February 26, 2010
Dear Editor:
We would like to make a request and ask that you please consider the proposal that has been submitted by Community Health Systems to purchase Morristown Hamblen Healthcare System. As long time business members of the Morristown and Hamblen County community, as well as strong family ties to the health care industry, we believe it would not be in the best interest of our community if we do not allow the proposal from Community Health Systems to at least be reviewed and considered.
With years of experience in contracts and negotiations, we are very familiar with how important it is to review all proposals and allow for free enterprise.
From a personal standpoint, my wife has been a Registered Nurse serving this community for over 30 years. She has worked at both hospitals and has currently been employed by Community Health Systems for several years. She has always felt that our community could have been better served with a cooperative effort between the facilities. She believes that we have locally what is needed to meet and exceed the needs of this community. She has been very satisfied with her employment relationship with Community Health Systems. They are a very strong, nationally recognized company and are dedicated to their employees. She feels their Community Cares program is in line with her own philosophy of making sure that care is delivered in an environment where patients can receive excellent care, physicians have a great place to practice medicine and staff has a great place to work.
Finally, in an environment where we have been called upon to become keenly aware of each dollar and how it is allocated and spent, we feel the community deserves a detailed comparison of both offers and we hope each offer will be openly and thoroughly discussed before final decisions are made regarding healthcare in Morristown and Hamblen County.
We appreciate how difficult this decision is for you in your role and we thank you for your willingness to serve our community.
Sincerely,
Jimmy D. Gibson
GIBSON & ASSOCIATES
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Dear Editor,
Last Sunday there was an ad in the Tribune from the CEO of Lakeway Regional Hospital. I was appalled to learn that MHHS is moving forward with a sale of the hospital without any regard to the proposal from Community Health Systems, the company that owns Lakeway Regional Hospital.
I have been a resident of Hamblen County all my life and this is just one of many decisions that is and have been made without any input from the residents and business owners who are tax payers in this city and county. We of all people should be asked what we want. I think that it is unfair to think that MHHS, a pillar of this community would even consider entering into an agreement with Covenant Health without first considering the proposal that was offered in the Sundays' paper.
This is an excellent opportunity for the community to improve our financial situation. This is a call for serious transparency in healthcare here in Morristown. Profit or non-profit there is no difference when it comes down to old-fashioned patient care. Everyone must make a profit or there would be no businesses able to keep their doors open. All the difference is for profit pays local and state taxes. Taxes that I might add helps fund needed services in this community.
Please, I am urging all the residents, medical staff, and support staff, nurses to demand transparency in healthcare and ask that the MHHS Board conduct an open public discussion on this important issue. After all, it is OUR community and OUR healthcare at stake.
Sincerely,
Mildred A. Whittington
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February 26, 2010
Letter to the Editor
After listening to our CEO, Priscilla Mills speak regarding the possible sell of MHHS to Covenant Health of Knoxville before the Board considered a proposal to partner with Lakeway Regional Hospital offered by our facility’s parent company, Community Health Systems - I was completely disheartened.
To know that a single Board consisting of only a minority of people, had the power to speak for the majority of the Lakeway community without the citizens having an opportunity to hear what would be offered from either party. The governing Board knowing this decision would affect the community for years to come speaks rashly.
The ongoing arguments that was given by this Board seems to be the fact that if Community Health Systems purchased MHHS, it would be a for profit organization. This fact, if anything would benefit our community! Especially under the recent depression our economy has suffered. The for profit would allow CHS to pay state and local taxes further boosting our community for education and other community resources that are greatly needed for our citizens.
As an employee of CHS and also of practicing physicians of MHHS, I highly recommend both hospitals. Both hospitals offer competitive services. It should be proposed that we work together as a team rather than competitors. In the end, the community is the only one with a negative impact. Both hospitals serve “self pay” patients as well as Government funded insurances. Lakeway being a smaller facility, I would plead for MHHS to do the research on the case mix between the two to discover that just possibly Lakeway provides care to “more” government aided insurances or self pay patients. In the end, Lakeway is here for the community whether or not payment is received.
As a working single parent of three boys in this community, I am employed full-time at Lakeway Regional Hospital; however, I perform routine PRN nursing for some of the physicians here in the community which entails functioning at MHHS with the physicians. I see good care provided at both facilities. That’s why it is so unreasonable not to have the CHS offer reviewed by the citizens of this community.
I have worked full-time for Lakeway for over 5 years now and to see the benefits and perks that have been offered over this extended period of time – is phenomenal. CHS rewards the staff here not only with providing great pay benefits, low insurance cost plans, whether vision, dental or medical, but emotionally and as a whole person. This organization treats each staff member like family and truly cares about the needs and goals of its team members. This is something you do not find in most common day organizations being “at will” employers. This continued when CHS purchased our small facility. There were no drastic changes or huge growth pains. This facility has if anything, grown due to the fact that our parent company purchases the items needed to serve our community.
