Broadlands Hospital

Nova Native,

You'll have to read the last four years of "vitriol" to truly understand why this email list issue is grating on the community. Some of us have been calling foul for years, and we've take a lot of heat for it. It's been worth it to now finally have the truth come out.

 

I've been to the website for residents that support BRMC and it is refreshing to see a grassroots efforts, that are NOT bankrolled by a larger entity. To me it seem genuine and I admire the efforts of the Broadlands Residents for BRMC.

I found their website informative and it was nice to see non-fearmongering tactics. I encourage other residents who are on the fence to visit the site:
http://www.broadlandsforbrmc.com/index.html

 

I agree, and I've signed on.

I'd like to share a piece of information that is really bothering me. Yesterday, I was told from a very reputable source that if this hospital does not get approved that Loudoun County will not get the appropriate state approvals to build another hospital (even off of rte. 50) for 10 to 15 years. We are desperately in need of more space now! How can one of the fastest growing counties in the nation be lacking so badly in hospital beds? Please understand that this is a real necessity, not about whether or not it's too close to certain people's houses. I've been thinking about every hospital that I'm familiar with in the DC metro area. Each one of them actually has homes located closer to the hospital than what is proposed here. I'm still trying to figure out what it is that the opposition group is so concerned about by having a good quality hospital at the edge of our community. Please, someone enlighten me. I really can't think of one negative here.

 

I like that the founders of the group sign their names. Well done web site.

 

Your posts are rare here because they are rational, even-tempered and well-thought out. HCA should hire you as a PR person because you express your opinions and advocate for BRMC extremely well.

While I support BRMC, I think there are several legitimate reasons to oppose the hospital. Noise level, increased traffic, 24-hour operation. That said, I think there are strong counter-arguments that make these issues relatively moot, given that you'd have this or worse with an office park.

Some have said BRMC will hurt property values, but no one has offered evidence to support that assumption. And one could make the case that, given the partnership with Children's, BRMC could actually make our community more attractive for families with young children and improve property values. But all of that is conjecture.

 

Simple really. People don't want anything built near their homes that might affect property values or "way of life". If there's a way to oppose it they will join in.

 

There is truth to what you've heard, but I think there are a few points being mixed.

1. To move the hospital to Rt 50 a completely new COPN application would have to be initiated. HCA can't just move the COPN to RT. 50. Then we start the whole State COPN approval process over. BTW, Inova would love this to happen, hence the Rt 50 rhetoric we hear adnosium from them. INOVA would love to compete for the re-application. In my mind that's a real reason why they are opposing the BRMC site, not because it's to close to them. HCA would like to see the BRMC COPN killed, and then a new application process begun. One that they would compete for.

2. I think the 10 to 15 year quote is based on statements from both Inova and HCA that it will take that long until a viable population base exists on Rt 50 to support a hospital.

From the way you've heard or stated the issue, it sounds as the two separate issues have been combined. They really are two separate issues.

With that said, it would be possible for a new COPN for Rt 50 to start and someone could sponsor it and potentially build a hospital, but then again I am not sure any hospital looking to make money is ready to make a commitment and invest in a hospital before it can be supported. In reality that process and eventual build could be 10 to 15 years.

 

after my first experience in the Inova Loudoun ER, my feet are firmly planted in the BMRC camp. no slam on the Inova staff- they are all professional, kind, compassionate and very capable. but they simply don't have enough beds. i spent my entire stay- over 6 hours- in the hallway with several other patients with no privacy, feeling like castaways, even though- AGAIN- the care was attentive and timely.

i won't say any more, though there were several MAJOR issues and this is not the place to address them, but suffice it to say there is NO WAY anyone who has ever done time- sorry- SPENT time in the emergency room would DREAM of opposing BRMC.

 

DITTO! My experience there was nothing I want to repeat or have anyone else experience.

 

redon1 and cmbm-
This is the primary reason I personally support BRMC. We simply need more beds NOW in this county...not 10-15 years from now. BRMC is the only way this will happen.

 

Sorry for the unpleasant experience, Redon. Is everyone okay in the family? Warm wishes for a speedy recovery from our family to yours.

 

I had quite the opposite experience in Inova Loudoun, it was as pleasant as and ER visit can be. I was rushed in, seen immediately, and admitted to a semi-private room. all within 60 minutes.

As for the HCA in Reston, my wife and I have standing orders, never go there for any emergency what so ever. If HCA builds here, based on my 2 trips / experiences to the Reston ER, they better step up their game.

