I may have spoken too soon in last week’s editorial about positivity being the end result of change. With last Tuesday’s announcement regarding the city’s only hospital, the opposite is true in this case. While I understand the reasoning behind the forthcoming closure of Franciscan Skemp Healthcare’s (FSH) Arcadia hospital, I’m sure I’m not the only one who is frustrated by the decision.
First of all, regardless of the numbers that have been recorded at the hospital over the past few years, I am fairly certain that the peace of mind gained by knowing that hospital-based care was not far away was far more important. I know that some people base their home-buying decisions on, not only educational facilities, but accessibility to a hospital. Not having a hospital in the city could be detrimental to the housing market and overall economic state of this community. While I am glad that FSH will be expanding its clinic services and nursing home care, the mere fact that there will not be 24-hour care is somewhat unsettling, especially given the fact that people are active outside the 9-5 timeframe. And given the fact that we have manufacturing companies in this town and many, many farms in the vicinity, life-threatening accidents do happen.
The thought of not having that kind of care right here in Arcadia is certainly something to worry about. Say someone is in a bad car accident along Highway 93 just up the hill from Arcadia (which has been known to happen) and the individual needs immediate medical attention. Well, guess what. Once that hospital closes, that attention will be at least 20-25 miles away, which could prove fatal in some instances. Regardless of what the numbers show, there’s no doubt in my mind that the lack of patients goes far beyond need. Over the past few years, with the economy faltering, I’ll bet hospitals across the country saw a decrease in numbers. That’s because health care is expensive and those who have been laid off or are only working part-time jobs in order to make ends meet likely don’t have health care coverage.
As I’ve alluded to in the past, when it comes to budgeting money, health care is usually one of the things that is a ways down the list of importance. Take me, for example. A few months ago, I rolled my ankle. And this wasn’t just like a twist or a sprain. My foot and leg were completely perpendicular … to the point that I heard a snap. And I’m not one to complain about pain, but that hurt something fierce. Within an hour, my ankle swelled up to the size of a grapefruit and it turned purple.
Granted, I should have played it smart and went to the hospital to have it X-rayed to make sure I hadn’t broken anything, I did the math in my head. Without health insurance, there was no way I would be able to pay the bill. Ergo, I let it mend on its own. It took over two weeks for the swelling to go down and, to this day, anytime I walk, my ankle makes a clicking sound. When I stand too long or when there’s bad weather, it swells up, likely because it didn’t mend properly, but, all in all, it healed well enough that I can still get around.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who would trade a few days of limping for hundreds of dollars. However, I think that closing the hospital now was a bad call. If and when ObamaCare takes effect, people’s attitude toward emergency care will likely change as well. That being said, I think now would be the opportune time for another health care provider to start thinking about locating a hospital in Arcadia. I’m sure it would gain overwhelming support.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
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