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Your Input Sought on Hospital Proposals

Posted on: Monday, 17 October 2005, 21:00 CDT

By Nichole Monroe Bell, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Oct. 16--Four health care companies are competing for the chance to build York County's second hospital, located in the Fort Mill area.

The companies are Tenet Healthcare, which owns Rock Hill's Piedmont Medical Center; Carolinas HealthCare System; Presbyterian Healthcare; and Hospital Partners of America. Carolinas Healthcare and Presbyterian own hospitals in Charlotte. Here's a look at the competition since Tenet submitted a new proposal recently, increasing its beds from 64 to 100:

Tenet's 100-bed "Fort Mill Medical Center" is a $125 million plan that includes a five-story building on 40 acres. Carolinas' 64-bed hospital, as yet unnamed, is a $73 million plan that includes a three-story building on 15 acres. Presbyterian's 64-bed "Presbyterian Hospital Fort Mill" is a $83.5 million plan that includes a three-story hospital on 50 acres. Hospital Partners' 64-bed "Lake Wylie Regional Medical Center" is a $78.4 million plan that includes a four-story hospital on 15 acres.

Tenet's plans include a 50-psychiatric-bed center that would be built near Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. Presbyterian's plan includes building an urgent care center in western York County. Carolinas HealthCare says its strength lies in its experience running the region's only teaching hospital and trauma center. Hospital Partners' facility would include a 12-bed unit that would house patients waiting to be placed in a nursing home.

Each company has different timelines, but most expect to open in early to mid-2008. Presbyterian would expect to open in early 2009. Because of the stiff competition though, state regulators say those dates will likely be pushed back because of expected appeals.

What happens next

State regulators expect to hold a public hearing sometime in January. There, each organization will present its plans to the public. After that, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will meet with the companies and announce its decision within 60-120 days.

DHEC officials say public input is important to them, and they want to hear what you have to say. They've already received more than 1,000 pieces of correspondence. Write to: Joel Grice, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

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