In a letter (click here to see letter) Dated April 10 by Patty Greensberg HMA Lehigh Regional Medical is withdrawing its certificate of need # 10184 to build a replacement hospital.
The leadership of Health Management and Lehigh Regional Medical Center have decided, at this time, not to move forward with the Certificate of Need process to build a replacement hospital for Lehigh Regional in Lee County.
This decision is in line with the key priority we have maintained throughout this process: to provide the best care, to the most people, where they need it and in a way that represents smart healthcare development for our region.
There are two key reasons for this decision:
Outside factors – many of which are beyond our control – caused us to reevaluate this next step.
Since Lee Memorial has also filed an application, a competitive process would likely be a costly endeavor. We believe those resources can be used in other ways to support our existing healthcare.
As always, we remain focused on the healthcare needs of Lee County and will continue to assess specifically how the Lehigh community can be best served by the providers in this region. Today, Lehigh Regional Medical Center continues to care for the citizens of Lehigh and surrounding areas with comprehensive healthcare. We are grateful to our amazing staff and this region’s physicians for their partnership in doing that for 30 years.
“We are proud of the doctors, nurses and other professionals at Lehigh Regional Medical Center who work every day to improve the lives of our patients. As always, we remain committed to our community, and to providing the highest quality care.
“Upon further analysis, we have decided not to proceed with our current application for a Certificate of Need for a replacement hospital in Lee County. We see no need for a protracted legal fight where resources would be diverted from where they should be – at the bedside.“We look forward to learning more about Lee Memorial’s plans to increase access and choice and to enhance the quality of care for Lee County residents. As always, we welcome the opportunity to work with them in our mutual efforts.”
Thank you,
Joanie Jeannette, CEO, Lehigh Regional Medical Center
From Jim Nathan, President, Lee Memorial Health System:
LMHS will be submitting its CON application for an 80 bed acute care hospital today as planned. We have been working on a ten-year master plan to meet the health care facility needs of our community, which considers the changing geographic population trends of our region, the need for additional capacity during the seasonal months, and renovations needed at Lee Memorial Hospital. Thus, HMA’s decision today does not alter those facts.
South Lee County is one of the fastest growing areas in our region and is expected by 2018 to hold nearly a third of the County’s total population, yet it does not have convenient access to acute care services. The population of South Lee County is forecast to grow from 180,000 to over 200,000 by 2018. More than one-third of the population of Bonita Springs/Estero is over the age of 65, and seniors as a group are in need of hospital care more than the general population. A hospital sited at LMHS’s Coconut Road property would significantly reduce travel times for the service area’s residents and improve access to acute care services.
LMHS has had longstanding plans to build a hospital in the Bonita Springs/Estero area, and land was purchased for this purpose in 2005 and 2006, with the approval of the Board of Directors at that time. Those plans were delayed when the growth of the region slowed during the recession. In February when HMA proposed moving its Lehigh Regional Medical Center somewhere along the Alico Road corridor, it accelerated our plans to move forward with a CON in the same batch cycle as we strongly believed the more southern location was far better to meet the needs of this growing and more senior population.
Looking at the demographic factors at hand and the current distribution of acute care hospital beds in Southwest Florida, it is clear that placing an 80 bed facility in the Bonita Springs/Estero area would result in a better distribution of hospital beds throughout our community.