Broadlands Hospital voted down by BOS !

I have read many arguments about this hospital, some sane some not. I for one, am glad it is not going in here. I have read many comments about "why complain, the hospital was slated there when I moved in", well it wasn't for me. My wife and I did a lot of research about this development before purchasing, and I did a lot of research as to what could be built on that land; capacity, height, type, etc. It is one of the reasons I chose to buy in the Broadlands, I was comfortable with what could be built close by.

For those people who think it wont change our development, you are completely kidding yourself. Something of that magnitude would change the character of our neighborhood in a negative way, and just cause HCA is only proposing a 400K SQft facility now, does not mean that they can't expand it in the future to be a full trama center like fairfax. The plans stated that they could, in the future, request permission to expand up to 1 million SQ ft facility. I really don't think people realize the size that would be.

I will say, that I believe loudoun county does need another hospital. But to locate another hospital within 5 miles ( closer once Claiborne Pkwy is put through) both in the eastern corner of the county is foolish. The services for the county should be spread out to better server the whole county, not just the eastern part.

Just my 2 cents

 

Loudoun county is 517 square miles. We need another hospital, but we don't need it 5 miles from the current one.

 

To me it's not about traffic, but location. And it wasn't about location because I was scared about syringes laying in the gutter and mental patients roaming the streets like some people would like to think would happen. It's the proximity to another hospital. Somewhere between brambleton and rt50 would be optimal IMO, and would still benefit us.

I wonder why your buddy doesn't take patients to HCA Reston?

 

I recently moved to Broadlands. Before moving here, my family lived 100 yards from Reston Hospital. Not once did I EVER feel inconvenienced by the proximity to the Hospital. Everything is contained w/in the Hospital boundaries. There was never any apparent additional traffic caused by it. It did however give me peace of mind that I could literally run my kids over to the Hospital if anything happened. You NIMBY folkes are incredibly narrow-minded. Enjoy the Chinese restaurant, nail salon, karate school, dentist and chiropractor filled strip-mall that will replace the Hospital. Lord knows we need more of those...

 

I would like to say something about the Leesburg rescue saying Inova Loudoun has been on reroute. I would like to know who you spoke with there, so I can speak with them, as ILHC has NOT been on reroute for 2 YEARS. Maybe they meant to say Reston.

Another issue that people seem to forget is that those other hospitals mentioned were there BEFORE the houses went up so those people had a CHOICE of whether or not they wanted to live next to a hospital. This is not a case of NIMBY, it is simply a case of keeping the proffers that were promised to our community and maintaining the vision of the neighborhood we bought into.

 

How did you like Reston Hospital? I am curious in case of an emgergency if I should go to Loudoun or Reston. I went to Loudoun once when I spiked a really high fever and was in and out pretty quick. My husband had ankle surgery at Reston and really liked it (the hosp. not the sugery) but he was comparing it to Fairfax INOVA - don't get me started on that one.

I have a small child - knock on wood - no emergency room visits yet - but want to anticipate when the time goes, where to take her.

 

HCA needs to stop bullying Broadlands and be a good loser and move on. They should stop wasting their $$ and threatening to sue Loudoun County (further soiling their reputation, hahahaha, what idiots) and find a better place in Loudoun... out west... and if need be, provide funding to make the land suitable for their dream money raking medical building.

HCA is a bully. I do not like bullies. They are behaving like jerks.
They should move on before they get kicked out for good.

 

Strong words like these makes you sound like a bully.

 

Oh yeah. I am such a bully. *meow* >hiss<
[]

 

Huh? "Find a better place in Loudoun"? I would think that HCA's business development group knows a little more about supply & demand in this area than you or anyone else on this board. I think they have a pretty good idea that the demand for a hospital in the Broadlands area will be better than in western Loudoun. It doesn't take a genius to recognize that there are no people in western Loudoun and tons of people in eastern Loudoun. If there was adequate current or projected demand for a hospital elsewhere, then why aren't hospitals lining up to apply to get one started? I haven't heard of hospitals chomping at the bit to get into western Loudoun, or Route 50 for that matter.

And since when is a bully or acting like a jerk defined as trying to further something that has been approved at the state level? HCA has clearance to build this hospital from the state. Now, the BS, I mean BoS, has put a stop to it because they have ulterior motives for building a hospital in the Route 50 corridor. Right now, the only people that would build a hospital in the Route 50 corridor are the yes-voters on the BoS -- not HCA or any other hospital.

One doesn't have to look far to see the bullies and jerks in this matter. It ain't HCA.

