WMC Board President Wyatt: A Mayo takeover of the hospital would be "the best thing that could happen"

Winneshiek Medical Center Board of Trustees President Ben Wyatt has told the Decorah Journal that he believes a takeover of the hospital by Mayo Clinic Health Systems would be "the best thing that could happen for the community."

In an interview with the Decorah Journal's Laura Goetzinger, Wyatt said having two comp[eting health systems in Decorah is raising health care costs, especially in the case of MRI services: "What that means to the community is higher health care costs....The duplication is raising health care costs because everybody has to pay for their own machine."

Wyatt noted that a Mayo takeover of the hospital would require a public referendum.  But he concluded that if such a takeover were approved by the public, "It would keep (the hospital) healthy and viable."

For the complete text of the Decorah Journal article, log onto the Decorah Newspapers website at: http://www.decorahnewspapers.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=13&ArticleID=27911