HCA Seeks to Deny Citizens Access to Healthcare

Face it folks. What we are here are pawns in the power play between HCA and LHC. Neither are putting our health care as a priority except as it relates to their big business bottom lines. I consider what HCA has done as a warning shot across the bow of LHC and we're being played like violins because we have no valid input regarding our choices. There's big money at stake here and what we as concerned citizens think doesn't mean a "tinker's damn".

 

MaryJo: Congratulations on the new little one. I truly feel for what you are going through, and my heartfelt best wishes go out to you for the health of your little one.

So often people lose track of the effects that supporting HCA can have... HCA is not even in this community, and they are already trying to restrict the access of Broadlands residents to the healthcare services that we need to live healthy and productive lives. Can you even begin to imagine how HCA would try to screw us all over if the HOA gets its way and brings them into our community?

Again, I wish you and the little one the best. Hopefully, the state will feel some compassion for those like your little boy who need healthcare services HERE and not at HCA hospitals in Arlington and Fairfax.

 

Chris you are a piece of work. I refer readers to your previous comments about why LHC was not trying to restrict health care to Loudoun County, even in light of their blocking of a health clinic in Purcellville.

You twist in the wind, based on the most current post war. It gets exhausting trying to follow your basis of reality.

 

Thank you, chris, for the kind words. I was disgusted to see HCA trying to keep us from truly needed healthcare services. It seems like they really don't care who gets hurt or who dies just as long as they get to build a new hospital.

 

Welcome to the community, to motherhood, and to the forums. I hope that your baby gets better.

I may be a cynic, but I bet that the hospital supporters will ignore your request (above). If not, you only be attacked. That's what has happened to everyone who tried to ask a question about HCA on these forums. There is no possible moral excuse for anyone to support a healthcare facility like HCA that would try to harm innocent children.

 

I don't agree with what HCA is doing to deny the services at LHC anymore than I agreed with LHC denying services in Purcellville. However, wouldn't your son's healthcare also be better served by having a hospital located closer to you than LHC in case of emergencies?

 

Gee, we all seem to be disgusted with HCA trying to keep out ONE type of medical service from Loudoun County. Where's all the disgust at LHC for continuing to try and keep BRMC out of Loudoun County, denying all the medical services it will provide?

Since the BRMC has a COPN to provide cardiac catheterization services, you should all be cheering for its construction. Isn't it a bit curious to note that LHC made no mention of wanting to provide these services until HCA already included them in their application.

I will agree with you all that all the politics that is played to provide healthcare is disgusting. One thing I have learned since this whole thing got started is that our access to healthcare is not based on need, but on politics.

I also do not agree with HCA's position on this.

 

Wow, I see why I am cynical. The HCA people never fail to meet expectations. Now they are attacking people for not supporting a second hospital in the area with the implication that you must be a bad parent if you are against HCA.

 

VACLIFF: You said, "I also do not agree with HCA's position on this." As our HOA representative, what are your plans to do something about it?

 

I agree. I don't think either hospital will cease to exist because of the other. There's going to more than enough people in the LC to support THREE hospitals in the future. The shenanigans on both sides need to stop.

 

We're there alot, so I know that Loudoun Hospital is just 5 miles away. I used to be a nurse before I got married, so I know that you can't have hospitals built right on top of each other. Hospitals need to be distibuted in a logical way, not placed to put other hospitals out of business.

Also, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you're not trying to say that anyone who does not support HCA is a bad parent. BUT I've been warned about the HCA hospital side's tactics. After my first post, I got an email from a mom who used to post here. She doesn't any more because of all the nasty things that the HCA supporters said. She got hate mail, and was even called at her house and threatened. That's very scary.

 

I fail to see how GCyr's statement is an implication that "failure to support HCA = bad parenting." GCyr's post does not make any implications about parenting skills and does not evidence support for HCA specifically, but only for another hospital in Loudoun County.

I support more health care choices for Loudoun County. How can this be a bad thing? The anti-hospital folks frequently confuse support for BRMC with support for HCA. Frankly, I don't care who builds the new hospital, as long as it provides quality care for my family and is located reasonably close to our home.

Answer me this, anti-hospital people: if not HCA, who??? What is the alternative to BRMC? Maybe I haven't been following this issue closely enough, but I don't see any alternative on the horizon. It seems to me that if BRMC is defeated, we will continue to be stuck with only one hospital in the "Fastest Growing County in America" for the foreseeable future. I hear stories about South Riding, but how feasible is this? How long would we have to wait for THAT hospital to be built?

In my very first post on the hospital issue, I voiced my support for more health care choices in Loudoun County. I stated that I was leaning towards support for BRMC, but was willing to be convinced to support an alternative. No one has convinced me to support an alternative yet; I'm still waiting...

 

MaryJo: I was so saddened to hear about the story about your child and how HCA and its supporters are trying to harm him with their negligent actions. That is shameful. Also, to even ask the question with the inherent implication that not supporting HCA makes someone a bad parent (as an previous poster did) is in poor taste. I am sorry that you had to endure that, but I hope that you do not hold your breath waiting for an apology.

Finally, I was also saddened to hear that people who have voiced their opinions about what the HOA and HCA are doing have been threatened. Still, while I was saddened, I was not shocked. You will quickly learn that anyone who ask questions about the HOA's beloved HCA is shown pure and total hatred. I hope that you will not be intimidated.

 

Chris, you disgust me. You really do. You profess sadness for MaryJo's situation, but you exploit it to make your points, knowing full well that no one can respond to your posts without seeming cruel or heartless.

