EDITORIAL: New Era Springs to Defense of General Hospital

In a January 8th editorial "LGH contributes its fair share & more" apparently in response to NewsLanc, the sycophantic New Era states "generosity certainly is not obligatory." (Judeo-Christian ethical mandates aside.)

It then makes the following bold claim: "The [financial] success of LGH comes from the skills of its nurses, doctors and physician assistants. It comes from the expertise of its lab workers and efficiency of its clerks. It comes from the vision of its leaders."

NewsLanc too is proud of LGH, but its profitability also stems from such causes as LGH enjoying a partial monopoly, having an ownership interest in many of the medical practices, and operating in a region with relatively low levels of charity cases and unpaid hospital bills.

But how LGH is making so much money isn't the real issue. The point is that LGH is a public, non-profit institution chartered to serve our community and makes well over a $100 million dollars a year off of our community. To retain its tax exempt status, LGH is required to spend the money.

NewsLanc suggests that LGH can well afford to devote a meager 5% of its earning to payments for county, school and city services. That leaves them over $95 million to plow back into health care. Enough is enough already!