The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) opened its newly upgraded parking lot this past Monday and, as promised at the signing of the contract for the renovation of the space, the public hospital has been charging customers to use the parking lot.
The rumor mill suggested that those parking fees would be extended to those visiting the hospital to see sick relatives or to conduct business at the hospital; however, chairperson of the KHMH Board of Directors, Chandra Nisbet-Cansino, said that only those who are not accessing KHMH services will be charged for using the parking space.
She said, “The procedure for charging just started at the beginning of this week and we have been receiving complaints from persons who have to pay to use the parking lot. The greatest concern for us was when we heard that patients and people who are accessing the services at the hospital are also being charged, and so we had a Board meeting today and the topic came up, and systems will be put in place to ensure that patients that are using the hospital and who are receiving treatment from the hospital will not be charged for using the parking lot – that was never the intention. The intention was to capture some revenue from the businesses and other places around here whose clients use the parking lot, to generate some income for the hospital.”
Nisbet-Cansino added that a system will be put in place to provide vehicle passes to relatives who come to visit patients in the duration of their stay at the hospital.
The parking fee is $2 per hour.