Get all the facts before deciding on hospital issue - Final Draft

By Matt Kovar

The Kearney City Council is facing a huge decision in the next few weeks with the proposal to build a new physician-run hospital near Yanney Park. There are many people on both sides of the issue that have expressed their opinions, but even more are still undecided on the issue. Both sides are new attempting to sway the undecided to support their cause. Unfortunately, many of the people trying to create opposition against the proposed Kearney Regional Hospital are not telling the truth.

One of the biggest reasons that citizens of Kearney have voiced opposition for the new hospital is its proposed location near Yanney Park. Many have stated that it would cause increased traffic congestion in the area. Eleventh Street has already been widened to four lanes in the area where the hospital would be built, and the widening project will likely extend westward as growth continues. If a four-lane street is good enough to handle traffic on a highway it is certainly capable of handling the traffic of a small hospital. The location has also been debated due to its status as a residential area. Almost all land annexed into a city is at first zoned as residential, and is later changed for other uses. Rezoning this land would not be a radical step, it would actually be typical. It is understandable why some people living near the area would object to a hospital being built in their backyard, but the reality of the situation is that if the hospital isn’t built than something else will come along to take its place. Kearney is going to continue to grow, and we will eventually have to expand out into these green areas.

There have been citizens that have voiced opposition to any for-profit hospital being built in Kearney, because it would cause shareholders to charge higher rates to make a profit. In general, for-profit hospitals encourage innovation and efficiency, which lowers medical costs. While there would be a group of shareholders making a profit off of the hospital, the same thing is going on with Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH). Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), which runs 75 hospitals and 40 long-term care facilities in 19 states including GSH, actually make quite a profit while being considered a non-profit. CHI is worth around $12 billion, and doesn’t have to disclose where the money coming from Good Samaritan goes. This money has not been reinvested in making medical care better for Kearney residents, but has instead gone back into the pockets of CHI.

GSH and its non-disgruntled employees have stated that a second hospital would cause a decline in the quality of health care for the area. How can having options in where you go for health care be a bad thing? Having two hospitals would increase competition and cause both hospitals to look for new ways to attract patients and make health care better for Kearney residents. Good Samaritan is claiming the opposite of this because CHI doesn’t want to have to invest more money and effort into competing with another hospital. It is not about the quality of care, but the loss of a monopoly on health care.

Kearney residents must look past the negative comments about the proposed hospital and look at all of the information on the issue. When it comes down to it, there isn’t much of a reason to block the building of Kearney Regional Hospital. There is nothing wrong with opposing the hospital, but it is important to have all of the facts first.