One of the local websites has a real hardon for Lancaster General Hospital. They should be doing this and that with all the money they're making, for instance.

A couple of months ago, they were arguing that they ought not be building facilities near Ephrata that might draw away business that otherwise would go to the Ephrata Hospital. One of the contributors on that site asked how the people at LGH would feel if the hospital in Hershey were to build a satellite facility across the road from the Health Campus.

Their Point Being

Their point was that one ought not build a facility at 322 and 222 - catty-whampus from the Ephrata WalMart - that would be convenient to highways.

I was ridiculed when I said it sounded like a good idea to me. I pointed out that the Ephrata hospital was building facilities at places like Brownstown, and that if they were smart, they'd build an urgent-care facility near the Health Campus.

Turns out that LGH is doing exactly when I suggested Ephrata ought to do. They expanded the Amelia's somewhat in Good Plaza, built a CVS pharmacy, and LGH has opened an urgent care facility as well. Basically, it's a not-quite-an-emergency emergency room.

Procter & Gamble

You know, Procter & Gamble makes a number of brands of soap. They make Tide, Oxydol, Ivory and one or two other laundry soaps - perhaps Cheer? They offer both Ivory and Dawn for washing dishes. They've found that the most profitable action - and the action that benefits consumers most - is to allow the various brands to compete freely, as if they were owned by different companies. As long as consumers make it profitable to produce a product, they make it. When they want out of a business - they sell it, as they recently sold off their edible oils - Jif peanut butter and Crisco oil and shortenings - to the J & M Smucker people who are so well known for their jellies.

If the Ephrata hospital is smart, they'll aggressive look for ways to meet the needs of consumers, and if that means they compete with themselves, so be it. If they don't, they'll find themselves irrelevant, and they'll go out of business, and there won't be any great loss to anyone if that happens. But I don't think that will happen.

Other Bloggers On Related Topics:
Amelia's - Cheer - Crisco - CVS - Ephrata hospital - Ephrata WalMart - Good Plaza - Ivory - Jif - Lancaster General Health - Oxydol - Procter & Gambles - Smucker's jellies - Tide - urgent care