Topic: County/City Hospital/Clinic
started by: Expatriate
Posted by Expatriate on Aug. 29 2017,8:49 am
Freeborn County has an aging population, it's my belief we need hospital beds locally. Older folks rack up more hospital days.We need a Hospital/Clinic for the economic survival of our city.
The reason we also need our own clinic—Mayo's clinic would support Mayo's Hospital and let ours set empty or use it as a dump for uninsured patients..
Going into competition with Mayo is a tough row to hoe, but they've pushed our hand...there's a lot of folks in this town that won't knuckle under. the Save Our Hospital SOH group has over 4000 members and growing...
I support this move, it may take a voter approved levy or special election approval, I say we have groundbreaking as soon as possible.
A local Hospital/Clinic run by local folks for local folks!
Posted by Self-Banished on Aug. 29 2017,9:38 am
The horse has already left the barn.
Posted by seulloup on Aug. 29 2017,10:21 am
I think that people severely under estimate just how expensive to build and operate a community hospital will be. Keep in mind that the challenges there are in attracting and keeping skilled physicians and mid level providers to staff a facility. If Mayo is having these challenges in being able to offer a career path advancement for a new physician how does Albert Lea Hospital compete and retain skilled providers? Here is a somewhat comparable example in recent history. < Chelan, Washington > is located in the middle of Washington state. Approximately 160 miles from either Spokane or Seattle. About 8000 people live in the area and grows to over 30,000 during the peak summer tourist season.
< http://www.golakechelan.com/new-hos...results >
< http://newhospitalnow.com/ >
Lake Chelan Community Hospital was voted and approved at a cost to the area of ~45m dollars. About half was bonded to the taxpayers served and the other $25 million was savings in reserve from the hospital foundation. Assuming we won't have that resourse, the entire cost would need to be bonded to our citizens. Conservatively raising property taxes about $60 per 100k of valuation.
< https://lakechelancommunityhospital.com/hospital-reports/ >
Posted by Self-Banished on Aug. 29 2017,11:04 am
^^ I think you're right, especially the cost of running and the tax levy.
Posted by Expatriate on Aug. 29 2017,3:10 pm
@ SB, I applaud you for not voting, your vested interest is no longer in our community.@ seulloup, nice post, not sure your example of Chelan with a population of 4000 compares to a county of 30 thousand mostly year around residents.
I do agree it's an expensive venture, but your figure of 60 on a 100k doesn't seem unreasonable, most hospital/clinics turn a profit so this increase in tax may be a short term cost factor.
Fact is Mayo is the most expensive healthcare organization in the state, if we as a county run a hospital/clinic and can bring those costs down we may see a reduction of insurance cost making Albert Lea a more viable area for manufacturing location. Plus, If my monthly insurance cost dropped 10 dollars per person it would offset any increase in tax.
Posted by Self-Banished on Aug. 30 2017,4:36 am
Gov doesn't run anything cheaply or efficiently and when's the last time anyone saw a temporary tax? AL's only chance of survival is getting the likes of Allina or Fairview in there. Only then will AL get any consideration from businesses investing there.Trouble is, you have facilities 20 miles east and 30 miles south which puts AL kinda in a gray zone, too close for another facility, too far for convenience.
The price of 40 years of inept gov.
Posted by Expatriate on Aug. 30 2017,6:04 am
Efficiency is key to success, in your case a one man operation has made you successful, a no frills operation that cuts costs for the best service at the lowest price.Partnering with a larger health organization is one thing giving them complete control another. Bigger isn't always the keys to success, Mayo has a lot of overhead in the way of unnecessary management. They tend to overbuild— atriums, conservatories, aquariums, seven story open spaces, literally building a cathedral to medicine..the Rochester Mayo campus has 7 fountains..you'd swear a Roman Emperor was running the show.
Medicine as we know it is about to change, a cloud-based network and AI called Watson will soon turn rural General Practitioners into
specialist.
A no frills basic small Hospital/clinic tied to the cloud will cut costs and give Albert Lea's hospital a preferred provider status among insurers as well as patients...
Mayo isn't prepared for that type of competition, they're too large and cumbersome.
Posted by Blackdog on Aug. 31 2017,10:26 pm
Expiirate, whatever your name is. You need to shut your trap! Don't you have anything better to do? Everybody bitched and complained about the hospital and said that I will never ever go to the Albert lea hospital and now you're bitching about it ? Trying to save it? My god you people have issues!! You all complained so much how bad they were so they said we're moving!!Should've supported in the beginning you Do you talk like that to your mother? idiot !
