Clarksburg Hospital Statement Regarding State Health Care Commission Ruling

Urges Community, Elected Officials to Rally Around Only Plan Approved by County

Rockville, MD – Adventist HealthCare officials and upcounty community leaders today expressed dismay over a recommendation against a new hospital and medical campus in Clarksburg, adding they will not be deterred in advocating for the only plan that has county approvals, does not harm existing medical services and provides the best access to health care for the region.

Marilyn Moon, Ph.D., chair of the Maryland Health Care Commission, issued a recommendation today in which she favors a Certificate of Need (CON) for a last-minute proposed hospital by Holy Cross in Germantown, as opposed to Adventist HealthCare’s longstanding, community engaged plan to build a hospital and medical campus off Interstate 270 in Clarksburg. Dr. Moon also recommended that Holy Cross be allowed to build a new patient tower on its Silver Spring campus. The recommendations now go to the entire Commission, which will vote at its Jan. 20 meeting in Baltimore.

“I respect Dr. Moon and the role she plays in this process, but I am disappointed by her decision,” said William G. “Bill” Robertson, President and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. “Let me assure the community that this flawed recommendation does nothing to stop our resolve to make sure Montgomery County’s next hospital is in Clarksburg. We will urge the full Commission to study all of the relevant information in this case, which clearly shows that our vision is the strongest plan for the region and the only one that has the approval of the Montgomery County Planning Board.”

Adventist HealthCare purchased land in Clarksburg in 2001 to provide future health-care services to the rapidly growing region. In the ensuing years, the organization worked on a solid financing plan and received all traffic, land and environmental approvals to ensure the hospital and medical campus blended seamlessly with other development plans. In addition, the Clarksburg location complements existing health services along the busy I-270 corridor including the Germantown Emergency Center, Frederick Memorial Hospital and Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Adventist HealthCare’s plan is supported by Frederick Memorial Hospital, since the Clarksburg campus will serve Urbana and southern Frederick County as well.

“This recommendation suggests that transparency, collaboration and suitability of a site from a land-use perspective are not important parts of the State decision-making process,” said Grace Rivera-Oven, a Germantown community leader.

“Not only has Adventist brought the much-needed emergency center to Germantown, plus clinics for expectant mothers and the uninsured, they have also been a true partner with the community in an open and transparent way,” she added.

Thousands of supporters, including residents, physicians, community leaders and organizations — plus 11 of the 12 upcounty state legislators — have written letters to the Commission and elected officials urging them to support the Clarksburg plan because it will meet the needs of the fast-growing upcounty population, help the underserved and bring needed economic growth to the region. Supporters also cite the years of open, collaborative work between Adventist HealthCare, the community and the county as a significant reason to back the Clarksburg plan.

Randy Scritchfield, a longtime upcounty business owner and community leader, said that Adventist HealthCare and the community have followed all the rules and worked collaboratively in the best interests of the region.

“With this recommendation, the upcounty may be left with fewer health-care options than if the Adventist proposal had been selected,” said Scritchfield of Damascus. “With the recommendation for the Holy Cross project in Germantown, the Clarksburg project is on hold and the Germantown Emergency Center may not survive.”

Adventist HealthCare’s Clarksburg plan is an extension of the organization’s long-standing commitment to expand access to health care in the upcounty. In 2005, the organization joined with the community, state legislators and county officials to build the Shady Grove Adventist Germantown Emergency Center off Route 118. The center’s medical campus also has a primary care clinic for uninsured residents, a prenatal clinic for low-income women, outpatient radiology services and physician offices.
Of the competing upcounty hospital proposals, only Adventist HealthCare’s proposal:

• Has major environmental and land-use approvals from Montgomery County
• Will not negatively impact other health-care providers in the region
• Offers convenient access from all directions for upcounty residents and emergency responders
• Features 60 acres with space for expansion as the upcounty continues to grow
• Includes a new community hospital and full-service medical campus with:
  • Day-care center to meet the needs of the upcounty’s young families
  • Primary care clinic for the upcounty’s underserved communities

“In addition to the loss of what would be the most appropriate facility in Clarksburg, one of the fastest growing regions in the State, I am concerned about the loss of the originally intended purpose of the Germantown Campus property , which was supported by public dollars,” notes Scritchfield.

Adventist HealthCare, an integrated, health-care delivery organization based in Rockville, Maryland, is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland. The mission of Adventist HealthCare is to demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing. 

