Success Stories

Tax Initiative Campaign for Kingfisher Regional Hospital

Background:
On Dec. 14, the community of Kingfisher was to vote whether to continue the 1 percent sales tax support for Kingfisher Regional Hospital. The sales tax had been in place for the past five years, and if the hospital had not had the support of the initiative, KRH would have lost significant money four of those five years. Without the tax support, the hospital would have had to close or, at the very least, would have been unable to make much needed technology improvements.

Research:
Through interviews with key hospital employees, including Damon Benson, CEO, and research conducted by the Okalahoma State University Extension, the following information was gathered:

Kingfisher Regional Hospital:
• Serves all residents of Kingfisher County and surrounding areas
• Had 1,345 inpatient admissions in fiscal year 2004
• 2,800 emergency department visits
• 5,275 outpatient visits
• Provides 90+ jobs
• Supports many community organizations and activities
• Invested over $955,070 in equipment over last five years
• Had bad debt/charity care of almost $1 million in 2004 alone
• Would have lost money in five of the last six years without the sales tax
• Needed the sales tax to continue operations and maintaining the services it now offers

In addition:
• Healthcare provides a $16 million dollar impact on Kingfisher County economy
• Added services at KRH, thanks in part to the sales tax, including: expanded MRI services, mobile nuclear medicine tests, sleep studies, quarterly health newsletter
• Quorum, the hospital’s management company, provides support through discounts, consulting, and education that resulted in a net gain of over $570,000 during the past five years

Objectives:
• To increase awareness in the Kingfisher and surrounding communities of what benefits the hospital has gained from the sales tax in the past
• To increase awareness in Kingfisher and surrounding communities of what would happen if the sales tax was not passed
• Get voters to the polls to pass the sales tax initiative at a time when there were no other issues or elected officials on the ballot that would provide incentive to voters to get out and vote that day

Execution:

Advertisements
Ads presenting the sales tax initiative and encouraging community members to vote ran in the Kingfisher Times and Free Press, Okarche Chieftain, Hennessey Clipper and Watonga Republican. The campaign included research gathered to help explain to community members the benefits of supporting the sales tax.

A second ad presenting a sample ballot and encouraging community members to vote also ran in the Kingfisher Times and Free Press, Okarche Chieftain, Hennessey Clipper and Watonga Republican.

Fact Sheets
A fact sheet was written and distributed in the Kingfisher and surrounding communities that presented the research gathered about the benefits the hospital gained from the sales tax in the past years and what the hospital and community stood to lose if the initiative was not passed.

Letter Campaign
Letters were sent to key community leaders and members informing them of the sales tax vote and presenting pertinent research about what KRH had been able to do with the sales tax money in the past. These letters included a call to action for these community members to sponsor an advertisement in the Kingfisher Times and Free Press expressing their support for the hospital vote. Fact sheets were included with each letter.

Community Outreach
KRH CEO Damon Benson made a presentation in the to community leaders describing the importance of heath care in Kingfisher, the number of people KRH served in 2004, the hospital’s income with and without the sales tax, and the impact on the hospital and community if the initiative failed. Community members were also encouraged to write editorials in support of the sales tax. Benson also interviewed with local papers, giving them similar information.

Information that was available on the fact sheets and letters distributed to the community were also made available on the KRH Web site. Yard signs, stickers and posters that encouraged residents to get out and vote were printed and distributed throughout the community.

Evaluation:
The sales tax initiative passed with a 93 percent approval of the Kingfisher community voters.