Letter to Registered Voters

Dear Registered Voter, 

Right now, Haskell Township has a critical decision regarding the future of their health care in Haskell Co. This letter aims to ensure you have all the facts to make a well-informed decision regarding you and your family's health care needs. You are receiving this letter because you are registered as a voter in the remaining portion of Haskell Township and are eligible to sign the petition. Your signature in support of the petition holds immense value and is pivotal to achieving a successful outcome. We kindly request your consideration in signing the petition. 

Over the past several months, we have welcomed open dialogue regarding the expansion of the tax district for the Hospital. The Hospital is committed to sound fiscal policies and procedures as it aims to provide quality, cost-effective, efficient care to our patients and residents. Since Sublette Hospital closed, Satanta District Hospital has grown to become a regional healthcare provider serving patients from over 45 zip codes and in 4 states!! Yet, a little over 1 township (Dudley Township and a sliver of Haskell Township) bear the taxing responsibility for the Hospital.   

By expanding the Hospital’s district to include all of Haskell Township, we spread the cost of providing care to our patients over a larger number of people. This strategy helps secure the Hospital’s future and spreads the cost of maintaining the facility over the larger portion of the community that directly benefits from the Hospital. We are a not-for-profit organization, and our focus is to continue offering the 21 services that range from Sublette & Satanta clinics, retail pharmacy, ER, hospital, physical therapy, independent living, long-term care, and public health, to name a few. We want to keep these services close to home, so if you or your loved one has a health emergency in the middle of the night, you want to visit your loved one in the nursing home, or you need physical therapy three times a week, we have our community covered. Keeping these services close to home saves you precious time and money in traveling expenses. 

Here are some frequently asked questions: 

• “What is required for the petition to pass?” The hospital needs 51% of the registered voters in the remaining Haskell Township to sign the petition. There will NOT be a vote, so if you support the expansion, please sign the petition as soon as possible. If you oppose the expansion, do not sign the petition. The petition ends Sept. 22nd, 2023.     

• “Hospital just wants more money” Satanta District Hospital has remained revenue neutral from 2022 to 2023 and will be revenue neutral again in 2024. We submit a budget to the county clerk every year, just like the county, cities, townships, recreation commissions, cemeteries, libraries, and schools. Once that is submitted, we hold a budget hearing, and that is the amount we take in; we can’t take in more money or less money until the next budget year. If the expansion goes through, the hospital plans to levy (tax) the same dollar amount and spread it over a larger number of people in Dudley and Haskell Township based on the property valuation. The Hospital is committed to sound fiscal policies and procedures to ensure responsible financial management. We undergo regular audits conducted by independent third-party firms to evaluate our financial practices and ensure transparency. These audits provide a comprehensive review of our financial records, budgeting processes, and expenditure management. These audits demonstrate our commitment to maintaining financial stability and accountability. 

• “Where did the hospital get all the money for the recent construction and new equipment?” The hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and public health utilized the government-issued grant money to help mitigate and prevent the spread of COVID-19. All equipment purchased for COVID funds went through a COVID committee to ensure the purchase met the government’s intended purpose. If the item was over $5,000, the hospital board had to approve the purchase. Please see our website for the purchases made with COVID grant funds at www.satantahospital.net, under the petition tab. 

• “How much will my taxes go up?” The estimate we received from the county appraiser was based on the 2022 taxes and is listed on our website: www.satantahospital.net, under the petition tab. Right now, Dudley/sliver of Haskell Township bears all the taxing responsibility for the Hospital. So, if we add the remaining Haskell Township, which does not currently pay a hospital tax, the hospital tax will go up. The Dudley/sliver of Haskell hospital tax will go down because we are spreading the hospital tax over a larger number of people. Again, the total hospital tax amount will be distributed throughout the new district (Dudley & Haskell Township) based on the property valuation. The Hospital cannot take in more money than we budgeted with the county clerk for that year. Again, this is the hospital tax we are talking about, and we have no control over your state, county, city, township, school, or cemetery taxes. We understand the amount you pay varies based on the tax unit you live in. 