Roundtable Presentation Kicks Off Campaign to Educate the Community on Vaccinations and Prevention

Rockville, Md. – Adventist HealthCare launched its third annual “Help Stop the Flu” campaign today with a roundtable media event featuring a panel of experts in vaccines, infection prevention and community health. The experts spoke before a class at the Universities at Shady Grove to urge college students to protect themselves this season, plus answer questions and provide additional information regarding the new 2010/2011 vaccine.

The spread of influenza can be dangerous and deadly.  The Centers for Disease Control estimates between 3,000 and 49,000 Americans die each year from the flu.  The 2009-2010 pandemic of H1N1 resulted in more than 2,100 deaths.

The Help Stop the Flu panel of experts included:

-Dr. Gaurov Dayal, Chief Medical Officer, Adventist HealthCare and pediatrician

-Dr. Terry Jodrie, Emergency Physician, Washington Adventist Hospital

-Cindy Edwards, RN, Manager, Disease Control, Montgomery County Department of Health
-Dr. Philip Krause, Office of Vaccines, Food and Drug Administration

-Dr. Juanita Lynn Smith, Hospitalist, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital

-Marilyn Lynk, Ph.D, Program Manager, Adventist HealthCare Center on Health Disparities

Many health experts say the best defense against the flu is getting a flu vaccination.  This season, those who get vaccinated will receive one vaccine containing strains of seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus for protection against both forms of influenza.  Last season, two vaccinations were required to protect against H1N1 and seasonal flu.

“This season’s flu vaccine will make it that much easier for the community to take precaution and stay healthy,” says Dr. Dayal, who is also a pediatrician. “One vaccine is all it takes to protect yourself and to help protect those around you.”

Adventist HealthCare is the largest provider of flu vaccines in Montgomery County, outside of the county health department. This fall, through the “Help Stop the Flu” campaign, Adventist HealthCare’s Health and Wellness team will provide nearly 4,000 flu shots to the community through vaccination clinics at hospitals, churches, businesses and other community locations.

“The Help Stop the Flu campaign goes hand-in-hand with Adventist HealthCare’s mission to improve the health of our community,” says William G. “Bill” Robertson, President and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. “Our goal is to educate the community on the risks of the flu and provide the proper steps to stop the spread, including flu clinics and the distribution of vaccinations.”

Adventist Healthcare, in collaboration with WTOP Radio and M&T Bank, will offer hundreds of free flu shots to the community through two clinics this fall. The first clinic will take place at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital on Tuesday, Oct. 19, from 7-10 a.m. The second clinic will take place in the Lee Building in downtown Silver Spring on Thursday, Oct. 21, from 11-1:30 p.m. Additional flu shot clinic dates and information about seasonal flu and H1N1 are available on the Help Stop the Flu website at www.helpstoptheflu.com

While the flu vaccination is recommended for everyone, it is strongly encouraged for those at the highest risk for the flu including:

• People over 50;
• Children between six months and two years;
• Women who are pregnant;
• Day-care providers;
• Anyone living in a long-term care facility or nursing home;
• Anyone with chronic heart, lung or kidney conditions, diabetes or a weakened immune system.

In addition to being vaccinated, there are a number of ways to help prevent the flu from spreading, such as:

• Frequent handwashing, especially after coughing, sneezing, wiping and/or blowing the nose.
• Coughing into the crease of an elbow or sleeve instead of the hand.
• Staying home when ill, particularly with flu-like symptoms.  This includes keeping children home from school when they are ill.
• Remaining hydrated and well-rested.

“We all play an important role in preventing the spread of influenza in our community,” notes Judy Lichty, Regional Director of Health and Wellness for Adventist HealthCare. “Practicing good hygiene is the key to staying healthy, particularly handwashing. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, including wrists, palms, back of hands and beneath fingernails.”

Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery organization based in Rockville, Maryland, is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.  The mission of Adventist HealthCare is to demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.

P.J. Hogan latest of well-respected state, community leaders to voice his support

Rockville, Md. – Former District 39 State Senator and longtime Montgomery Village resident, Patrick J. Hogan, this week urged upcounty residents and community leaders to support Adventist HealthCare’s planned Clarksburg Community Hospital and Medical Campus. Hogan, who was also instrumental in helping to open the Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown, Md., in 2006, made his comments in a video posted on the hospital’s web site and social media outlets.

In Hogan’s video, he discusses the growth of not only upper Montgomery County but also lower Frederick County and how the Clarksburg location will provide residents with a range of health-care services the region needs.

