True, but the level of services does not have to be a hospital. Perhaps a clinic with 2-4 staff (<–there is the major ongoing cost), 1-2 beds for a couple people needing to recover from something simple, and not much more. Thus, it would require an affiliation of some type with a larger system that would be able to justify those costs over a much larger group of patients (i.e. perhaps affiliated with corporate employer(s) in some way).
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It was said mostly tongue in cheek, but yes, when you look at the most anti-government, radicalized, and easily manipulated segment of the population you’ll find that it correlates nicely with the most rural parts of the geography.
It would be nice if someone would point out (to them) how they benefit from the government services that they decry. I do realize that is a fool’s errand because they don’t want to think about or be informed of it, and silo themselves to make sure their prejudices are not confronted.
It seems to me the only way to get through to them would be to remove those services in toto, although I would not seriously advocate that because, as others may have noticed, I have human feelings for others, even those with whom I disagree.
There is, however, a limit to the resources available via taxation (which they complain about) - as well as my patience. I would rather provide them some form of adequate health care than rural airports, but I don’t get to make that call. (I believe that rural health care can be provided for most care at a fraction of the cost of trying to equip every small hospital in Montana with a multi-million dollar MRI scanner or other high-cost super-specialized technological wondermachine.)
And yes, I like my food. I’m also aware it takes a small fraction of the number of people to produce it as it used to, and that number continues to decrease. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have anything in the way of medical resources, but there should be some semblance of reasonability of cost.
OK, but yeah, mostly it’s a rant about ingratitude. It’s not politics at all, it’s reality.
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The article does say the stipend is for rural hospitals and doesn’t mention clinics which suggests that these facilities will have to meet a certain level of care…doc
A rural “hospital” does not have to be anything like an urban “hospital”. We see that in govt all the time. Same word used, but not even close to the same thing when used in a different situational context.
How were casualties handled in Iraq? Sticks in my mind the guys were stabilized in Iraq, then evaced to Ramstein, or to the US. Were there hospitals with hundreds of beds, giving the full course of treatment, and rehab, in country?
Steve
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There were a variety of military field hospitals in Iraq. I would say sort-of like a MASH unit, but I didn’t go too far into researching it. Info on the Internet if you want to learn more info.
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For the benefit of other participants in this thread, a bit on treating burn patients in Iraq.
The mean length of stay in the 28th CSH for U.S. and coalition burn patients was 2 days (range, 1–4 days). For Iraqi patients, the mean length of stay was 10 days (range, 1–53 days). Of the 42 U.S. and coalition patients, 35 were evacuated to LRMC, 6 were discharged to duty, and 1 died of wounds at the 28th CSH. Of the 44 Iraqi patients, 5 were evacuated to other hospitals in the region for humanitarian reasons, 18 were transferred to Iraqi facilities, 10 were discharged to home or to an enemy prisoner of war camp, and 7 died of wounds. (This position was not recorded for four.)
LRMC is Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, which is in Germany, near Ramstein Air Force Base. The Iraqis were there longer, because they could not be evaced out of country, because they were Iraqis.
Bottom line, anyone that can’t be discharged in a couple days, is transported to another hospital, hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. There is no need for every little jerkwater town in the US to have a full service hospital, that can provide long term in-patient care.
Steve
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Sutton,
That is mostly ER care and other services. But it is not a full in patient stay. It is not rehabilitation. Most people are out of hospital after two days for almost anything. But if someone has had a car accident where in patient care is needed for weeks then realistically they need a bigger city care. We could be talking teams of doctors in an OR.
Moving such cases to the bigger hospitals is going to happen either way most of the time.
I agree with you 100% on the airports. I don’t think we need them, but the growing municipalities want them to attract businesses. Like you, I don’t get to make the call.
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The “JCs” want their airports. Detroit City airport is small and dilapidated, but it is close to downtown. A “JC” can land his Gulfstream at Detroit City, quick limo ride to downtown, 7.9 miles/14 minutes, vs 20 miles/21 minutes from Metro or 29 miles/30 minutes from Willow Run, so the city continues to take a loss on running the airport, for the convenience and comfort of the “JCs”.
Battle Creek’s airport styles itself as an “executive” airport, as it primarily serves the honchos at Kellogg and Post, not the general public.
Neither airport has any scheduled airline service.
Steve
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The Essential Air Service is not available to them. In order to qualify an airport has to be at least 70 miles from another “hub” airport (more than one carrier), has to have regularly scheduled service by at least one carrier, and {a bunch of other requirements I’ve forgotten}.
The contracts for subsidy come up once a decade or so (again, IIRC) and occasionally lapse due to lack of interest.
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Detroit City, aka Coelman Young, Airport has been subsidized by the city, to the tune of over $1M/year. This year, the airport received a $100M grant from the FAA to improve facilities.
There is a general aviation airport a block from my home. It used to be privately owned, but, the owners got tired of losing money on it. Someone with a lot of juice wants that little airport kept open, rather than moving their plane to Willow Run, so the Michigan Dept of Transportation now owns it, and runs it at a loss, for the benefit of that big shot.
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I stand corrected. The Essential Air Service appropriate has some pretty tight regulations, but apparently there are ways around it.
The rules are for you and me, but apparently not for thee.
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That little airport near my home is next to a light industrial park. If it was shut down, the industrial park could be expanded, and the township tax base improved. But no. gotta cater, at taxpayer expense, to that big shot that doesn’t want to drive the ten miles to Willow Run to get to his plane.
Steve
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