Broadlands Hospital

IT'S TRUE!!!

From today's Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24216-2003Mar1.html

 

ALAS! There are folks out there that make decisions that do have common sense. Glad to see it....Im dancing my jig because we won, won, won!
To all those who favored the hospital [B)], there are other places they can put it besides where we live [:0].........its a big country out there. Long live the "NEIGHBORHOOD", not the hospital complex.

 

The rejection of HCA's application by Virginia Health Commissioner Robert Stroube is certainly welcome news, and we all owe a good deal of gratitude to Donna for her diligence and her tireless efforts.

I do want to point out, however, that HCA has not accepted the Commissioner's ruling, and has already indicated that it is prepared to fight this through the courts. HCA is a massive syndicate with immense resources -- if the profit incentive is great enough, they will mount a court battle, even a protracted one. They have a reputation for being extremely aggressive in their pursuit of lucrative healthcare markets.

HCA has invested quite a bit of marketing capital to locate here, and they presented the hospital as a done deal from the outset -- largely as a ploy to stifle opposition. Judging from the comments of forum posters who assumed that the decision had already been made to build the complex here in Broadlands, this tactic worked.

Given their history of aggressive takeovers, deceptive marketing and hundreds of millions of dollars in consumer fraud, I seriously doubt that HCA plans to walk away from the extremely profitable business opportunity that Broadlands/Ashburn offers. They are not a community hospital. They have absolutely no interest in serving the rural portions of Loudoun County. This is where the money is, and I fully expect that we have not seen the last of HCA.

 

I suppose wall-to-wall parking lots and office buildings are going to improve our neighborhood and provide a beneficial service to our community. Exactly how will these office buildings benefit our community versus a hospital?

While the "anti-hospital" folks were busy worrying about our property values if a hospital were built, did they consider how a bunch of office buildings in the same area would affect our property values directly across the Blvd from them? I'd appreciate any research obtained in that area.

 

I am certain that land parcel has been zoned as such for a long time. I much prefer the smaller office complex/ grocery store center over a hospital anyday. At least the offices/grocery center serves the community as opposed to the hospital which would have been importing their clients from out of the area because they were planning on closing their other facilities for a higher profit margin here. Its the lesser of two evils, but at least we get a beneficial service for the neighborhood out of it.

 

Dwarflord-
I also like small offices and grocery stores. However, the site the hospital was to be located on is not planned for that. It is being marketed for 1,000,000 square feet of office space. This is similar in size to AOL or the current MCI WorldCom campus.

 

So, given the current commercial real estate market in Loudoun County, how long do you think that land is going to remain vacant? I guess we'll have to put up with grass and trees for ten years or so...

 

For those that didn't see it in the paper, HCA has decided to appeal the decision of Dr. Stroube.

 

HCA has filed a new COPN application to build the Broadlands Regional Medical Center. They are also appealing the decision denying their
previous application.
Cliff

 

The new COPN application will include OB/GYN beds for the hospital.

 

As Cliff mentioned and as I'm sure you are aware HCA has filed an appeal to continue to pursue this Broadlands location. I know there are many of you that are still against this proposal and want to get involved. Since we have temporarily taken down the website that represented those people who were against the hospital you can contact me if you have questions or want to get involved. My email is: DMfortier@erols.com. I look forward to continuing this effort.

 

All,

HCA is planning to host a community-wide meeting and they've updated their new COPN application to address some community concerns -- see below:

-----
"As I noted in my most recent email to you, we are planning to host a community-wide meeting with residents of Broadlands on Thursday, July 17th, at 7:00 p.m., to discuss the revised COPN application for the hospital. The meeting will be held in the auditorium at Eagle Ridge Middle School.

We have changed the hospital's plans in response to comments and suggestions from Broadlands residents, including the addition of obstetric services and the elimination of adult mental health services (child and adolescent services will remain). At the meeting, we'll discuss these changes and the pending appeal of the earlier COPN, as well as answer questions..."

Greg

 

What happened with this issue? It is so quite; is everyone is fed up with is issue.

 

Yes everyone is fed up...however we still need to be vocal. If you are against the hospital and want to get involved please email me: Dmfortier@erols.com

 

Well, I guess it depends on your definition of what "fed up" means. If it means "fed up" with the all the false negative hype about this application, then I would also agree.
Cliff

 

I'm with you, Cliff. The anti-hospital crowd was posting their opposition to the amended application before the specific changes were even announced in detail! (Which makes me wonder whether any community medical facility, of any kind, will be acceptable to them.)

 

I also agree with Cliff and with you, jtarnow.

I wish the property across the street from where I live (the proposed BRMC location) would remain undeveloped forever, but that won't happen. Either BRMC or several office buildings and parking lots will be built in that location.

With a hospital, yes, there will be traffic and noise associated with the occasional helicopter. However, a hospital and the associated doctor offices, will provide healthcare services to those in the community who choose to use them. No, they will not provide every medical service and procedure that everyone in this community wants or needs. No hospital usually does, including LHC.

