Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hearing examiner recommends against Seattle Children's hospital expansion

This from the Seattle P-I yesterday:

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Last updated 1:34 p.m. PT

Hearing examiner recommends against Seattle Children's hospital expansion
Hospital says it might move out of town


By SCOTT SUNDE
SEATTLEPI.COM

A city hearing examiner has recommended against an expansion at Seattle Children's hospital, dealing a blow to its plans for a significantly expanded medical center.
Children's, which called the recommendation "just plan wrong," said it might have to move its hospital and downtown research campus outside Seattle if it can't get approval for the expansion.

Sue Tanner, the hearing examiner, made her recommendation this week to the City Council, which has the final say on the plans. Among other things, she mentioned traffic impacts and that the project isn't in an urban village.

The Laurelhurst Community Club near the hospital has opposed the size of the expansion.

"Our position and rationale for expansion has not changed," Dr. Tom Hansen, Children's CEO said on the hospital's Web site.

" We feel we have gone above and beyond what is required in meeting neighborhood concerns and addressing both traffic and housing impacts. From a legal standpoint, we do not believe the city's code is in conflict with our expansion plan. The pressing need for beds remains as we continue to face high census rates in the hospital. If we are unable to proceed in timely manner, this jeopardizes our ability to care for children in Seattle and our region. It is our responsibility to consider all options, including relocation of our hospital outside the city of Seattle."

In a release, Hansen called Tanner's decision "just plain wrong" and said the hospital will appeal to the City Council.

"We are confident that the City Council will recognize the strength of our proposal and approve it."

City planners endorsed the expansion earlier this summer as Tanner planned a public hearing on the project.

Children's wants as many as 600 beds, up from 250 now, and 2.4 million square feet of building space, up from about 900,000. The tallest tower would still be 160 feet high, up from 80 feet now, but would be about as tall as existing buildings because it would go downhill on neighboring land now home to the 136-unit Laurelon Terrace condominiums.

"Our position and rationale for expansion has not changed," Hansen said in the news release. "We feel we have gone above and beyond what is required in meeting neighborhood concerns and addressing both traffic and housing impacts. From a legal standpoint, we do not believe the City's code is in conflict with our expansion plan."

"We have tirelessly dedicated ourselves to minimizing the impact on our neighbors," he said. "We have significantly revised our master plan several times to address neighbors' concerns and to minimize future housing impacts and traffic congestion."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It would be useful if people looked at the facts about Children's Hospital expansion:
-They are expanding using a business model from the 1900's and 2009-read the September 15 article in Hospital and Health Networks-the preferred model is a hub and spoke approach to provide care access within 7-10 minutes of the children's home
-it's documented that this expansion will add 42,000 more trips to the corridor, lengthening commute times and making access more difficult for patients
-why is the hospital spending large amounts of donated money on advertising, PR and lobbying for the expansion at a time when state funding is being cut by $25-60 million and hospital salaries are being frozen-this money should be going to improve care, not to build skyscrapers, buying up community housing at inflated (pre-crash) prices, and fighting code variances
-Tom Hansen has a history in Columbus and Houston of buiding big buildings and spending money, would be helpful if Childern's board asked how the money could be better allocated in tough economic times-a spoke model would cost less, be more effective and place care where patients really need it.
I volunteer at Ronald McDonald house and consistently hear this complaint-why can't care be near my home in Spokane, Tri-cities, etc?

Time to bring Children's strategy in line with 21st century realities and current economic conditions.