May 10, 2016 meeting

 

Dan Hunt, chairman of the Memorial Community Hospital & Health System Board of Directors and a Rotarian, talked about recent negative publicity regarding the hospital. MCH&HS, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, had its annual meeting April 26.

 

Hunt said that MCH&HS is doing well financially. It reduced its debt by $1.7 million last year. 

 

"The fact is, the Blair hospital is probably the healthiest rural hospital in Nebraska," Hunt said.

 

He explained that some of the negative publicity is about the health care industry in general, but not necessarily specifically about the hospital. For example, the cost of prescription drugs keeps climbing, and health insurance has become too complex for many patients to understand. 

 

"Our customers are now to the point they can't afford their health care," he said.