By Mike Saewitz
The Virginian-Pilot
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — In front of a large crowd , the City Council on Tuesday unanimously denied a plan by Sentara Healthcare to build an emergency medical center less than three miles away from Chesapeake Regional Medical Center.
The proposal drew dozens of Chesapeake Regional doctors and workers wearing red buttons to support the independent hospital. Sentara supporters wore yellow buttons that said, “I live in Chesapeake and I support the Sentara ER.”
The council voted 7-0 to deny the application after listening to nearly three hours of speakers for and against the project. The Planning Commission had recommended in April that the facility be approved.
“There are more appropriate areas for a free-standing emergency room,” Councilman C.E. “Cliff” Hayes Jr. said.
After the meeting, council members said they were concerned about the financial impact to Chesapeake Regional, the safety of patients at a free-standing ER, and the fact that Sentara sought to develop emergency services in Greenbrier before doing so in less affluent communities such as South Norfolk and Deep Creek.
Sentara plans to file a legal action in Circuit Court to overturn the council’s decision.
“When this issue comes before an impartial judge, we’re confident we will be approved and we’ll proceed,” said Kurt Hofelich, vice president for ambulatory operations and rehab for Sentara.
Sentara’s plan includes a 20-bed emergency center on a Volvo Parkway campus it has been expanding for more than 10 years. Officials with the region’s largest health care provider said the ER would provide 75 new jobs, averaging salaries of about $50,000. They also argued that their new emergency department would offer a choice for patients without hurting Chesapeake Regional’s business.
“As consumers start making choices, average wait times start to decrease and patients are seen quicker,” Hofelich told the council.
Executives with Chesapeake Regional estimated that the new Sentara complex would siphon $22 million in annual revenue from their hospital, which just spent $6 million to expand its own emergency room on Battlefield Boulevard. Chesapeake Regional supporters also argued that the new complex would duplicate services and drive up costs .
The City Council chambers were a madhouse. T he chamber’s 259 seats filled up nearly an hour before the 6:30 p.m. meeting. At one point, about 100 people lined the back walls and nearly 200 stood in the hallways. Some of Chesapeake’s well-known residents, including Del. John Cosgrove, former Mayor William E. Ward and Shirley Forbes, the wife of U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, were in the crowd to support Chesapeake Regional.
“The business strategy for Sentara is clear: They want to control health care in Hampton Roads to the exclusion of all others,” Cosgrove said. “Sentara is not going to stop until there is no longer an independent hospital here in Chesapeake.”
Councilwoman Patricia Willis said she was concerned that two ERs operating so close together would not be economically sustainable over the long term.
Council members said they felt a responsibility to look out for the health of Chesapeake Regional, which is governed by an 11-member hospital authority appointed by the council. Councilman Rick West said a study showed that “there was definitely a financial impact on Chesapeake Regional.”
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