The truth shall make U free!

Posted on Sat, Apr. 05, 2008reprint or license print email Digg it del.icio.us AIM Mayor: Hospital merger will cost East St. Louis 120 jobs

Derik Holtmann/BND
East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. talks about the upcoming Illinois Health Facility Planning Board meeting and the city's effort to keep Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital open.
Opponents of hospital closing question claims that it's losing millions
BY BETH HUNDSDORFER
News-Democrat


EAST ST. LOUIS --East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. warned Friday that 120 jobs will be lost in the city if Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital merges services with Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville. He also said the city will lose a health care provider to an underserved population.

The mayor held a news conference Friday to encourage people to travel to Springfield to lobby the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board to keep Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital a full-service medical facility.

Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, which operates Kenneth Hall and Touchette, disputed Park's statement on the number of jobs lost, saying the loss would be about 50, according to Ronda Sauget, spokeswoman for the foundation.

The foundation has asked the state board to allow it to maintain Kenneth Hall's emergency room and mental health unit and discontinue other services. The board is scheduled to decide on Tuesday whether to merge services at Touchette and Kenneth Hall.

"It's the wrong time to eliminate a hospital in East St. Louis," Parks said. "It's the wrong way to leave a community."

The merger would eliminate duplicate services and allow both hospitals to remain financially viable, the foundation has said.

"Our goal is to build a sustained health care system," Sauget said. "We want to offer specialized services, not duplicate services. We want to bring more specialists to the area, and this move will allow us to do that."

Parks proposed that the foundation sell Kenneth Hall to Pro Team, a management team.

The foundation tried to contact Pro Team after receiving a letter, Sauget said, but the number on the computer-generated letterhead was disconnected. The foundation sent a letter to Pro Team's post office box, asking for a list of its officers, a copy of its incorporation records and proof it could do business in Illinois, but didn't receive a response, she said.

A recently released report by the Health Facilities Planning Board states: "There is no potential, viable buyer for (Kenneth Hall). The report also states: "There had been an inquiry but it was determined that the entity was not a viable buyer. In addition, the facility was too close to financial dissolution for a purchase to occur at this time."

Parks suggested the foundation turn the hospital over to the state until a buyer comes along, adding, "If you can't operate it at a profit, let someone else try."

Sauget said, "If the state took over, we would be in the same situation -- two hospitals offering duplicate services and competing for a declining population."

Kenneth Hall expected a loss of $2.7 million in 2007, resulting in a loss of $4.7 million over the past four years, according to the state agency report.

The number of patients accessing health care in the area is declining, said Sauget, but not because Kenneth Hall patients are being turned away.

"I think people are confused. They don't know what's closing and what's staying open," she said, adding the hospital may be suffering some ill will because of the fight over downsizing services at Kenneth Hall.

Parks said if Kenneth Hall closed, other investors would continue to develop plans for a smaller, state-of-the-art hospital in East St. Louis.

"We are fighting for health care," Parks said. "We are fighting for justice."

Contact reporter Beth Hundsdorfer at bhundsdorfer@bnd.com or 239-2570.


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There is only one life, one force:FREEDOM!

May Gods anointing set us free!

Hip Hope Project: The Hands That Holds The Bow For The Twoedged Sword Of Truth,Freedom,Liberty And Hope! Peace and Joy to East East ST.Louis.2008

For the word of God is quick,and powerful,sharper than any twoedged sword,pierceing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Hebrew 4:12

Major Hip Hop Players Join Forces With Hip Hope Project:"Save Kenneth Hall" Get on the Bus 2 Springfield ! April 8th

A friend loveth at all times,and a brother is born for Adversity Proverbs 17:17
Hip Hope Project: Urban Force Missionary; One Way Missionary.

Former Mayor Bush’s cousin leads effort to buy Kenneth Hall Hospital

By Sandra Jordan Of the St. Louis American
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 6:44 PM CST

As the operators of Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital in East St. Louis continue to remove services and equipment from the facility, a group interested in buying, restoring and operating the hospital has stepped forward.

Pro Team Management is comprised of seven partners, including health industry professionals, a certified public accountant and investors. At least four members have local ties. They were introduced to the public at a meeting last week at East St. Louis City Hall.

