Rt. 50 Healthcare - HCA Perspective

Dear Commissioner Chaloux –

I am pleased to offer you additional detail about HCA Virginia’s health care plans within Loudoun County as well as an overview of the health care services that are in action for the Rt. 50 corridor.

HCA Virginia has a phased approach to providing health care in Loudoun County that's based on the County's known healthcare needs of today and the belief of further need in the future. First, with the development of BRMC, residents will have much-needed access to hospital care closer to home. Your constituents in South Riding, Stone Ridge, Aldie, Brambleton and Broadlands, among others, will have better access to heath care services with less time on the road – and they will
have a better road to travel with our proffered Rt. 659 improvements.

Beyond BRMC, HCA Virginia will additionally serve the residents along the Rt. 50 corridor with the freestanding StoneSpring Emergency Department (ED ). This project includes a CT scanner which has already been approved by the State Health Commissioner and is expected to be complete by late 2009 - early 2010. The opening of the ED will have a positive impact families in southern Loudoun County by providing them with access to emergency and other outpatient services. The ED initially will originally be affiliated with Reston Hospital Center and later will transition to work directly with BRMC once it opens. It also will offer the pediatric expertise of Children's National Medical Center.

A HCA Virginia hospital and outpatient facility, collectively called Stone Spring Medical Center, are planned for a second phase of development on the land that we own at the corner of Rt. 50 and Gum Spring Road. This hospital, which is focused on meeting long-term community needs, does not have a definitive timeline for completion, but would come online as the already planned for population growth in the corridor occurs and the County warrants a third full-service hospital. Notably, because COPNs are considered and awarded based on local and regional needs, proposals to add hospital beds at existing facilities, such as Inova Fairfax Hospital or Prince William Hospital, can affect the timing for construction of new
hospitals in Loudoun County. The Health Commissioner is the ultimate determining factor for the construction of the next hospital in Loudoun County based on health care needs. Her analysis of population and need will lead to the ultimate awarding of the Certificate of Public Need and dictate the timing to proceed.

Beyond HCA Virginia’s plans for the phased development of StoneSpring, other health care providers are progressing on their plans for medical services in the corridor as well. Within just a small radius, Rt. 50 residents will have access to Inova’s Urgent Care Center at Avonlea ( already open), HCA’s StoneSpring Emergency Department ( site plan in process), HealthSouth’s 40-bed Rehabilitation Hospital ( COPN approved, pending Special Exception approval from Loudoun County) and Capital Hospice’s 20-bed hospice care facility (planned). These near-term projects, along with BRMC, will provide access to a spectrum of medical care to serve all life stages while being poised to meet the region’s future hospital needs with StoneSpring Medical Center .

HCA’s commitment to Loudoun County is strong and we look forward to providing residents with the services, access and choice that the want and deserve now and in the future.

Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Tracey White
VP of Community & Government Relations
HCA Capital Division