Article in the N and O on April 20th stated that Wake Med back then opposed the re-location of the Hosptial Move from Louisburg to Youngsville. See how much clout Wake-Med has on this. Look what's happening and the states position on the matter.

I have lived near Louisburg most of my life and have found the location of the hospital very convenient. I agree that the Med Center could use improvement, but moving all of it away from its present location would jepordize the emergency care that so many senoir citizens in nearby retirement homes need. I would be in favor of them leaving a good emergency department at the present location and building the new facility at the new location that they wnat to go to. It is my understanding that this is not an option that the company will entertain. One of the biggest problems with the present facility is their billing department. Almost every time I have dealings with this department they can't seem to get the bills correct the first time. They need to straighten this out first and then think building of a new facility.

I agree with Arkansas Razorback. Franklin Regional has much bigger problems to worry about than their location.

msodrgnking: I live in southern Franklin Co. not too far from Five County Stadium (Mudcats). It takes at least 50 minutes to drive from my house to Henderson and that's on a day when you don't get behind a slow tractor on Hwy. 39 between Bunn and Louisburg. Since the 264/64 Bypass has been completed, I can get to WakeMed in about the same time that it takes to get to Franklin Regional. Even if the facility moves to Youngsville, I'll still go to WakeMed.

I think you're all missing the elephant in the room here (except Wake1). FRMC is a private business. Why should the state have any say as to how that business is run or where it is located? This should never happen in a free society. There's nothing special about health care (despite many people's emotional attitudes about it) that makes it okay for the government to regulate--especially to the point of requiring a hospital to GET PERMISSION to relocate. The sad thing is that this debate shouldn't even be happening, because we shouldn't live under a system that places these kinds of restrictions on individuals and their businesses. Just think about how you would feel if you invested time and money and energy in starting a hospital because you saw a market for the services and wanted to facilitate a voluntary exchange of value for value (money for services), and the state came in and hindered you.

Bottom line - if the company that owns Franklin Regional continues to lose money, they will probably eventually have to close the doors & then there will be nothing! Everybody wants excellent care, but many don't & won't pay a dime for the care they receive. Hospitals have to be creative & innovative in order to pay the bills. I'm not a big fan of a big chain running hospitals, but they should be able to cover the expenses of taking care of all their patients they serve.