Wednesday June 10, 2015

Wednesday June 10, 2015 Breakfast Club Wednesday: Up at 0530, shave, dress and head to BC. Drove in bright sunshine which makes the early morning drive easy. We had a good crowd today. Lody Zwarensteyn, a BC member, and former head of the Kent County Health Alliance gave a talk on the implications of a for-profit hospital Group buying a non-profit hospital. Who gets the profits of the sale of a non-profit and does a for- profit give as good service as a non-profit? (Metro Hospital in GR is being purchased by a TN group) It was very interesting and complicated. I am not sure if I have an opinion on this issue. The only thing I know about health service companies is that they do not operate in a true competitive environment. After BC I stopped at the Wealthy Street Bakery for coffee and a chance to read the WSJ. On my way home from the Bakery I stopped at Mr Thanh Tailor and left off several pair of pants to have them altered. At home I put on my biking riding clothes and went on a short ride, 8 miles. On my ride I ran over a big snake who was sunning himself on the warm asphalt. I thought is was a stick. Ms P continues to walk on three legs so a walk was out of the question. I did take a 2.5 mile walk before showering. This evening I put on my 58 year old tux and Nancy put on a great looking dress and we headed to Meijer’s Garden. Tonight was the Dedication Ceremonies for the new Japanese Gardens. Over 700 folks were in attendance including the Japanese Ambassador to the USA, Governor Snyder of MI, and the Governor of Michigan’s sister state in Japan. It was a great evening. I was surprised at how many folks I knew. They were two members from BC and three folks from Alpena. Sitting at our table was Mark Bolhuis who was a science teacher at OHHS when the kids attended. The Japanese Garden will be a great addition. We got home about 2200.