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Hospital Issue Fills State Inbox: More Than 2,000 Letters Offer Opinions on Who Should Build

Posted on: Sunday, 22 January 2006, 12:00 CST

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

Jan. 22--S.C. officials have been swamped with more than 2,000 letters offering opinions on which company should be awarded permission to build a hospital in Fort Mill.

"I don't think we've ever had this many letters in the history of the program," said Mary Fechtel, director of the state's hospital Certificate of Need Program, in place at least 20 years. "At one point, there were days when we had about 100 letters a day coming in."

The unprecedented volume has forced the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to take an unusual step: It's asking the hospital companies to keep track of the letters themselves.

Carolinas HealthCare System, Presbyterian Healthcare, Hospital Partners of America and Tenet Health Care (owner of Piedmont Medical Center) have applied for permission to build the hospital. The state will choose one this year, likely this spring.

Fechtel said she and her two-member staff spent so much time counting letters, they decided to ask the health-care companies to pick up the letters supporting them and keep track of them. To discourage cheating and ensure accuracy, the hospital companies are required to provide a detailed list of information from each letter, including the name of the writer and the writer's address. They're also asked to track the person's occupation or whether the writer is a public official in the community, Fechtel said. For instance, if the writer is a doctor, the state would like to know where he works.

Fechtel said she did not know exactly how many letters of support have come in for each company, and some haven't turned in all of the letters they received directly yet, but she said Presbyterian "has more letters than anyone by far."

Fechtel said DHEC officials will read all of the letters. She said the number each company receives won't be the deciding factor in who gets the hospital.

"The quality of letters makes a difference," she said. "If it's a form letter, that's different than if you sat down and have taken the time to write a quality letter."

Want a Say?

To voice your opinion on which company should be allowed to build the hospital, send a letter to your preferred company or write to Joel Grice of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control; 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201.

Nichole Monroe Bell: (803) 327-8511

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

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

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