Hogan said the Clarksburg plan is also the perfect complement to already existing health-care services, including Frederick Memorial Hospital, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in the Gaithersburg/Rockville area and the Germantown Emergency Center on Route 118.

"The reason the Clarksburg plan is the right site for a hospital is that it splits that difference between a hospital in Frederick and Shady Grove Adventist," Hogan said. "It will provide all the different health-care services that people need."

Hogan also reinforces why he believes the 86-bed Clarksburg Community Hospital is the right hospital, as Adventist HealthCare has worked for years with the community to expand access to health-care services.

"Not only is the hospital needed in Clarksburg today, it will be needed in the future even more. So it truly is the right place to put it," P.J. Hogan said. "It’s the right location and it will provide the health-care services as the county continues to build out."

The proposed $177 million Clarksburg Community Hospital is designed to serve the fast-growing populations of upper Montgomery County and lower Frederick County. The comprehensive medical campus, to be located directly off I-270 just south of Route 121, will also include doctors’ offices, a child-care center, a primary care clinic for the uninsured and a nursing center for seniors. It is the only upcounty hospital proposal to have all major land, environmental and traffic approvals from Montgomery County.

Hogan was one of several key state legislators and county politicians to help Adventist HealthCare open what has now become the nationally recognized Germantown Emergency Center.

"This was a bold step for Adventist HealthCare to put an emergency center in Germantown," Hogan said. "Nobody else was willing to do it. They have a proven track record of providing health care."

In 2009, the Germantown Emergency Center provided medical care to more than 35,000 patients and has become a model for other states looking to open free-standing emergency centers.

Hogan is the latest of numerous well-respected supporters to vocalize their advocacy for the Clarksburg Community Hospital. Last fall, 11 of the 12 state legislators who represent upper Montgomery County wrote letters on two separate occasions asking the Maryland Health Care Commission to approve the Clarksburg plan and to preserve the Germantown Emergency Center.

"We are very grateful for supporters like P.J. Hogan who have given so much of their time and energy to the upcounty for many years," said William G. "Bill" Robertson, President and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. "Their valuable input into our Clarksburg project has helped us develop a comprehensive plan that will benefit the entire region not only today, but in the future. We look forward to continuing our work with the community in expanding access to health care services for the entire region."

To view Hogan’s video testimonial and other Clarksburg Community Hospital supporter videos, visit www.ClarksburgHospital.com or become a fan of the Clarksburg Community Hospital Facebook page.

Adventist HealthCare, an integrated, health-care delivery organization based in Rockville, Maryland, is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland. The mission of Adventist HealthCare is to demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing. Adventist HealthCare includes Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Shady Grove Adventist Germantown Emergency Center, Washington Adventist Hospital, Adventist Behavioral Health, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, Adventist Senior Living Services, Adventist Home Health Services and the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children.

Adventist HealthCare will open a new radiation oncology center in Germantown next year.

The $5.5 million, 6,500-square-foot facility is expected to open in early 2011 in the Seneca Meadows Corporate Center, said Dennis Hansen, president of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. The center eventually will occupy 10,500 square feet of office space.

Radiation oncology is a radiation treatment that damages the DNA of cancer cells and prevents them from growing and dividing by using high-powered X-rays or radioactive seed implants, said Jennifer Plaia, a spokeswoman for Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Treatment can last six weeks, she said, and about 60 percent of Adventist’s radiation patients live north of Rockville.

“For those who find themselves in need of cancer treatment, they often need weeks of treatment,” Hansen said. “It’s a service you need on a daily basis, so convenience is especially important.”

Radiation therapy is used to treat a variety of types of the disease, including breast, prostate and lung cancer, Plaia said. More than 60 percent of cancer patients are treated by radiation oncologists.

The radiation oncology center will be about two miles from the Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center, 19731 Germantown Road, which opened in August 2006.

“We’re looking for ways to get complementary services and not to duplicate services,” Hansen said. “This location makes sense on a regional basis.”

Read Full Article Text

Free-Standing Center, along with Planned Clarksburg Community Hospital, Plays an Important Role in Expanding Health Care Access for Upper Montgomery County

Rockville, Md. – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today signed legislation that directs the state to set reimbursement rates for freestanding emergency facilities in Maryland, including the Shady Grove Adventist Germantown Emergency Center, to help cover important staffing and equipment costs.

