Voters will decide Nov. 2 on whether to increase a countywide sales tax by 1⁄4 of a cent to go toward a new Allen County Hospital.
Members of the Allen County Healthcare Committee address questions about the issue.
Question #3
Q: Again, why do we need a new hospital?
A: As we learned last week, the current facility is near the end of its useful life. Some of its systems have reached or exceeded their life expectancy. If a boiler or other major component fails, it would trigger a large expense. And because renovation is estimated to be more expensive than building new, putting more money in the old building is not practical. The most cost effective solution is to build a hospital at a new location before we have a breakdown triggering expensive repairs.
At this time, construction and interest costs are at historic lows. Allen County Hospital has been consistently profitable in recent years and experts are confident most of the money needed to pay off a bond issue for the project would come from its revenues, particularly since it is a critical access hospital.
Finally, experts say that the market and population of Allen County are more than adequate to support a new 25-bed facility. Most of our neighboring hospitals have already finished projects. Now is a good time to replace our hospital.
If you agree with us and would like to help our voter information effort with your time or your money we can use both. We expect it to take several hundred volunteers to get the word out with only a few short weeks before the election. Volunteer names or contributions may be sent to “Yes Allen County Healthcare,” at A.C.B., Inc, 16 W. Jackson, Iola, KS 66749 or left at the Moran, Humboldt or Iola branches of Emprise Bank where we have our checking account.
Yes! Allen County Health Care
