Broadlands Medical Facility

Here is the link to the news article Donna mentioned above on 10/06. It was not hard to find.

http://www.nbc11.com/news/3786702/detail.html

 

I think it's obvious who the biased person is on this board. It's also obvious who the person is who consistently attacks people when their position is has been discredited, often without anything to back up their own position.

 

Wow, like San Jose is pertinent to Loudoun, when we have an HCA hospital next door, Reston, which has been an outstanding member of the Northern Virginia community. Why don't we base our opinions on HCA by looking at that facility instead of one 3000 miles away? Maybe because LHC can't compare, so we have to look to the other side of the country to find a reason not to like HCA.
When it comes to providing services and medical care to northern Virginia, Reston is far superior to Loudoun Hospital, who, in my opinion, is trying to play catch up due to the threat of a new Loudoun county hospital.
I could sit here and write pages and pages of all of the bad experiences I continue to hear about Loudoun Hospital. I only point out what I think are important ones, such as the fact that there is no Pediatrician on duty in the er in a county with 45,000 school age children. What possible logical excuse could this hospital have for not providing this service, especially a hospital that continues to spout that it is, and will continue, to meet all the needs of our community? Loudoun's profits are up and rising, they pay huge executive salaries, so money is not the problem. Is it ignorance?

This post also points out the "talking out of both sides of the mouth" argument. First it was insinuated that HCA is closing two hospitals in low profit areas to move out to Loudoun where they will make lots of money. Now, the argument is that we don't want the hospital here because it won't make money and will close down. Which is it? But then, I sort of expect circular arguments from a Loudoun Hospital employee.

 

How crapulant LCH is or isn't has no bearing on HCA's actions. They are one company, what they do in San Jose is idicitive of what they will do elsewhere. How is what they did in San Jose different then Alexandria? Both were closures of hospitals that were old. The same will happen here in Broadlands around 2090.

It's okay to want the hospital here. But you are deluding yourself if you think they didn't move here b/c of the money. It's the way healthcare is now and is not just limited to HCA. As long as the community doesn't fall for the wolf in sheeps clothing act, everythign wil be fine but if you insist on handing over the keys to them blindly we are all hosed. You can't trust business to do the right thing. Inevitably it comes down to money first, community second.

 

Thanks for pointing this out, Homer. It illustrates exactly why HCA's closing of "old" hospitals is utterly irrelevant to this debate. Unless, of course, any of us still plan to be living in our current homes in 85 years.

For the next few decades, BRMC will continue to be a new hospital in an affluent county, will have no problem making money, and will have a very low risk of suffering the fate of these "old" hospitals everyone keeps wanting to talk about.

 

This closure is not a HCA issue it is a California issue. Note the statement on the San Jose Medical Center's home page:

"SJMC becomes the sixth California hospital to close or announce closure in 2004. From 1993 to 2003, California lost 112 hospitals while population grew by 5 million. The combined influences of rising numbers of uninsured patients, unfunded mandates, low reimbursement and high healthcare labor costs because of critical shortages of qualified workers mean San Jose is not the first community to lose a hospital - nor will it be the last unless our legislators in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. take a clear look at the healthcare environment and develop real world solutions."

Oh by the way, the facility was 80 (EIGHTY!)years old. A quick search reveals that California hospitals must comply with Calif State Statute, Chapter 740, Statutes of 1994 (SB 1953, Alquist), requires all hospitals to meet certain seismic safety standards by 2008, specifically, "By January 1, 2008 all acute-care inpatient hospitals must be seismically sound so as not to pose a risk of collapsing in a major earthquake."

Can anyone estimate the cost of taking an eighty year old structure and making it seismically sound. No wonder some are planning to take the building down?

A study of California hospital closures revealed the following, "Catholic Healthcare West, a nonprofit chain based in San Francisco, and for- profit Tenet Healthcare Corp. were the chains most active in closing hospitals." SOURCE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...archive/2001/05/10/BU198743.DTL&type=business

Interesting issue, but one very localized to California. Not a "for profit" or "not-for-profit", or a HCA specific issue. Frankly, an issue that would take a lot of time to research and understand completely. But the reality is a look at the major issues preclude this from having relavance to Broadlands.

 

Hmmm...I seem to remember a lot of controversy a couple years ago about a local company that closed an old hospital in Leesburg and moved to a new facility in another area, leaving the western part of the county without the access they were accustomed to getting. Can't for the life of me recall any details though...

 

They both look pretty biased from where I'm sitting -- just in different directions. Of cousre, if they had no opinions, they'd be pretty bad board members.....[]

 

I am "biased" based on independent principles and research. I have no dog in this race. (other than a concern for healthcare for my family and my community) My opinions aren't formed by someone who is paying me. I've been able to form my opinion by listening to both sides of the arguement, without having an "economic" bias leading to my conclusions.

