Hospital Bailout
REVISITED
There were comments/posts on the
It’s quite difficult to call factual
content gossip.
It’s even harder to call what is labeled
as fictional, gossip.
With that reasoning any fictional story
ever written could be labeled as “gossip”. Literary works such as ‘Gone with the Wind” –
Gossip! Orwell’s “Animal Farm” or “1984” is nothing but gossip! Longfellow’s
poetry: Gossip!
The blog comment indicates that some are unable to
comprehend “an Editorial”
ed·i·to·ri·al (d-tôr-l, -tr-)
n.
1. An article in a publication expressing the opinion
of its editors or publishers.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/editorial
We present the editorial here again, for your
perusal, with remarks to separate the fiction or opinion from the facts.
$30,000.00 TRUTH! FACT! --- BAILOUT? - SPECULATION!
an Editorial TRUTH! FACT!!
The Town Board
of Buffalo voted to spend up to $30,000.00 to remodel the rear of
The hospital
property is owned by
The hospital is
a Domestic, Not For Profit Corporation founded in 1962 run by a Board of
Directors. TRUTH! FACT!
The Hospital
Board consists of persons appointed and entrusted to decide what is in the best
interest of the hospital. TRUTH!
FACT!
An organization
that is established as a not-for-profit does not have owners in the
conventional sense. The organization typically has a Board of Directors. The
organization may in fact make money in any number of ways. A not for profit
does indeed make money. It has to make money in order to pay bills and
salaries, cover expenses and overhead, pay utilities, etc. However, by law, all
of it's 'earnings" are employed (or spent) to further the not for profit’s
goals. No dividends are paid and stock is not traded. A not for profit, such as
the Harper County Community Hospital, must be profitable to cover expenses,
make payroll, pay utilities, purchase new office furniture, and hire new
doctors, or it would cease to exist. TRUTH! FACT!
In the following
scenario, simply substitute the story-teller for the
Let’s play
Doctor…
I own a private
company. TRUTH! FACT! My company conducts business in
A contract is
drawn up. TRUTH! FACT! After
signing the contract to complete the deal I realize that I can’t fulfill the
contract as it is written. TRUTH!
FACT! AS STATED BY THE HOSPITAL CFO If I buy a building I’m in a bad
position. TRUTH! FACT! If I own this building or clinic, it
will drastically have an effect on my public funding. TRUTH! FACT! AS STATED
BY THE HOSPITAL CFO Problem
is, I signed the contract and am obligated to fulfill my part of the contract. TRUTH! FACT! Whew! Am I in a
bind?! TRUTH! FACT!
I toss around the different options presented to me. TRUTH! FACT!
OPTION
#1 – A private investor.
I was approached
by a man and his wife who offered to build a brand new, first class, health
care facility(clinic) and they would build it to suit
our needs. TRUTH! FACT! It was to be built on prime
OPTION #2 – Go
to my owning company’s Board of Directors and ask for the money.
I’m not a dumb
guy SPECULATION and I know that if I go to my owner's
board they’ll chastise me for signing a contract that ultimately would cost me
substantially in public funding if I were to build or own a clinic. FICTION I also believe they will say no and not provide the funding
for me to procure the health care facility I have contracted to provide. This
is a real dilemma. FICTION
OPTION #3 –
Plead my case with the Town Board of Buffalo. PLEAD MAY BE A FICTIONAL TERM, ‘PRESENT’ IS PROBABLY A BETTER
TERM - TRUTH! FACT! THE HOSPITAL DID
INDEED PRESENT THEIR CASE TO THE TOWN BOARD
Now there’s a
plan! I’ll go plead my case to the Town Board, after all, they aren’t as wise
as my owners Board and they don’t ask many questions. TRUTH! FACT! THE TOWN
BOARD ASKED VERY, VERY FEW QUESTIONS The Town employs an economic development
director who I’m pretty sure I can convince to do all the leg-work on this
whole thing and act as my intermediary, my lobbyist of sorts. SPECULATION BUT AS IT TURNED OUT - TRUTH!