“Pro Team Management was formed solely as an entity to purchase and operate Kenneth Hall,” said partner Alvin Bush. He said investors had been looking to develop riverfront property in East St. Louis until the hospital situation caused a change in plans. Read more.

Group interested in buying Kenneth Hall Hospital revealed

Group interested in buying Kenneth Hall Hospital revealed: "BY CAROLYN P. SMITH
News Democrat

EAST ST. LOUIS --
--

At a special City Council meeting Wednesday, Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. introduced Pro Team Management as the group interested in buying Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital from Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation.

The group was identified as at a special city council meeting Wednesday evening.

No details were provided Wednesday about specific details, including the amount of the offer, plans for immediate operation given that equipment already has been removed from the building and the identity of the doctors, nurses and other staff.

Pro Team representatives said they have the experience and money to buy and run the hospital.

Alvin Bush, a member of Pro Team Management, said the group is made up of physicians, investors, and business people. He said the group 'came together to save Kenneth Hall Hospital.'"

East St. Louis hospital to lose more services

The Associated Press

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. --
Owners of East St. Louis' only full-scale hospital plan to move more of its services to a sister hospital five miles away as they await state approval of the merger.

The Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation says it expects to transfer from Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital by March Third its outpatient cardiac testing, mammography services and outpatient physical therapy.

Those services will go to Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville.

The foundation owns both hospitals and has filed with the state to merge them.

A decision on that is expected in April.

East St. Louis' mayor says the owners of the hospitals are moving too hastily. Alvin Parks says they've all but closed century-old Kenneth Hill Regional without the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board's permission. East St. Louis hospital to lose more services

Kenneth Hall Hospital moves testing services, loses outpatient facilities

BY CAROLYN P. SMITH
News Democrat

EAST ST. LOUIS --
Officials with Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation are planning to consolidate and move several more services from Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital to Touchette Regional Hospital that it said are being duplicated.

A press statement issued through Touchette's marketing department listed the outpatient cardiopulmonary services as including electroencephalogram (brain wave test), electrocardiogram (EKG), pulmonary function test, echocardiogram, and Holter monitoring (heart rhythm monitor).

Foundation spokeswoman Ronda Sauget said these services, which Kenneth Hall provided on a volunteer basis, will move to Touchette in Centreville effective March 3.Kenneth Hall Hospital moves testing services, loses outpatient facilities

The Destruction of East St. Louis—Another Dark Day for Corporate Medicine

Kevin Miller wrote on February 7th on his blog:

East St. Louis, the poor stepchild that lives due East of the famous Arch, has been told by corporate medicine that they will no longer have a trauma center to reach tens of thousands of residents. Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital survived for 118 years under the care and guidance of Catholic nuns until it’s sale a few short years ago.

Please watch the video titled "Kenneth Hall Hospital in East St. Louis.” This closing is a danger to community hospitals everywhere, particularly inner city hospitals that often serve the poorest of the poor. While the East St. Louis community is fighting to save this hospital, they need your help. The East St. Louis residents and their supporters from the neighboring communities are protesting against the threat of Southern Illinois Health Care Foundation (SIHCF), who aim to close the only full service hospital that serves 31,524 people in East St. Louis, and move it to Sauget, Illinois, a village of 274.

This is injustice and it is unacceptable. Please go to http://savekennethhall.com/ — and make your voice heard.KEVIN MILLER'S WORLD

Editor's Note: Thank you so much Kevin Miller!

Rally protests closing of Kenneth Hall trauma center

Rally protests closing of Kenneth Hall trauma center:

* Quick Time movie: Rally to save Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital

BY CAROLYN P. SMITH
News Democrat

EAST ST. LOUIS -- Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation is expected to close the Level II Trauma Center at Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital at the start of the day today.

In an effort to prevent the trauma center from closing, East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. led a protest rally of about 35 who braved the frigid temperatures Thursday and the steadily falling snow.

Parks said no one had given the foundation permission to close the center. But foundation spokeswoman Ronda Sauget provided a letter from the Illinois Department of Public Health that grants permission to close the center." Read more.

Save Kenneth Hall For Mary, The Mother Of Our Lord God Jesus Christ

Let's always remember who we have on our side in this struggle: From the Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital website:

While the name Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital has only been in existence for a short time, the history of this healthcare institution spans more than a century.

