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Lindenhurst clings to hospital hopes (News Sun)
Lindenhurst clings to hospital hopes
Vista proposal last chance
May 24, 2008Recommend
By JIM NEWTON jnewton@scn1.com
LINDENHURST -- With Advocate Health Care abandoning plans for a hospital in Round Lake, Vista Health System's Lindenhurst proposal stands as the lone remaining chance for a new hospital in northwest Lake County.
The Vista proposal for a new $99 million, 144-bed hospital is on the agenda for the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board meeting July 1-2 in Springfield.
» Click to enlarge image
Vista Health System rendering of proposed hospital in Lindenhurst.
(Special to the News-Sun)
The board has already indicated it plans to deny the request because officials believe there is a surplus of beds in Lake County, despite documentation that it often takes more than a half hour for the Lake Villa Rescue Squad to transport patients to the nearest hospitals.
Lindenhurst and Vista officials are still holding out hope for a new hospital on Grand Avenue.
"There's a lot of hope, definitely," Vista spokeswoman Valerie Culver said.
She declined to comment on Advocate's decision to withdraw, but said, "We are moving forward with our plans."
"Lindenhurst feels confident based on ongoing conversations with Vista that we are well positioned to get a hospital in Lindenhurst," Mayor Susan Lahr said Friday.
Lahr said Vista and the village are continuing to refine the hospital proposal in response to feedback from the state board.
Advocate, meanwhile, is shifting its focus to acquisition of Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, which could lead to expansion of that facility.
Kelly Jo Golson, vice president of communications for Advocate, indicated that negative recommendations regarding the Round Lake hospital drove the decision to drop that proposal.
"We want to be a good steward of our funding resources as a nonprofit," Golson said.
Reintroducing Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance at Condell would be one of the goals of the merger, Golson said, but she added that a new contract would have to be negotiated and it is not a given.
Lake County Health Department Executive Director Dale Galassie said he sees Advocate's likely acquisition of Condell as a positive because it will "stabilize Condell" and open up the Advocate system to Lake County residents.
At the same time, Galassie said the merger, which would probably include a "significant expansion" of Condell and the addition of beds, likely decreases chances for a new hospital in Lindenhurst.
Galassie said he believes there is still a need for additional resources in northwest areas of the county, and that the state board's recommendations -- based on mileage to the nearest hospitals -- have failed to consider the realities of response times in local traffic.
County Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt of Lake Villa said she doesn't believe Advocate's withdrawal helps the Lindenhurst proposal "because the planning board said we're over-bedded."
But Schmidt said she feels confident that an emergency facility is a good bet for the village.
"I think they will definitely get an emergency room on the site," she said. "I don't know how long it will take."
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