May 11, 2010
STONESPRING MEDICAL CENTER APPROVED!
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The hospital debate has been going on for years, which we’ve been following, and hope you have too. Please review the information on this website and click on Take Action to see what you can do to help!
In September 2009, the Virginia State Health Commissioner approved HCA's application to move its Certificate of Public Need (COPN) from its original location in Broadlands (BRMC) to their Route 50 property. Subsequent to this announcement Inova withdrew it's COPN application for a hospital on Route 50.
In February 2009, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors denied the Broadlands Regional Medical Center.
On March 10th, 2008, the new Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted (5-4, York, Miller, Kurtz, Burk, and McGimsey voting ‘yes’) to allow HCA to re-apply for their Broadlands Regional Medical Center, despite denial by the previous Board of Supervisors, despite public opposition to the BRMC, and despite the adoption of the Countywide Health Care Facilities Plan CPAM in March 2005. This plan calls for healthcare facilities to be located throughout Loudoun County, particularly in underserved areas, such as Dulles South.
Acronyms:
SMC = StoneSpring Medical Center
BRMC = Broadlands Regional Medical Center
COPN = Certificate of Public Need
HCA = Hospital Corporation of America
HSANV = Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia
LCBOS = Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
LHI = Loudoun Healthcare Inc.
TOPICS:
SMC Application Documents
BRMC - Loudoun County Staff Report
Articles
Loudoun County Healthcare Facilities Plan
COPN Process
Loudoun Hospital-Related Websites
Dulles South Healthcare Facilities, Existing & Planned
1. Go to www.loudoun.gov
SMC Application Documents
SMC Factsheet
SMC Updated Site Plan
The detailed StoneSpring Medical Center application documents can now be found on the county website in the LOLA system (Loudoun Online Land Applications System). See these instructions to access LOLA.
2. Under HotTopics, select "LOLA: LandApps"
3. Click on the LOLA hotlink near the top of the page.
4. Click on "searchable list" hotlink near the top of the page.
5. Select SPEX-2007-0021, Stonespring Medical Center.
6. At the bottom of the page is a scrollable list of documents related to the
application. These documents are of particular interest:
APP RESPONSE 03-25-10.PDF
APP RESPONSE 04-06-10.PDF
APPSOJ 04-06-10.PDF
SPEX PLAT PCPH 04-06-10.PDF
These documents contain the applicant's responses to several rounds of
Planning Staff questions/comments, the Statement of Justification, and
an updated plat and architectural illustration.
b. VA HEALTH - COPN 09-18-09.PDF - The approved COPN significant change
request changing the location from Broadlands to Route 50. The COPN
has been extended to Sept. 18, 2010.
c. PC STAFF REPORT 04-28-10.PDF - The Loudoun County Staff Report supportive
of the application with conditions of approval identified on p. 9.
d. BOS Staff Report 05-10-10.PDF - The Board of Supervisors Staff Report.
e. PCPH PWRPNT 04-28-10.PDF - Planning Staff powerpoint presentation to the
Planning Commission on 4/28/10.
BRMC - Loudoun County Staff Report
Staff report: At this county web page, select “2008 Public Hearing Staff Reports”, then select “10-15-08 Public Hearing”, then “Broadlands Regional Medical Center”.
The Connection Newspapers has a webpage with convenient links to their Archived BRMC articles (back to 2002).