So I ask, why not review the proposal and allow the citizens as well as MHHS employees to have an opportunity to be aware of what REALLY is being offered? This should be a choice that is made by the community, not just a minority group of Board members.
Respectfully,
Donna Cunningham
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Dear Editor,
As a long time citizen of Hamblen County and a patient at Lakeway Regional Hospital several times over the last couple of years, I would like to say that the quality of care that I have received has been second to none.
I would like to ask that Community Health Systems Proposal to MHHS be highly considered.
I do not have any information as to what an agreement with Covenant Health would bring to this community, but I have all the facts as to what CHS can do for the healthcare of our citizens and the positive impact that it could make in our community.
I don’t think any of us would buy a house that we could not see the inside of and I don’t think this county should enter into an agreement with Covenant Health Systems that is not public knowledge.
P. Trent
Dear Editor,
As a taxpayer and resident of Hamblen County I feel it is of utmost importance that I write. MHHS has always in the past named itself the Community’s Hospital. Therefore, I was much more concerned after reading the article concerning a proposed merger that lacked detail of the transaction.
I read with great interest the ad that ran in Sunday’s paper with the letter from the Administrator of Lakeway Regional Hospital and was surprised to learn that Morristown-Hamblen Hospital is moving forward with a sale of the hospital without even considering all of the proposals and options. First of all, I applaud her for calling this issue out. Second, I totally agree with her.
As a lifelong resident of this community, I’m appalled and dismayed that MHHS would seek to make such an important decision without full consideration of all the options placed before them. We, the people of this town, deserve to know the details of the Covenant proposal and carefully weigh them against CHS’s proposal!
Sincerely,
Michael Everidge
Hamblen County, Tennessee
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February 26, 2010
To: Community Leaders
cc: Morristown and Hamblen County community
I have been an employee of CHS since 1993, the year they purchased Lakeway Regional Hospital. CHS is a great company to work for and even though they are “for profit” I can honestly say that we do not turn anyone away from being treated.
I am also a tax payer of Hamblen County and it concerns me that MHHS will not even consider listening to CHS’s proposal. I feel this would not only benefit the Healthcare in our community, but also benefit the community as a whole.
I believe that the Board of MHHS, and the leaders of Morristown and Hamblen County need to listen to all options presented to them before any decision is made.
This is the future of our community and it is important.
Sincerely:
Pam Kimbrough
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Dear Editor
I read with great interest the ad that ran in Sunday’s paper with the letter from the CEO of Lakeway Regional Hospital and was surprised to learn that MHHS is moving forward with a sale of the hospital without even considering all of the proposals and options. First of all, I applaud her for calling this issue out. Second, I couldn’t agree more.
As a lifelong resident of this community, I’m appalled that MHHS would seek to make such an important decision without full consideration of all the options on the table. We, the people of this town, deserve to know the details of the Covenant proposal and carefully weigh them against CHS’s proposal!
Sincerely,
Charles D. Robinson
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Letter to the Editor:
Dear editor,
I read with great interest the ad that ran in Last Sunday’s paper with the letter from the CEO of Lakeway Regional Hospital. I was surprised to learn that MHHS is moving forward with the sale of their hospital without even considering all the proposals and options presented to them. First of all, I thank her for calling this issue out and second, I couldn’t agree more.
As a lifelong resident and tax payer of this community, it upsets me that MHHS would seek to make such an important decision without full consideration of all the options on the table. I feel that we the people of this community deserve to know the details that Covenant has proposed and carefully weight them against CHS’s proposal.
Sincerely,
Tim Kimbrough
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Dear Editor,
First, as an employee of Lakeway Regional Hospital and former employee of MHHS, I want to say that both facilities provide excellent patient care. The issue at hand is not about quality patient care but is about what is the best interest for our community. It is concerning to me that a decision as important as the one MHHS Board of Directors is about to make has not been made public to the community. As a resident of this community, I want what is best for this community. In order to know that, I think the community deserves the right to know in detail the offer being made to the Board of Directors at MHHS by Covenant and let the community compare that to the offer being made by Community Health Systems.
Steve Thayer
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As a concerned taxpayer and mother of school aged children, I have never been more disappointed in my elected officials that they are NOT applying enough pressure to those who have the power to determine whether or not ALL of our children are going to be able to reap the benefits of millions of tax dollars. I challenge all voting citizens to question their elected officials on why they are allowing a few people make such a valuable decision….and not allowing the citizens to have their voices heard.
Concerned Citizen
of District 13
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