 

I have visited the ER's of Loudoun, Reston, Fairfax and Fair Oaks during the past 10 years. The care received at Loudoun was excellent except for the following:

1. Son brought in by an ambulance with neck immobilized. We were seen right away vitals checked etc. BUT he spent hours strapped to the board waiting in the ER to be seen by a Dr. When I kept asking why? The answered I received was the FD never called ahead to let them know he was being brought there. It was at this point, I got pissed and demanded someone come over and see him now! At this point and young Dr. came over examined him, apologized for the long wait, nurses and proceeded to stitch him up and send us home.

2. We to ER after an injury, walked in the door and the ER was PACKED! It seemed that most of the Broadlands was in the ER that night, most of the patients were adults, with some small children and a couple of teens in uniforms. At this point I left Loudoun and went home and called the Reston ER to ask at wait times, after hearing that they were not "too busy" I went to Reston. My injury happened in the Reston area, I went to Loudoun because I thought I would get seen by a Dr. quicker that at Reston. I drove by Reston first and the lot was full there also. At the Reston ER, I spent hours waiting to be seen. (It must have been a full moon!) The care I received there was by uncaring individuals and who really seemed to be annoyed by having to be there taking care of patients.

Reston:
1. See above
2. ER visit to have son born, since we registered ahead of time there was no wait. Moved upstairs to birthing room and proceeded to receive care by the nurses. Most of the nurses were great, couple not so good. The Dr. almost missed the birth! Doc there about 15 minutes and baby was born. Rest of the stay was pleasant with a caring staff.

Fairfax:
1. Went there for a possible child appendectomy had to wait for a awhile to fill out paperwork and was finally seen by a nurse/Dr. most of the staff was good, but some seemed to be out of place, but they were younger than most of the staff. They did all of the normal test and found that it wasn't the app. so we waited some more and then were sent home. The DR. was fantastic! He took the time to talk to my son, got him to smile and made sure he got his Popsicle that was promised.

2. Had to go and get x-rays of my son's head, went through ER to get them. Had to wait about an hour, but when we were finally seen the process didn't take long. The staff has no nonsense and proceeded to get upset when my son didn't want to be strapped down and go into the machine. It was at this point I said I will take care of calming him down and I stayed in the room and held his hand while the test was performed.

Fair Oaks:
Went to ER with my son 9 months at the time and they proceeded to use him as a pin cushion! 5 different nurses tried to get an IV into him even though we told them my son had no problem eating! (He was a fat baby)One of the ER staff was trying to get the IV in and left the needle cap on the table and my son picked it up and put it in his mouth! It was at this point I pushed the DR./nurse aside and removed the cap from my son's mouth. They were upset that I was pushing them, but when I showed them what I pulled out of his mouth, most of the staff walked away apologizing. They even went down the hall and grabbed a neo-natal nurse who was there because her father had a heart attack and was in the ER. She said it kept her mind off her dad. She also was unable to get the IV in correctly and when she finally asked if he was eating and we said "Yes" she said don't worry about the IV. Finally admitted, son visited by a female Eye Dr., no nonsense type at first but then lightened up a bit. She checked him out, and came back to visit several times and was very pleasant. NOW, during his visit a pompous Surgeon decided "He could get an IV into my son, so he proceeded to kick my wife out of the room, saying she was "Too emotional!". Ignore the orders of the Ped. Dr. attending my son that he didn't need one and proceeded to stick him in the head. I wasn't there at the time, I had to go into work and check on things (Labor Day weekend because none of my coworkers were available) and when I go back to the Hospital and was told the story I had them call the Dr. and I told him if he came near my son again "I WOULD HURT HIM!" The IV he put in lasted 5 minutes before it kinked up and stopped working. Despite all of this the Ped. was great she really cared about my son and was apologizing for the arrogance of her coworker.

2. Not me, but brother-in-law. Went to ER with Very high fever and was admitted pretty quickly. Test showed that his adrenal gland was going nuts and that he had the highest level of something that they had ever seen in a "LIVE" person. Gland removed, life saved happy ending.

Now at Loudoun I have been there about 10 other times with various members of the family for broken bones/fingers, cracked ribs, etc and received Excellent and timely care. I even had to go and get a Dr. to read x-rays to find out if my son's arm was broken (It was). The X-ray techs at the office I had them taken at had gone for the weekend and didn't tell my son's Dr. the results. So with all of the above listed I still feel lucky to be in the close proximity of all of the Hospitals listed would one a minute away make my life better?

