Reader "disgusted" with St. Luke's restructuring

Dear Editor:

I am disgusted with the recent restructuring of St. Luke’s Elmore. Our fellow Mountain Home resident Mike Blauer was dismissed as hospital site administrator last Friday. His position has been eliminated and will not be refilled. There is a new role that oversees the health services of McCall, Boise, and Mountain Home St. Luke’s hospitals. This shift takes away our local input into the large system.

St. Luke’s claims to care about the health of our community. Healthy communities need healthy contributors. With this restructuring they have taken this professional position from our community and have given the decision making to someone that doesn’t live here and doesn’t know our community. In addition, this new manager will be spread so thin trying to oversee three hospitals in three very diverse areas. How is that beneficial to our community? We need and deserve an advocate for our town, our community, like Mike Blauer.

Mike Blauer has been a phenomenal administrator of our rural hospital. He has been with us from the beginning as Elmore County Medical transitioned to St. Luke’s Elmore. He cares about his employees and our community. He is approachable and interested in the success and care of the employees and patrons of St. Luke’s. It truly is a shame to let such aptitude go.

Jennifer Spaulding

Editor’s Note: This letter to the editor was received on Nov. 23, but the Mountain Home News doing due diligence needed the opportunity to request information from St. Luke’s Elmore. We value the option for our readers to ask the tough questions and use their voice, but also allow ourselves the opportunity to get some answers as well. See the St. Luke's realignment story in this week's issue of the MHN