<DIV>Gritman is non profit. But many of the doctors and medical agencies that use the facility are making huge profits. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The selling of the building also eliminates those that need skilled nursing and are on government medical care will be not longer receive care in the county of Latah. Gritman might provide care for the privately insured that only need assisted care, but those individuals have plenty of good options already with Aspen, Good Sams, Clark House, and in home care. People with severe disabilities will NOT be attended to any longer by this county unless a spot happens to open up, which is unlikely considering the waiting lists at Good Sams and Aspen. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan<BR><BR><B><I>"B. J. Swanson" <bjswan@moscow.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px
solid">Tim,<BR><BR>These are great questions. <BR><BR>Is the ballot question whether to remove the burdens on the LHS property <BR>requiring it to be used for a health care facility and give it to Gritman? <BR><BR>-A YES vote will remove the Reversionary Clause. The reversionary clause <BR>limits the use of the premises to a non-profit hospital. Gritman is a non-<BR>profit hospital and intends to use it for healthcare and a wellness center <BR>but also as Latah County office space. The reversionary clause makes it <BR>very difficult to obtain financing because of the restricted use. The <BR>reversionary clause probably contributed to the failure of Latah Health <BR>Services because they could not obtain reasonable financing for <BR>improvements without County backing and County bonds. Gritman intends to <BR>improve the facility with non-taxpayer supported financing. Gritman would <BR>be unable to do this with the reversionary clause in place.<BR><BR>--------<BR><BR>If the
thinking is that the County wants this property to continue to use <BR>the property for a health facility, as evidenced by giving it to Gritman, <BR>why do the burdens need to be removed?<BR><BR>-Gritman would not be able to obtain reasonable financing to upgrade the <BR>property with the reversionary clause. It’s very doubtful that the County <BR>could sell or give it to anyone with the reversionary clause in place as <BR>it would be nearly impossible to obtain financing to fix the facility. <BR>This is evidenced by the failure of Latah Health Services.<BR><BR>--------<BR><BR>Are there any assurances from Gritman that it won't, at some point, simply <BR>sell the land for it's own benefit?<BR><BR>-Gritman’s proven track record speaks for itself. Gritman’s mission is <BR>to ”… provide excellent and compassionate healthcare for the people of our <BR>communities.” Gritman has never wavered from that mission in the past 120 <BR>years and will extend that mission to the LHS
facility if the voters <BR>approve. Gritman has acquired and improved many properties and always for <BR>healthcare related services. Some of the more recent acquisitions are on <BR>West A Street that became the Palouse Surgery Center and the former <BR>Bruneel building that was converted into the new Gritman Therapy Solutions <BR>center. It is not Gritman’s intention to sell it or use it for anything <BR>other than healthcare, wellness and possibly County offices. Gritman <BR>invested in architectural renderings that clearly outline our intentions. <BR>The renderings are on display in the Gritman lobby and also appeared in <BR>Saturday’s Daily News.<BR><BR>-Also, when you say “…sell the land for it’s own benefit?” Please remember <BR>that Gritman is non-profit, community owned. Any profits or proceeds that <BR>Gritman makes are reinvested into healthcare for the community. There are <BR>no shareholders or developers that will make a profit off Gritman. All of <BR>the
Gritman Board members are unpaid volunteers and residents of Latah <BR>County. Again, it is not Gritman’s intent to sell this property.<BR><BR>----------<BR><BR>Why is the county giving the land away instead of selling it anyway? I had <BR>thought the county was contemplating participation in a huge new law-<BR>enforcement complex and needed more room for administrative offices. <BR>Wouldn't a bit of cash for this property help out with all these new plans?<BR><BR>-The Latah Health Services facility was established in 1957 for the <BR>healthcare needs of Latah County residents. I believe it was the feeling <BR>of the County Commissioners that Gritman could provide the closest <BR>continuation of healthcare benefits to all Latah County residents and <BR>retain a valuable community asset for long-term community benefit. <BR>Selling the LHS property to a developer for $500,000 would provide about <BR>2% toward the cost of a law enforcement complex. Is the 2% investment
<BR>worth the loss of a community asset that can provide healthcare and <BR>wellness for years to come? That decision will be made by the voters today.<BR><BR>---------<BR><BR>-I heard another false rumor today that Latah County should sell the <BR>property for $500,000 to pay the remaining debts of Latah Health <BR>Services. Latah County owns the property. Latah Health Services was the <BR>non-profit corporation managing the facility. The debts of Latah Health <BR>Services are completely separate from Latah County and have nothing to do <BR>with the property. This rumor is totally false.<BR><BR>Thanks for the questions. Please let me know if you have more. <BR><BR>B. J. Swanson<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>---------------------------------------------<BR>This message was sent by First Step Internet.<BR>http://www.fsr.com/<BR><BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the
Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p> 
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