Laird, Regional meet with council

Laird Memorial Hospital officials have halted discussions concerning a merger with Longview's Good Shepherd Medical Center and begun conversations with Longview Regional Medical Center.

Longview Regional & Diagnostic Clinic proposes maintaining a family clinic and emergency room and provide specialists on a rotating basis which might, for example, provide a cardiologist one one day and a pulmonologist the next.

In addition, Wellness Center is interested in an expansion into Kilgore to provide outpatient labor and delivery services.

Allegiance Healthcare, which operates the behavioral health center at Laird, proposes operating the emergency room 16 hours a day and keeping the lab and radiology operating.

Talks of a merger began after Laird announced the closure of LMH Womens center and cessation of all obstetrics and gynecology services as well as suspension of all non-emergency delivery services last month.

All parties here today agreed that industrial activity here makes occupational medicine an important health care issue.

The same groups were to meet again this afternoon with the hospital board.

Bob Ellzey, Laird hospital administrator, has said that the hospital's future is in jeopardy. Talks with Good Shepherd were aimed at keeping Laird open. But those discussions stopped after Good Shepherd officials determined it would not "make economic sense for their institution, he said.

He said he expects to bring back a more "concise plan" next week.

New deliberations are now underway with Longview Regional Medical Center and QHR, a hospital management company.

QHR is a subsidiary of the company that owns Longview Regional, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems.

The entities were to meet with Kilgore City Council this morning to discuss the future of the local hospital. Laird Memorial Hospital property is owned by the City of Kilgore and has an operating and equipment lease with the city.

Bob Ellzey, Laird Memorial Hospital administrator, expressed a feeling of optimism before this morning's meeting.

"A lot of work and activity is going on, in support of Laird Memorial Hospital," Ellzey said. "City and Community leaders are stepping forward with plans to assist this community's hospital. More plans will unfold as they become definitive."

Ellzey said he believes Laird will continue to provide a hospital, medical and surgical services into the future on a selective basis.

Laird "can't provide everything for everyone; we'll likely have to turn some away" and will likely trim some services and add others.

Mayor Joe Parker said the meeting today "give me hope." He said his goal is to keep acute care operations in place.