Recommended Decision Issued on Hospital Move
On Nov. 18 Maryland Health Care Commissioner Frances B. Phillips issued a recommended decision to approve the certificate of need request for Washington Adventist Hospital to move most of its operations from the Takoma Park Campus on Carroll Avenue in the center of the City of Takoma Park, along Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, to a new location in the White Oak area of Montgomery County.
The recommended decision has five approval conditions; the first two directly affect Takoma Park:
Urgent care center (in the location of the current Emergency Department). Adventist HealthCare Inc. must open an urgent care center on its Takoma Park campus.
- The urgent care center must operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
- Adventist HealthCare Inc. may not eliminate this urgent care center or reduce its hours of operation without the approval of the Maryland Health Care Commission.
Specialty hospital for psychiatric services (a stand-alone version of the current behavioral health in-patient unit of the hospital). In the fourth year of operation of a replacement Washington Adventist Hospital, Adventist HealthCare Inc. shall provide a report to the Maryland Health Care Commission on the operation of the specialty hospital for psychiatric services in Takoma Park. This report must review:
- patient intake and transport issues
- coordination of care for psychiatric patients between the White Oak and Takoma Park campuses
- the specific financial performance of the special hospital, exclusive of the operation of Adventist Behavioral Health and Wellness overall.
In addition, Adventist HealthCare Inc. stated its intention to have on-campus laboratory and radiology services to support these units as well as a rehabilitation hospital (currently located withinCity Staff discussed the recommendation with the Takoma Park City Council in closed session on Nov. 23.Washington Adventist Hospital). A federally qualified health center on the Takoma Park campus will remain and be expanded. Washington Adventist University intends to lease 50,000 square feet of hospital building space for its use.
City Staff discussed the recommendation with the Takoma Park City Council in closed session on Nov. 23.
The City of Takoma Park will submit comments, and the City will be interested to see the comments from WAH and the hospitals opposed to the move.
Below is portion of the statement the Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park.
City issued following the recommendation. For the entire text, visit takomaparkmd. gov/news.
The relocation of Washington Adventist Hospital’s main hospital out of the City was expected, but is a disappointment to the City of Takoma Park. Washington Adventist Hospital has been an integral part of the history and fabric of Takoma Park. Over the last year, the City Council, Staff, and residents have worked diligently to ensure that throughout the certificate of need process the needs of Takoma Park residents have been front and center.
As a result of our hard work and persistence, the top condition of the Commissioner’s recommended approval is the maintenance of an urgent care facility at the Takoma Park campus, to be operated every day, 24 hours per day, beginning as soon as the hospital move takes place. This will ensure that there is no gap in care for the primary care service that our community needs. Clearly, the commissioner recognized the need for these services based on the information the City presented.
The recommended decision will go before the full Maryland Health Care Commission on Dec. 17 for a final decision. The final decision could accept or reject the recommendation or accept the recommendation but change the conditions. For additional information, contact Suzanne Ludlow, City Manager, suzannel@takomaparkmd.gov.
This article appeared in the December 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.