Additional Articles:
LC Board of Supervisors unanimously approves SMC April 2010 [Loudoun Independent, May 11, 2010,
Leesburg Today, May 11, 2010]
Planning Comm unanimously approves SMC April 2010 [Washington Post, May 2, 2010,
Leesburg Today, April 30, 2010]
StoneSpring Medical Center moves to Planning Comm April 2010 [Leesburg Today, April 15, 2010
Loudoun Independent, April 19, 2010]
State Approves Rt. 50 Hospital for HCA, Inova Sept 2009 [Loudoun Independent, Sept 18, 2009
Withdraws Application HCA Press Release, Sept 18, 2009]
HCA Proposes to Build a hospital on Rt. 50 Aug 2009 [Loudoun Times-Mirror, Aug 19, 2009
Leesburg Today, Aug 19, 2009]
Inova Applies for COPN to Build Hospital on Rt. 50 July 2009 [Loudoun Independent, July 1, 2009
and Loudoun Times-Mirror, July 1, 2009]
State Adds 6 months to HCA hospital approval April 2009 [Loudoun Times-Mirror, April 15, 2009]
HCA Sues to Overturn Broadlands Vote March 2009 [Leesburg Today, Mar 9, 2009
and Loudoun Independent, March 11, 2009]
Hospital Rivalry Comes to Reston Feb 2009 [The Connection Newspapers, Feb25,2009]
Board Won't Revisit Broadlands Hospital Feb 2009 [The Washington Post, Feb 19, 2009 and
and Leesburg Today, Feb. 17, 2009]
Inova Files Letter of Intent to Build Rt 50 hospital Feb 2009 [Washington Examiner, Feb 17, 2009]
HCA to Expand Reston Hospital Feb 2009 [The Connection Newspapers, Feb 13, 2009
and The Connection Newspapers, Feb 18, 2009]
Divided Board Denies Broadlands Hospital Feb 2009 [Leesburg Today, Feb 3, 2009]
Inova won’t oppose HCA moving BRMC to Rt. 50 Sept. 2008 [Inova Press Release, Sept 16, 2008]
HCA buys land on Rt. 50 Sept. 2007 [The Connection Newspapers, Sept 19, 2007]
Inova begins Loudoun Medical Campuses August 2006 [Washington Business Journal]
Inova buys land on Route 50 for healthcare facilities Oct. 2005 [Washington Business Journal, Oct 21, 2005
and The Connection Newspapers, Oct 27, 2005]
Loudoun BOS denies BRMC land use application August 2005
State Health Commissioner re-approves BRMC COPN May 2005 [Washington Post, May 19, 2005]
Loudoun BOS approves Countywide Healthcare CPAM March 2005 [see Middleburg Eccentric article]
Judge Orders State Health Commission to Revisit Applications Feb 2005 [Washington Post, February 20, 2005]
Inova merges with Loudoun Healthcare, Inc. October 2004 [Washington Post, Oct. 21, 2004]
Judge Hears Hospital appeal Nov. 2004 [The Connection Newspapers, Nov. 18, 2004]
LHI appeals State Health Commissioner’s approval of BRMC COPN June 2004 [Washington Post, June 20, 2004]
And resubmits Cornwall COPN
LHI reopens Cornwall Campus January 2003
Loudoun Hospital Center/Cornwall closed Sept. 1998 [Washington Business Journal, Sept 11,1998]
Loudoun Hospital Center/ Lansdowne opened October 1997
Loudoun Hospital Center/Cornwall opened 1912 [see History of the Ladies Board of Loudoun Hospital]
Loudoun County Healthcare Facilities Plan
On March 8, 2005, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors adopted a Countywide HealthCare Facilities Plan, designed to guide the location and type of healthcare facilities and healthcare-related businesses throughout the county. (Vice Chairman Tulloch’s motion passed 7-1-1, Chairman York voted no, and Supervisor Clem was absent for the vote. York stated that he would not support this Healthcare Plan, as it was a site-specific plan.)
Adoption of the plan came after a public process that began in mid-2004 when the Board initiated an amendment (CPAM 2004-0017) to the Loudoun County Comprehensive Plan to include countywide healthcare facilities policies. The process included extensive public input, including stakeholders meetings, public input sessions and public hearings by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
As a first step in the plan's development, the Board of Supervisors approved utilization of Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia (HSANV) for the purpose of conducting a needs assessment for healthcare facilities in Loudoun County. This needs-assessment study was delivered to the Planning Commission on June 14, 2004, and was to be used as a starting point in the development of the plan.
Please take time to read: Loudoun County Healthcare Facilities Plan.
