Hospital Service District board meets as tax vote approaches

At its last meeting before voters decide whether to levy a tax to rehabilitate Morgan City’s hospital building, the Hospital Service District No. 2 board heard more about what happened to the structure during Hurricane Francine.
Wednesday’s board meeting came three days before Saturday’s vote on a 9-mill property tax affecting residents of the district, which covers St. Mary from the Calumet Cut east. The $3.4 million a year the tax is expected to raise will go to fix up the building that houses Ochsner St. Mary, sealing it from the weather, and to upgrade the air conditioning system.
Some of the money will also be used for scholarships for local people seeking training in health care fields.
Jennifer Wise, Ochsner St. Mary’s RN administrative coordinator, told the board that the hospital was limited to emergency room visits and out-patient procedures from Sept. 12, the day after the hurricane made landfall, until Oct. 2.
That’s when the state Department of Health and Hospitals gave the go-ahead to reopen some rooms for in-patient care.
The problem was moisture in the walls after rainfall measured at 10 inches or more in a single day.
The work to dry the walls in some rooms is still underway, Wise said.
Barbara Carey, president of The Communication Institute, was hired to promote the tax proposition. She said the promotional efforts have included TV spots, social media and a website that has attracted more than 500 viewers.
The board also received a list of questions directed at the hospital from the community — some of which had a touch of skepticism – and answers compiled by Carey.
Among them: Why is the proposition on the Dec. 7 ballot instead of the Nov. 5 ballot, when “voters’ attention can be focused on the reasons for the proposition and its costs”?
The answer is that presidential elections tend to overwhelm voters; that it took time to determine what needs repair and how much it will cost; that the district has mounted an extensive public education campaign; and that district board meetings are open to the public.
Another question: Did Ochsner Health, which operates the hospital under lease with the district, initiate the proposition?
No was the answer. “The citizens of HSD2 own the hospital facility and are responsible for major repairs.”
And: Will the money raised go to enrich Ochsner Health System?
Again, the answer was no. “The money will go to HSD2 and through a written agreement with Ochsner Health System, it will be used for the purposes that are being stated. HSD2 is legally responsible for the funds.”
The district says the owner of an average-priced primary home in the district will pay $45 a year for the new tax.
A .pdf version of the complete list of questions and answers is available through a link on this story at StMaryNow.com.
Also Wednesday, Wise said Ochsner St. Mary’s Roux Rumble gumbo contest raised nearly $24,000 for Alzheimer’s research.