I think about my family members and co-workers who live in South Riding, Round Hill, Purceville and farther West and the lack of a hospital close by for their ER needs and think that there need is greater than mine. I know some of you will bash this post but some of you might appreciate it. I know the population is growing here and money is the reason for the Hospital, but some things are more important than money.

Enjoy!

 

WOW! You have been through more in ten years than I have in a lifetime, so I very much respect your opinion. I don't think you'll get many pro-BRMC people arguing that Broadlands is the "best" or "perfect" location. I think it's the only default option open at the moment that will ensure we don't have to wait another 15 years for a hospital to be built. So many pro-BRMC people say, "Yeah, not the best location, but considering the alternative of pushing this off for years, we'll take what we can get." I am sure Cliff can speak better to the population trends, etc.

But I would like to comment on your statement that "some things are more important than money." I hear that a lot, and in EVERY case, people make that statement when it is someone else's money! Are you willing to take a 20% pay cut so that your company can hire someone who doesn't have a job, someone who may be having their home foreclosed on? I mean, after all, there are some things more important than money. Don't mean this as a personal attack in any way, but it's important to address.

That said, I hope you (1) don't have any ER visits anytime soon and (2) if you do, I hope they are good experiences!

 

Understand your concern for folks in other parts of the county. The reality of the situation is that whether BRMC is approved or not, it could be a decade or more before a hospital is built on Rte 50. Unfortunately, it IS money that drives things. No company, profit or not-for-profit, will build a facility that does not have the population base to support it.

Lack of public facilities is a choice you make when moving to a less densely populated area. Fewer schools and long bus rides for kids is another inconvenience.
At least for the the majority of folks in western Loudoun, most of whom live along the Rte 7 corridor, BRMC would be fairly easy and quick to get to. These people would not be served by a Rte 50 hospital that is much further away and has no road infrastructure to get to it.
Look at how many times in the past year Rte 50 and Rte 15 have been completely closed due to accidents. If you needed to get to a Rte 50 hospital, the options are extremely limited and significantly longer if one of these roads is closed.

 

Silence,
I have in the past taken "pay freeze's" no raise so the company could expand and hire more employees so I didn't have to work longer hours. I also could make more money by working for larger firms in DC, but choose to work close to home for less money to spend more time with the kids. I also do this so I can coach their sports teams. My wife works part time, so she can spend more time with the kids. So my answer to you is "Yes, I have".

As for the person whose home is being foreclosed on, there are many factors to consider with this question. I was unemployed for 11 months and took jobs that were beneath my skill level until I was able to gain employment in my field. There are many places right now that can help families with this problem with the Govt included. I know some folks who always get in over their heads and get their parents to bail them out time and time again, so I would not help them to get out of trouble. But I would try and help them set a budget and stop going into debt. I know this isn't the type of answer you are looking for but I was taught this lesson early in life by my Father who worked 2 jobs to pay a 30yr mortgage off in 15yrs. So with that in mind, I will continue to send my money to Food for the poor so that many other families will be able to eat.

Cliff,
How many years ago was Ashburn/Broadlands/SW a less populated area? I understand your statements and agree to some point, but to use the road closures is a little unfair. In the past I have been on Belmont Ridge when the road was closed due to an accident and their was no quick way around it so if the Hospital was on Rt. 50 I wouldn't have needed to be on Belmont at all. As for the other roads, Greenway is a toll without operators at the booths at night so if you don't have an EZPass or change then what? (Not looking for an answer as I know you will do whatever is required to get ER care) I am not for or against the Hospital in Broadlands I am indifferent but, I believe for the next 10-15 years there will be construction on that site. The reason I say this is because of the figures you provided regarding the growth of the County. I see by the plans that there is room for expansion on the site which I believe the facility will require if the projections are correct. Since it is NIMBY, my comments provide nothing to the Home owners who live next door. To the residents whose homes are affected I will apologize in advance "SORRY". I don't think the Hospital will cause the homes to lose value, unless the Hospital fails and then the surrounding area could see a loss. But, the construction will have a greater impact on their lives. I spend a lot of time in the yard playing with the kids, etc and hear the banging hammers into the evening hours and I don't mind that much since sometimes, it's my hammer!

Have a Great Day!

 

But, these choices you made were still all about you.

