MINERAL COUNTY – Representatives from the Mineral Community Hospital were given the green light last week by county commissioners to ask Mineral County voters for help in keeping the facility a part of the community.

The new MCH CEO Ron Gleason was part of the group of representatives who went before the Mineral County Commissioners at their weekly meeting to be given permission to place a levy on the ballot for the May 5, 2015 election. The levy, which would only affect taxpayers for two years, was deemed by MCH personnel to be essential in keeping the doors open of the only healthcare facility in the county.

The resolution, granting permission for MCH to ask the voters for help, was passed unanimously by the county commissioners. The levy will ask voters to approve a measure that would raise property taxes for homes with an assessed value of $100,000 an additional $64.09 a year and homes with an assessed value of $200,000 an additional $128.19 per year.

Gleason said he and the other MCH representatives would not ask voters to pay additional taxes unless it was absolutely necessary to keep the facility financially viable. He said mistakes made in the past by certain former employees had put the facility in a dire financial situation.

“We are asking the taxpayers to provide us with additional funding to keep the hospital in existence,” Gleason said. “

According to Gleason and the other MCH representatives, keeping a hospital in Mineral County was important for a wide variety of reasons beyond merely being a source of healthcare for those in the community.

“There’s a lot of different reasons,” Gleason said. “Without the hospital here, it would add an hour of time for people to get to healthcare in an emergency situation. When it comes to things like stroke or heart attack, an hour can make the difference. We are also one of the largest employers in the county. Without the hospital here, other businesses in the county would be heavily impacted. Real estate values would decrease dramatically if people had to go elsewhere for healthcare. People also don’t want to move into communities if there isn’t a hospital.”

Mineral County Commissioner Laurie Johnston said, while she and the other commissioners were encouraged by the new MCH CEO and his background assisting healthcare facilities with financial affairs, it would be up to them to sell the measure to the public.

“They are trying to find a way to sustain the hospital and keep it going,” Gleason said. “We don’t want to lose our hospital. They are making an effort and this is the last thing they wanted to do. They feel like this is the only thing they can do.”

The total amount of the levy would generate $498,000 each year for two years.