Saint Louise Hospital’s announced plans to venture back into
Morgan Hill, at its old hospital site, and sink millions into
renovating the facility and adding health care options, makes
economic sense. But make no mistake, the territory is still
hostile.
Saint Louise Hospital’s announced plans to venture back into Morgan Hill, at its old hospital site, and sink millions into renovating the facility and adding health care options, makes economic sense. But make no mistake, the territory is still hostile.
The most ardent supporters of the Morgan Hill hospital building effort were crushed when the Catholic-affiliated hospital owners shunned Morgan Hill to move into the larger Gilroy hospital facility in a consolidation move. That move, nearly a decade ago, still stings.
The truth is, however, that given the current health care climate the plans to expand services available in the Daughters of Charity facility just east of Cochrane Road make sense. For example, if a cardiac care facility existed in Morgan Hill, many patients in the region could pass on making trips to San Jose. If an urgent care facility were opened, the choice for Morgan Hill residents would be clear.
It’s not a surprise to us that many Morgan Hill residents opt to go north to San Jose for health care. And in the health care industry today, the competition is keen for dollars. It’s all about stopping the leakage.
For the region, expanding and renovating the Morgan Hill facility to compliment what’s available at the full-service hospital in Gilroy make absolute sense. Whether the hospital will be able to raise the capital funding necessary for the plans via community donations is another matter altogether.
We hope it is so, and it will be key to enlist supporters who financially backed the hospital in Morgan Hill from the beginning. Farmer and entrepreneur George Chiala is already on board, and the more the merrier in this case.
Hopefully, too, Gilroyans will see the wisdom in this. In the complex world of health care, complimentary facilities, which provide a home for more doctors to locate in the area and thus more special services, bolster the region economically and improve the quality of life.
Supporting Saint Louise’s plans in the region, whether it be the hospital in Gilroy or the improved medical facility in Morgan Hill, could mean the difference between having those facilities available to us all in the future, or shuttering them both.
It’s understandable that Morgan Hillites feel rejected and that Gilroyans, who think they’ve won the battle for the hospital, don’t need to support a renovated facility in our northern neighbor. But, considering the alternative – no hospital at all – it’s best to put the past behind us.
