Who's your Final Four?

I would have accomplished a lot more at work yesterday if I weren't watching KU on the Internet. My brackets are filled out. I have Kansas, Tennessee, Texas and Duke in my Final Four and KU beating Duke for the national title. Of course I'd rather look like a bad prognosticator than have North Carolina go all the way. So who do you have making it to the Final Four?

We need a new Washington County Hospital

County Commissioners urged the Washington County Hospital board on Monday to put the concept of a new hospital up for vote. The board hoped to go through the public building commission process, which was the same process used for the construction of the new jail.
While I fully support the construction of a new hospital, I probably agree with the commission that a vote should occur. Frankly, I believe a vote would be successful, but having it on the books would quiet some of the folks who enjoy complaining about such efforts. It would show them that they are in the minority with their opinion.
There are certain basic things I believe our county government should provide, including law enforcement, good roads and a proper medical facility among other necessities. While I appreciate the staff of the existing hospital, the physical structure of the hospital itself is dated and lacking in efficiency. Renovating the facility would only be a short-term answer to the problems. A new facility would also help the cause of recruiting doctors and nursing staff in the future. I’ve noticed hospitals to the west of Washington County can only seem to recruit foreign doctors for a short period of time. A new hospital facility might bring in someone who wants to spend their career here, much like Dr. Hodgson has (and we should thank him for that.)
Many of our county residents use hospitals in surrounding counties. That’s fine, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on ours. Having just had the experience a week and a half ago of having my daughter break her arm, I was so pleased that the trip to the emergency room was only a six minute trip since we switched our services to the Washington County Hospital last year, rather than a 25 minute trip like before. When a three-year-old daughter is in pain, every minute saved is worth a lot to a dad.
I hope Washington Countians support the construction of a new hospital. What do you think? What is the alternative? Leave a comment below.