Quincy hospital sees hope in port deal

QUINCY — The possible deal between the Quincy Hospital and the Port of Quincy is a “unique opportunity” that will help keep the hospital in the small but growing community, according to Glenda Bishop, director of the Quincy Medical Center.

“Not having local health care is just not an option,” Bishop told members of the Quincy Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.

The Quincy Valley Medical Center has been regularly and consistently losing money, due in large part to the number of concert goers at The Gorge it has historically treated and the inability to collect information from them and bill their insurance.

Bishop said the medical center has managed to control costs and is “only” running a deficit of $3,300 in February, thanks in large part to tighter controls on costs and increased insurance reimbursements.

“We budgeted a loss for 2017 of $100,000 a month,” Bishop said.

Bishop told the Chamber of Commerce that the hospital will be receiving $1.4 million in property taxes, and may need to go to the voters with a special operational levy later this year.

The proposed arrangement with the port, which is still just in the discussion phase, would have the port build a new and up-to-date hospital to replace the city’s aging medical center.

“This hospital has stood here for 60 years,” Bishop said. “What’s important in this community? We need a building. This one is failing, and it’s not sustainable.”

Bishop noted that the current site of the Quincy Valley Medical Center is paid off, and that the Port of Quincy has its own ability to borrow funds independent of the city and the hospital district.

But any future arrangements would have to involve other health care providers, as a new hospital would likely be smaller — five beds for short-stay patients — than the current facility. For example, Bishop sees a future in Quincy for occupational medicine — medical care that focuses on workers and the workplace — and an urgent care facility to work closely with a small emergency room.

An emergency room by itself, however, would likely not be sustainable, Bishop said.

“We will not be in that new building alone,” she explained. “We need a branded partner to help gain market share in Quincy.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com