Posted by Blackdog on Aug. 31 2017,10:45 pm
Almost everyone of you talked negatively about them when they were in full service. Now we get these results. What do you really expect folks?You all made it happen! Nice Job! Wow! 😳
Talk crap about the number one next company and they'll probably move out too. You political people suck!!!
Nothing but whiners!
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 01 2017,4:51 am
^^ I see you have a new friend Expat.
Posted by Expatriate on Sep. 01 2017,6:56 am
@ Blackdog, I consider it a peace of mind thing having local healthcare and Hospital beds. Healthcare was an important factor in my decision to relocate to Albert Lea in 2015. As to your accusation Mayo's decision to close our hospital was caused by local folks bypassing Albert Lea, you seem to lay blame on the county population while leaving Mayo blame free.
As I remember it, before I left Albert Lea you could call the clinic arrange a Doctor appointment and see that Doctor the next week if not sooner.
Upon my return/retirement I decided to find a local Doctor and have my welcome to Medicare physical, it took TWO MONTHS to see the Doctor and another month to get the procedure I requested.
All in all my experience with the Doctor, Surgeon and medical staff was excellent but the time it took to get in was unacceptable. This isn't the fault of the medical staff this is a management issue.
Prior to my return home to Albert Lea I was in the Allina healthcare system, make an appointment you're in the next week, if Allina can staff and operate their clinics and hospitals why not Mayo?
Edit: to be fair my experience may be unique, I specifically asked for an appointment with a Doctor by name, when I asked the scheduler why the two month delay I was told you're a new patient once you get in your appointments will come faster.
I didn't push it and just excepted the wait..I will say the Doctor was excellent...Haven't had another appointment yet as heath wise I seem to be doing good.
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 01 2017,8:29 am
^^ I work between Fairview and Allina oth and have the same evperience, appointments are no more than a week away.I suspect from black dogs rantings and hour they were made that there might be alcohol involved.
Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 02 2017,3:03 pm
Everyone I know that went to the Albert Lea Hospital with a serious health emergency were stabilized and put on a life flight to Rochester/St. Mary's..I once called the hospital to find out the room my Dad was in and was told they don't have a patient with that name.. I personally admitted him into the emergency room when he was given a shot of morphine for pain.. I quickly ran home and shortly after they didn't have any idea where my Dad was..
Finally after my call was transferred to the Emergency room and getting in touch with Dad's emergency room nurse at the time, I was told he was on a life flight to Rochester..
I don't know if the Albert Lea Hospital Emergency Room is capable of taking care of major trauma patients..
Posted by seulloup on Sep. 04 2017,1:13 am
Albert Lea nor Austin has been or will likely be equipped to handle major trauma. Minnesota as every other state has a statewide trauma system. Each hospital based on criteria such as staffing ( not so much nurses, but 24/7 in house surgical team and surgeon), equipment, rooms... Albert Lea and Austin have been level 4 since the implementation of the system. The movement of inpatient services will not negatively affect the rating and if staffing levels for surgical teams can be improved it's possible that one site would get a level 3 designation.< MN DoH Hospital Resources >
< MN Department of Health - Trauma System >
Posted by Liberal on Sep. 05 2017,12:29 pm
Mercy isn't much farther and it's not part of Mayo.
Posted by Expatriate on Sep. 06 2017,6:10 am
^^^Add to that— Mercy Medical Center (Mason City) Iowa is a Level II trauma hospital.
Posted by Liberal on Sep. 06 2017,7:45 am
I wonder why the Mayo lackey isn't still posting from a Mayo IP?
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 06 2017,9:11 am
^^ refresh my memory, who is the Mayo lackey?
Posted by Liberal on Sep. 06 2017,9:21 am
The poster that registered the day Mayo announced the closing, and seems to be here only to defend Mayo
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 06 2017,10:26 am
^^ got it, ty
Posted by Liberal on Sep. 06 2017,11:10 am
This seems pretty reasonable and we could rid ourselves of Mayo by transferring patients to Mason City. We could also train the Fire Department staff to be paramedics/ambulance drivers since transporting patients seems to be a real money maker.< https://www.constructionworkzone.com/article...-costs1 >
Posted by Expatriate on Sep. 07 2017,2:56 pm
A prominent Mayo Clinic doctor calls like he sees em...< http://www.postbulletin.com/news...b1.html >
Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 11 2017,2:33 am
(Self-Banished @ Aug. 30 2017,4:36 am)
QUOTE
Gov doesn't run anything cheaply or efficiently and when's the last time anyone saw a temporary tax? AL's only chance of survival is getting the likes of Allina or Fairview in there. Only then will AL get any consideration from businesses investing there.
Trouble is, you have facilities 20 miles east and 30 miles south which puts AL kinda in a gray zone, too close for another facility, too far for convenience.
The price of 40 years of inept gov.
