Follow the money.

If there was one suggestion that came across loud and clear at Monday’s town hall meeting concerning the future of our health care, that was it.

“Follow the money,” of course, was the suggestion Deep Throat gave newspaper reporters Woodward and Bernstein as they unraveled the political corruption Americans have come to know as Watergate.

Our grassroots organization, Save Bradford Hospital, has already uncovered some astonishing facts about money as we unpack a complicated history playing out more than a decade:

• Tax forms from Bradford Hospital Foundation show assets of $11,351,713 at the beginning of 2016 and assets of $1,965,582 at the end of the year. That’s $9.4 million off the books.

• At a time when the hospital supposedly was awash in red ink, the former CEO of Upper Allegheny Health System was pulling down roughly $1 million a year in salary while leading both Bradford Regional and Olean General Hospital, and his leadership team another $1.3 million.

Each year. For about a decade.

His salary was among the highest in Western New York. (Again, in his defense, he was CEO of both Bradford and Olean hospitals.)

At our forum, we heard from people offering heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking testimony and we handed out our questionnaires, which we hope will elicit still more feedback.

We have all watched over the years as we have lost services — maternity ward, dental and health clinics and most of our medical beds. (We have retained 10 beds only because Pennsylvania regulations require that many for a “hospital.”)

To be sure, we still have lab and X-ray, cardiac rehab and physical therapy, cancer treatment and more — for which we are grateful. And administrators are talking about a “center of excellence” for the large amount of hospital space left open.

We are left with a single important question. What happened?

As an act of accountability to the people who have donated their blood, sweat and tears — not to mention, cash — we will continue to “follow the money” to the truth … so it never happens again.

But one sad fact we have already discovered. The money? It’s long gone. The boards of directors and administrators who made some fateful decisions? Also gone.

A blame game is about 10 years too late.

Many people in the community still fervently believe the ongoing situation is “the best we can do,” and point out that many rural hospitals are in trouble across the country. We know full well there are legitimate worries that both Bradford and Olean hospitals could collapse. And, of course, there is the ever-present threat that the powers that be (Kaleida Health?) may decide to close Bradford hospital after all. Hell, maybe even Olean.

We extend an olive branch to them, too. They are not our enemy.

Our organization has a single goal — restore some semblance of decent health care to the Bradford area now and into the future. We have no choice. We are too poor, too sick and too old to exist without a viable hospital of some sort.

If we must draw a line in the sand … this is it.

As we take in the next phase of our crusade, we will be approaching local industrialists, so-called “movers and shakers,” the generous philanthropists who have always helped in times of need. And, of course, you. You always have our back.

We hope the entire community gets on board our effort. We will be pulling together various volunteers for the enormous job that lies ahead. Reach out to us through Facebook or through The Era. (If I were Kaleida I wouldn’t want to face the angry nurses who spoke up at Monday’s meeting.)

We are lucky to begin searching for innovative solutions at a time when new ideas and technology pop up every day. We get a chance to explore some novel suggestions just unfolding in rural health care.

It’s a huge job and won’t be done overnight, so get ready for the long haul.

Our small group of women initially huddled together weeks ago talked about undertaking a project to heal a community riven by the coronavirus and a hostile political landscape.

How incredibly ironic if we could heal the community’s wounds, not just emotionally but physically. Call it fate.

(Marty Wilder lives in Marshburg and is an organizer of Save Bradford Hospital.)