Our hospital, our heritage

In a few weeks, the Weston County Hospital District will be asking Weston County voters to renew an additional three mill levy that has been in place for the past four years. It is up for renewal this year on the general election ballot, and is used to support the operation of Weston County Health Services, which includes Weston County Manor and Weston County Home Health in addition to the hospital and clinics in Upton and Newcastle.

If you’ve been reading this newspaper, then you know that Weston County Health Services has made headlines for a number of recent issues that brought this community out in full force at several board meetings to question leaders regarding their concerns. It was apparent by the turnout at these board meetings that the people of this community care about the local hospital, and are fiercely loyal to their neighbors and friends who work there.

I actually had a number of people come into the News Letter Journal office to say that if the hospital closes, they don’t want to live here.

After interviewing Newcastle’s long-time physician, Dr. Willis Franz, I learned that this community has a very long history of supporting a local hospital. Franz practiced general medicine during the busy oil boom days in the 1950s while making house calls and carrying a little black bag over the dirt streets. He said it was an easy decision for him and his wife, Jean, a nurse, to relocate and practice here because Newcastle was busy, their services were needed, and at that time this town had a new hospital (the building now houses Mondell Heights Assisted Living Community).

“Who doesn’t want to work in a new hospital?” he said.

Franz spent nearly four decades practicing in Newcastle and passed away last year, but that 2011 interview and what he said about a new hospital being a factor in his decision to practice here has remained in my memory.

When I think about what kind of support and the amount of donations it must have taken to build a new hospital back then, it makes me proud to think about how the community came together and found a way and the means to build one…

And it makes me realize how important a hospital has always been to our community.

It can be easy to forget that because many of us are blessed and haven’t needed the services that the hospital provides for ourselves — but you certainly find out how important it is when a family member desperately needs it and this newspaper can attest to that.

Two members of the News Letter Journal family have recently needed Weston County Health Services for serious incidents, and we have been thankful to have a hospital and the staff to help them in their time
of need.

A member of my family needed inpatient therapy services for speech, occupational and physical therapy, and was admitted recently to Weston County Health Services. I am grateful for the excellent care from the entire staff, and most importantly, it allowed me time to aid in her recovery. Having family in close proximity is very important to a recovery journey. Out-of-state family members from larger cities visited her and were amazed at our hospital facility. My family member was in one of the updated larger rooms that were created in the new addition, and it made me proud that I did vote for the temporary tax that paid for it — and also proud to live in a community that has a long history of supporting
a hospital.

I know there are still issues to be solved at WCHS. I’ve been vocal about my concerns in the past when I felt it warranted it, and I’m hoping that the board continues to keep taxpayers informed about what is happening behind the scenes. Weston County residents deserve to know how the money they allocate for the facility are being spent. It is, after all, a publicly held facility. I have a pretty faithful reader who comes in asking why NLJ hasn’t written editorials asking more about WCHS’ financials — in particular, where’s the money?

It’s pretty simple, when you ask people for their dollars, they want to know where and how it’s being spent.

I also hope to hear more in the way of a plan to get the Manor fully staffed and at capacity.

Newcastle is fortunate to have a hospital, but there are many communities that do not have one (and sometimes the demise of the local hospital means the demise of the town). Despite any problems the hospital district has had in the past — and in hopes that those issues are being resolved now that they have come to light — I am thankful our hometown hospital exists. You never know when you or a family member may need it.