Local doctors met St. Vincent’s Health System officials last week at an event sponsored by the Chilton County Healthcare Authority.

Sibley Reynolds with the Healthcare Authority thanked those who attended the “meet-and-greet” held at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center “so we can all get on the same page.”

The Healthcare Authority has worked toward a referendum on the June 3 Primary Election ballot about whether to implement a temporary 1-cent sales tax increase for the construction of a new hospital in Chilton County.

An agreement is in place with St. Vincent’s to operate the proposed facility, which would be located off Highway 145 near Interstate 65 Exit 212 in Clanton.

“We said, ‘It’s not going to work if we don’t have the doctors on board,’” Reynolds said.

About 10 local doctors were present to hear John O’Neil, president and CEO of St. Vincent’s Health System say that though healthcare is the largest economic driver in Alabama and the United States, rural hospitals continue to struggle and close.

O’Neil said the “public/private partnership” approach being taken to bring a “sustainable healthcare facility” to Chilton County is “unlike anything you’re seeing anywhere else in the state.”

“What you’re doing is absolutely visionary for the future,” he said.

O’Neil was asked about the arrangement between Chilton County and St. Vincent’s. He said details have not yet been decided but pointed to the St. Vincent’s St. Clair facility, which was built with public funds, and belongs to St. Clair county, but operated by St. Vincent’s.

“We will operate it, and we will love it just like it’s our child,” O’Neil said.

Concerns were also raised about apparent mismanagement of the closed Chilton Medical Center facility. O’Neil stressed the transparency his organization would employ during its operation of the hospital.

“This is exciting,” O’Neil said. “This is what healthcare should be about—not one-size-fits-all. Bricks and mortar will bring [patients] in one time, but they’ll come back because of the care they receive.”

Chilton County Commissioner Shannon Welch and Industrial Development Coordinator Fred Crawford both talked about the importance of building a hospital in Chilton County.

“It’s going to produce a lot of jobs,” Welch said. “We really appreciate your interest in our county.”