A response to last week's Hospital letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

As a former resident of Malta, it was with interest I read the letter to the editor in last week’s Phillips County News concerning the suggested sale of the Phillips County Hospital and Family Health Clinic and Hi-Line Retirement Center. As a resident of Choteau, I have watched with interest the sale of our hospital. There are three sides to every story – your side, my side and the truth. I wanted to clarify some of the statements quoted in the letter from the Great Falls Tribune with the facts:

•No layoffs or change in services - What the agreement with Benefis states is that there will be no layoffs in the first 6 months. Services could be dropped if reimbursements change or if numbers decline.

•TMC Board and Administrator to remain - The administrator will be working for Benefis, but the District Board will no longer have any say in the operation of the hospital. It will just remain in existence so it can collect the mill levy and pay the bills that remain with the district after the sale.

•Benefis is buying all the real property and equipment. That is true, but the agreement is a true asset sale, so they will also be taking all assets, including the accounts receivable. The Tribune said the TMC assets were valued at about one million dollars but on the March balance sheet the assets were actually listed at $3.3 million. Benefis is buying all of this for $500,000 which won’t even begin to cover all the liabilities. It looks like TMC may have to take out a $300,000 loan to get out of debt after the sale.

•Finally, the essential services are guaranteed for 15 years and the hospital for 7 years. The agreement does state this, but there are also conditions attached to these promises. Again, if reimbursement or numbers drop, if equipment becomes obsolete, if the point of service can be improved – all of these and other conditions could be reasons to drop a service or close a facility. There is no absolute guarantee.

I realize the rural critical access hospitals are facing many financial challenges and partnerships with larger health care organizations can be beneficial, but if it is decided the Phillips County healthcare facilities need help, I encourage the community to explore many options be-fore making a decision. Remember, once a community sells its healthcare facility, if would be very difficult to ever get it up and running again if the buyer decides to close up shop down the road. Also, remember a sale would mean the loss of local control. There are many types of affiliation; taking time to find the one best suited to the community should be a priority.

Sincerely,

Donna Dyrdahl

Choteau, MT