2005-01-05 Historical Commission Minutes

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Ad Hoc Hospital Development Committee Meeting January 5, 2005 The meeting convened at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room, M` Sowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman Bruce Cerullo, Vice Chairman Nelson Burbank, John Daly, Neil Sullivan, Colleen Seferian, Bob LeLacheur and George Hines. Also present were Dorothy Foxon from Council on Aging, Bob Rulison from Hallmark Health, Dorothy Kelly-Flynn from Winchester Hospital, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, and guest Ray Cryan from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Care Quality Division. On motion by Sullivan seconded by Daly, the Minutes of December 1, 2004 were approved as submitted by a vote of 6-0-0. The attendees introduced themselves to each other. Ray Cryan who is with the Department of Public Health Care Quality Division and is also a Reading resident spoke to the committee about regulatory issues related to the development of a new hospital or development of a hospital satellite in Reading. He noted that if the Town of Reading wanted to build a hospital, the State would not be an obstacle. There is no moratorium on hospital development in the Town of Reading. The process would be to file a determination of need which is required for any development over $10 million in value. Part of the filing would be architectural plans for a facility that the community would want to build. The biggest obstacle would be permits for services. For example, a separate determination of need is required for MRI's, radiology functions, etc. The determination of need is required to show that these facilities are financially feasible. This process includes going before the Public Health Council and public hearings. Ray Cryan noted that going through the process of approval for a hospital would be fairly expensive and lengthy. Development for architectural plans and doing all of the other necessary paperwork would be extensive. Local issues could be more problematic such as siting, financing, etc. The people who work in the Department of Public Health can be helpful in this process. The question was asked as to what the process would be for a satellite facility. Ray Cryan noted that the Winchester Hospital has 15 satellite facilities and Hallmark has 16 sites. The process of approving a satellite facility is very simple. It requires only the filing of architectural plans, survey by the Department of Public Health, and then approval. Bruce Cerullo asked if there has been new hospital start ups in the past ten years that we could use as a model. Ray Cryan indicated that there was not. There have been additions, and St.Vincent's in Worcester is new but it was a replacement hospital.