VIDEO: Residents Have Mixed Views About The Future Of OCH Regional Medical Center

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- It’s been a topic of conversation in Oktibbeha County for a while now, whether to sell, lease, or keep OCH Regional Medical Center.

On Monday, a group in favor of keeping the hospital, Friends of OCH, met to discuss why they’re in favor of keeping the hospital under local control.

Nearly 100 concerned residents were on hand including Alison Buehler.

“We want to keep it local, vote against the sell of OCH,” she expressed.

Buehler said she’s made many trips to the hospital’s emergency room with her children and has been pleased with the service.

She’s one of the many residents in favor of keeping the hospital locally owned and locally operated.

“Right now OCH sees everybody,” Buehler explained. “If you cannot pay, if you are a parent of a child who needs services, if you cannot pay you are seen. Everybody with Medicaid and Medicare ought to be really concerned about the sell. Private hospitals do not have to see you and that really concerns me as somebody who cares about kids and families.”

Buehler said she’s also concerned that if the hospital is sold jobs and revenue will leave Oktibbeha County.

Recent numbers show the the hospital lost $5.1 million in revenue this past year.

However, Buehler said that still doesn’t change her stance.

“The two hospitals who wants to buy us lost $12 million last year, and the other one I believe lost around $30 million last year, so businesses lose and gain money,” said Buehler. “Oktibbea County Hospital has $21 million in reserves to pay for any losses that it has.”

But while she thinks its best to keep OCH under local control, other residents think differently.

“I’m actually for selling the hospital, or leasing the hospital,” said Michael Reed, a longtime Starkville resident. “I think the leasing would probably be the better option, a 25-year lease or a 50-year lease.”

Reed believes leasing the hospital will free up more money for leaders to work on county projects.

“What it does is it frees up a lot of the money that’s being allocated towards the hospital every year, and when you look at freeing up that money, you’re looking at better infrastructure for the county,” he said.

Reed also believes leasing OCH will be a better revenue generator for the county.

“When you look at leasing or selling a hospital what it basically does is, you’re bringing in a franchisee which has more money, deeper pockets, which means you can have better health care, better doctors,” he explained. “There’s going to be more of an expansion of an employee base because they have bigger pockets.”

The Deadline for businesses to make bids on OCH Regional Medical Center is Friday.

After that, the board of supervisors will share all of the information with the public to help residents make an informed decision.

All Oktibbeha County residents can have their voices heard on on November 7th, that’s when they vote on whether or not to sell the hospital.