MauryTHINKS

The Board of Trustees for Maury Regional Hospital has approved further appeal of Spring Hill Hospital.

At the beginning of their opposition to SHH, MRH said that SHH was simply not needed and would irrevocably harm MRH. When the state found that a hospital will be needed in Spring Hill and that the negative effect on MRH was greatly exaggerated and unsubstantiated, MRH said that they must appeal SHH because HCA used “clever and misleading projections”. MRH can no longer say that HCA misled the state because MRH has since admitted that even with MRH’s projections a Hospital would be needed in Spring Hill.

In a press release justifying further appeal, MRH says that at this stage, the appeal amounts to nothing more than “an investment in protecting the quality of care and cost of health care for the people that we serve”. The press release further states that “most of the groundwork and expense for opposing the HCA hospital has already been incurred and that presenting arguments to Chancery Court will not require extensive legal work”. What further appeal to SHH will do is significantly delay the building of SHH. Now that all of their reasons for opposing SHH have been found by the state to not be valid, MRH has finally come to terms with what their intention has always been: to delay SHH as long as possible. How does that improve Spring Hill residents’ access to quality health care?

Let’s be clear about what this “investment” by MRH really amounts to. MRH has already spent $1 Million fighting Spring Hill Hospital and has been ordered to pay half of the expected $1 Million cost that SHH and the State have incurred due to MRH’s appeal. Because MRH is owned by the citizens of Maury County, the $1.5 Million “investment” for the appeal is tax payer dollars. But the “investment” of tax payer dollars doesn’t stop there. If Spring Hill Hospital were ever able to be built, SHH would pay over $1 Million per year in property taxes to Maury County. That’s $1 Million per year that Maury County Government or Maury County Schools could be using to fund services for Maury County residents.

As city councils, the county commission and the county school board struggle to find revenue for their budgets, MRH is “investing” tax payer dollars in delaying the eventual building of a hospital in Spring Hill with over $1 Million per year in property taxes and Economic Development in Maury County in the balance.

Can Maury County really afford the “investment” to delay Spring Hill Hospital? When will Maury Regional Hospital be held accountable for continuing to waste tax payer dollars? At what point will Maury County Commissioners stand up and say enough is enough?

It is time for the Maury County Commission to pass a resolution opposing further appeal of Spring Hill Hospital.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Duda
City of Spring Hill Alderman
http://www.SupportOurHospital.com