Figuring Out the Hospital Debate

The daylong hearing for Centegra’s proposed Huntley hospital drew more than 100 speakers, some of whom raised similar points and others who raised new points.

The mammoth amount of information may be difficult to digest so Patch has created this “crib” sheet that, hopefully, will help highlight the key points and explore new issues.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who will decide whether Centegra can build the $233 million hospital?

The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board members have the task of wading through the testimony and making the final decision, expected in May. It will issue a Certificate Of Need (CON) to one of the hospitals.

Dueling Applications

Centegra announced in December of its plan to build Centegra-Huntley hospital, a 128-bed facility at its Huntley campus on Haligus and Reed Road. What seemed like a straightforward plan took an interesting turn when Mercy Health System, based in Wisconsin, filed its own application for a hospital on Route 31 and Three Oaks Road in Crystal Lake. Its project would cost $200 million.

Duplication of services

A new hospital in Huntley would just be a duplication of existing services at regional hospitals in Elgin, Hoffman Estates and Barrington, opponents say. Centegra-Huntley’s plans don’t include any groundbreaking centers or treatments so it would essentially be a waste of health care dollars to build a hospital offering the same services as nearby hospitals. Centegra counters that many new hospitals have to build programs over time.

Bed space

McHenry County and northern Kane County have a shortage of hospital beds, according to state health officials. Centegra’s proposed 128-bed facility would meet that need, according to Centegra. But, testimony Wednesday questioned whether more bed space is really needed. Beds often go unused, Sherman Hospital says. Plus, recent health care reforms are focused on keeping people out of the hospital by providing access to immediate care or outpatient services so building a new hospital would be counter to health care trends.

Economic development

Centegra’s plan would create 800 construction jobs, 1,100 permanent jobs and bring $152 million in economic development to the area.

Response times

Huntley Fire Protection District and Algonquin Fire Department both endorse the Huntley hospital plan. Huntley Fire Chief James Saletta said paramedics responding to life threatening situations must transport patients to hospitals up to 20 minutes away. Paramedics can stabilize patients but can’t provide the medical care needed to save lives. A Sherman emergency room physician, however, testified, that paramedics can stabilize patients effectively so it doesn’t matter how far a hospital is located. This should be an interesting topic to watch as the debate continues.

What happened to Centegra’s plan to renovate and expand its Woodstock hospital?

A point brought up at Wednesday’s hearing is Centegra originally planned to upgrade its Woodstock hospital and obtained a CON for the $50 million project. It has since decided not to go forward with the plan. A Centegra official said the Woodstock project was scheduled to start in the midst of the economy’s downturn so the hospital decided to wait. In the meantime, it did more researched and determined building a Huntley hospital now makes sense.

Tidbits

Centegra opposed Mercy Health System’s application in 2004 to build a new hospital. Mercy received permission but a judge nullified its Certificate Of Need based on the review board’s actions. Mercy did nothing wrong.

At the time, Centegra’s CEO Michael Besley made many of the same arguments heard at Wednesday’s hearing against his hospital’s plan.