Long before 1890 it had been realized that the rapidly developing city of East St. Louis had great need for a hospital. The sick and injured had to be taken to St. Louis for treatment, and the length of the trip was often of vital consequence to the patient. In 1890 Rev. Father C. Koenig began the construction of St. Mary’s Hospital. The hospital had a capacity of 30 beds and was dedicated on June 1, 1890 by Bishop John Janssen. During the next ten years the hospital continued to prosper and expand while the population of the city of East St. Louis continued to increase.

The years that followed 1900 saw many changes in St. Mary’s Hospital that were particularly influenced by the progress of the era. In January 1903, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, an order of nuns from Fort Wayne, Indiana, took control of St. Mary’s Hospital. Soon the Poor Handmaids realized that their existing facility was wholly inadequate to handle the rapid growth of the community and the influx of patients it created. In 1926 a new hospital was constructed which increased it’s capacity to 339 beds.

The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ continued their mission of health and healing in East St. Louis for more than 75 years. In 2003 the order of nuns began discussions with Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation to continue thier mission. On February 1, 2004, the hospital officially changed its name to Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital. Although the name changed, the same dedication to providing quality healthcare remains today.

Editor's Note: Tomorrow will be the fourth anniversary of the name change from St. Mary's Hospital to Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital in 2004. The name St. Mary's Hospital graced East Saint Louis for 114 years from 1890 to 2004 before the name change on February 1, 2004. As a Christian - my wife, Maribeth, is a Catholic Christian - I acknowledge our Lord through Mary and have been praying the rosary daily since 9/10/04. After I posted this I noted the time, 9:10, which mirrors the day, 9/10, that my parents first met way back in the year 1948. The Divine Providence of our Lord God Jesus Christ is perfect!

Google Censorship Corrected...

After calling attention to censorship by google in our recent article, the "save kenneth hall" search phrase is now working again. Click here to see for yourself.

We have secured/reserved the URL savekennethhall.com and are hopeful that it will be up and running in the next day or two.

What Do We Want? KEEP OUR HOSPITAL!! When do we want it? NOW!!

East St. Louis Mayor, Alvin Parks, wrote:

Please watch the video titled "Kenneth Hall Hospital in East St.Louis is in danger of being closed. The East St.Louis community are fighting to save it." The East St. Louis residents and their supporters from the neighboring communities are protesting against the threat of Southern Illinois Health Care Founadtion (SIHCF)to close the only full service hospital that serves 31,524 people in East St. Louis and move it to Sauget, Illinois, a village of 274. This is injustice and it is unacceptable. We will fight it tooth and nail.

Video of Citizen Protest to Keep Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital Open



WE'RE FIRED UP AND WE WON'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!

An Evaluation of Illinois' Certificate Of Need (CON) Program

Click here to read the 2/15/07 report.

We The People Speak Out To Save Kenneth Hall & Restore Our Respect And Pride For Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness

We The People Speak Out To Save Kenneth Hall & Restore Our Respect And Pride For Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness

Anonymous on January 28, 2008 2:53 PM wrote:

I think the Mayor and the people of East St. Louis are fighting for the right cause. It shows that somewhere around the world there are people who value life. Supporting the establishment of the trauma center in the hospital doesn't mean that one has ignored the logic of the extra expense that it incurs. Evrything good has a price tag for which a sacrifice has to be made. If extra expenses or saving is the reason for closing such a vital department in a hospital in the United State, a country upon which the eyes of all the financially unfortunate countries are focused for help, we are sending a bad message to the world. We are telling the poor people that their lives have no meaning in America. Yes, there is option to go somewhere else, but we are talking about convenience and time; two elements unpon which trauma case heavilly depends, Whether the trauma is prompted by accident or crime, time plays a major role and no one can predict who's life could be saved by the trauma center. I hope that the decision to clause the trauma center was not made on the basis of "not in my back yard" concept. Where are the Good Samaritains. You have to make an attempt to treat the trauma before you can transfer for better treatment elsewhere. Think about it.

