What we hope ‘most’ means

Trinity Health’s pending purchase of St. Elizabeth Health Services in Baker City — it’s Baker County’s only hospital — should benefit patients from across the county.

We hope, though, that those benefits aren’t offset by the loss of a significant number of jobs at the hospital.

First, though, the positives.

We’re especially excited about the closer connection between St. Elizabeth and St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. Trinity Health already owns St. Alphonsus.

Baker County residents often travel to St. Alphonsus for treatment, sometimes by choice, other times out of necessity.

Once St. Elizabeth comes under the same corporate umbrella, though, we would expect that some of the Boise hospital’s technology and services will become available in Baker City. That would save local residents a 250-mile trip.

On the potential downside, a press release announcing the deal between Trinity Health and St. Elizabeth’s current owner, Catholic Health Initiatives, states that: “It is expected that most employees will continue in their positions.”

“Most” is not “all.”

But it can mean “almost all.”

And we hope that’s the way Trinity Health officials define the word as they’re going through the workforce at St. Elizabeth.