The Nowata mayor appears at the weekly Save Our Hospital meeting.
Ascension St. John has submitted an application to reclassify Ascension St. John Nowata from a Critical Access Hospital to a Rural Emergency Hospital. The change would eliminate in-patient services, requiring patients in Nowata to seek treatment in either Bartlesville or Owasso. Mayor Garry Gibson says a possible avenue could be the Cherokee Nation to keep in-patient services in Nowata.
Gibson says that Hillcrest has shown interest in putting a hospital in Nowata. During the meeting, the discussion shifted to Medicaid and the percentages that the federal government and state governments cover. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government is responsible for 90% of costs and the state pays 10%. Gibson says there is a potential shift in federal and state coverage.
After Sunday's Save Our Hospital event, members of the group have called for county unity. Gibson says the community needs to fight. The Save Our Hospital group meets Monday evenings at 6:00pm at the Clark Event Center, located at 220 North Maple Street. The group will not meet next Monday, July 20th, but will have a meeting in two weeks on July 27th.