Hadassa wrote on January 25, 2008 6:29 PM:

Mayor, It was a pleasure meeting you and your staff with Mr. Nobles...I applaud the efforts to save the Kenneth Hall Hospital, your proposal creates for jobs in the community, health care nearby for the community which I feel brings a sense of pride to the community. This is what we need is to bring the "heads up" the self respect that has been lost because too many people have spoken ill for too long it's time someone stops talking and starts doing to change the motivation for East St. Louis. bring the pride back. I support you and all your efforts~put Carabanas' next door and let's party!

Google & "The Powers That Be" Censor Our Blog

We were on the phone this morning with Gary Nobles and another gentleman/activist from East St. Louis talking about ways to bring more attention to the challenge of saving Kenneth Hall Memorial Hospital.

While we were talking Gary brought up a question about "google.com" for yesterday and over the weekend he/we were able to type into the google search bar the phrase "Save Kenneth Hall" and we'd be directed to an article from our other blog whcih linked back to this blog.

For some unknown reason Google.com has decided to censor - ie. block, restrict, limit - the "Save Kenneth Hall" search phrase. You can try it yourself by clicking here.

This is newsworthy story which should be reported to the public media not only in St. Louis and East St. Louis but nationwide. This is RAW-BLATENT CENSORSHIP BY CORPORATE INTERESTS/POWER WHICH HAS TO BE EXPOSED AND STOPPED NOW!!

Oh Father God Fight for us!

By Gary Nobles


Father God you said ask of you and you will show us great and mighty thing that we know not of! Right now we come boldly before you; in your throne room of mercy and grace. We ask you to take our hand and lead us in victory. We ask you to raise your hand against the destroyer of life and your ordained leader for just a time as this the Mayor of East ST. Louis Alvin Parks and all of his supporter whom you have appointed, ordain and sent before the beginning of time. We ask you to reverse every curse, spell, hex and evil word spoken against this city. Give, fill and increase your spirit in us to fight for the Kenneth Hall Hospital and the city of East ST Louis rights to life and life more abundantly. Our enemy of your word of hope, safety, dreams and life and life more abundantly, has raisin his head in unrighteousness and is trying to steal, kill, and destroy your children of East ST Louis and all the others that travel through this city. These evil forces has picked on us as a bully, robber, thief and destroyer. We ask you now to command your mighty angels in that region ordain with strength, power and your name written on their chest; armed and ready for battle; holding your message of justice victory blessings and hope, from our king Jesus. By your command cause your angels to enter into the city of East ST Louis now to protect save, heal, prosper and deliver us from these evil forces that have dominated this land for to long. We ask you father God to restore back to the people and the city of East ST. Louis seven fold and all of the substance of these evil spirits house and everything that they has stolen; so we can have life and life more abundantly! In all of this we know, thank and testify of and to your glory! Father God thank you for fighting for us! In Jesus name amen!

Strength

We are standing with the Mayor Alvin Parks and the city of East ST.Louis in victory.Life and life more abundantly!

East St. Louis, Ill. may lose only hospital

By Sandra Jordan
St. Louis American

Updated Jan 24, 2008, 11:55 am

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (NNPA) - The decision on whether this predominately Black city will lose Kenneth Hall Regional as its only hospital was tentatively postponed until after the first of the year.

Kimberly Parker, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Dept. of Public Health, said the Health Facilities Planning Board moved the decision off the table for its December meeting in Chicago because more information was needed.

Meanwhile, the grassroots effort to keep Kenneth Hall as a medical facility has included a rally and a planned journey to the upcoming board meeting to speak out against the proposed change.

“How can you declare us dead when there are still vital signs?” asked the Rev. Kelvin McNeil to rally participants. Rev. McNeil is pastor of the Body of Christ Worship Center. Read more.

Red Orbit Coverage

East St. Louis is Hoping to Save Hospital

By Shane Graber, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jan. 21--EAST ST. LOUIS -- The front doors to Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital have two messages, ideas left over from the days when the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ nuns ran the place.

"God bless you," says the right door. "Peace to you," the left one says.

But these are far from peaceful times for the 118-year-old hospital on North Eighth Street, one of the few occupied buildings in this dwindling downtown.

Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, which owns the hospital, wants to merge Kenneth Hall Regional with another it owns in Centreville five miles away, Touchette Regional Hospital. Although the economic effects of a hospital closure can be debated, one thing is near certain: Close Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital, and this city suffers yet another morale punch square in the gut.

Read more here.