To the editor,

I attended the city council meeting on Monday (Sept. 17) night and would like to make some comments on what I heard.

It was said by a Falls Memorial Association board member (Rainy Lake Medical Center hospital campus) that if integration between Essentia and the hospital board takes place, local control would be lost. In my opinion, there is no local control now; only control by 14 people, some of who want no transparency of any kind.

That word (transparency) was used last night by the CEO of RLMC hospital and it was borderline hypocrisy. This hospital board is as open as the CIA. There is never any news or comments from this group. I would like to be considered to be on this board. How do I get an application to at least be on a list of candidates? Are there by-laws that a person can obtain? Why can’t I go to a meeting? Talk about a lack of community control and total lack of transparency!

Mrs. (Susan) Congrave stated that we should not build a hospital just because it would be shiny and new. I feel we should build a state of the art, fully equipped facility that would attract doctors and actually be in the 21st century. To pump huge amount of money in a hospital that is slowly sliding into Rainy River while admittedly losing $800,000 a year is ridiculous.

Why are we wasting time in negotiating the future of health care in International Falls? We have just lost two doctors; I talked to them and one of the reasons they left is the fact that they were disheartened by the lack of common sense in not developing a one-campus health facility.

Let’s act now; the old thinking of local power and ownership philosophy must make way for integration that will lead to the most important aspect of this situation — the care and health of the patient.

I think the city council did the right thing and I know that most of the attendees would have liked to ask questions but it could have easily gotten out of hand as this is the most important and contentious issue that is confronting this town at this time. Find out who is on the board and contact them.

Come on hospital board, lose the attitude and wake up and smell the future.

 

 

Sam Iverson

International Falls, MN