EDITORIAL
One of the greatest, and most repeated, stories from the deliberative body which produced the U.S. Constitution deals with Benjamin Franklin approaching the chamber as work neared its end.
He was confronted by a woman who asked: “Well, Dr. Franklin, what have we got, a monarchy or a republic?”
Franklin’s famous reply: “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.”
Something much the same is going to happen in Rockdale, hopefully as soon as September. Health care is returning to the old Richards Memorial Hospital/Little River Health Care campus in the form of a first-rate medical clinic, affiliated with HealthPoint, which has a relationship with the excellent provider CHI-St. Joseph’s from Bryan.
Eric Todd, HealthPoint CEO, outlined many of the plans last week at a Rockdale Rotary Club meeting, accompanied by Dick Burns, Rockdale Hospital District board president.
Burns closed the meeting by delivering a heartfelt plea for support, saying something which needed to be said, especially to people who don’t know the history of health care in Rockdale.
“This will probably be the last time we resurrect it from the dead,” Burns said. “Citizens of the community need to support it.”
Indeed. Burns was referring to massive public and industry efforts which kept Rockdale health care facilities from closing in 1989, 1994, 2000 and 2010, before they finally did close in 2018.
Many times hospital officials pleaded with Rock-dale area residents to use those facilities and not go out-of-town for health care.
And now, we have another chance to “keep it.” It appears we are almost certainly going to have to support the endeavor with some of our taxes.
It will cost about $400,000 a year to operate what’s planned—a primary care clinic with a family physician, two physician assistants and a licensed professional counselor.
St. Joseph’s has agreed to pick up half that cost. A grant has been applied for to cover much of the rest. HealthPoint thinks it’s an excellent application but there are 559 other entities also applying and only 60 will get funded.
From where will that other $200,000 per year come if we get turned down? There are two taxing possibilities, sales tax and property tax, both of which the hospital district used to collect.
Burns has visited the City of Rockdale and Rock-dale Municipal Development District (MDD) to ask those entities to share sales tax for the clinic. Outlook for that to happen isn’t great.
Which leaves the property tax. In fact, even if the big grant is approved—and, of course everyone is hoping and praying for that—there will still be expenses for which the hospital district does not have a revenue stream.
Things like insurance, utilities, maintenance, repairs, legal and professional services.
Just don’t be surprised when this comes up again. It will.
Whatever happens, keep in mind this is probably the last hurrah for local health care.
Nobody has worked harder to keep it here in Rockdale, especially Burns who has virtually dedicated his life to the effort. He’s a hero.
But the hospital board’s heroes, and heroines, are about out of resurrections.—M.B.
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