 

HCA has every right to sue Loudoun County. And, while the two sides are locked in a prolonged legal battle, the Loudoun population will continue to grow, and the residents will still be served by a single in-county hospital facility.

 

It would be refreshing if everyone could stop the name calling and just present their opinion and the reasons why you have come to your conclusion.

I am against HCA building in the Broadlands. I do not feel it is the right location for a second hospital in Loudoun County. I feel it will materially change the character of our development. Independent traffic advisors had noted a material increase in the amount of cars and delivery trucks if the hospital were to come here. I do not think the roads can support the traffic ...there is only one street in and one street out ... Broadlands Blvd. I believe once HCA is in, they will keep filing COPN's to expand and expand .. and will get back that helicopter pad they took out at the last minute. I believe HCA's managment and accounting practices are shady at best based on their history... I do not believe they would make a good neighbor ... they have divided this neighborhood already ... I agree with Jim Burton, they chose this site for preditory reasons only. They are not thinking about what is best for the whole county.

 

hberg, You asked about how someone liked Reston. My answer is NO WAY. I have 3 children, and after my daughter was born she contracted RSV (Resperatory virus in kids). She was taken to Reston in an ambulance from a Dr. office due to breathing problems. Upon arriving at the ER, a nurse said to another nurse "What are they thinking of bringing a 3 weekold here. We don't want to treat her, they should have taken her to Fair Oaks or fairfax, I'm not touching her". Now she didn't realize that she was saying this right infront of the parents, and the situation was quickly handled by her supervisor, but I will admit, that as soon as they deemed her "stable" they shipped us to fairfax ASAP. Can't tell you how many times they stuck her without success, they had really no idea what they were doing, in my opinion. It wasn't cause they COULDN't handle it, the didn't WANT to. I am glad they ended up sending us to fairfax, the children's wing is top notch, could ask for better care.

I have heard other people say they have had similar expierences are loudoun, and I will say that for a hospital to be located in a extremely densely child populated area, they should really have better pediatric capability in the ER. That goes for loudoun as well as reston.

 

Any interesting comment about the business development group for HCA. Here's an analogy for you. Why does Walmart put stores near Target, and vs versa. The short, obvious, quick answer is: to steal business from the other store.


Just a thought

 

It doesn't do much for their argument to kill the helipad. Stick it on a toll road in a gridlocked region, and take away the means for quick transfer? Right.

Also not really surprising that the vote was a "smart" growth split: it didn't matter how the two western Supers voted, because the majority was where it was, so after paying lip service to constituent needs, one gives a diatribe against the company (nice set up for their lawsuit) and then votes for it, and the other engages in a seemingly scripted interchange with the attorney who magically just happens to have a letter addressing every concern, culminating in $200K for affordable housing to produce that "yes". $200K in this county? Hilarious.

The last minute changes make it painfully apparent that the location has nothing to do with care, and everything to do with setting up the money.

And gee, if the same company that runs the Greenway takes over the rest of the toll road, it sure will improve things. Higher tolls the length of the system, a heavily subsidized rail line as an alternative, and the 50-unit to the acre vertical sprawl that can only come with mass transit. Yep, place the facilities first, based on the speculative hi-rise density, then work to bring in the density as quickly as possible.

Density packing isn't 200 homes here or there on land already zoned for residential development. Density packing is rapid urbanization of suburban communities so the "real" people can live in true sprawl.

Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.

 

Barbara .. it is refreshing to read an opinion from someone who is informed and up to date on the issue .... I agree with your Sally Kurtz comment, that was totally staged!

 

Uh, OK. Not a very good thought. And why is that bad?

No one is putting a gun to their head to go to Wal-Mart. People should have a choice. Right now, there is no choice and the only choice is overcrowded (and will continue to get even more overcrowded as this county grows). I've experienced the waiting room at the LHC ER and it wasn't efficient.

 

That doesn't wash.
When we bought here in early 2003 we were promised a new hospital. In addition we where promised a firehouse. We were promised an assisted living/elderly care center. Things change. That's life. Let's face facts folks. We all agree that another hospital is needed and it's needed now. LHI proposes to build one someday somewhere along route 50. That's just too vague for me. We won't see a hospital along 50 for at least 10 years. HCA is the ONLY one offering to build NOW. We don't always get what we want. Sometimes we have to take what we can get.
Oh and be careful what you wish for. The office buildings that can be built there by right will not be much better than a hospital.

 

Good point, OP_Dude. Furthermore, you won't see any money ponied up for road improvements by whomever builds on that site.

 

OP dude, the only problem with being "promised" a hospital, is that the site required land use permissions to be able to build one. IOW, it's hard to promise something that is conditional.

Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.