Recently, there have been inaccurate statements made about OhioHealth and the future of Morrow County Hospital. I’d like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
Morrow County Hospital is financially sound. We have never proposed closing the hospital or the emergency department and don’t plan to. What we did say was that if a time ever came where the hospital had to close, we would not let the people of Morrow County be without healthcare and would commit to building a healthcare facility in the county.
OhioHealth has been a proud part of the Morrow County community since we were chosen to manage Morrow County Hospital 36 years ago. Since then, we have worked arm-in-arm with the physicians, staff and first responders to provide the very best healthcare possible to the citizens of Morrow County and surrounding areas.
And even when there have been challenges, we’ve worked through them together. When the Board of Morrow County Hospital came to us in 2015 with concerns about our management contract, regardless of our belief that many of the concerns were unfounded, we worked collaboratively with the Board to foster an open dialogue to develop the best resolution for the community and patients of Morrow County Hospital.
Over the years, OhioHealth has made significant contributions in the hospital and community such as:
• providing access to OhioHealth’s Stroke Network, eICU and other telemedicine services.
• stabilizing the hospital financial situation by employing MCH physicians, taking them off of the hospital’s payroll and freeing up $2 million a year for the hospital to use in other ways.
• rotating specialists to the hospital in general surgery, cardiology, orthopedics, dermatology, urology, neurology, oncology, ENT, OB/GYN, etc., so patients don’t have to leave Morrow County for care.
• providing leadership to help navigate the volatile and uncertain healthcare environment and provide an educated and rational understanding of how to keep healthcare local for Morrow County.
We stand behind the proud staff and physicians at Morrow County Hospital and the patients who seek care here. We are proud to be part of this community and are committed to supporting Morrow County Hospital for years to come.
Cheryl Herbert
Sr. VP Regional Operations
OhioHealth
