Area residents opposed to the Via Christi corporation “positioning initiative” that includes changing the name of Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center to Via Christi Hospital continue to contact me by phone, e-mail, and in passing on the street.
After I received a call from a woman who told me she recollected that the community had contributed personal funds to the building of Mt. Carmel at Centennial and Rouse, I dug out the 1976 Centennial edition of The Morning Sun and found the following:
“Construction for the new facility got underway in 1968, following a successful community fund raising campaign with Edward McNally and George Nettels, Jr., as Co-Chairman. Area citizens responded to the appeal for funds and the goal was over-subscribed in one of the shortest fund drives on record in Pittsburg.”
Why is this important? Because the name change is being imposed from the top down — with no opportunity for input from the community.
Or the medical staff, either, for that matter. The three doctors on medical staff at Mt. Carmel I checked with told me it came out of the blue. As one physician said with a “Hey, it’s corporate.” shrug, “They don’t seem to realize we’re all (medical staff and area residents) going to keep calling it Mt. Carmel anyway.”
Good point.
Another doctor told me that, although Via Christi has an excellent reputation for health care, he does not think it’s a good idea for them remove the Mt. Carmel name. Via Christi – Mt. Carmel would represent the progressive medical partnership while retaining Mt. Carmel’s heritage.
A sharp doctor that one. Knows the value of compromise. Not only that, this doc sees a “win – win” solution rather than a “win – lose” one. One that goes beyond the boundaries of black and white thinking. An especially appropriate way to go when you consider the Mt. Carmel motto repeated in its TV, radio, and print ads: “A Community of Care Knows No Boundaries.”
To be sure, more than one person has told me that efforts to keep the Mt. Carmel name a part of the hospital are a waste of time and energy.
At this point I remind them that the same was once said about those of us who proposed saving and refurbishing Memorial Auditorium and the Stilwell Hotel, two historic buildings that continue to fill vital community needs as well as serve as centerpieces of historic preservation.
As the World Series is being played this week, a baseball metaphor about our efforts might best describe the situation; We’re batting in the bottom of the ninth, down by two runs. There’s two outs and the count is three and two. But … there’s runners on first and third (which means the winning run is at the plate) and we’re staying alive by fouling them off while waiting for a pitch to hit.
So what can you do to help win the game — or at least send it into extra innings? Call the hospital and tell them you want Via Christi - Mt. Carmel as a compromise name change. Better yet, call your doctor to say you’re in favor of it and ask him or her to relay the message to hospital administration. Start a petition. Speak up for the idea any time the subject comes up in conversation. Say a novena. Call the corporate offices in Wichita.
Most importantly, don’t give up. In the immortal words of hall of fame New York Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
J.T. Knoll is a writer, speaker and prevention and wellness coordinator at Pittsburg State University. He also operates Knoll Training, Consulting & Counseling Services in Pittsburg. He can be reached at 231-0499 or jtknoll@swbell.net
PITTSBURG —
