Ask Mr. WMC Answer Person: "What's new with the hospital board?"

(Several decorahnews.com readers have asked reporter Paul Scott for an update on the Winneshiek Medical Center Board of Trustees' actions.  Here is Paul's opinion piece):

Interesting changes seem underway with the hospital board.  The last few meetings have been reasonable and business-like.  There have been NO closed door meetings, so major issues have been discussed in public, including the hospital's relationships with Mayo Clinic Health Systems and with Gundersen Lutheran.

This is an important time for the hospital board, with some major decisions looming that will affect health care in Winneshiek County for years to come.  Hospital trustee Dr. David Gehling put it best last week when he said, "We don't want to make a decision that will be detrimental to the hospital and we don't want to make a decision that will be detrimental to the community."

So I would ask our readers for two favors in the next month:

1) Thank hospital board members for their service to our community.  Despite my criticism of their practice of meeting behind closed doors to avoid public input on serious issues, I realize being on the hospital board is a demanding volunteer job.  Board members deserve our thanks for their service.

2) Now that the hospital board apparently is more willing to listen to public comment, it's up to you to tell hospital board members what you'd like the board to do.  Do you support keeping Winneshiek Medical Center a community hospital, with access by both Mayo and Gundersen patients?  Or do you think it's time to put the hospital up for sale to the highest bidder and end the property tax subsidy?  Either way, it's up to you to contact hospital board members and express your opinion:

--Ben Wyatt of Decorah (Chair)
--Arlene Houlihan of Decorah (Vice Chair)
--Roger Huinker, Decorah
--Rick Burras, Decorah
--David Gehling, Decorah
--Clark Goltz, Ossian
--Sherry Gribble, Ft. Atkinson