We all have stake in resolution of Kearney conflict

A high-stakes chess game is under way in Kearney, but we all have a stake in the outcome.

A week after a group of doctors announced plans to build a new $20 million hospital southwest of town, Kearney's Good Samaritan Hospital announced plans to spend $65 million for improvements at that hospital.

We can understand the doctors' frustration. They announced plans for the new hospital only after years of seeing staff cuts, requests for new equipment and other needs go ignored and income from the Kearney hospital siphoned off to keep other hospitals open.

From the outside looking in, however, Kearney doesn't seem to be a large enough community to support two full-service hospitals. Especially now, with the future of health care so uncertain, it seems likely that in the long-term, one of the hospitals would end up being the winner, the other the loser.

Southwest Nebraska needs a strong hospital in Kearney; many trauma patients that can't be treated locally are flown to Good Samaritan Hospital, and many of us receive a variety of medical services there as well.

The situation illustrates the conflicts that can arise between those on the front lines of the battle to provide medical services, and those who control the checkbook.

Let's hope Kearney's conflict can be resolved without draining financial resources sorely needed to continue quality health care at a reasonable cost.