Hospital Needs Fresh Leaders

To the editor:

The Mayor of La Grange and our County Judge have encouraged the St. Mark’s Hospital Board to try just one last affiliation to aid their troubled operation, this time the “Progressive Health Group.” I recall advice that a failure in a complex system often has a single source; those seeking a fix should ask one question: “what single element is common to this entire system?” In the case of St Mark’s Hospital, it is not the facility, it is not the federal or the county governments, nor are two successive consulting firms to be blamed.

The common element of this entire multi-year problem is the Hospital Board of Directors. Bankruptcy or some such final dissolution is the tool for business cleansing when such a common element of failure is identified. A solid shut-down and restart would force proper assessment of the debt, equipment, facility and funding options and how it can all operate in our region’s current and future medical market.With this approach, our community and new leadership can plan and build a health care business tailored to the needs of Fayette County.