It appears that the question of Dr. Curtis Long's clinic being able to do his own x-rays, will continue. A number of visitors were on hand at the Bates County Hospital Board's monthly meeting, hoping that will be the case.
Jim Shade, president of the hospital board, said, barring legal problems from the Feds, all will stay as it is. Actually, the problem lies with questions dealing with technical works like changing analog to digital, that the average person doesn't comprehend. Shade said they would know for sure by the next board meeting in a couple of weeks.
Extra chairs had to be set up for those who had signed up to speak in behalf of Dr. Curtis Long's practice of handling the x-rays at his clinic at 2000 West Chestnut Street here in Butler.
Dr. Long has been practicing in Butler for almost 50 years...since 1964, and of course has long been affiliated with the hospital, sending persons to the hospital as patients when they required hospital services.
The hospital board had requested that he have patients who need x-rays done, to make a second appointment, and have the x-ray work done at the hospital.
Those who had signed up to speak to the board Tuesday night, were all in friendly agreement that the second appointment and the waiting extra time to know the results, would make a hardship, and result in extra time before those results would be passed along to the client. It would be especially difficult, for the elderly, and especially for the handicapped. One person was there, helping another who was in a motorized wheelchair, and it was pointed out that with the seat belts and other necessities in getting him even to the clinic is quite a chore, to say nothing of having to make a second trip to the hospital. And to say nothing of Missouri weather, which can be bad, almost at a moment's notice.
The hospital board consists of its president, Jim Shade, as well as Patti Bruto, Rusty Hamilton, Jerry Jones, and Harold Caskey.
-courtesy FM 92 the Bullet
