Homer resident opposed to hospital boundary change
I am writing to say I oppose Assemblyman Dale Bagley’s Ordinance 2018-16 that seeks to change the boundary of the South Peninsula Hospital Service Area. I have lived in Homer since 1981 and after working in Bristol Bay, the two criteria I had in selecting a new home was, it had to be on the road system and it had to have a hospital. Over the last few decades, the services provided at South Peninsula Hospital have grown and improved. A quality hospital is an asset people look at when choosing where to live. The borough hospital service areas have been in place for a long time and the town sites have not moved since that time. I believe it is the job of the Assembly to make sure the services provided throughout the borough work for all of us. It seems divisive to suggest that some taxpayers could pay less if they vote to be part of one hospital service area at the expense of another.
The function of the Assembly is to improve the quality of life for all residents of the borough. You do this in part by maintaining and improving infrastructure including hospital services. All residents of the borough need access to quality health care and emergency services. Shrinking the SPH service area boundary will negatively impact the services available at South Peninsula Hospital due to a reduction in revenue. I do not see how the Assembly can think that is beneficial to any of the residents of the borough.
Lynn Takeoka Spence
Homer