Art Linkletter made a career out of interviewing children. He even wrote a book titled, “Kids Say the Darnedest Things.” He could have done a follow up on the ridiculous things some adults say.
I’ll never cease to be entertained by the silliness that adults can come up with. One of the most puzzling bits of silliness I’ve heard is that Tate County should not have bought the Senatobia Hospital. Allowing the hospital to close would have been disastrous.
We keep hearing that Tate County needs new industry to bring in new jobs. Closing would have meant Tate County losing 60 or so jobs. Instead of locking the doors and laying off a bunch of people, for $3 million the Board of Supervisors saved a local business. I spoke with Josh Hammons a couple of days ago. Total hospital employment is now closer to 100. In short, the supervisors bought a building and kept a growing business in Tate County.
Money spent at the hospital generally stays in Tate County. Much of that money goes to salaries for Tate County residents. That money buys groceries and pays bills for Tate County families. Closing and layoffs would mean 100 or so Tate County families with no income, no insurance, and in many cases no local option for similar employment. Thank goodness that didn’t happen.
When corporate heads start looking for new locations, one of the things on the checklist is health care for their employees. No hospital means little to no health care.
No hospital means your county just got bumped to the bottom of the list of potential sites. Keeping our hospital open means Tate County has a better chance of bringing in more businesses and more new jobs.
When people look for a place to relocate, they look for places with jobs and healthcare. If they have children, they look for good schools. A hospital can account for two of those things. Hospitals provide healthcare and hospitals generate jobs.
And let’s not forget the obvious benefit.
Closing would have meant a return to long rides to a hospital in case of an emergency. From Strayhorn to Baptist-Desoto is nearly an hour. That’s a long time for someone who’s bleeding or having trouble breathing. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather make a 20-minute trip to life-saving help in Senatobia than die 30 minutes away from a bigger hospital.
