Northwest Herald reports process under debate.
The state of Illinois requires hospitals to apply for a Certificate of Need application and have a hearing before the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board but some question whether that's the right process, according to the Northwest Herald. Read the story here.
Hospital officials, supporters will convene at Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board meeting Tuesday.
The new hospital debate in McHenry County continues with a major hearing Tuesday that could decide the fate of two potential new hospitals. What’s at stake? A new hospital in either town translates into millions in economic development and hundreds of jobs in areas still suffering high unemployment rates due to the recession. As the members of the Illinois Facilities and Services Review Board prep to hear proposals for two McHenry County hospitals, Huntley Patch has broken down the debate for readers. The volume of information about both Centegra Health System’s Certificate of Need application for a 128-bed hospital in Huntley and Mercy Health System’s CON for a similar hospital in Crystal Lake is enormous, with hours and hours of …
In this Article:
Centegra Health System see Haligus and Algonquin Road location perfect for new hospital.
Centegra Health System didn’t conceive the idea of a Huntley hospital overnight, said Susan Milford, Centegra Health System's Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Planning and Wellness Services. It came out of strategic planning the hospital was conducting back in 2004, she said. Hospital planners looked where the growth in McHenry County was expected to increase and found the epicenter was Huntley where the population more than tripled in the last 10 years, according to U.S. Census data. “We really there was a need for additional health care service,” based on the growth, she said. “That’s when we bought the land.” Centegra purchased 110 acres of land on Algonquin and Haligus Roads from a Huntley farmer. The idea was to someday…
Mercy officials hope to fulfill Crystal Lake’s dream of a hometown hospital
Mercy Health System has eyed a hospital in Crystal Lake since before the turn of the century. Crystal Lake officials and residents have wanted one even longer. It is an emotional issue in Crystal Lake, where some residents view this as the town’s last chance to have its own hospital. The quest for a hospital became a reality in 2004 when Mercy was granted its Certificate of Need from the Illinois Facilities and Review Services Board. But that CON came under scrutiny and “the issue got tied up in a bunch of things we had nothing to do with,” Mercy CEO Rich Gruber said. Mercy never did anything wrong, but its CON was eventually revoked. The revocation had to do with members of the review board who were implicated in a corruption scandal. So …
Area hospitals make arguments against both plans.
Centegra Health Care System has been doing a media and public relations blitz for months publicizing its plan to build a Huntley hospital, sending regular updates to the media and using its website to generate support. Critics of Centegra’s plan have been just as busy launching a counter blitz; raising questions like does the area really need more hospital beds. Sherman Hospital in Elgin has been vocal about its opposition arguing that there is a surplus of beds at area hospitals, which means the area doesn’t need additional beds. The Elgin hospital also was among the first to make the argument that Centegra’s project would threaten its ability to offer what is termed as the “safety net,” the amount of charity hospitals provide to the poor…
mbrat
12:08 pm on Thursday, July 28, 2011
GO MERCY...Centegra's top and middle leadership are liars and manipulators . They treat their employees with no respect. The employees were forced to sign and get signatures on the Huntley project. They are also forced to take the associate survey every year even though it is supposed to be optional. The unfair treatment act they offer to employees whom are terminated , Is a complete joke. No one… more ›