Hundreds of people attended a vigil Monday evening outside St. Francis
Health in Topeka, a financially struggling hospital that is at the
center of the Medicaid expansion debate in Kansas.
Several hundred people turned out Monday night to protest the possible closure of St. Francis Health in Topeka.
The
financial struggles of the 378-bed hospital have taken center stage in
the debate over whether to expand KanCare, the state’s privatized
Medicaid program.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback recently vetoed an expansion bill that would have generated an additional $10 million a year in federal funding for St. Francis, according to the Kansas Hospital Association.
The
association estimates that the state’s rejection of expansion has cost
Kansas health care providers more than $1.8 billion over the past three
years.
Carolyn Zimmerman of Topeka was among those at the vigil,
where people lit candles, marched to the hospital’s main entrance and
sang “Amazing Grace.”
“I hope it will make a difference,”
Zimmerman said. “I do think it will demonstrate to the governor that he
should be expanding Medicaid.”
St.
Francis was established in 1909 by the Sisters of Charity of
Leavenworth, an organization now known as SCL Health, based in Denver.
Officials from SCL were in Topeka on Monday to meet with members of the
St. Francis board, according to Topeka Mayor Larry Wolgast.
Brian Newsome, a spokesperson for SCL, said in an email that he could not confirm the meeting.
“We
have no announcement at this time but will keep our dedicated
associates and physicians, and the community they serve, informed when
we have definitive news to share,” Newsome said.
Brownback sent a
news release Tuesday morning stating that Mike Slubowski, CEO of SCL
Health, told him SCL wouldn’t make an announcement Tuesday. He said
Slubowski committed to “work with us” to keep St. Francis open.
“I
intend to hold Mr. Slubowski to his commitment and anticipate further
negotiations in the coming days and weeks,” Brownback said. “As I have
said previously, St. Francis is an important local and regional health
care provider, and a significant Kansas charitable asset that has long
served its stated mission of improving the health of those who are poor
and vulnerable.”
Dr. Jacqueline Hyland, a St. Francis anesthesiologist, said at Monday’s vigil that the staff is in the dark about SCL’s plans.
“It’s been very quiet,” Hyland said. “But there are lots of rumors out there and fear that the hospital may close.”
Hyland
was among many who said she hoped the show of community support would
influence SCL’s decision about the hospital’s future.
“I hope that they see how important this hospital is to each individual who is out here showing their support,” she said.
Another employee, Anna Munns, organized the vigil. She has worked in the registration office for the past 17 years.
“I’m
a very prayerful person, and I think God has a plan for the hospital,”
Munns said. “I’m just hoping and praying that somebody steps in and does
something.”
Opponents of Medicaid expansion insist it cannot fix
the problems facing St. Francis and other struggling hospitals across
the state, including those in Fort Scott and Wellington. But David
Heinemann, a former Kansas legislator who attended the vigil, said he
believes expansion could help stabilize many of the state’s troubled
hospitals.
“I’m very hopeful that the Legislature will reconsider
Medicaid expansion,” said Heinemann, a Republican who represented
Garden City in the Kansas House from 1968 to 1995 but now lives in
Topeka.
“We know in the legislative process that it’s never over until it’s over,” he said.
Earlier this month the House fell three votes short of overriding Brownback’s veto of the expansion bill.
Supporters
will attempt to pass a new expansion bill when lawmakers return May 1
to wrap up the 2017 session. House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita
Democrat, is optimistic that supporters will switch enough votes to pass
the new bill with a veto-proof majority.
“I do think there’s a good chance of us flipping those votes,” Ward said.
Expansion
would qualify all non-disabled Kansas adults earning up to 138 percent
of the poverty level, annually about $16,642 for an individual and
$33,465 for a family of four, for Medicaid coverage.
Expansion
would make an estimated 300,000 additional Kansans eligible for coverage
though only about 180,000 would initially enroll, according to
estimates.
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