Let’s hope Wise County profits from Medical City acquisition

The Messenger
By Austin Jackson 
December 06, 2023

As staff and various officials gathered outside, a Medical City helicopter eased into position over the hospital in Decatur Friday. Within moments, new signage was unveiled, peeling off the Band-Aid for the future of Wise County healthcare. 

After 11 months of negotiations, staff reductions and uncertainty, the new name of the Decatur campus was revealed, marking the official end of Wise Health System and the beginning of Medical City Decatur.

Medical City Healthcare and the Decatur Hospital Authority agreed to terms on the long-anticipated purchase of Wise Health System late last week, with the deal still being negotiated up until Nov. 30. I think I join many who have mixed emotions about the change. I believe our local hospital, now with the backing and might of HCA Healthcare’s Medical City Healthcare, can benefit our growing community.

However, this Wise and Otherwise column should really be called Cautious and Optimistic. 

Some really good people left the hospital leading up to the sale, either on their own accord, or through staff reductions. A few months ago, WHS reported a 14 percent reduction in staff in Wise County. There have been more since then.

We also learned cancer patients who need radiation therapy will have to travel outside of Wise County for treatment, at least for now, due to the closure of the Cancer Center, with medical oncology moved to the central campus. Staff were told it was due to disagreement on the lease of the Cancer Center building. Of 19 Medical City hospital locations in North Texas, the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Medical City Plano is the only campus that offers radiation oncology on site, according to the Medical City Healthcare website. 

I still think Medical City may be the hero of Wise County’s healthcare story. 

As debt obligations grew and revenue declined, it appears that Medical City Healthcare offered WHS a way out, preventing the potential of Wise County becoming the newest healthcare desert, and a path forward for employees and patients who depend on the hospital 

It’s no secret. Wise Health System was struggling financially. 

In recent months, it got worse, with the hospital’s credit ratings dropping significantly.

Given the county’s current growth trajectory, it may not have been very long before a hospital chain decided to build its own location in Wise County. In that scenario, I don’t know how a financially hobbled WHS would fare. The healthcare industry is already hard enough to navigate for the little guys, much less with direct competition.

I don’t think revenue was the main concern when the Decatur Hospital Authority was formed back in 1968. The Decatur City Council created the non-taxing entity with a bold vision to bring big city healthcare to rural Wise County. Years later, that group of visionaries secured a federal loan, and on Sunday, Aug. 11, 1974, that vision materialized, and Wise County changed for the better. 

That day, the original $1.7 million hospital campus across from the current campus opened “with flair,” per the big bold Messenger headline at the time. Around 1,000 gathered as federal, state and city officials offered remarks for the opening of Decatur Community Hospital, which would later become known as Wise Regional Health System and Wise Health System. 

Building that proper, 50-bed hospital in rural Wise County was ambitious. Beyond heightened services and care, the hospital served as a steady bedrock for our local economy and grew to become Wise County’s largest employer. It was our hospital, and it became a critical part of this community for the better part of five decades. 

Last week’s completion of the acquisition represents the end of an era. However, that vision cooked up in the late 60’s at Decatur City Hall should continue, now with a jolt of financial viability. 

I really believe Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, will turn out to be a pivotal moment for our community. Just like in 1974, the newly-purchased hospital changed hands with flair, with a helicopter to boot. Decatur High School has a habit of deploying helicopters to drop off the gameball on Friday Nights at Eagle Stadium. It gets the people going. Whether a homage to Decatur’s state-tournament-bound Eagles or standard acquisition procedure, I’m optimistic that Medical City Healthcare has an interest in our community, beyond tapping into a revenue stream with above average median income and promising population trends.

I’m confident because our neighbors will still be the ones tending to patients, and representing the hospital, from those mopping the floors to the Medical City Decatur CEO. Most of the people who made the hospital great are still there, they will just now work under a brand with a proven track record and formula for growth and sustainability. 

That’s why I’m optimistic. What brings me pause is thinking how decision makers — now far from home — will react if revenue and profit margins happen to lose their luster. Hand wringing aside, Wise County and Medical City Healthcare could and should profit together.

Another hat in the ring

The race to see who will fill the boots of Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin got a little more interesting this week.

Current Wise County Constable and former Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins filed for sheriff last week. This week, candidate Wesley Hughes entered the fold, joining Hoskins, Wise County Chief Deputy Craig Johnson and Cary Mellema in the crowded field of candidates who have filed in the Republican primary.

It should be an interesting race with tight margins for such a vital public safety role. It’s one of the hardest leadership positions in law enforcement, given the operation of a jail, plus the difficulties of navigating our county’s rapid growth and the crunch to compete for employees who can make a lot of money with short commute to suburbs closer to Fort Worth. Other races are heating up, too. Check out the full story on local filings in this issue.

Title chase continues

The Decatur Eagles football team is on the doorstep of local immortality. When Decatur receiver Landon Felts made a diving catch to set up Nate Palmer’s go-ahead touchdown in the closing moments of the region final Friday, I don’t think I was alone in asking the age-old question: Could this be the year? 

With the win over Brownwood, Decatur will face Anna in the 4A Division I state semifinal. This Friday’s game is close to home at C.H. Collins Stadium in Denton. I expect there to be a lot of blue there to back up the Decatur football program as it reaches for its first state title berth in school history. Last week, Paradise reached new heights with its first trip to the regional finals.

Unfortunately, that run ended. I would really like to see what would happen if the Panthers were at full strength in their rematch against Brock. Still, it was a special season for Paradise. It was a joy to watch them compete, with this senior class putting the Panthers on the state map.