Mikel's Thoughts by Mike Virdell

For the past eight years, Coach, my most loyal friend, and many times my only friend, has been with me every day. Everyday here at the office. Everyday at home. Two old guys with bad habits and very predictable in our daily habits. He was in every family picture, and he went to Colorado with the family in December. He was the best listener there ever could be. He was bored with the subjects of bridges and highways, but looked puzzled in my frustrations about the hospital. My friends were his friends. He feared nothing. I will miss him forever.

My frustration of writing about the mystery of the hospital moving to Marble Falls now has come to the forefront due to you. Llano County Commissioners are now getting involved, due to you. Inquires will happen this week. The trust of the Llano Memorial Hospital Board, now at zero, will only fall. The secrets of the few will be revealed soon. I am not at liberty to name names, but maybe as soon as next week will I be able to tell you the progress of what is happening.

At the “mixer” last Thursday evening at the Tejas, I spoke with Hospital Administrator Kevin Leeper. Leeper bent my ear for at least 15 minutes. Then I told him he sounded exactly like Ernie Parrisi from 6 six years ago. Same arguments. Same “sky is falling” slant. Parisi told me in 2000 that the hospital would be closed here in Llano in two years if we did not build a new hospital immediately.

Leeper used these numbers with a little prodding from me. In Leeper’s article to the Llano Buzz last week, you would think that I am the one calling for the sky to be falling. Yet Leeper said maybe 30 people would be affected immediately when the Hospital moved. Then he admitted when I said that attrition…people that have to be replaced for whatever reason..retirement…move out of the area…whatever…is around 15% OF THE 300 PLUS EMPLOYEES. That means another 40 people would be hired . Not out of Llano, but out of Marble Falls. In three years of operations at the new hospital, over 100 less would be in Llano than there are now.

Leeper told me I did not understand business, or the business of the hospital. In my opinion Leeper and his group do not understand the devastating effect this will have on our City of Llano. Leeper said we could work together. I told him it was too late. The lies and reasons for the hospital in Marble Falls along with the secrets have doomed this project. When put against the will of the people in the City of Llano, he would not prevail.

Llano County’s Bill Jennings and Jodi Babcock are the two members of the Hospital Board that have fought against the move of the Hospital out of Llano County from the very beginning. They are tired, and they have been ignored. I asked Leeper “where would the Hospital Board be today” had there been two more members like Jennings and Babcock on the Board “from the City of Llano”. Not doctors! My opinion is that since not one of the regular members on the Hospital Board are from the City of Llano, the deck is stacked. Leeper disagreed, but has no answer from how this would look had the Board been more representative of our interest.

The attrition of Hospital personal from Llano will devastate this community. I told Leeper there would be no compromising. Well over 100 of Llano County citizens have contacted me about this move over the past two months. What can you do? Call your Llano County Commissioner. Please. Your voice will be listened to.
Every Llano County Commissioner is now listening. Do not miss the opportunity to help in this very serious matter.

This week is early voting for the City of Llano elections. Without a doubt, this is the most important City election we have had in a decade. The City of Llano is at a crossroads. It is up to you to decide which path we take.