Mikel's Thoughts by Mike Virdell

The Marble Falls City Council has decided that they will allow Llano Memorial to build an 80-bed hospital close to their City limits. Marble Falls will not participate.

Seton’s release of a letter last week that had been sent to the Marble Falls City Council in March of this year was the result of a major employer in Burnet County and the provider of most health care services getting fed up with being treated like a villain. Seton had made Marble Falls an offer that included a hospital, but on a different timetable. Seton’s timetable was based on facts and figures that were realistic, mostly coming from experience. And that timetable had nothing to do with a timetable that reflected that of aggressive developers. Seton’s timetable was based on need.

Llano Memorial’s Board of Directors rush to build is based on getting one by the citizens of Llano County. Llano Memorial’s Board’s hidden agenda and secrete meetings has nothing to do with health care. It has only to do with money.

And speaking of money. I will not address the many flaws in Michael Dickey’s or Sam Martin’s “War and Peace” manuscripts from last week’s newspapers. Except for one point. Dickey argues that there is no such thing as a “certificate” or license to do business as a hospital any longer. Might be a good thing for Llano Memorial, as it is my understanding is they no longer are an accredited hospital. But, I will address that issue with documentation another day. Let’s just say Dickey is correct. Lake of the Hills does not need that certificate to do business. Lake of the Hills does not need Llano’s billing number to bill out Medicare. Let’s give “them” that point. Then what does Lake of the Hills need from Llano? Answer is pretty simple isn’t it? I was trying to make this difficult. It is simple. Money. Your money. Llano Memorial was built as a County Hospital.
Dickey, and Martin, and Don Adams, and Wayne Anderson, and David Hoerster, and Bill Jennings just want your money. Remember, this is a County Hospital. Not according to the above names described. Just by you and I. Citizens in Llano County built Llano Memorial Hospital. Not Marble Falls. Llano County citizens, not Sam Martin, have supported Llano Memorial. When Llano Memorial Hospital experienced horrible mismanagement in 2000, The City of Llano wrote out the check. Not the County of Llano. F.M. Reagor (Moore Estate Executor) wrote out the check. Not Don Adams. The people that have really cared about Llano Memorial without the issue of reward, were there when it counted. None of the above names did one thing. Oh, yes, the doctors did wave a $50,000 fee for a short period of time, but Henry Buttery made sure it was made good.

This week, Llano may see one of the most remarkable events to ever take place in this County. It is premature to say anything at this moment, but if it does, you can go back to believing in miracles. And a miracle is what Llano County needs now. For the stealing of our health care services out of this county, and the taking of jobs from this hospital could never have been expected. The simple reason being we trusted our Hospital Board to do the right thing. We now know better.

I must thank the many of your for your help to write or call your Commissioners. Many of you have, although some have reported that one Commissioner does not return phone calls. Our disappointment is that we expected to be able to trust these people. We now know better.