This new law addresses an issue remaining after earlier legislation enabled the establishment of the Shady Grove Adventist Germantown Emergency Center and the new Queen Anne’s County Emergency Center (set to open in October). The new legislation brings these facilities under the authority of the Health Services Cost Review Commission, making them available for Medicare and Medicaid fee-for-services reimbursement. It also enables Medicaid reimbursement to be available for the Bowie Health Center in Prince George’s County, a similar facility.

“We want to thank the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and the Maryland Health Care Commission for working with the governor, the legislature and health-care providers to come up with a solution that helps ensure and maintain expanded access to care,” said William G. “Bill” Robertson, President and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. “It is through collaboration like this that we can work to strengthen the state’s health-care network for all Marylanders.”

The legislation, passed by the Maryland General Assembly this April, requires freestanding emergency centers to be “rate-regulated” by the state, which sets how Medicare and other insurers reimburse for a specific treatment for hospital-based services. The bill also places a moratorium on any new freestanding medical facilities until 2015, when a formal Certificate of Need (CON) process will be implemented for consideration of new facilities of this kind.

The Germantown Emergency Center is an integral part of Adventist HealthCare’s longstanding commitment to expand access to health care for residents in upper Montgomery County. This commitment began with the opening of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in 1979 and continued with the opening in 2006 of the Germantown Emergency Center, a facility that has drawn national attention. In 2008, Adventist HealthCare opened a primary care clinic for the uninsured and a prenatal center for uninsured women, both in Germantown.

Freestanding emergency departments are staffed by physicians and nurses and are fully equipped to handle medical emergencies and accept patients by ambulance just like a hospital emergency room. The facilities are administratively and clinically linked into a hospital and licensed by the state.

The Shady Grove Adventist Germantown Emergency Center has saved lives and improved access to emergency medical care for upper Montgomery County residents. The facility, which is equipped to handle the full range of emergency medicine needs, has also reduced patient volume at the main Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Emergency Department, once the busiest in Maryland.

“In 2009, the Germantown Emergency Center provided vital emergency medical care to more than 36,000 patients,” said Dr. Brett Gamma, Medical Director of the Germantown Emergency Center and Vice Chair of Emergency Services at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. “The skilled care of our team regularly achieves patient satisfaction scores above the 90th percentile. The high volumes of satisfied patients at the Germantown Emergency Center demonstrate how the facility has successfully increased access to health care for the upcounty region.”

The Germantown Emergency Center has also reduced out-of-service times for ambulances in the upcounty community by 40 percent.

“The Germantown Emergency Center has effectively, and in a cost-efficient manner, improved access to emergency medical care for residents in upper Montgomery County,” wrote Richard Bowers, Fire Chief of Montgomery County Fire/Rescue Services, to the state legislature urging approval of the legislation. “I appreciate Adventist HealthCare’s efforts as a community-focused, collaborative organization dedicated to meeting the health care needs of Montgomery County residents.”

To complement the existing health care services in upper Montgomery County and to best serve future health-care needs in the region, Adventist HealthCare has also proposed the development of the Clarksburg Community Hospital and Medical Campus, currently under review by the Maryland Health Care Commission.

The hospital and medical campus, which has all major environmental and land-use approvals from Montgomery County, will include physician offices, a nursing and rehabilitation center for the county’s aging population, a day care center to meet the needs of young families and a primary care clinic for the underserved communities. The hospital and medical campus would serve a large and growing region including Germantown, up through Damascus, Clarksburg and communities in southern Frederick County.

“The Clarksburg proposal, combined with the continued operation of the Germantown Emergency Center, provides a well-coordinated array of services for our upcounty constituents,” wrote 11 state legislators, who represent upper Montgomery County, in a letter to the state Health Care Commission.

These same legislators, plus many others from across the state, were strong supporters of the emergency center legislation.

“We would like to thank all of the elected officials who helped with this legislation and who have been so supportive of the Germantown Emergency Center,” said Robert Jepson, Vice President of Government Relations & Public Policy for Adventist HealthCare. “In particular, we want to acknowledge the leadership of the bill’s primary sponsors during this legislative session, Maryland State Senators Rob Garagiola (D-Dist. 15) and Nancy King (D-Dist. 39), and Delegate Kirill Reznik (D-Dist. 39), for shepherding this important piece of legislation through the General Assembly.”

Adventist HealthCare, an integrated, health-care delivery organization based in Rockville, Maryland, is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland. The mission of Adventist HealthCare is to demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing. Adventist HealthCare includes Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Shady Grove Adventist Germantown Emergency Center, Washington Adventist Hospital, Adventist Behavioral Health, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, Adventist Senior Living Services, Adventist Home Health Services and the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children.

