Q: What are the A,B,Cs of the new Allen County Hospital project. There was something on the radio recently about them?
A: When quizzing members of the Hospital Facilities Commission after they had recommended replacing the hospital, they were asked to list the three basic reasons to build a new hospital that every voter could understand and appreciate. Their answer to that question produced the ABCs of a new Allen County Hospital.
“A” stands for “Access” — Access to a modern hospital in our county is essential to keep the jobs we have now and to bring in new jobs because every large employer wants an up-to-date hospital in town;
“B” stands for “Bargain” — Bargain financing is available since most project bond repayment money comes from hospital profits or from special funding for capital improvements to critical access hospitals — the sales tax piece which shoppers in the county pay is a small part of the overall funding and at 1⁄4 cent additional tax for a household with $10,000 in annual purchases in the county, the additional tax would only be $25 a year — a bargain;
“C” stands for “Costs” — Costs for construction and interest are at historic lows making this a good time to build and finance a new hospital, and costs to remodel the old hospital are more than replacing it
There you have the ABCs. It’s essential for jobs to have access to a hospital; the proposal before the voters is a bargain; and costs are at historic lows.
Yes! Allen County Healthcare
