Recently I had the unhappy experience of becoming ill while away from home. By the time we returned to Cordell I felt awful and called Dr. Abernathy’s office first thing on Monday morning. Fortunately they were able to get me right in. Apparently I looked as bad as I felt and they immediately made arrangements to get me over to the hospital. As a matter of fact, all the nurses and other staff were busy helping other patients so Dr. Abernathy personally took me to the hospital.
The staff at Cordell Memorial Hospital treated me with skill and compassion, and I felt better soon. They knew me personally, taking care of me as a friend, not just another unknown patient. After a few hours I was allowed to go home to finish my recuperation. I left with instructions to check in with Dr. Abernathy and to have my prescriptions filled.
I am not telling you about this incident to whine or because I think you are particularly interested in my medical history. I am writing because I want everyone to consider what would happen if we do not pass the proposed sales tax on the September 10 ballot.
If the hospital does not have sufficient funds to continue operation and is forced to close, as have so many rural hospitals in Oklahoma, not only do we lose one of the City’s largest employers, we are in danger of also losing our doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacies and the Cordell Christian Home.
It is extremely difficult for doctors and nurse practitioners to continue to practice in a location without the resources provided by a hospital. Without a doctor and nurse practitioners, patients must rely on out-of-town doctors to care for them when they are sick or injured. That is not only inconvenient, but can be life-threatening if the illness or injury is serious.
Without a hospital, and a doctor and nurse practitioners in the community, it would seem difficult for the Cordell Christian Home to continue to operate. Would you want to have a loved one, or yourself, in a nursing home located in a town that did not have a hospital?
And what about our pharmacies? At one time or another we all need to have prescriptions filled, and, just like other local businesses, our pharmacies depend on Cordell residents to shop at home. It might become too convenient to shop somewhere else if we have to go to another town for our medical care. That could also have a negative impact on other Cordell businesses as well, since many people would combine shopping for any number of goods and services if they were forced to go out of town for medical care.
Here is another thought. Yes, I have had a number of occasions when I have needed the services of Cordell Memorial Hospital, but I like to think I would still vote to pass the small sales tax amount even if I had never needed their care. I hope I would see the importance of having quality healthcare available in our community - for family, friends, acquaintances, and others who may be sick or injured but who I do not know - and would willingly pay a bit more to ensure everyone has access to it.
We are being given a choice on September 10. Do we keep Cordell as an example of the Oklahoma Standard, where everyone works together for the common good, or do we turn our backs on our hospital - and our friends and neighbors - to save a few pennies. I will be voting “YES” on September 10 - I hope we can count on you to vote “Yes” as well.
Zonelle Cox Rainbolt,
Cordell