LAST WEEK'S MEDICAL CENTER MEETING

Last week, I, along with 50 or so others, took part in a Town Hall meeting regarding the Ripon Medical Center and its plans to build a new hospital in the Business Park along Highway 44. I was impressed with the turnout and the feedback RMC received from the crowd. I am sure the newspaper will have extensive coverage, but here were my observations:

1 - The groundbreaking for the new hospital will likely take place in 2010, not this spring as originally planned. The rough economy has made the fundraising environment a little bit difficult to say the least
2 - Most of the people at the meeting said they were looking for more collaboration between RMC and the other providers (Affinity, Aurora, etc) in the community. With Agnesian HealthCare looking to build a clinic in Ripon, that collaboration may become even more of an issue.
3 - Another issue that was discussed extensively was the long-term financial health of the facility. New CEO Jim Tavary assured the crowd, and had the facts to back his argument, that RMC is profitable and is heavily-used, despite some rumors to the contrary
4 - Other issues that were discussed included making the new hospital "green" and improving security, and making area residents more knowledgable of what services are offered at RMC.

Overall, I thought it was a very good night for the free flow of ideas. I hope RMC does these town hall meetings on a more regular basis in the future, as the new facility is in the process of being planned and built.