Supporters of a proposed Clarksburg hospital rallied for their cause Monday, while about a mile away, the group behind a competing Germantown hospital proposal released an economic impact report supporting its project.

The two hospital systems — Adventist HealthCare System, which seeks to build the Clarksburg Community Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital, which wants to build a facility in Germantown — are  vying for approval from the state, but only one can win.

“There are serious questions if a hospital is located about a mile from there about the long-term viability of the emergency center in Germantown,” Jepson said. “We think it makes sense to add services incrementally rather than disrupt or destroy existing services.”

Adventist would build its hospital on a 60-acre parcel of land in Clarksburg off Interstate 270, serving a growing region that includes Germantown, Damascus and Urbana, just over the Frederick County border. The property would include an 86-bed hospital, a skilled nursing-care center, physician offices and an outpatient facility.

The state is expected to make its decision in early fall, said Pamela Barclay, director of the Maryland Health Care Commission’s Center for Hospital Services.

Read Full Article Text

Residents Speak of Commitment, Collaboration and Economic Viability of Adventist HealthCare’s Upcounty Proposal

Germantown, Md. – Upcounty residents and business leaders gathered in Germantown today to show support for Adventist HealthCare‘s planned Clarksburg Community Hospital and medical campus as well as the continued operation of the Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown.

“We are impressed by the outpouring of support for our upcounty proposal, which provides comprehensive care to the entire upcounty,” said William G. “Bill” Robertson, President and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. “We are grateful to them for helping us as we continue our work to make health care accessible for all.”

Since 2002, Adventist HealthCare has been working closely with upcounty residents, community leaders and elected officials on plans to build a hospital and medical campus in Clarksburg, which would serve communities throughout the upcounty including Germantown, Boyds, Clarksburg, Damascus and Urbana in lower Frederick County.

The Clarksburg project reinforces Adventist HealthCare’s 30-year commitment to serving upper Montgomery County along the I-270 corridor – starting with the opening Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in 1979, continuing through the opening of the Germantown Emergency Center in 2006 as well as clinics in Germantown offering primary and women’s care and finally with current plans to build the medical campus in Clarksburg.

The proposed $177-million, 86-bed hospital is designed to serve the fast-growing populations of upper Montgomery County and lower Frederick County. The comprehensive medical campus would also include doctors’ offices, a child care center, a primary care clinic for the uninsured and a nursing center for seniors.

“The Clarksburg Hospital, with its location right off of the 270 exit for Route 121, is the strongest location for a hospital- not only in Montgomery County but within the state,” said Gordon Taylor an upcounty business owner. “The location provides important access to health care for the entire upcounty region.”

Clarksburg Community Hospital would expand access to health services for residents of the entire upcounty while also complementing the Germantown Emergency Center, which provided medical care to more than 35,000 patients in 2009, and other health care services.

Residents of Germantown, Clarksburg and Damascus attended today’s gathering to also show support for the Germantown Emergency Center and the proposal for a hospital in Clarksburg. The Clarksburg Community Hospital and medical campus plan is the only option that would sustain the future viability of the Germantown Emergency Center. The competing proposal for a hospital in Germantown would threaten the future viability the Emergency Center.

“When my mother needed emergency care, the Germantown Emergency Center was there for us. In fact, Adventist HealthCare has been working with our community for nearly a decade to provide better access to health care for all upcounty residents,” said Maria Garcia, a Germantown resident.

After years of open and collaborative work to ensure all appropriate approvals and plans for the Clarksburg Community Hospital and Medical Campus, the project:

• Has major environmental and land-use approvals from Montgomery County
• Will not negatively impact other health-care providers in the region
• Offers convenient access for all upcounty residents and emergency responders
• Will bring well in excess of 1,000 jobs to the county
• Features 60 acres with space for expansion as the region continues to grow
• Will blend seamlessly with other upcounty development plans

Adventist HealthCare provides more uncompensated and charity care than any other health-care provider in Montgomery County: $68.9M in 2009. The Clarksburg project, with its full medical campus, would be one more way to expand health-care access for residents of upper Montgomery County.

The Maryland Health Care Commission is currently conducting a comparative review of the competing proposals.

Adventist HealthCare, an integrated, health-care delivery organization based in Rockville, Maryland, is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland. The mission of Adventist HealthCare is to demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing. Adventist HealthCare includes Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Washington Adventist Hospital, Adventist Behavioral Health, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, Adventist Senior Living Services, Adventist Home Health Services and the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children.