A senior official from Silver Spring’s Holy Cross Hospital said Thursday that if neighboring Washington Adventist Hospital is allowed to relocate, she worries about her hospital’s ability to deliver care.
Holy Cross Hospital leaders say they are worried they will not be able to handle the additional patient load expected to occur if Washington Adventist Hospital is permitted to move from Takoma Park to the White Oak/Calverton area near the border with Prince George’s County. Last week, Montgomery County’s planning board gave Washington Adventist the first OK in a lengthy relocation-approval process.
“This is not in any way a done deal,” said Roseanne Pajka, senior vice president of corporate development for Holy Cross Hospital. “Public health decisions aren’t single-institution decisions. All the people affected need to be involved. Residents. Stakeholders. Whoever.”
Washington Adventist will need approval from several other county officials before ultimately going before the state hospital board for regulatory approval.
While Pajka maintains the 6.5-mile move could leave Holy Cross Hospital’s emergency room overwhelmed, Washington Adventist officials say relocating would bring them closer to the majority of people they serve.
“This new location is right in the epicenter of our primary service area,” said Geoffrey Morgan, vice president for expanded access. “It’s more accessible, more central and exists in an industrial zone with a campus vast enough that will allow us to take advantage of nature.”
The potential new site boasts a 48-acre parcel of land, compared with 13 acres of developable space at Washington Adventist’s current location, where it has operated for about 100 years. Morgan said the hospital is short 700 parking spaces and at least 100,000 square feet of office space. Planned renovations would cost $133 million and still leave the hospital with inadequate parking and office space, he said.
“We asked, ‘What is the best decision for the next 100 years?’ ” Morgan said, adding the hospital planned to keep some medical services at the current site.
Morgan said many area residents want to hold onto emergency services, but state law prohibits emergency rooms at free-standing medical facilities, although pilot projects have been granted.
“At the end of the day, we’d consider it if we have consensus and state law with us, but it’s not all about emergency care,” Morgan said.