• “Hospital is tricking people into signing the petition” or “hospital is having you sign the petition when you check into the clinic or hospital” First of all, that is illegal, not to mention morally and ethically wrong. You are asked to read the petition before you sign it, and the petition carrier must attest they witnessed you signing it. We are passionate about caring for our patients, residents, and our community and strive to provide exceptional patient care to all. We would never jeopardize your trust, and it is disheartening that some in the community would spread this misinformation. 

• “Is the hospital in financial trouble?” Currently, the hospital is not in financial distress, but many rural hospitals are facing an uphill battle for various reasons, and many are at risk of closing. “More than 600 rural hospitals-nearly 30% of all rural hospitals in the country are at risk of closing”, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. People told us, “If you were in financial trouble, I would sign.” Why wait until we have to suspend or stop services that benefit our community before sharing the hospital tax load? We want to be proactive and work with our community before reaching that point. 

• “What does Haskell Township get if they sign the petition?” The Haskell Township would continue to get the quality, local, and convenient healthcare they had grown accustomed to for many years with clinics and public health located in Sublette. Haskell Township would be represented on the hospital board and will help determine the future of health care in the county and the hospital name would also be revised to incorporate the new district. 

• “Why isn’t Lockport Township included?” Initially, we did not include Lockport because the most significant number of users of the hospital services were from Satanta and Sublette zip codes. If the petition in Haskell Township passes, we will run a separate petition to expand into Lockport Township. 

• “Elkhart Clinic is not in the hospital district?” Correct, Elkhart clinic is not in our tax district, but currently, Sublette’s Clinic is not in our hospital district either, but we feel it is essential to offer healthcare services to help the patients we serve. 

• “How much does Elkhart Clinic cost the hospital?” The total Hospital Operating Budget for 2022 was $16,349,089.00. The Elkhart clinic is less than 0.15% ($2,000.00 monthly, $24,000 annually) of the budget. Revenue from the clinic covers the above cost, and anything over that amount is extra revenue for the Hospital. Currently, our providers work 4 out of the 5 days a week they are contracted for. The Elkhart clinic is done one day a month on our provider’s day out of our clinic and the medical assistant that goes with the provider is scheduled to work regardless of whether it is in Sublette or Elkhart. Patients requiring more frequent visits travel to Satanta or Sublette clinic for services. 

• “Who do I contact if I have more questions?” We welcome any and all questions you have. You can submit your question anonymously or leave your contact information, and we will respond to you directly at our website: www.satantahospital.net, under the petition tab, or call 620-682-8415.  



• “Where can I sign the petition?” The petition is held at the Sublette Clinic, Hospital Business Office, Human Resource Department, or the Administrator Office. We can also come to you! Please call 620-682-8415 and set up a time for someone to come to your house.  

Satanta District Hospital employs over 150 team members and is the largest employer in the county. Also employing the largest number of high school students, allowing them to be close to home while gaining knowledge and experience in the healthcare field. Approximately 60% of our staff live in Haskell County and contribute to property taxes and support our local businesses. Team members and patients who do not live in our great county still contribute to our local economy by purchasing goods throughout our county at gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and more. The Hospital and its health care team are grateful to be able to serve the community in which it lives and works. 

Satanta District Hospital, its Board, and our health care team members are mission-driven to provide quality health care. We work to make each experience a quality experience for every patient through service excellence. We work to understand each person's unique need. The Satanta District Hospital’s health care team works exceptionally hard to care for our community. We are privileged to provide care for the residents of Haskell County and surrounding communities. We work to assemble a unified health care team who focuses on you, the patient. 

To our health care team members, keep up the phenomenal work! To our community and our patients, Satanta District Hospital, Clinics, and Long-Term Care is here for you! 

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Satanta District Hospital, Clinic, and Long-Term Care