Items of note:
Countywide Healthcare Facilities Policies
3. Healthcare facilities to be developed within the County shall (emphasis added) take into consideration State regulations concerning the location of healthcare facilities and the following criteria:
4. …The County will establish incentives to facilitate the private development of
primary medical care services in locations across the County, with a goal of having
such services be available to all County residents within 20 minutes driving time
during periods of peak travel demand.
-and-
7. The County may recognize areas around medical centers – present and future – which are appropriate for zoning districts that would allow healthcare-related businesses in those areas and create such zoning districts. The County recognizes that the residents of the Route 50 corridor do not have adequate access to emergency care or hospital related services. The Route 50 corridor should be given special consideration for the next full-service hospital and EMS ambulance receiving facility to be built in the County. The Cornwall Emergency facility, located in Leesburg presently serves as a much-needed receiving facility for EMS ambulances and residents in Western Loudoun. The County encourages the reestablishment of a full service facility at the Cornwall Campus. The County will encourage continued use and development of the Cornwall campus.
14. …The County will encourage wide dispersal of facilities and avoid concentration of disaster support facilities in proximity to one another.
Countywide Health Care Facilities Incentive Policies
1. In addition to the incentives provided in Chapter 4, Economic Development policies, the County will consider the following to encourage the location of healthcare facilities in areas that have been identified as underserved such as, but not limited to, healthcare zones: In general, the State of Virginia determines the overall need in a service area, but leaves it to counties to approve specific locations; this is how they do it: We’re in Health Planning Region 2 (Northern Virginia), which consists of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax-Falls Church, Loudoun County, and Prince William County. See the p. 5 of 2006 Overview of Community Services Delivery in Virginia. The COPN process is a 6-7 month process covering the following steps: See chart on the process (p.16, 17). The COPN Rules & Regs. 20 conditions for determining need. The RHPA organization in our area is the Health System Agency of Northern Virginia.
The State Medical Facilities Plan. October 9, 2007 Good history of the appeals made. December 28, 2005 HCA, Inova, & Healthsouth all have near-term plans for healthcare facilities in Dulles South, but these plans do not include traditional, full-service, acute care, “hospitals” with inpatient beds. HCA and Inova have stated that they MAY develop full-service “hospitals” in the future, if they get COPN approval. None of these facilities are located in the Transition Zone.
COPN (Certificate Of Public Need) Process
"COPN” = Certificate of public need.
“DCOPN” = Division of Certificate of Public Need of the Virginia Department of Health.
“RHPA” = regional health planning agency.
“VHI” = Virginia Health Information, Inc.
“IFFC” = Informal Fact-finding Conferences.
1. Letter of Intent received
2. Application received by DCOPN & RHPA
3. Review Cycle Start
4. RHPA Review complete
5. RHPA report due & DCOPN review complete
6. IFFC scheduled between
7. State Health Commissioner's decision due.
"The Health System Agency of Northern Virginia plans for the orderly development and efficient operation of healthcare facilities and services in Loudoun County and the rest of Northern Virginia. The Agency also provides data, technical analyses and advice, and other information to individuals, hospitals, nursing homes, and health departments.The Agency carries out Health Services planning and regulation under the Virginia health planning program and the Virginia Medical Care facilities Certificate of public need law. Approximately 12% of those served by the Health System Agency are Loudoun citizens."
See this site for additional information.
COPN Court Cases related to BRMC:
*Moving the BRMC COPN to Route 50 is doable: see p. 2, III B of this COPN Form.
Loudoun Hospital-Related Websites
StoneSpring Medical Center website.
HCA Broadlands Regional Medical Center website.
Inova Hospital website. (site inactive)
Broadlands Residents for BRMC.
Broadlands Residents against BRMC. (site inactive)
Dulles South Healthcare Facilities, Existing & Planned
(10/2008)
Before we talk about the existing and planned healthcare facilities in the Dulles South area, let’s make sure we’re on the same page when we use the word “hospital”. When we say “hospital” we mean a traditional, full-service, acute care, medical facility that provides emergency and inpatient care. This is similar to the definition in the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia’s “Needs Assessment”, June, 2004, p.8.
