August 5, 2024 |
Photo – Memorial Hospital of Carbon County – Bigfoot99 file photo
Tomorrow, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners will decide if a taxpayer funded hospital district will be put on November’s general election ballot.
On June 18th, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Board of Trustees members Garry Goergen and Jerry Steele asked for a hospital district to be added to the 2024 ballot. Goergen said the medical facility needs more money. The board argues that a taxpayer funded healthcare district is the only way to keep the hospital open and funded.
Goergen said he believes that Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is the only critical care hospital in Wyoming without an additional funding source outside of seeing patients. The hospital board member reiterated that a healthcare district appears to be the only option left to properly fund the facility.
County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett presented the proposed hospital district map to the commissioners. Clerk Bartlett said if the hospital district passes, Rawlins, Sinclair, Hanna, and residents of the surrounding unincorporated areas will see their property taxes rise.
The Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Board of Trustees is proposing a 3-mill property tax levy on residents who live within the proposed hospital district. The board members said they expect the hospital district to bring in an additional $1.5 million to the cash-strapped facility. The money will primarily be used to maintain the nearly 50-year-old building.
The board of commissioners voted to hold a public meeting on August 6th to decide if the hospital district will be included on November’s general election ballot.
Since then, the hospital’s Director of Strategic Operations, Stephanie Hinkle, has begun a campaign to educate voters about the importance of the Rawlins hospital.
During the July 15th commissioners meeting, Hinkle presented statistics on the number of patients treated at Memorial Hospital in 2023.
Hinkle said of the 14,678 registered hospital patients in 2023, 88% of them were Carbon County residents. Eighty-four percent of the patients live in Rawlins. Saratoga residents made up 7.3% of all patients seen in 2023, with Sinclair, Hanna, and Encampment rounding out the top five.
At the July 15th commissioners meeting, Hinkle spoke about the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, or HCAHPS, scores. On the nationwide survey, Hinkle said patients scored Memorial Hospital at or above the state average.
The Wyoming Business Council Board of Directors is behind the effort. Board member Pam Thayer said the medical facility is essential to the economic growth of the county.
At the June 18th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Commissioner John Johnson said he plans to let the voters decide on the fate of the hospital district.
Despite the support of many county officials, not everyone is in favor of the hospital district. Some Carbon County residents, especially those in Hanna, question why their taxes should go up to support a hospital they may choose not to visit. For example, a recent construction accident in Hanna resulted in the victim being transported to Casper for treatment.
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners will hold a public hearing tomorrow morning to determine if the hospital district will be included on this year’s ballot. In a written statement to Bigfoot99, Commission Chairwoman Sue Jones advised the public to attend the hearing and voice their support or opposition to the measure. Chairwoman Jones wrote that the hospital district boundaries will be established during tomorrow’s meeting. If enough people want change, it can happen, wrote Jones.
The Carbon County Commissioners meeting begins tomorrow at 9:00am on the second floor of the Carbon Building, located at 215 West Buffalo Street in Rawlins. Chairwoman Jones said she expects the hospital district public hearing to begin around 11:00am.
