There is a disconnect.
That’s the opinion of Geary Community Hospital CEO Dr. Joseph Stratton when it comes to federal funding being put into medical facilities in the Geary County – Fort Riley area.
It is having a negative impact on GCH. “At Geary Community Hospital we serve a number of veterans and active duty and their beneficiaries. With the buildup of the new healthcare facility at Fort Riley, the hospital and clinics out there, as well as the expansion of their primary care clinic on Highway 77 and the new VA clinic it really is just a direct competition to us. It takes those that we were serving through Tricare beneficiaries, a lot of them are starting to leave our facility and go to these other facilities that have been built up.”
Stratton said Geary Community Hospital is having to make a lot of adjustments for both this year and next year. “Try to figure where we’re going to make up the deficit with the buildup of the Medcom and VA facilities. We’re here and ready to help whatever way we can but it’s just a very difficult. The funding for the Army and the VA comes from federal funds, ours does not.”
Stratton stated there is a big difference so GCH is operating with much less money than their competitors. His comments were made during a town hall meeting discussion with Senator Jerry Moran where he noted while Geary Community sets here starving the feds keep shoving money into facilities. “I think there’s a disconnect.”
Stratton also told the Senator that a couple of false moves in the wrong direction on repeal and replace and there would be hospitals in Kansas that would crater. “You’ll see hospitals fall in the trench.” Stratton added he hopes at some point there will be some balance.
When the new Irwin Army Community Hospital was built it replaced a facility that dated back to 1955. The new facility was designed to accomodate future growth on Fort Riley. The new VA Clinic on Southwind Drive in Junction City was built to serve veterans in the Geary County and the surrounding region. It replaced an older facility that was not considered large enough.