What Silence is saying is have you made a monetary decision based soley for someone else. Again, would you give up 20% of your salary so your company could hire a less fortunate person?

 

silence- i am fine now- thanks so much for the well wishes!

Chalas, i have almost nothing negative to say about the care... except that between the two ER visist i had this week- both for acute pain but neither were bloody life or death situations- Fairfax Inova off of Gallows (10 hours) and Inova Loudoun (6 hours) I was stuck NINE TIMES before they sucessfully drew blood or inserted the IV- 6 at Fairfax, 3 at Loudoun. I have bruises that look like a domestic violence incident on my arms!!!

To their defense, my veins were pretty constricted from the temperature in the waiting room at Fairfax where it was 4 hours before I was seen, and dehydration and lack of viable, unbruised veins to choose from at Loudoun.

the INDIVIDUALS who cared for me receive average to above average marks from me on all levels. but it depends on a) YOUR condition and how severe it is for your wait time and b) when you arrive- if you arrive when it's busy and get a stretcher in the hall instead of a room- THAT's where you stay, even if rooms open up- unless you demand privacy- which i did. now i was TOLD that if that nurse gets an open room while you are in the hall, you can move within her station. as i was wheeled to a private room 5 hours into my stay, i passed no less than 4 open rooms. do i believe THEM or my lyin' eyes... hmmm.

the lack of privacy when receiving care in a busy hallway is UNACCEPTABLE and I am SURE against HIPAA regs. i understand that they are tryng to priovide care as quickly and to as many patients as possible, and kudos for the effort. bottom line- they need more beds. period and BMRC will relieve some of their burden so they don't have to treat patients in the hallway like we're in a third world country, and aren't paying thousands of $$$ in insurance premiums a year. i'm no prima donna- but SORRY- to quote Chef Ramsey from Hell's Kitchen- "Not good enough Inova, NOT, good, enough."

 

Thunder, we're totally on the same page with regards to how we choose to help people. And I admire and respect your lifestyle choices. My point is that you want SOMEONE ELSE to lose money solely for the benefit of others. This is like Congressmen who claim to be compassionate when they take our tax dollars and give to others--that ain't compassion, that's called theft!

Not to quibble, but in fact, you have NOT done what you are asking a hospital to do. As T8er pointed out, you have made lifestyle choices (which I commend) that benefited YOU. You accepted a pay freeze. That's a lot different than taking a 20% pay cut solely for someone else. Just asking for consistency

Again, I very much admire and respect your choices.

 

Silence/T8,

I am sorry you see it this way, so I will explain to see if you can understand that it is not all about me. Spending less time at work amd more time at home is for MY Family not just me. I did all of this when I was in my early 20's so my kids weren't around. The someone else was my parents, caring for a father that had Cancer and was dying. Spending hours of time with someone who doesn't know who you are is a little difficult, some of my family couldn't handle it at all, so I did. Imagine your mother having to leave the man she loves to go work and care for kids that were discarded by their families because of mental and phyiscal handicaps who are wards of the state leaving the care of this man in her son's 22 yr old hands.

Another person was my neighbor who's children wouldn't come and visit or help. So I did. It really sucked when that neighbor was killed by her son for the rings on her fingers to pay for drugs.

Or I took care of my brother's 4 kids because he was working/living in Chicago and his wife worked for an airline and she had to travel to train others. This way, they didn't have to move from their comfortable surroundings and change schools in the middle of the school year. Oh, the brother was doing AIDS research at the time. His company was the one the developed the test for AIDS in Donor blood that was used back in the 80's.

Were the examples still selfish?

Also, I posted that I would continue sending money to Food for the Poor so that some other people in the world would be able to eat. I give up my money for other's all the time, is that a big difference than a pay cut to allow someone less fortunate to work at my company? Also, is giving one's vacation time to coworker that has an illness with no vaction/sick leave available the same? If so, I have done that. My company has never asked me directly to give up 20% of my salary to help someone less fortunate. There would have to be more information regarding the situation prior to making a decision.

Volunteering to coach my kids teams. The reason I do this is so I know the coach of my kids teams will not molest them. I know many kids/women who have been abused by others so I do this for them and for your kids, not for me!

One last thing, I wouldn't ask the BRMC folks to lose money just for the sake of it. I believe the Western/Southern portions of the county will continue to grow and when the population reaches the same level as here the Hospital would already be established and therefore be an asset to the community and help get the infrastructure built to support it. I am trying to see things in a long term view, so that maybe the County as a whole can benefit.