Regional heath care executives discuss California Northstate University's proposed 400-bed Elk Grove hospital
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2020/02/regional-heath-care-executives-discuss.html
At a panel discussion conducted by the Sacramento Business Journal, executives for the area's three large health care providers - Dignity, Kaiser, Sutter, and UC Davis - voiced their thoughts on the California Northstate University's proposed hospital in Elk Grove.
The CNU project, which calls for phased construction of a $900 million 400-bed teaching hospital on the far southwest corner of Elk Grove has become a topic of immense interest not only in Elk Grove but with the area's other health care organizations. Not long after CNU reviled their intentions in December 2018, Dignity Health announced their proposed hospital, which received approval by the Elk Grove City Council six years ago, would start construction in the next two years with a planned opening in 2026 or 2027.
Among many topics in the discussion, the panelist expressed skepticism that the area needs a 400-bed hospital noting the current occupancy of regional hospital beds is 60-percent. The panelist agreed as medical technology advances, there is less need for beds, but there are greater social services needs.
Ms. Trish Rodriguez of Kaiser also noted the four health care providers work collaboratively to offer medical care access to uninsured and less-fortunate patients and expressed hope CNU, which is a for-profit school, would participate.
Reached by email, CNU spokesperson Brian Holloway confirmed the school and hospital would collaborate to provide health care services to uninsured patients. Regarding the claim in the panel discussion that there is an adequate supply of beds in the region, Holloway refuted that assertion.
Holloway wrote, "National statistics, (The Kaiser Family Foundation), as well as the 9-County statistics (California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development) identify a real and existing shortage of hospital beds."
The panelists included Dr. David Lubarsky of UC Davis Health, Trish Rodriguez of Kaiser, Mark Behl of Dignity Health Medical Foundation and Brian Alexander of Sutter Roseville Medical Center.
3 comments
It is funny these competitors made it seem like Elk Grove doesn’t need a hospital anytime soon. Truth Dignity, Sutter an Kaiser is building, buying an expanding services in other local cities around Sacramento area. Sutter Roseville just announced expanding emergency services in their Roseville facility. Dignity just bought Catholic medical facilities. Not saying CNU is the right fit but this video shows the big 3 are laughing at Elk Grove while once again we are having to wait.
While there are no hospitals in Elk Grove city limits today, hospital service areas do not stop at imaginary political lines. As a Kaiser member, not only are there two service facilities in Elk Grove, for me (and ultimately this is always a me proposition) the Kaiser South Sac is by far closer for emergency services than the proposed location of the CNU facility. If I were to rely on emergency services, I and probably the vast majority of people within a five-mile radius of any given hospital would have a shorter ambulance ride to Kaiser South Sac or Methodist than the proposed CNU hospital. If you are having a stroke, heart attack, or involved in a terrible car accident, do you care if the hospital is in Elk Grove or Sacramento? You want to get the closest, centrally located medical facility as quickly as possible.
If CNU were sincere about providing things like emergency service, they would be centrally located to population and not on the edge of town close to a bird refuge. CNU has some ulterior motive.
Spoons and Forks, if I was in a car accident on I-5 or had a medical emergency and lived on the west side of town, I would want to be taken to a hospital on that side of town. You might want to check your mileage, it's a little more than 5 miles.
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