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Hospital possibilities deserve close look Another big issue that has come to the front burner is related to hospitals and health care. Discussions have started over a possible merger of Jackson Medical Center and Grove Hill Memorial Hospital and the idea of building a brand new facility somewhere on Highway 43 between the two cities. Gil McKenzie, owner of Jackson Medical Center, and Teresa Grimes, the hospital's administrator, readily admit that the Jackson hospital is, as McKenzie put it, "in dire need of improvements" to its physical structure. The idea of a combined hospital isn't new. The possibilities of a joint Jackson-Grove Hill hospital or a countywide hospital have been debated many times over the past four or five decades. Just five years ago close to $100,000 was spent on a survey that suggested that one central hospital, somewhere in the Grove Hill area, would be best for everyone in the entire area. But nothing ever came of that expensive survey because no one in Jackson, Grove Hill or Thomasville wants to give up their hospital. Hospitals not only provide vital health care services, they are major employers and contributors to local economies. And there is a certain intangible pride in having a hospital in your hometown, too. Health care is changing every day, though. The sobering assessment was made at a meeting to discuss the subject in Grove Hill Monday that three community hospitals can't ultimately survive in a county the size of Clarke. That's why the subject, as hard as it is and as opinionated as everyone is on it, must be discussed in a rational, logical manner with the idea of doing what is best for the county, its communities and all citizens as a whole. We must think "outside of the box" with an eye toward the future.
Let's not let our emotions cloud the debate on this important topic.
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