please include comments about any expertise you may have i.e. Architect, Accountant, Attorney, Engineer, Medical Background, Fundraising, Computers, Grant Writer, etc.


6. Email Contact list

You received this update because you signed up on our email contact list. Please encourage your friends to do the same. We want to keep everyone informed about what is going on.


7. Suggestions

Please feel free to email us your suggestions. We welcome input and it doesn’t matter whether you live here or are simply concerned about what happens in this area.


8. Congressional Delegation

Senators Lincoln and Pryor and Congressman Berry are aware of our efforts and have been very supportive. There is a bill in Congress that would give each State the ability to declare a Hospital a “Necessary Provider”, a power that presently rests with the Regional Office of Medicare. If we are able to have a Hospital it will be very important to have this designation because it will mean a higher reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. Please contact your Congressional Delegation and tell them to support Senate Bill S.1171 and House Resolution H.R. 2692.

Sharp County Hospital Foundation

To view in html from the Foundation, please go to http://bit.ly/1ayY9W

====

I strongly suggest that all of you contact your representative in the US House and Senate as the Foundation members have suggested, and ask them to please support Senate Bill S.1171 and House Resolution H.R. 2692. This hospital is vitally important to long term future of northern Sharp County. Thank you.

Mike

[Chuck]

Hi Mike, Thanks for posting the updates here. I am also on their mailing list, but for everyone on the forum to get this information is very important. I would also urge everyone to sign up for their updates at : <http://www.sharpcountyhospital.com>

I am quoting you Mike from your post: " I strongly suggest that all of you contact your representative in the US House and Senate as the Foundation members have suggested, and ask them to please support Senate Bill S.1171 and House Resolution H.R. 2692. This hospital is vitally important to long term future of northern Sharp County. Thank you."

This is a great opportunity for all of us to be heard.

[mike]

Hi all,

Here is the latest from update I received via email:

Updates for 8-27-2009

We are pleaseed to announce a New Foundation Board Member:

VIRGINIA SCHMIDT
- SHARP COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

1. BOARD MEMBERS

Bob Evins, Banker
Martin Carpenter, Banker
Larry Bronson, Architect
Virginia Schmidt, Sharp County Administrator for the Department of Human Services
Phyllis Kates, Retired College Professor/Program Administrator
Bob Burton, Methodist Minister/Retired Hospital Administrator
Ron Rhodes, Real Estate Broker
Eben Daggett, Real Estate Developer

The Board Members receive no compensation.

To view in html from the Foundation, please go to http://bit.ly/2sCrv8

Mike

[Friend]

Hi Mike,

Thank you for posting the updates. We have high quality representation on this Board. If the hospital plan stands a chance, it will be because of this high quality and the diverse leadership positions of its members and their long-time commitment to the community. It sure looks like the Foundation is getting serious traction, Great!

[Friend]

Hi Mike & Forum,

Do we have any status report on all of this? Thanks for any news.

[CV Jack]

I give this group credit for trying this. There are good people on that board who can get things done, and they need our support!

[Friend]

CV JACK,

I couldn't agree more! These are great folks who deserve our full support. Communities need committed folks like these to be all that they can be. Our thanks to them!

[Tazwell]

I hope it works out but I won't get too excited about it, it will be tough getting one. I think the best hospital in the northern half of Ark is the one in Mountain Home, real good and it's not that far. Worth it if I have to go I want them to send me there.

[mike]

Hospital feasibility study in progress.

The need for a new hospital was the number one topic discussed at the countywide economic development meetings held recently in the county.

Folks, the future economic viability of this county is at stake. There is no doubt in my mind that we need a new hospital built in a reasonable period of time, or at the very least a fully functioning, 24 hour emergency room that is extremely close by to the village and all of northern Sharp County. This should not be open for debate. It is a must and should be the area's highest priority, period.

http://www.villageronline.com/story/1593761.html

Thanks to The Villager Journal for the article.

Mike

[Friend]

"Folks, the future economic viability of this county is at stake."

Mike, I couldn't agree more. And even more, it is a life and death issue. I may sound like a broken record, but what we need at the very least is a totally equipped 24/7 ER to hold us over until a real hospital comes to us. I don't mean a "patch up" and "stitch up" kind of place. I'm talking about one that can stop a stroke, deal with a major heart attack, kidney failure, collapsed lung, or a serious car crash. The real life and death stuff has to be the first priority. It is not about what maximizes cash flow but meets the true local need. The abandon hospital in CV should sure be on the table -- if only to convert a part of it to a ER/emergency surgery site.

[mike]

Hi all,

Here is the latest from update I received via email:

Updates for 12-18-2009

TAX EXEMPT STATUS GRANTED by I.R.S.

Letter Dated: Dec. 11, 2009 from I.R.S. to Sharp County Hospital Foundation:
"We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax exempt status we have determined that you are exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. You are also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the code."

To view in html from the Foundation, please go to http://bit.ly/8rmUT6

Mike

[Friend]

Hi Forum,

I was wondering how the survey process is going in the Village and whether a local hospital is ranking very high in the survey count. Does anyone know? Thanks.

[mike]

The Villager Journal is reporting on a proposed hospital tax.

http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1652921.html

Being realistic, I believe now the fastest and best way to get started is to get a 24 hour emergency room on the 4 lane and come up with a smaller tax of some type to make this a reality asap. I am not for more taxes, however this would be a very small amount and a 24 hour emergency room with very close access to the the 4 towns of Cherokee Village, Ash Flat, Highland, and Hardy is non-negotiable and will pay the area long term benefits much greater than the small tax will take away. We must have a 24 hour emergency room very close by for more people to consider relocation to the area. It MUST be done and done soon. The hospital is the perfect long term solution and must continue to go forward. The hospital foundation is doing a great job but a full hospital opening will take a long time. Let's be realistic and take baby steps. Let's start with a 24 hour emergency room first, get it open within the next 12 to 18 months, which takes care of the immediate problem, and then once that's open, go full steam ahead for a full hospital which of course is vitally necessary for this area. Long term, a hospital is non-negotiable also, but the 24 hour emergency room is the immediate need that will have a huge effect quickly.

Mike

[buckwheat]

Seems like Hardy, Highland and Ashflat will be paying the bills since CV really does not have much retail to collect tax on and would be the prime user of these services since it is the largest and has an older population.

[Friend]

Thanks Mike for keeping us informed on the hospital. While I was visiting, I overheard a conversation between a present resident and a former resident. On seeing the former resident, the present resident asked if he planned to return to CV. "No," he said. I went through two cars while my wife was ill running back and forth to Batesville."

This is not a minor matter. We need the hospital or at least serious 24/7 ER ASAP. I hope the Committee can keep the momentum going for the sake of our local communities. They deserve our thanks for their persistence.

[Tatercreek49]

Hi All-

I have been watching with interest these last few years the stated need and various approaches for securing a local 24/7 emergency room or small hospital for our area. What I have not seen are the local doctors and physicians joining together to form a medical alliance to present along with the community leaders a presentation/plan worthy of consideration . Since I am not living in the area, I may not be aware of all the efforts . Please count me in for any support necessary- even a slight increase in sales tax-property tax etc. I am thinking, if the alcohol issue is passed, more taxes will stay in Sharp- but along with that- perhaps more medical services would be needed. Good or bad, any progress will change the way of life.
Barb