Election day will be a very important date for the future of Story County Hospital.

On Nov. 3, eight candidates will be running for four positions on the Story County Hospital Board of Trustees.

Three of the candidates have openly questioned the future need of our hospital, and two of those are members of the League of Women Voters, which actively campaigned last year to close the hospital.

Long term care at Story County Hospital is as good as it is because of the support from its acute care section.

Maintaining a positive, proactive Board of Trustees is vital for the continued success of Story County Hospital and Long Term Care, the Zearing Medical Clinic and the Maxwell Medical Clinic.

The current Board of Trustees has done an outstanding job of strengthening and improving the hospital over the past few years.

The incumbents deserve to be re-elected. They are: Eric Gabrielson, Ray Weir and Mary Maxwell.

Additionally, two other candidates, Irene Moon and Glenda Bradshaw, have indicated strong support for the continued operations of Story County Hospital.

Contrary to perceptions alleged by the League of Women Voters that the Story County Hospital is in a precarious financial situation, please know that the hospital had a positive net income of $599,000 in 1997 and $186,000 in 1998.

Story County Hospital receives about 1.1 percent of all tax receipts in Story County as compared to 1.4 percent for DMACC, which located outside the county.

Story County Hospital is important to the delivery of health care services for many residents in Story County.

I urge your support of the candidates listed above.

Jim Frevert

Resident

Nevada