The Clergy Community Coalition has collected signatures for its third attempt at getting levy on the ballot to fund a Dayton public hospital.
"The broken health care system in Dayton, Ohio, can be fixed," said Bishop Richard Cox, with the Clergy Community Coalition.
According to Cox, part of that fix includes building a new public hospital in West Dayton. The coalition has been organizing since soon after Good Samaritan Hospital closed in Dayton in 2019. Operator Premier Health said it wasn't sustainable to keep the doors open.
The next step towards this is a new batch of certified petition signatures. The Montgomery County Board of Elections has certified 1,284 petition signatures as valid, meaning each person is a registered voter in good standing and a Dayton resident.
On the morning of July 9, the coalition will present these signatures to Dayton’s City Commission , urging their acceptance and for the city to impose a 1 mill in property tax toward a public hospital.
This will be the third time the group has submitted a signed petition. The council reject the previous two submissions for lack of valid signatures.
Cox said the West Dayton community needs a hospital that provides quality, accessible health care.
"A lot of people in the Dayton View area are chronically ill. And a lot of people don’t have access to adequate health care," said Cox.
Over ten years, the tax would generate about $2 million per year to buy land and begin construction.
Cox said more people are supporting their efforts.
"When you speak truth to power, you've got to get people to understand that this affects you. So that if you get sick, You're gonna have to travel miles out to go to another hospital that's not located in your area," he said.
The group wants a facility with a Level 2 emergency department, an intensive care unit, mental health programs, a diagnostic laboratory, an imaging center, a birthing center, andoutpatient speciality services.
