Mikel's Thoughts by Mike Virdell

"Mike, I plan to start praying for you on a daily basis that God will change your bitterness toward the world. I am sorry you feel you must hurt people that have helped you in the past to gain attention for yourself. Your fellow Sunday School member. Barbara Stephenson."

I appreciate the words of support. But more important, it is what I believe in my heart that tells God about my soul.

I believe that when people come to our town, and have apathy about our most basic foundations, like our schools and hospitals, then you try to stop it. When bullies intimidate my friends at the hospital, it tells me of their cowardness and that their hearts are not pure. When people make up lies and my research discovers the lies, my conscious will not allow me to stay keep my mouth shut. I believe that if you always had integrity, then one lie is a mistake, and two lies is a pattern. I believe interpretations of data can be looked at in a million ways, and lying about non-existent data is an agenda. I believe that people that protect evilness are also evil. I believe that when our friends and family at the hospital are treated with disdain and contempt, because they speak out, I know there is evil. I know people that have lived in this town and made wonderful livings for themselves and their families and are still not satisfied with having enough, that they are at the very least, selfish and horribly shallow.

The lies are. #1. If Llano does not build a hospital in the Marble Falls area, someone else will. I decided to check that out. I have talked now with all three major regional hospitals in central Texas. As you know, none have any interest in Marble Falls. You see, major hospitals in our area are not afraid of competiton. They know that if they do a good job, they will continue to be very successful. Only the insecure worry about what their competion is doing. This is standard business sense.

#2. We are going to build a new hospital in Marble Falls to save Llano. The new hospital in Marble Falls will loose at least $50 million dollars in its first five years. The reality is it will be flat broke within two years of its opening. The new hospital will not do but one thing. It will guarantee that Llano Memorial Hospital will close. There will be no hospital. When Get Smart Adams says there will be services in Llano and “ a few beds”, my question is why. So the janitor can take a nap? All patients would be referred to the new hospital. Or many, as they do today, would request be sent elsewhere. Many would go to Marble Falls. But, Most will go the Hill Country Memorial in Fredericksburg, or they will go to Seton Highland Lakes.

#3. The hospital does not have a good facility. According to last reports issued by the hospital, it is in excellent shape. Inspections by many reveal it could use upgrades. According to Hospital CEO Leeper, millions have been spent over the past three years to upgrades. Now he wants you to believe it is falling down.
Again, this is about only one thing.

Trust. David Hoerster and the Hoerster “group” (Llano’s only group) asked you to trust them in last week’s paper. Many of the people in Llano County that have called and e-mailed me not only do not trust our board of directors, they do not trust many of our doctors, evidenced by only 20% of local health dollars been spent in Llano.

#4. A new hospital will attract new and diversified doctors. Buildings do not attract “tier one doctors”. Reputations attract top doctors. Ask St. David’s. Ask Scott & White. I have. A hospital is not a convenience store. You do not necessarily stop at the first one. You generally try to go to the best one if you have good health insurance, or if you can afford the best. The new hospital would have neither.

A hospital in Marble Falls will be a complete failure, and it will destroy Llano Memorial. The 160 plus employees that work directly out of Llano Memorial will not have a job. The spiral down of this risk is beyond calculations of how a few would be willing to risk so much. From lower school enrollments to fewer sales tax dollars in Llano. This move is foolish and ill planed. Trust is non-existent. It is time for a change, and it is time for a new board that cares only about health care in Llano County.

As you have followed this story, you now see that Llano County Judge R.G. Floyd has jumped on the Adams/Hoerster bandwagon. And with his complete disdain for the citizens of the City of Llano and the people that put their hearts and souls and cash into our Hospital from last weeks paper…R.G. is like the others..it is not hate…it is apathy. What a proud legacy he leaves behind as he leaves office.

And if these articles hurt people that have helped me in the past, so be it. I have no respect for people that are so shallow in their views that money rules their life. Go help someone else. Go…go to Marble Falls and build a hospital. But put your money where your mouth is. Build it out of your pocket. Not the hard working people of Llano to whom you have abandoned. It is easy to spend Llano County dollars. When I see Llano doctors and administrators bellying up to the bar to buy stock in the new hospital in Marble Falls, then I will admit wrong. But out of David Hoerster’s mouth came these words, and this is very close to word for word. ‘’ Llano Memorial has no risk. The loan will be a non-recourse loan. If the new facility goes belly-up, it’s the governments problem.” That should tell you much.