Outgoing CEO requests passage of levy

Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center are proud of the care we provide this Community and proud of how the Community supports us. This year has been a tough year for all health care providers including us. We continue to watch government and insurance agencies continue to whittle away at the reimbursement of care. Many of our government healthcare programs have not increased their rates in several years, but out suppliers of needed equipment, continue to increase their costs.

We are very dependent on you support again through the Levy process. Your shared dollars ensure we have an acute care hospital with an emergency room, a rural health clinic, an assisted living, long term care and outreach programs. We stretch the value by working with the District Health Department and other State funded programs.

This year we were able to get a new ambulance to ensure when time is important, we can come to you quickly. Our trained crews can provide needed emergency life support until we can take care of you at our local hospital or transfer you to a higher care facility. Our ambulance and crews will make sure you are at the next location safely.

Our future is dependent on the tax levy to support our annual operations. We were able to use COVID funds to purchase a CT Scanner and to upgrade the fluoroscopy machine to increase our diagnostic capability for the organization.

The OMHC future is strong. We have a new CEO in Brett Antczak already jumping into the planning process working with the District Health Depart in a Community Needs Assessment. In the near future, we will be asking for your thoughts and ideas on what healthcare means to you and what services you feel this community needs. The CHNA will be the building block for a strategic plan for the healthcare community.

Our OMHC Provider staff is stabilizing. We continue to rotate providers that are completing educational requirements. Bringing in these students allows new views to be shared and has the potential of new providers in the future.

Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center has a strong presence in our community and has a strong future. Please vote yes in March to allow us to be your healthcare provider of choice.

- Emmett Schuster, retiring CEO of Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center