The most talked about topic of discussion in the Leadville community today is arguable the hospital’s impending closure. The Denver Metropolitan newspapers haven’t helped much, with their doom and gloom perspective. Their view seems to be that the uneducated voters of Lake County have all but given up on providing health care for residents. The President of the hospital board didn’t help much with this quote: “I can’t imagine dialing 911 and no one coming, and then I have to put my husband in the car in this weather and drive him down to Frisco.” (Denver Post, December 2nd, 2014.)
Is this the reality of the situation?
A health care advisory board was immediately established to discuss possible solutions to emergency care in Lake County. This board met on Dec. 5th. Fire Chief Dan Dailey presented several options at that meeting. One option is to continue the ambulance services at its current location. The Lake County commissioners asked the hospital to take advantage of grant funds available to purchase a new ambulance and other equipment, and the County would then fund the ambulance services budget for the next two years. Another option is to combine the fire and ambulance services together. Dan Dailey said: “This is a national model that’s been proven all around the country.” (Leadville Herald, December 11th, 2014)
On December 11th, a letter was sent out by hospital board secretary Dennis Johnson. Here is an excerpt:
“There was a meeting last week with representatives of the hospital and a number of people, including representatives of the BOCC, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Dougherty Mortgage Company, and Centura. The hospital had been asking for financial assistance from each of these organizations for a long time without success. However, this was the first time all of us were in the same room together and it made a difference, particularly since we are in a crisis situation. While there were no firm agreements or commitments, it appears that real money might be available for hospital services if we can come up with a workable plan. This may depend on whether Centura or Denver Health decide they want to come here and, if so, whether the organizations with money (USDA and Dougherty) believe the plan is financially feasible. The good news is that these organizations seem to be willing to work hard to find a solution, so there is hope.”
At a meeting of the Leadville Lake County Economic Development Corporation last night, Nicole Thompson, Executive Director, discussed the availability of REDI grants among other opportunities. REDI is the Rural Economic Development Initiative. Their purpose is to “help eligible rural communities develop plans and undertake projects to create jobs, drive capital investment, and increase wages to help grow and create resiliency and diversity in the local economy.” There was also discussion regarding possible avenues for the future of the hospital facility. While I cannot divulge what took place at that meeting until the LLEDC makes an announcement, I can say that interesting things are on the horizon for Lake County. OEDIT – REDI grant opportunity
Interestingly enough, it seems that the Board of St. Vincent’s hospital is not at the table for many of these discussions about possible solutions. I spoke with an associate of mine that served as President of a hospital Board in California for some time, and he suggested that Boards do not always work in the best interests of their communities, as they have the “needs and interests of themselves and their families in mind.” He suggested that an outside advisor be hired to work with the City, County, Fire Services, and Hospital Board to assess the actual needs of the community and how to address them.
So while the hospital and the future of health care in Lake County is in limbo, it seems that the resilient population is not taking this sitting down. In fact, if the Denver newspapers thoroughly researched their story, they might have found that many potential solutions are being developed, and various entities are assembling assistance and funding to fill the void.
A door closes but a window opens, and in fact, you can expect to see someone show up when you contact 911! More to follow!