McKenzie-Willamette at critical stage in building facility.Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Maurine Cate For The Register-Guard CORRECTION (ran April 25, 2007): A pair of guest viewpoints published April 24 debating McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's proposed hospital at Delta Ridge was accompanied by an artist's rendering that showed the wrong site. The rendering showed a riverfront riv·er·front n. The land or property along a river. setting and road network that do not exist on the proposed north Eugene site, and the two-building configuration of the hospital and medical center is no longer a part of McKenzie-Willamette's plans. McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center has spent more than three years and nearly $4 million to find a hospital site. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to move forward. More than 450 physicians practice at McKenzie-Willamette. Overwhelmingly, they support having two financially viable hospital ownerships in the Eugene-Springfield area. They know hospital choice and competition ensure quality and access to affordable care. McKenzie-Willamette must relocate. It's no longer possible to retrofit ret·ro·fit v. ret·ro·fit·ted or ret·ro·fit, ret·ro·fit·ting, ret·ro·fits v.tr. 1. To provide (a jet, automobile, computer, or factory, for example) with parts, devices, or equipment not in 21st century care, with its new treatments and technologies, into our aging facility. So, when the city of Eugene asked us to rebuild in Eugene, we signed a memorandum of understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. focused on building a hospital we can all be proud of. McKenzie-Willamette will build a beautiful new medical campus designed to provide the services physicians require for their patients, including a Level III trauma center In the United States a Level III trauma center provides Emergency medicine to trauma patients who do not need the services of a Level I or a Level II trauma center. A Level III trauma center is required to have a certain number of surgeons on call 24 hours a day. emergency room, as well as state-of-the-art medical-surgical, obstetrics obstetrics (ŏbstĕ`trĭks), branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth (see birth), and the time after childbirth. , diagnostic and rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. services. In selecting Delta Ridge, we were guided by two principles: what's best for the region's health care needs, and how McKenzie-Willamette can best meet those needs. We developed site criteria and applied them to nearly three dozen properties. We consulted extensively with public agencies and sponsored numerous open houses and community meetings to involve residents and shed light on our decision-making process. Without exception, every site we considered had drawbacks. We tried to purchase land across Delta Highway The Delta Highway is a short limited-access freeway in Eugene, Oregon, United States, linking downtown Eugene with the Beltline Highway, northern Eugene and the Riverridge golf course to the north. from Valley River Center Valley River Center is a shopping mall located in Eugene, Oregon. As the largest shopping center south of Portland and north of San Francisco, this mall comprises over 130 local and national stores and restaurants. - but the owners didn't want to sell. We tried to purchase the Eugene Water & Electric Board property - but the state refused to consider McKenzie-Willamette's application for Certificate of Need approval, citing the extended time line and uncertainty of the purchase. Springfield proposed Glenwood as a site - but the nearly 20 purchase options the city assembled would have cost $54 million. West Eugene sites were evaluated - but physicians said a long commute to RiverBend could create unsafe delays and negative impacts on patient care. Eugene officials asked us to consider 12th Avenue and Willamette Street - but PeaceHealth determined that its property wasn't for sale at that time. We needed to find a site that balances the needs of patients and physicians with the unique requirements of a hospital - one located close to major transportation connections and priced so we can focus our dollars on things directly benefiting our patients, medical staff and employees. Delta Ridge offers this balance. The vast majority of physicians on the staff at McKenzie-Willamette also practice at Sacred Heart The Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity This devotion is predominantly used in the Roman Catholic Church and also used in the Anglican Church. . Many see patients in both locations daily. They want an efficient commute between the two major hospitals because it enhances patient safety and quality of care - especially at night and on weekends, when physicians on call are pulled unexpectedly from one facility to the other. Physicians want to be with their patients, not on the road. When you're the emergency patient waiting for a surgeon or the laboring mother waiting for an obstetrician obstetrician /ob·ste·tri·cian/ (ob?ste-trish´in) one who practices obstetrics. ob·ste·tri·cian n. A physician who specializes in obstetrics. , a direct route between the two hospitals is essential. Delta Ridge is: Large enough to support future expansion. Inside the urban growth boundary "UGB" redirects here. UGB may also refer to Unión de Guerreros Blancos (White Warriors' Union), a death squad founded to repress leftist elements in El Salvador. An urban growth boundary, or UGB . On a major transportation system, accessible from east, south and west. Located in the fastest growing part of the metro area This article is about the music production team. For the article about population centers, see metropolitan area. Metro Area are a Brooklyn-based dance music production team composed of Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani. . Not in the 100-year or 500-year flood plain. Shovel ready - no condemnation is needed to remove existing businesses or homes. More than 300 feet from the nearest residential neighborhood. Surrounded by lush green golf courses. We see traffic as the most significant issue at Delta Ridge. Over 14 months, we documented new hospital traffic impacts and developed a set of projects we're prepared to fully fund and construct before we ever open for business in 2010. No tax funds will be used. Full details and before-and-after pictures are on display at www.mckweb.com. Even community members who never use McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center will benefit from these much-needed traffic improvements. Circumstances and community needs concerning local health care facilities have changed. Because of this, McKenzie-Willamette is asking approval at Delta Ridge, but only for health care use. If for any reason we don't build, the city of Eugene automatically would rescind To declare a contract void—of no legal force or binding effect—from its inception and thereby restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had no contract ever been made. rescind v. the land use approvals at Delta Ridge. That's a prudent approach, and we concur with it. After a lot of thought and study, we strongly believe Delta Ridge is the best site for Lane County and for us. We look forward to a new cooperation with PeaceHealth and an exciting collaboration with Eugene-Springfield area physicians to meet our region's health care needs. Now is the time for our much-needed project to move forward. Maurine Cate is chief executive officer of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. |
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