With a nod to John Hood, I commented at the State House Call blog on today’s CON board meeting to decide who gets to build 41 new hospital beds in Wake County.
Hospitals in rapidly growing Wake County, NC, are willing to invest $100 million or more to expand their presence. Problem is, the state says there is room for only 41 more hospital beds in the county, so the CON men and women will meet today to listen to presentations, cast lots, consult oracles, and examine goat entrails in deciding which hospital should have the right to build a new facility.A previous CON hearing included high school marching bands and supporters in matching t-shirts. This time the CON board wants a “serious” tone and is even banning PowerPoint.
The entire process is ridiculous: why try to hide it at a public meeting? My serious suggestion is for all participants to wear clown noses to the meeting.