An office park will have more traffic associated with it and that increased traffic does not come noise-free if you live close enough to it. Also, most of this increased office traffic will occur during rush-hour periods, while the hospital staff turn-over (e.g., nurses, doctors) is not as great as an office park and the remainder of the hospital traffic (e.g., doctor or patient visits) is spread out over the day and evening hours.

My number one question to those opposed to the hospital is this. What value or benefit will an office park provide to this community instead of a hospital? I keep hearing the proposed hospital won't provide any benefit to our community and it won't meet the needs of our community. So, what benefits will an office park provide to our community and how will it meet the needs of our community?

Greg

 

Let me clarify a few things from the "anti hospital" crowd before it gets blown out of proportion. First of all, we have been against the original proposal from HCA as we are against this new "ammended" application, not because we aren't aware that that land will be built upon, but because a hospital was not included in the community proffers or district zoning when we were purchasing our homes. I believe there are a few things that you might not be aware of: HCA did not make those changes based on community concerns. I wonder if they made those changes based on what is best for them politically. The ob beds that they have added to the application, I wonder if those beds are being added not because Planning district 8 needs them but because it is easier for HCA to move an application with those beds inculded to any other location outside of PD8. Every hospital within PD8 in expanding, and many are expanding the ob portion as well. I believe PD8 has enough ob beds to sustain this community for the next 7 to 10 years. HCA did not add those beds because of our community concerns, I believe they did it because it best suits their immediate and long term needs. Secondly, the adult mental health beds. Those beds were not deleted from the application because of our concerns, I beleive they were deleted because Cornwall was already approved for an additoanl 20 adult mental health beds. How ironic it seems that HCA decides to remove 20 adult beds after Cornwall is approved for 20 adult beds. There seems to be another VERY important thing that seems to have been forgotten...HCA has paid, IN FINES, the largest settlement for Fraud in the HISTORY of health care. They are paying those fines not because they did good things for the communitys they were a part of, I believe they are paying those fines for lying, bilking and using the patients, doctors and insurance companies that trusted them enough to be ethical and honest with the lives that affiliated themselves with an HCA facility. I believe They are paying because the D.O.J, SEC medicare and medicaide finally found out through QUi tam lawsuits of thier dishonesty and unethical behavior. Who do you think is going to pay those fines in the end...do you think it is going to be the people going to HCA for their care or from the CEOs, CFOs and stock holders that run the Franchise. I have dedicated a year of my time finding out what I could about HCA. Do your own research and I think you will agree they are not the type of neighbor we should ALLOW into our community. Would you want Enron to be providing you their services when there are others out there that are capable of providing those same services within a close radius. Please do a search from the D.O.J, State Health commissioner, HSA, SEC, HCA, etc to form your own opinion.

 

Hi-
I'd like to address a few of Donna's "clarifications":
1) "a hospital was not included in the community proffers or district zoning". This is UNTRUE. If you read the current zoning for the property, it specifically states that hospitals ARE allowed. They, like many other approved uses, require a secondary review through the special exception process.

2) "HCA did not make those changes based on community concerns. I wonder if they made those changes based on what is best for them politically. HCA did not add those beds because of our community concerns, I believe they did it because it best suits their immediate and long term needs."
The key words here are "believe" and "wonder". You, nor I, know how HCA ultimately reached their decision. The bottom line is that the lack of OB beds was raised as a strong concern by the residents. This concern is now addressed.

3) "Secondly, the adult mental health beds. Those beds were not deleted from the application because of our concerns, I beleive they were deleted because Cornwall was already approved for an additoanl 20 adult mental health beds. How ironic it seems that HCA decides to remove 20 adult beds after Cornwall is approved for 20 adult beds."
I agree with you here. By eliminating these adult mental health beds, they are not competing with beds that were approved for LHC.
However, it also addresses a concern from the community about the number of mental health beds at the hospital. In particular, there were more concerns about the adult beds than the juvenile.

4)" There seems to be another VERY important thing that seems to have been forgotten...HCA has paid, IN FINES, the largest settlement for Fraud in the HISTORY of health care."
Yes, this is true. It is also true that the people responsible were fired. None of these issues were in the state of Virginia. MCI/Worldcom has played footloose and fancy free with 8-9 billion dollars. I don't hear any outrage or demands that they close down their Loudoun County campus. I guess it's because they make a good neighbor and employer despite fraudulent activity that occurred elsewhere.

5) "Do your own research and I think you will agree they are not the type of neighbor we should ALLOW into our community."
I have done my research and believe they are the type of neighbor that would be an asset to the community. I also have no interest or affiliation in supporting Loudoun Hospital and believe my research and findings to be much more unbiased.

6) "Would you want Enron to be providing you their services when there are others out there that are capable of providing those same services within a close radius."
No, I don't want Enron providing my healthcare, but I would like a facility similar to Reston hospital, also owned by HCA, to provide my needs.
Cliff

 

Well done, Cliff.