Drive across northern Kansas on Highway 36, and you’ll pass through 13 counties with diverse croplands, grazing cattle and an array of rural communities with unique personalities and traditions. Residents in all these rural counties require health care, and nearly all of them have made the decision to provide tax support for their hospitals.

“Most rural community hospitals receive public support, either through a mill levy or a special sales tax, and that support is vital to maintaining the level of rural health care we have today as costs continue to rise,” said Kiley Floyd, CEO of Nemaha Valley Community Hospital.

Nemaha County hospitals have had public support since 2015, when a 0.5% sales tax was passed. The measure is up for continuation in the 2024 general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Floyd and her counterpart at Sabetha Community Hospital, Dr. James Longabaugh, are asking voters to approve the continuation to ensure that both hospitals can continue to offer robust services.

“We appreciate our county’s generous support. This small tax has a big impact on helping us have funds available to update equipment, support operations and much more,” Longabaugh said.

Access to care in Nemaha County has provided lasting benefits. Kansas County Health Rankings have indicated that Nemaha County is in the top five healthiest counties in the state for the last several years based on data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kansas Health Institute. According to 2024 rankings, Nemaha County is among the best in the entire nation in terms of residents’ health outcomes, a status enjoyed by only three other Kansas counties.

“County health rankings demonstrate the power of investing in hospitals and in providing quality care,” Longabaugh said.

Keeping care local
Voting yes to continue the sales tax will help Nemaha Valley Community Hospital (NVCH) and Sabetha Community Hospital (SCH) keep care local. County residents currently have access to a full range of clinic, hospital and rehabilitation services as well as visiting specialists who come to Nemaha County.

This means that patients don’t have to travel outside the county or all the way to Manhattan or Topeka for diagnostic services such as cardiac stress tests, cancer screenings, or sleep studies; for physical, occupational or speech therapy; or to deliver a baby. Patients who need rehabilitative care in the hospital can stay close to family and friends, and they are cared for by local providers and staff.

“Rural hospitals are active in their communities, and their staffs take great pride in caring for their neighbors. Aside from the money and time saved by not having to travel, patients also receive personal, individualized care at our hospitals,” Floyd said.

Dr. Longabaugh added that rural hospital staffs understand their patients.

“We truly try to understand the needs of our patients and work with our communities to provide new services as needs evolve,” Longabaugh said.

Dr. Longabaugh noted that SCH and NVCH collaborate to ensure that they refer patients to each other and avoid duplicating services when possible.

“Our goal is always to provide the broadest array of services as efficiently as possible, so sometimes that means one hospital will offer a certain specialty clinic and the other will refer patients there,” Longabaugh said. “We don’t hesitate to refer patients to each other when appropriate.”

How funds have been spent
Sales tax funds are split between NVCH, which receives 55% of the proceeds, and SCH, which receives 45%. NVCH’s portion of the revenue currently is approximately $600,000 per year, and SCH’s share is a little more than $500,000 per year. These funds provide a much-needed source of baseline operating funds that can be used where needed.

Examples of how NVCH has used sales tax funds include the following purchases:

• Electrocardiogram machines to test for heart conditions

• Vapotherm units that provide respiratory support to patients

• Ultrasound system

• Anesthesia cart

• Maintenance agreements and staff training for new equipment

• A C-arm used in pain management procedures

• Clinic exam room tables

• IT equipment

• Examples of how SCH has used sales tax funds include the following purchases:

• Surgical equipment: Patient monitors, endoscopes, arthroscopy equipment

• NuStep machine for physical therapy

• Pulmonary function machine for respiratory therapy

• Telemetry unit for hospital patient cardiac monitoring

• Electrocardiogram machine to test for heart conditions in the emergency room

• Medication dispensing machine

• Hematology analyzer for the lab to conduct blood tests

• Lights for obstetrical (childbirth) rooms

 

“We can’t overstate the importance of having this stable source of operating funds to help with necessary equipment purchases as well as less exciting but unavoidable expenses such as maintenance or staff training and credentialing so we can operate state-of-the-art equipment,” Floyd said.

Both NVCH and SCH are engaged in capital improvement projects to expand and enhance their facilities. Sales tax funds do not support these projects. Building projects at both hospitals are funded through grants, loans and generous private donations. Hospitals are also taking advantage of community tax credit programs and other public financing options such as USDA loans to update facilities.

“We are grateful to donors who have put us in position to update our hospital and to all the partnerships that have helped us move forward with our building project. Our expansion budget is wholly separate from our equipment purchase and maintenance budgets, which is where sales tax funds are used,” Floyd said.

“Donors can help ensure that we have beautiful facilities at SCH, but sales tax dollars can help ensure that we can fill our facilities with the staff and equipment to provide the right mix of local services,” Longabaugh said.

Economic vitality
Providing the right mix of local services has broader impacts that are reflected in better health of the people who live, work and play in the county as well as the county economy as a whole.

Availability of local healthcare services helps Nemaha County residents avoid the time and expense of traveling to receive those services, improves the health of our workforce, assists in recruitment and retention of businesses, and helps retirees age in place. Ensuring that healthcare services are locally available also keeps sales tax revenue in our county, because people who remain in the county for these services are more likely to shop locally.

Hospitals also directly affect the economic well-being of the county by providing approximately 900 jobs and $43 million in labor income (based on 2021 data).

“We know agribusiness is thriving in our county, and we know from talking to large employers that having local healthcare is a big part of that success, because it helps families decide that this is a good place to be — and of course we offer employment opportunities, too,” Floyd said.

“Our county has been dubbed ‘the Little Giant’ by Kansas State University because of the vibrant economy and range of employment opportunities here,” Longabaugh said. “Our hospitals are proud to contribute to that economic success.”

Local healthcare providers and staffs bring more than economic benefits to their communities: They are highly engaged citizens. Staff members provide health education and presentations to civic and school groups, offer job shadowing opportunities to students, providing learning opportunities for nursing students, and much more.

“Local care is more than just treating people when they’re sick. Instead, it’s fully engaging in the community and getting to know our citizens,” Floyd said. “It’s helping them learn how to be healthier — how to partner with us in supporting each other and our county’s health.”

Both NVCH and SCH host community events such as health fairs with low-cost labs or health-related classes, and both contribute to community initiatives or education in areas such as healthy eating, navigating health insurance, or housing.

“Our hospitals have served Nemaha County for a combined total of almost 195 years, and we take pride in our quality, local care and engagement. Continuing the 0.5% sales tax will help us ensure we can continue to care for our communities in the years to come,” Longabaugh said.