CEO: 2 hospitals will be too many.Byline: JOE HARWOOD The Register-GuardSPRINGFIELD - Roy Orr didn't mince words Tuesday at a Springfield Planning Commission Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle hearing on PeaceHealth's proposal to build a $350 million regional medical facility in the Gateway area. "In my personal view ... McKenzie-Willamette will not survive if PeaceHealth moves into our ZIP code zip code System of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities. ," said Orr, chief executive officer for the Springfield hospital. The remarks came during a second public hearing held by the planning commission, which is considering changes to land use plans needed to allow PeaceHealth to build the medical center in northwest Springfield. PeaceHealth needs the land use amendments in order to accommodate not only a new 500-bed hospital but surrounding commercial and residential development on 164 acres of land between Game Farm Road and the McKenzie River For rivers name "Mackenzie", see . The McKenzie River is a tributary of the Willamette River, 86 miles (138 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Eugene into the southernmost end of the Willamette Valley. . But Orr briefly moved the debate away from land use and instead focused on the future of the community hospital that Springfield citizens opened in 1955 after six years of grass-roots fund raising. Orr earlier said that 62 percent of McKenzie-Willamette's patients come from areas inside Springfield's ZIP codes. Of those, 86 percent drive themselves to the hospital. The proximity of PeaceHealth's new campus to McKenzie-Willamette would divert di·vert v. di·vert·ed, di·vert·ing, di·verts v.tr. 1. To turn aside from a course or direction: Traffic was diverted around the scene of the accident. 2. too many patients to the new facility and put the hospital out of business, he said. "PeaceHealth's intent is to keep as much Eugene business as possible ... and come into Springfield and grab as much business as possible," Orr said. He added that if the hospital were able to find a partner with deep pockets - probably a larger medical organization - McKenzie-Willamette would probably survive but have to relocate re·lo·cate v. re·lo·cat·ed, re·lo·cat·ing, re·lo·cates v.tr. To move to or establish in a new place: relocated the business. v.intr. . Either way, does that mean Springfield will lose McKenzie-Willamette if the city allows PeaceHealth to build its facility, planning commissioner Lee Beyer asked. "Yes," Orr said. Springfield city attorney Joe Leahy, in response to a question posed by Beyer, said the planning commission and City Council are not confined con·fine v. con·fined, con·fin·ing, con·fines v.tr. 1. To keep within bounds; restrict: Please confine your remarks to the issues at hand. See Synonyms at limit. to land use issues and can consider other policy implications in making their decision about PeaceHealth's proposal. Last month, a state land use analyst issued a report suggesting that the RiverBend proposal fails to comply with state land use requirements in numerous ways. The report suggested that Springfield not vote on any land use changes until PeaceHealth produces a far more detailed and comprehensive plan, and also seek review from Eugene and Lane County officials. PeaceHealth officials vigorously disagreed with the report and questioned the objectivity of the state analyst, Mark Radabaugh. McKenzie-Willamette filed an antitrust Antitrust The antitrust laws apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business, including manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and marketing. They prohibit a variety of practices that restrain trade. lawsuit against PeaceHealth in January, accusing its larger rival of using the predatory predatory pertaining to predator. predatory behavior the hunting of birds, mice and small reptiles by cats and the hunting and herding behavior of dogs, often facilitated in a pack. tactics of a monopoly to compete unfairly for health insurance contracts. Orr acknowledged Tuesday that the lawsuit is crucial to McKenzie-Willamette's future, but stopped short of saying that a legal victory would allow the hospital to survive in Springfield. Planning commissioners will meet again on Jan. 22 to deliberate on the matter and make a recommendation to the council. The council has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for Feb. 18. PeaceHealth proposes to redesignate 33 acres from medium-density residential to mixed-use commercial zoning. The Bellevue, Wash.-based health organization also wants to change language in the Gateway Refinement Plan so the hospital complex can be built on another 66 acres. The remainder of the buildable build·a·ble adj. Suitable or available for building: "The problem was finding a site that was well located, appropriately zoned . . . and buildable" Sam Hall Kaplan. land would be used for residential development. If the amendments are approved, PeaceHealth would be able to secure zoning changes and begin construction late next year. PeaceHealth has said it would take four years to build the complex, which would be called Sacred Heart Medical Center Sacred Heart Medical Center may refer to: In the United States:
Much of Tuesday's public testimony echoed comments made at an earlier public hearing on Dec. 3. Nine of the 12 people who testified Tuesday said they oppose the PeaceHealth proposal. Detractors' issues - in addition to the possible demise Death. A conveyance of property, usually of an interest in land. Originally meant a posthumous grant but has come to be applied commonly to a conveyance that is made for a definitive term, such as an estate for a term of years. of McKenzie-Willamette - ranged from traffic congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. worries to environmental impacts to the McKenzie River and concerns over flooding at the RiverBend site. Though the commission will not accept any more oral testimony, the record will remain open for written comments until 5 p.m. on Dec. 31. |
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