Greenville-based University Health Systems of Eastern North Carolina has told the Dare County Commissioners they need an additional $200,000 per year in order to keep both health care clinics on Hatteras Island up and running. In the past, the county has been assisting with the center's operational costs to the tune of $100,000 per year. The clinics are located in Avon and Hatteras (see below for details), with the Hatteras location likely to be closed if Dare doesn't come up with additional monies.
The board of commissioners voted this month to continue paying the usual $100,000 per year, and let the chips fall where they may. Board chairman, Warren Judge reportedly said, "the county is committed to providing “good and dependable” health care to islanders." However, county manager Bobby Outten said, "there's no knight in white” on the horizon to help bail Dare County out of the problem. Outten said Dare County simply doesn't have the extra money to spend.
EyeonDare would like to question Chairman Judge and Mr. Outten. "Why does Dare County continue to allow University Health Systems, or their designee, to operate the Dare County Dialysis Center in Manteo rent free?"
This for-profit center, located at 115 Exeter Street in Manteo (behind Chesley Mall) was built by Dare County and leased to University Health Systems in 1999, under the pretense they would begin paying rent at such time they showed a profit. A county official recently told EyeonDare that rent has been paid for only one year since that time. Furthermore, the county has just recently started requiring University Health to submit quarterly financial statements to show how well the facililty is doing (after ten years, no less).
EyeonDare would like to know, "How has Dare County ever known if they've been making a profit or not?" Is this another case of our county commissioners dropping the ball and costing the taxpayers of Dare County unnecessary expense? Dare taxpayers even pay some of the utilities and all of the upkeep on the county owned building.
Isn't it time Dare County started holding University Health Systems to the fire? We need their medical services badly; but we don't need to be shafted with paper losses as an excuse to wring more money out of the county.
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Healtheast Family Care Hatteras, 57635 Hwy 12, Hatteras, NC 27943. (252) 986-2756 Comprehensive medical care for children and adults.. Emergency care with 24- hour on-call coverage. Specialties include Family Medicine and Internal Medicine. Hatteras Village.
HealthEast Family Care Avon: Hwy. 12, Avon on Hatteras Island. This facility offers family medicine by appointment only and a 24 hour physician on call. (252) 986-2756.
"Blogging the Bog of Outer Banks Politics"
14 comments:
Outten says there isn't any extra money to spend? Maybe they should have put the extra lunch money into the Health Care System, instead of where their mouth is!
There seems to be plenty of money for Dare County's "county initiatives" - special pet projects for some of the elected officials. What is the postion of the elected official from Hatteras Island? The Hatteras office serves not only the lower villages on Hatteras Island, but also Hyde County. Where is Hyde County in this equation?
Come on guys someone needs to stand up and grab this "bull" by its horns.
Close Hatteras Medical. It is the oldest of the two facilities. It serves the smallest demographic and is at the far end of the county> If a patient needs emergency care they are heading to the hospital in Nags head or out of county by helicopter anyway, so if the ambulance needs to stop somewhere they are better off heading towards the hospital and stopping in Avon, rather then going further south and then heading north. The only reason Hatteras is still open in Dr. Hodges insists on it.
Why are our tax payers funding these facilities anyway? There is another facility on Hatteras in Frisco. Hatteras Island family medicine. They do not recieve funding from Dare County and it is run by Alex Hodges, Dr. Hodges wife.
Do we fund Johnny Farrows office? The urgent care in Nags Head, Regional Medical. NO. So why do we continue to pay our tax dollars to fund the southern clinics?
During the one storm we had this year that caused an evacuation of tourists and the folks in South Nags Head, the Doctors at the South clinics left the island. They were not here to provide services even if we needed them.
We have funded these clinics too long. Stop funding them all together. That is what you have a EMS system for. EMS takes all but a few patients to the hospital in Nags head or fly's out the worst patients anyway, and the doctors usually won't come in after hours unless it is one of their local patients anyway.
Stop throwing good money after bad.
Everyone knows the dog park in Kitty Hawk is more important than medical care in Hatteras Village. How about the health dept in the new county annex building in Frisco, they can draw blood and give flu shots, maybe they could do more.
Sounds like extortion to me. UHS wants another $200,000 or they will take their ball and go home.
And just for the record, the park in Kitty Hawk is a PEOPLE park, not a dog park. If it is a dog park, why is a skateboard facility part of the plan? Dogs don't skateboard. And the project is funded with non-Dare County grant money. It cannot be used to fund anything else.
Getting off the subject here; but the Dare boc of commissioners have snookered you and anyone else who thinks the Kitty Hawk park isn't costing taxpayers money. They snookered everyone into believing current expenditures are coming from a $500,000 state grant; when in fact, the $500,000 state grant was applied for and approved as one-half reimbursement on the $1.2 million purchase of the land. The county got the money late, so you paid the full $1.2 million and the county now carries the $500,000 on the books as a "state grant". The absolute fact is it has already been spent. The $500,000 is actually taxpayer money. Again, Judge continually lies and misleads when he talks about this.
Why would the county pay money for a FOR PROFIT agency to make money. That is just plain crazy. If they do not fund other FOR PROFIT businesses then they should not fund the medical centers.
