The potential future of our county hospital is tucked away nicely at the end of an in-depth, comprehensive study.

The Horne Group — a consulting firm hired to examine Natchez Regional Medical Center — sent their findings to the hospital Wednesday.

And though we don’t yet know what the study says, we suspect the group’s advice is “sell.”

The study is now in the hands of the Adams County Board of Supervisors, and some supervisors say they don’t plan to talk about its findings until their Monday board meeting.

We hope the board will make the details of the report public before they vote on the next step. The hospital’s future is too important not to get every decision on the table before a decision is looming.

The taxpayers, who ultimately own the hospital, should be given a chance to know the details, ask questions and voice an opinion before any decision is made.

If the board releases the details of the study Monday, they should also set a date for a public hearing. Summarized copies of the study should be available for residents to pick up before the hearing.

Once everyone has had a chance to hear the details, the final decision is in the hands of the board elected to serve the county.

But we hope they’ll let the people in on the secret first.