Trouble is, you have facilities 20 miles east and 30 miles south which puts AL kinda in a gray zone, too close for another facility, too far for convenience.
The price of 40 years of inept gov.
Government Trump is the most expensive president in US history..
Good to see he is spending more of his weekly vacation's at Camp David.. He bankrupted the Secret Service in 6 months for his vacations at his exclusive resorts on the east coast and his tower in NY..
I guarantee that Trump is a drug addict.. He wanders around the White House all night and rarely gets any sleep..
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 11 2017,4:49 am
Why are you putting the President into this thread? There are other perfectly good ones for this. At 2:30 am you're doing this? Then accuse our commander in chief of drug use.By the way, Buster spent far more.
Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 11 2017,6:24 am
Mayo Clinic-Fountain Centers of Albert Lea has been committed to helping individuals and their families who have alcohol and other drug problems since 1974. We take pride in addressing the whole person including underlying mental health and medical issues. Today, all of our residential and extended care patients have access to the latest medical resources for their addiction.Trump can get treatment for his drug problem right here in Albert Lea..
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 11 2017,6:31 am
^^ perhaps some of those fingers are pointing back at you.
Posted by Expatriate on Sep. 12 2017,7:54 am
The SOH group, the City of Albert Lea have each committed $35,000. to a Forensic Accounting Investigation, Freeborn County Commissioners have called a Special Meeting and will add another $35,000. They won't find actual fraud, it's far to easy for a company to manipulate the numbers and still be legal.
What this Forensic investigation will find: a City/County our size would have no problem supporting a local hospital. It will prove in past years our Hospital was continually profitable.
They'll find other Cities our size and smaller have Hospitals that are running in the black.
Mayo says it see's 500 people a day at the Albert Lea facility, we're talking a lot of revenue, I doubt the combination of the Clinic/Hospital is a losing proposition, if it was Mayo would sell it back to us in a heartbeat.
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 12 2017,2:53 pm
^^ so they're spending 70K to find out what they already know.Shrewd
Posted by Expatriate on Sep. 12 2017,5:07 pm
^^ I'm not in the inter-loop with the SOH, City or County, I'm still debating relocation..If the City/County push Eminent Domain it'll end up in the courts, the forensic accounting firm will provide expert litigation support and invaluable testimony. IMO
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 16 2017,9:44 am
Anybody see a trend here?< http://www.austindailyherald.com/2017...r-plans >
Posted by alcitizens on Sep. 17 2017,1:10 am
$70,000 is a stupid waste of money.. Who on the City Council voted to piss away that kind of money? They should be voted OUT.. Period.. No excuse..
$10 Grand will pay for a quality assessment of the medical center.. I do know that big bucks have been spent on upgrading the entire electrical system, including all the lighting over the past 20 years.. Money was no object until now..
Is the city council capable of getting the cost of the improvements done to the hospital over the past 10 years? It would tell the whole story..
I would rather AUDIT the City for a fee to find out if any of the fee's paid out benefit the taxpayer.. Its Highly Unlikely..
All records of income and expenses should be made available with a simple request since Mayo is a non-profit organization..
Posted by Expatriate on Sep. 17 2017,7:06 am
35 thousand came from SOH group ( local residents trying to save our hospital and city )70 thousand isn't squat, our property values will fall more than that in the coming years...multiply that figure by the number of residents of Albert Lea. This is a fight for much more than just a hospital, it's Albert Lea's survival.
As Albert Lea becomes less attractive to retirees they'll relocate elsewhere shrinking Albert Lea's population and putting more tax burden on the folks left here. New Fire Station, New City Garage Facility, New Airport Terminal, New Sewage Plant, the Grandiose Scheme to relocate Front St. for lakefront property for another city financed project, dredging the lake/s will all fall on the residents left
in the quagmire of a dying city.
You let Mayo dictate your future by whining about a few dollars that's just the kind of talk they love to hear.
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 17 2017,8:15 am
So, 35K here, 35K there, and more than likely a sh!tload of dollars spent on legal fees over what, the next 5-10 years? Then, just maybe, if AL if real lucky, the public will get the property on ED. But even then, the price would be pretty much market value.Wind mills anyone?
Posted by Expatriate on Sep. 17 2017,11:26 am
^^I don't have a clue about plan B, but (IF) the city/county go the nuclear option market value is about 35 million, you couldn't build for that kind of money.
Posted by Self-Banished on Sep. 17 2017,4:36 pm
^^ I very much agree but if Mayo gets a wild hair going it's going to take a long time.
Posted by hymiebravo on Sep. 20 2017,2:06 pm
...
Posted by Self-Banished on Oct. 26 2017,7:17 pm
^^ good point.