Few would dare hold themselves personally accountable for the county's current financial situation. However, Delphi resident Tom Brodar of Brodar Chiropractic Office in Delphi said he is both "the problem and the solution" to the county's consequent suffering. He said that in attempting to find a cure, he initiated the first countywide healthcare summit last month.

"The idea came to me last year when an ambulance was cut from the budget," Brodar said. "And as a healthcare provider, when I saw the community upset over the cutbacks instituted on residents, I asked myself 'what's my part in this?'"

He said it took nearly a year to organize the summit that was sponsored by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Logansport Memorial Hospital. Nearly twenty healthcare providers attended.

"I needed the committee to confirm or deny the need for a more unified network of healthcare providers," Brodar said.

He suggested to summit participants the county's response to losing the ambulance implied residents themselves had overburdened the county healthcare budget. Brodar said because there was no organized system of healthcare providers, residents relied solely on the ambulance for their prolonged healthcare needs.

"I don't think people know where to go," Brodar said. "I think our healthcare community has a responsibility to maintain healthcare education."

"I think we also need to find out what repels people from using local healthcare," he said. "Because if you've waited for a crisis, you've waited too long."

Brodar said an organized healthcare system is also necessary for economic development - to lure people, jobs and business to the community.

"Why would people come here when we have no hospital?" he asked. "And what can we do to keep people here?"

Dr. Don Wagoner of Wagoner Medical Center in Burlington told attendees the creation of a patient-centered "medical home" could be one solution. He credited the recent research by Dr. Starfield of Johns Hopkins University, as the inspiration for the idea.

"The idea keeps down the total cost of healthcare," Wagoner said. "It uses four to eight doctors in a primary care area that can practice other fields in house."

He said a "medical home" would offer more emergency care options available to patients than urgent care facilities. Wagoner said doctors would be able to avoid unnecessary high costs that are often tacked onto urgent care.

Wagoner said a committee was developed for future input. Members are Wagoner, Brodar, Dr. Greg Norman of Norman Eye Care, registered pharmacist Barb Payne of Payne's Pharmacy, and Dr. Mark Meyer of Carroll County Medical Center.

"No one denies that there is a problem," Brodar said. "What we don't know is what's the solution and what's the cost if we don't fix it now."

"We all learn so much from other fields and different medical perspectives," he said. "We can no longer sit in our separate offices with the blinds closed. The solution to all of this begins with collaboration and interaction."

Brodar said the plan is to "stimulate the dialogue" and integrate all provider ideas. The next summit date will be announced when the chamber of commerce reviews post-meeting survey results.

Brodar urged area dentists to make a presence at the next meeting. Healthcare providers interested in the next phase can contact the chamber office at (765) 564-6757 or Brodar at brodar@ ffni.com.