Hospitals potential tax initiative is a wake up call

The recent news that Saint Louise Regional Hospital is considering placing a sales tax initiative on the November ballot is a wake up call.
Last year, the Daughters of Charity hospital saw more than 26,000 patients in its emergency room, more than three times the national average for a hospital its size.
The hospital, which moved to Gilroy 10 years after it opened in Morgan Hill in 1989, is a member of the Daughters of Charity Health System; “a regional health care system of six hospitals spanning the California coast from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles,” according to the organization’s website. It is sponsored by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, who have been serving the sick and impoverished for 375 years through healing ministries worldwide.
And it is that mission that has helped get the hospital in financial trouble, and has us – and the Daughters of Charity – asking questions, the answers to which could affect the outcome of a future ballot measure.
Is health care a right and do we all share some responsibility in ensuring the neediest of us have access to basic health care services?
Do we spend tax dollars on a private, nonprofit religious institution?
Should the hospital even consider a tax measure during these tough economic times? Several tax initiatives are likely to be on the ballot, asking us all to contribute more. Is health care a priority?
Does the hospital need to reorganize such as expanding or adding urgent care services at the facility so fewer people visit the emergency room?
Finally, does the hospital’s mission statement need to change, and does this present an opportunity to reopen the hospital in Morgan Hill?
The answer to these questions will determine whether the hospital should even gamble on a ballot measure, and if they do, will taxpayers support it.