People make a choice to live in Hatteras. They get a great quality of life, beautiful beaches and great neighbors. They choose to trade shopping malls and hospital quality medical care to live in an amazing rural location.
STOP FUNDING FOR PROFIT BUSINESS.
In response to anonymous's idea to close the Hatteras medical center because people are going to head to Nags Head or fly out anyway. Think about the lives that have been saved at the Hatteras medical center from things like heart attacks which need prompt medical attemtion which does not happen an hour away at OBH or 30 min flight to Norfolk. Closing the Hatteras medical center will eventually cost someone their life
To Anonymous
Lives may have in the past been saved at Hatteras Medical center, but times have changed. If you saw the presentation that the Dare county Doctor made to the Commissioners, she informed them that Dare County EMTs are following State guidelines and flying patients with heart attacks, strokes, and trauma to facilities that can better treat them. She said that these patients are better treated where they can do procedures like heart sents etc, which cannot be done at the hospital and certainly cannot be done at the clinics. I did a google search and the most recent information from the heart association says that the average heart attach sufferer waits 4+ hours before seeking help, and are better served going to what is called a heart cath facility. The only exception is someone with specific reasons that they cannot go to one of the procedures or are outside of a certain time line. Then these people go for a medication do dissolve the blockage, but after that they still have to be observed in a hospital that can provide cardiac services, again not our hospital and not a clinic. So, if a person waits an average of 4 hours and if they are one of the ones that needs a medication instead of a procedure why can't they wait another 5-10 minutes to get to a clinic in Avon instead of Hatteras?
For 200,000.00 They certainly can get the care they need at a clinic in Avon instead of Hatteras. They are ultimately going to be sent out of county to a hospital that can handle them anyway.
People who live on the North Beaches don't have a clinic in every village or town and certainly not two 10 miles apart.
Maybe if they shut Hatteras medical they can expand the hours at Avon since they will have the same number of staff?
Why are our tax dollars subsidizing a for profit business anyway? Following that logic my business could use a handout too.
200,000.00 would put more EMTs out there or maybe help replace the helicopter or subsidize bringing another one here.
If you want great health care live in a major city near a major hospital, if you are willing to trade that for beautiful part of the state with a small town feel....live in Hatteras.
From reading these comments, it seems obvious that some are from businesses that are not making it on their own and implants that do not know that the distance between Hatteras and Avon is the same as between Southern Shores and southern Nags Head and I believe that there are multiple doctor offices between these locations that people can choose to go to. As to saving lives, I know of two persons whose lives have been literally saved at the Hatteras Medical Center within the very recent past - and I have never known of a time that the doctors refused ANY medical emergency services. We choose to live on Hatteras Island, but perhaps we mistakenly believed that we were a part of Dare County also and that it was impossible to put a dollar value on a life.
According to map quest it is 16 miles between Hatteras Medical and Avon Medical between the two is Hatteras Family practice. The last anonymous poster might be correct in that between Southern Shores and South Nags Head there is regional/Beach medical, The Outer Banks Hospital, Urgent Care that I can think of that accept walk in / urgent care type of patients. So that is three just like in Hatteras. How many of these facilities get 100,000 a year to subsidize their facilities? Should we look at the number of facilities per capita? I am sure there are FAR more people between Southern Shores and South Nags Head, than between Hatteras and Avon.
To answer can you put a price on human life, of course not. However in tough fiscal times decisions must be made. Maybe one solution is to pay the Doctors in Hatteras per call in. In other words if they are called in to accept a patient after hours they get paid X as a stipend. I will be willing to bet that it is far less than 100,000 a year. I am supportive of the commissioners decision to not pay an additional 200,000. For that kind of Money University Health Systems should be able to put one of their helicopters here which would provide virtually the same services available at the clinics with the benefit of fast transport.
As to the doctors not willing to come in, I have seen that first hand. I was with a group of folks that were in Avon and we called the after hours number for the clinic, spoke to the doctor on call and the first thing he asked is who we were, were we locals or tourists; which I don't see what that matters; and if we were one of his patients. When we answered the questions the doctors told us to drive up to the hospital in Nags Head and they would take care of us.
The one thing I cannot understand is why the commissioners are still paying UHS the 100,000.
I will bet if it were put to a vote the voters would feel differently about subsidizing a for profit company such as UHS.
It is not right to pay a for profit with taxpayer money. Why are we paying for emergency after hours coverage in the first place?
Every medical must provide emergency after hours care. The dentisits, eye doctors, the OB GYNs. No one in a for profit business gets a subsidy for providing after hours care. No medical professionals are paid by the county for that service.
That is just wrong to pay taxpayers money for a for profit medical business.
free money for MY business? Where do I sign up? Lets sign up Beach Medical Care, OBX Urgent Care, Surf Pediatrics, Dr. Holton and all the other medical providers too. They should all get some extra money too if we are giving it to Health East.
EOD WROTE: "Why does Dare County continue to allow University Health Systems, or their designee, to operate the Dare County Dialysis Center in Manteo rent free?"
EOD you should know that a few of the comish's are only in it for free vacations and expensive food. They dont want to do the work to serve the county. EOD thats why we have YOU. To let us know when they have gone too far. Four hundred dollar hotel rooms and vacations to Reno need to be told to the taxpayers.
By the way, who do I talk to so I can get some free office space too?
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