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Crossing Rivers Health addresses public questions, concerns regarding future razing of old PdC Memorial Hospital

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Crossing Rivers Health Board of Directors is made up of community members, as well as two outside members, who can provide a broader opinion on matters. Pictured, from left, are (front) Katie Garrity, Secretary; Lisa Esser, Treasurer; Dr. Tamara Holzer, Medical Chief of Staff (ex-officio, non-voting member); Mattie Rademacher; (back) Roy C. George, Vice President; Garith Steiner; Charlie Connell, President; Chad Trautsch; Paul Ginkel, Past Board President (no longer a board member); and Bill Sexton, Crossing Rivers Health Chief Executive Officer (ex-officio, non-voting member). Board member Police Chief Chad Abram is not pictured. (Photo submited)

By Caitlin Bittner

In order to address the public’s concerns and questions regarding the razing of the old Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital building, the Courier Press reached out to Crossing Rivers Health. Sasha Dull, the chief development officer and external relations coordinator, Bill Sexton, the chief executive officer and Charlie Connell, Crossing Rivers Health board president, agreed to sit down to help put the confusion to rest.

“It’s sad to see it come down,” began Sexton. “But the alternative is to watch it decay over time and we didn’t want that to be the hospital’s legacy.”

The building, according to Sexton, served the community for about six decades until the hospital officially moved to its new home in June. “We’ve had the property listed for two years, and in that time, there was no viable plan presented for it,” stated Sexton.

“A viable plan was important,” added Connell. “For the board, we wanted to have longterm and sustainable plans. We didn’t want to sell or donate it to someone who didn’t have a plan. If the plan didn’t work out, we wanted to know what they were going to do. We really didn’t want the legacy to be an abandoned building.”

As to the long and complicated history of the old hospital building, Sexton said that the original section was constructed in the 1950s. “It’s been added onto 11 different times. It is not a cost-efficient building. When we set out to revamp the hospital, we didn’t intend to build a new building. We looked, in depth, at the possibilities. We would have had to close a street and add on to the south. If the building could have been easily repurposed, it would have been.”

The mechanical structure of the building was also an issue, according to Dull. “The mechanical infrastructure is very large. If it would breakdown, it could take out [power for] the entire building. The costs are very high to repair and maintain it,” Dull explained.

As to questions of specific repurposing, such as a new nursing home or assisted living space, Sexton said that even that change would have been very expensive. “None of  the patient rooms had showers, which would necessitate a very large and difficult renovation.”

The old hospital building, although it is not being used, still costs Crossing Rivers Health a lot of money to operate, and would be a large financial burden to any buyer. “It costs close to half a million dollars a year just to operate the old building,” said Sexton.

“Even a portion of it would be expensive,” commented Connell. “The whole building still needs to be maintained. Even if we were to sell part of it, what would happen to the rest? We do not want an empty building in a residential area or so close to the school.”

As the decision to raze the old building was made by the Crossing Rivers Health Board of Directors, Connell wanted to stress that the members of the board care about the community a great deal and wouldn’t have made the decision if they didn’t think it was the best option. “The board makes decisions to help make things better. They are not paid or compensated in any way. They are all volunteers. Their choices are not made to make the hospital money, but to save money. We are a non-profit organization. We can’t make money. It all goes back to the hospital.”

The board of directors is made up of 10 members, eight of whom can vote. The goal of the board is to make decisions for the longterm. “It’s not five years down the road that they worry about; it’s 30. It’s our job to make sure that confidentiality is used so that we can be objective. We take this responsibility very seriously,” said Connell.

As for the future, Sexton said that it is very important for Crossing Rivers to move forward. “We need to move forward to care for people from a health standpoint. We need to focus on the new place. It’s hard because the old hospital is where people had their children, where loved ones were cared for, where loved ones passed away. But, the hospital has been reborn and now the organization can serve the community in a better way.”

“We appreciate the fact that people have ideas, but the time is passed. It took two years to build the new hospital and we feel that the property would be better off without the old building. We’ve got a new place and it’s already creating new history,” remarked Connell.

Sexton added that the important thing was that the community’s needs are still being met. “People need to remember that the hospital didn’t close. It just moved.”

“The reality of the situation is that anything that someone tried to do to the old building would be a tremendously complicated undertaking,” added Connell.

The part that Sexton finds very interesting is the response by residents who are upset about taxpayer dollars. “The property is owned by Crossing Rivers. It is not owned by the community. There are no taxpayer dollars being used and there never has been,” said Sexton.

Nothing has been decided as to an official date for the razing, but Sexton, Connell and Dull were all adamant that it would be razed by the end of the year.

In order to pay tribute to the donors of the original hospital, Dull explained that a history wall is in the works, with space already reserved on the first floor. “The gifts people made will be recognized. All of them have been appreciated and they will be remembered,” said Dull.

The hospital’s new chapter will be a bright one, according to Sexton. “The community should watch as we grow and develop new things.”

“We have the opportunity to grow in our new location,” said Connell.

“We’ll be here for the future and to continue our organization’s legacy. This is not about money. It’s about being responsible stewards to the community,” finished Sexton.

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