MaryJo, I am truly sorry for your situation. I hope your son's condition is not too serious. My oldest son is 2 years old and has a heart condition that he routinely sees a cardiologist for. It is not life threatening, but it is unnerving nonetheless. If you happen to be looking for a cardiologist, send me an e-mail and I will give you the name of ours. He is wonderful. He is one of the most well regarded child cardiologists in the region, and he takes several different forms of insurance.

 

Thank you for the support, Chris. I've been tough and can take it with being intimidated and run off. And thank you, Pats_fan. I wish you and your son the best. Having a child with any kind of health problem is not easy. And thank you for offering the name of your cardiologist. Our cardiologist at Kaiser is amazing. If anything changes, I'll be in touch. Also, I want to say that I do not think that Chris's comments were exploiting my situation. In fact, they just seem to be an example of how HCA does not care who gets hurt in the effort to get another hospital built just down the road from a perfectly good, new hospital that is trying to expand to meet the needs of the area's residents.

 

Thank you for the response. I call it proof positive of how the pro-HCA gang of bullies consistently slings mud at anyone who dares to speak up about the HOA's cronies at HCA. The person I was talking to did not find it disgusting, so how could you? What I find disgusting is how the HOA is supporting HCA's attempts to deny Broadlands more innocent, defenseless residents access to basic healthcare services.

Also, several of us are now looking into starting an archive of hate mail, phone, and invasion-of-privacy attacks by the HOA/HCA on people who have expressed concerns about the hospital. I've gotten some examples thanks to MaryJo. If anyone else has examples, please share them here or email me.

 

So now I'm part of the pro-HCA gang of bullies? It appears I must say again that I am not pro-HCA. I'm pro health care choices for Loudoun County. As mentioned in my post yesterday, I don't condone or justify HCA's actions in this matter.

I refer you to my post immediatly prior to the one you excerpted. I note that you haven't responded to that one yet:

Please, change my mind. Convince me that there is a better alternative to BRMC that we will see in our lifetimes. You are one of the most vocal voices on these forums, and I have seen enough of your postings to know that you are a very persuasive advocate for your positions. I'm all ears...

 

Exactly what attack are you talking about? I made a comment and you attacked me!!

 

MaryJo,

I hope that your son gets the care he needs to live a long and healthy life. Although I am a supporter of HCA and the BRMC, I do not support their efforts to prevent LHC from offering cardiac cath services.

I do have one question for you. How about the services that all of the other children in Broadlands and Loudoun County need that LHC does not and cannot provide? There are numerous parents in Loudoun who are forced to take their chronically ill children to Fairfax becuase LHC does not have the staff or the equipment to handle their illnesses. Do they not deserve the same access to local services as your family? LHC has a place in the community as a nice country hospital, but it will never be more than that. It will never be a Fairfax or a Fair Oaks for that matter. So unless we build a new state of the art hospital in Loudoun, we will continue to lack the services that our residents need.

LHC was not even considering adding cardiac cath services until HCA proposed it for BRMC. LHC does not even staff the ER with a neonatologist, they have one on call. My wife works at LHC and even she is disgusted by their actions that are designed solely to maintain their monopoly on healthcare in Loudoun County.

BTW in the past 2+ years I have been a vocal supporter of BRMC, I have also received numerous hate mails from the anti-hospital crowd. Including several who said that when their children were killed by speeding ambulances their blood would be on my hands. So I sympathize with you, no one should have to deal with that regardless of which side they are on.

 

Let me understand this.

• LHC writes an amendment to the county plan that will eliminate BRMC and as a result will eliminate all possibility of Loudoun getting another hospital. Then the BOS co-opts the plan (can you imagine if we let Giant decide where grocery stores should be placed in the county?) as their own.
• LHC spent 2 years fighting against HCA, stating that we did not need anymore hospital beds in Loudoun, then when HCA gets approval suddenly LHC sees that we do need the beds, but they need to be "Strategically Placed" to best serve Loudoun County.
• LHC suddenly finds the need for Cardiac Cath services once BRMC is approved

I hate to sound like a broken record here, but if the LHC amendment to the county plan is approved, Loudoun County will be lucky to get another hospital in 30 years and LHC knows this. They are not interested in helping Loudoun get the healthcare services it needs, but solely in protecting their monopoly. Does anyone actualy believe that just because the BOS decides it would be a great idea to have a hospital in South Dulles one will magically appear there? Hmm.. if it makes so much sense for a hospital in the south why hasn't LHC built one there? Considering how concerned they are about the citizens of Loudoun. Because they understand what apparently even the BOS does not. Until market forces dictate a need for a hospital near South Riding, there will never be one. Hmm.. if the west so desperatley needs a hospital and LHC is soo concerned about the west. Why did they move from Leesburg to Lansdowne? Could it be that LHC was interested in the "wealthy" residents in Ashburn?

If there was a line of companies beating down Loudoun's doors to build new state of the art hospitals throughout the county, I could understand those who claim to want more services but just not in Broadlands. Reality is HCA is the only one who has commited to building the type of facility this county needs and has selected Broadlands because it makes sense demographically, infrastructurally, and yes (horror of horrors!!) financially. HCA is not going to build anywhere else and neither will any other company. So LHC with its comprehensive plan, they will be denying Loudoun County the hospital that we need. If this plan goes through, I pray that they never need the services that LHC will not provide that BRMC would have. I have been in that situation with my own child and it is sickening.