FACT! I think I can put
together a deal and make it very, very financially feasible without costing me
much if anything. SPECULATION
BUT AS IT TURNED OUT - TRUTH! FACT! I’ll most likely be able
to convince them that they should give us very, very low, below market level
terms in a lease and… SPECULATION
BUT AS IT TURNED OUT - TRUTH! FACT! we’ll be able to celebrate all the way to the
bank! UNSUBSTANTIATED FICTION
What a concept!
Off I go to the economic development director’s office with my plan. SPECULATION "This is good for
It’s decided.
I’ve evaluated all my options – To the Town Board I go! SPECULATION BUT AS IT TURNED OUT - TRUTH!
FACT!
Now I need to
convince the Town Board. Never mind. That’s a done deal too. My lobbyist is
performing for me overtime. I just have to work out the details. SPECULATION, WE DON’T KNOW IF HE WORKED
OVERTIME - AS IT TURNED OUT THE BOARD WAS CONVINCED TO SPEND THE MONEY AND THE
DETAILS WERE WORKED OUT AT A LATER DATE
I meet with the
Town Board at the first Wednesday of the month meeting. I outline my needs.
Very basic information is presented. I need a clinic, you need a doctor. SPECULATION BUT AS IT TURNED OUT - TRUTH!
FACT! Somewhere we have to get together on this.
The Town Board laughed at me! I’m reminded by the Board that they aren’t in the
business of BAILING anyone, let alone me, out. It’s my deal, my contract and my
problem. I’ll have to deal with it. SORRY! I’m turned down. I’m distraught. I’m
devastated. ABSOLUTE
UNADULTERATED FICTION
My alarm clock
rings and I awake from my deep sleep only to realize that it was all a dream. ABSOLUTE UNADULTERATED FICTION
The Town didn’t
say no after all! TRUTH!
FACT!!
The Town of
Get the point?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hospital
administration is to be commended for conducting an enticing ploy in convincing
the Town of
Consider:
A few buildings
were looked at in and around
Galaxy Holdings
Trust, owner of the old Elementary School offered FREE building lots, which are
part of the 3.6 acres to the Town for the sole purpose of building a new
clinic. The lots were surveyed and marked. The Town notified them that they
prefer the clinic to be on Hoy -
The idea of
remodeling city hall was brought up and decided upon without ever bringing it
to the voters of
When the Town
decided to begin their own trash collection services there was a Town Meeting
held at the fairgrounds to help decide the issue. TRASH – we’re talking
GARBAGE! The Town Board had the people in mind when they decided to meet with
them – over TRASH. TRUTH!
FACT!!
BUT when it
comes to spending 30,000 of your tax dollars on something substantially more
important than TRASH and GARBAGE they don’t even let you, the citizen voters
and taxpayers know anything about it. TRUTH! FACT!! Where was the Town meeting at the
fairgrounds? Did we all miss the meeting or were we duped? SPECULATIVE QUESTION WITH A TRUTH! FACT! ANSWER – WE WERE DUPED (DUPED BEING AN OPINION)
When the Town
Board was considering reestablishing a police department within the Town, there
was a Town Meeting held at the theater to get the public’s input and ideas in
assisting them with their decision. TRUTH! FACT!! Where was the Town Meeting to help decide
using taxpayer’s money for, essentially, a private BAILOUT? I don’t recall a
notice of any Town Meeting at the theater about the proposed private bailout. TRUTH! FACT!! THERE NEVER WAS ONE AND AT LEAST TWO TOWN
BOARD TRUSTEES HAVE ADMITTED THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE NOT TO INCLUDE THE TOWN IN
THE DECISION
If the hospital
is owned by the County, shouldn’t the County be the one BAILING out the
hospital? SPECULATIVE QUESTION.
INSIDE
Was
There are other
private, not-for-profit corporations within
*A reader has
presented Inside Buffalo with extremely accurate local data,
therefore, this figure has been edited based on said data relative to