And for the record, I do not use any associates I belong to as a "banner" for my opinions. In fact, I've been very careful not to bring any of my associates into this arguement. My opinions are expressly mine and no one elses. Just thought I had to say that, thanks for offering the opportunity.

 

AFGM, in following this issue I know that Donna held her very vocal opinions for more than a year before she ever accepted a job at LHC. Continuing to imply that she is paid for her opinions is every bit as unpleasant as implying Cliff is paid. You have your own vocal opinions that you are careful to separate from being tied to any groups, but as I have said before I sometimes think that is skirting the edge of misuse of your chosen anonymity.

Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.

 

Maybe that's how she got the job.

 

As noted in this forum earlier, last Friday, there was a fantastic football game between two great H.S. teams. Stone Bridge and Park View played here in Ashburn. One Park View player, during the game, lay on the playing field injured for a long time. The Loudoun Times Mirror just posted an article on the player and thankfully it appears he is going to be alright. As posted:

"Note: Park View suffered a loss when tight end/defensive end Joey Stefanacci suffered a grade 2 concussion, with 6:22 left in the third quarter. Stefanacci was transported to Reston Hospital Center and released later that evening." http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=13076686&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=506043&rfi=6

Once again, if BRMC had been there, he would of gotten to the hospital a lot quicker than having to go all the way to Reston. We need another hospital now. Luckily this player didn't need one on Friday.

 

Um... now, I believe you are incorrect in thinking that BRMC will be a major trauma center.
I think that title has to have special acceptance by the state or something... well, to get that certification.
Trauma injuries will continue to be sent to Reston or Fairfax....so stop it with the "would have gotten to the hospital a lot quicker business".
Yeeesh! Scare tactics indeed...

 

AFGM, they certainly may have noticed her because of her activism on the issue, but they're hardly forcing her to STILL think that way, with money! She thought that way already, remember?

Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.

 

her employment was not concealed. she announced it when she got the job. she just doesn't put it at the end of each post.

 

Hey folks-
I would like to apologize for the rather crotchety tone to my last post. Although I stand by the facts, my tone was less than professional. I really need to have that first cup of coffee before I start posting!
AFGM- Isn't it interesting when the facts, when actually reviewed, don't match the hype? This was also true with the ad campaign that LHC ran about a hospital closure in Los Cruces, NM, trying to claim that an HCA hospital was the result of their closure. If a few minutes were spent looking into the story, it was revealed that thae hospital had been mismanged for years and the mayor of the town did not fault the HCA hospital for the failure of the other one.

 

I don't think anyone is under the impression BRMC will open with a major trauma center. (By the way, this guy was taken to Reston not Fairfax Trauma Center, there is a difference. Why is Reston Hospital's ER better than Loudoun Hospitals? Ask any Loudoun County EMT where they would take there family. I have and the answer may surprise you)

As pointed out before, my opinion, the best way to promote the construction of a Loudoun Trauma Center is having a well funded organization like HCA backing it. Frankly, with competition, maybe LHC can find a way to be the sponsor of it. I don't care who builds it, just that it get built sooner than later. Having two entities "competing" and promoting the need make it a much more viable reality.

 

If the recent "San Jose Hospital closing" post is the best the news alerts provide, I can understand why it is getting hard to find anything to preclude HCA from proceeding.

I can only imagine how weak (or supportive of HCA) the ones not fowarded are.

 

AFGM, unlike you, I don't spend all day (almost everyday) on this issue. I don't forward every article or news alert because people sometimes need A BREAK from this topic. Beleive me when I say I can provide HUNDREDS of very informative and very negative HCA news but I leave it up to anyone who reads here to do that research on their own so I am not accused of providing false or misleading data (which you so often have done).The data is out there EVERYDAY about how HCA deals with their patients, their stockholders and their employees and as you should be aware by now, it is not all flatering. Stop blindly believing all the information HCA funnels to you and start doing your own research.

 

Did a little "independent" research tonight about last weeks injured Park View football player. Spoke to two of the EMTs that cared for him, and then transported him out of the County for emergency care.

The reason he went to Reston ER rather than Loudoun ER had nothing to do with the degree of the "trauma". LOUDOUN ER WAS FULL!

You can accuse me of "sipping the kool-aid" all you want, but at least I don't chug it. By the way, HCA doesn't feed me anything, I found out the stuff on San Jose Hospital with a quick search on Google. You should try it:

GOOGLE: ""San Jose", hospital, closing"

First page of Google hits provided everything I needed to discount the bogus claim of HCA closing a hospital out of greed.