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highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

Dave - Its not illegal. Regs have always said that a patient is to be taken to the most appropriate level of care. EMS can by-pass any ER they want in favor of another based on perceived need. Also I would encourage you to read the board minutes from this period where it was discussed at length the fact that EMS chose to by-pass TMH and taking them over would help stop that.

Also, George Rohrich fired Tom Soos from the EMS Manager position. Why does he have so much confidence in him now? The assessment won't change the fact that the EMS service should stay with TMH and Tom and Tom feel that is where it should stay and no assessment will convince them that the County or the FD should take it over. And since the County owns the hospital why would they take over EMS to keep the hospital from losing a $100,000 just so the County can lose twice that much?

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

Most of those transfers result in an ER visit which brings money into the hospital. Most of those visits result in an x-ray, ct, or labs which brings money into the hospital. Many of those visits result in the hospital having a patient spend the night which brings money into the hospital.

Before the hospital took over the EMS services it was run by an EMS manager that didn't care to bring patients to TMH. Randy Phelps saw the lost revenue from those patients going to YVMC and down to Junction rather than coming to TMH. That is why Randy was willing to take EMS on….not because it was a big money maker in itself, but because the County run EMS didn't like bringing patients to the County owned hospital.

EMS would make more money on each run if they took the patient to YVMC or GJ because of the distance. If you carve EMS back out of TMH, what is going to stop that EMS director from just taking patients to YVMC or GJ because they have a problem with the hospital? It will cost more for the county to run EMS if they pull it out from under the hospital's wing. Billing, accounting, budgeting, supplies, etc. will all cost the county more money.

A lot of services a healthcare providers does for the community loses money, but you continue providing them because you provide health care and EMS services are a component of that care. Take a page from histroy…..Randy Phelps knew that EMS was better served under the hospital because the money was leaving the County. The County and the Hospital would be smart to leave EMS with the hospital even if it does lose money.

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

Does anyone seriously, I mean seriously think Obama has done a worse job than George W.?

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

A couple of years at option one, numerous years at option two, and not enough years at option three.

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle

For those who need help visualizing it…..

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

Im not sure why I am doing this because if the average person can't understand why the kids standing in the middle of the stands is bad then they won't understand this……..

Its simple geometry….draw isosceles triangle on a piece of paper. If you are on left side (except way up high or way down low in the stands) of the triangle, you can only see just past the right of the point, if you are on the right side you can only see just past the left of the point (missing the entire red zone). The kids standing in the middle are the point. Anyone following me here? Its not that hard. If you make the kids stand on one end or the other (we really don't care) everyone sees. I don't know why this is so hard for either the kids or the school officials to grasp. Go to ANY school like Moffat County's size and that is what they do.

So to visualize the solution, draw a right angle triangle (kids are the point on the right angle side) and you will see that everyone can see. It isn't being jerky….its just common sense!!

Lastly, in response to the young man who posted a comment…..easily 90% of those congregating in middle aren't watching the game anyways….they are chatting and texting and not even paying attention. Sure they may yell when someone scores but I have heard dozens of kids start screaming and then ask…..”what just happened??”

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

While I agree that the way the Commissioners handled the change could have been handled better I would like to also bring to the Editorial Board's attention that 1) the CDP took it upon them self to call Bonaker before the Country Commissioners could do so and 2) the hospital board of directors has largely been a rubber-stamp board over the last five years.

Yes the current hospital administration has built a new hospital as have other administrators throughout colorado (Rangely, Rifle, etc), but has failed numerous times to be fair with employees regarding wages and benefits, treat employees and physicians with respect, and have sought outside recognition (i.e.spending thousands and thousands of dollars to try and win the Malcolm Baldridge award) while neglecting local needs.

Over the last five years the county has lost numerous local physicians, only to be replaced by random hospitalists (contract hospital based doctors), temporary ER doctors, and Midlevel providers. While access to new technology has been improved the hospital and the communicty continues to lose the personal touch that made this community hospital part of the community. The hospital board's lack of personal touch and their acceptance of administration's lack of accessability by staff and community is long over due.

Its time for the Board of Directors of The Memorial Hospital and the TMH administrative team to be accountable to the people who voted to give it millions of dollars to build a new hospital and spend their hard earned monies within the walls of that building.

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

Will a new stadium help the Bulldogs win more than two or three games a year? Or a new track make student athletes faster? Xbox, Nintendo, and a tradition of lack-luster performances and programs that focus on one or two players that never truly quite develop is what eats at our athletic programs.

What good is going to a Football game when no one has the common sense god gave a goose to make the student body stand (let them stand) at either one end of the bleachers or the other instead of right in the middle of the stands and block the view for hundreds of people from one direction or another when the game moves down into the red zone.

Very few seniors go out for sports in comparison to the other classes because of the BS they have to go through starting in Middle School. In the next few years it will only get worse as a couple of the coaches sons will rise through the ranks and get a lions share of the game time and the focus of the practice regardless of their talent level.

If you want a successful football program use the booster money to hire a new coaching staff instead of dumping money a new sports facility at the high school.

I've beat this dead horse a number of times and while I don't expect to saddle up the horse and go for a ride, I would think that 14 years of mediocricy is enough.

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

Thank you Missy for your years of service and your commitment to the community. The County Commission is correct in their principal to add new members to help refresh the board from time to time. The hospital benefited from Missy's experience and her dedication, but it will also benefit from Gary's knowledge, leadership, and ability to make decisions that are in the best interest of the hospital, its employees, and the community that uses the facility, as well as help hold hospital administration accountable to the Commissioners and the residents of NW Colorado.

highway1340 (Anonymous) says…

Ivers is a good tough nosed kid who plays hard, but you shouldn't blame him alone for MCHS lack of success. The team has for many years been one dimensional. In the next few years though it will probably get worse as both Hafey and Scranton have kids who will be coming up the ranks and playing high school ball. It is highly likely that 60% of the plays will involve their own sons while the rest of the team languishes in the dirt. Special interest has always been a part of high school athletic. Too many coaches focus their efforts on developing a player and not a team, creating a quarterback or a receiver and not developing an athlete, and hoping for a winning season and not creating a culture of champions where losing is not tolerated. Unfortunately MCHS has been in that rut for years.