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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
LIMBS
From page 1R
Warner Robins.”
At the current location
most residents of Peach
County are within 10 miles
of the hospital. Peed said
“the new location is centrally
located, where the growth is
going, midway where every
one is.”
She noted the hospital also
serves Taylor and Crawford
counties, which do not have
their own hospitals.
At the new location,
according to the opposition
document, the southern
and westernmost portion
would no longer be within
10 miles.
The proposed relocation
would also remove Peach
Regional Hospital from the
Fort Valley ZIP code 31030,
the area where it draws the
most patents by far (about
75 percent), according to the
document filed by Houston
Healthcare.
Peed said the approxi
mately 69,000 square-foot
facility would cost about $22
million. It would be about
20,000 square feet larger
than the existing hospital in
Fort Valley, which was built
in 1954. Peed said the $22
million price tag included
everything - land construc
tion, plans, new equipment
- eveiything.”
“We’re running out of
space in the emergency
room, physical therapy, car
diac rehab, X-ray,” Peed
said. “The nice new hospital
and equipment,” she said
would be a draw for current
to make the longer drive and
for new patients currently
served elsewhere.
She said the new location
would not be in competi
tion with Houston Medical
Center for staff, but “the
location would help attract
the specialists we need to
supplement our medical
staff.”
In its objection, Houston
Healthcare noted Clinch
Memorial Hospital is build
ing a 25-bed, 57,000-square
foot replacement hospital
for about sl2 million.
At 69,000 square feet,
Peach exceeds the 57, 000-
square-foot federal planning
guideline for at 25-bed criti
cal access hospital. Peach’s
costs are also significantly
higher than the Clinch hos-
COUNTY
From page 1A
voted to release mainte
nance bond on six subdi
visions, contingent on any
required work being com
pleted by July 26. The subdi
visions are The Rydings, sec
tion 1, phase 2; The Rydings,
section 2, Mill Pond, sec
tion 5, phase 3; Savannah
Square; and The Meadow at
Riverbend, section 1.
The Commission also
accepted a $3,500 wellness
grant from the Association
of County Commissioners of
Georgia to assist the county
in implementing a wellness
component to its health plan.
Commissioner Jay Walker
explained the grant is seed
money to “implement a pro
gram to educate employees
in ways to improve their
general overall wellbeing”
and help lower county health
insurance costs.’
During the public com
ment portion of the meeting
Kathy Brown asked when
sidewalks would be complet
ed along Feagin Mill Road,
noting it was part of the
2001 special purpose local
option sales tax projects. “I
wish these sidewalks were a
priority,” she said.
Commission Chairman
Ned Sanders said the county
his started the purchase of
rights of way now on about
250 parcels. “If it’s done
a year from now, we’ll be
lucky,” he said.
The design for the road
widening project, which
included the sidewalks, is
finished.
Brown asked if the side
walks could be put in before
the road. She was told no.
Sidewalks along the west
side of Houston Lake Road
between Feagin Mill and
Lake Joy roads may be com
ing sooner.
pital for construction costs
(72 percent), cost per square
foot (54 percent), total cost
per bed (87 percent) and
total cost per average daily
census (150 percent).
Houston Healthcare
argued in the objection,
Peach does not need a 25-
bed hospital today nor in
the future,” with aver
ages patients projected to
decrease, based on its own
application. -
There were also concerns
about the Peach Hospital
Authority ability to pay
back the $22 million loan.
“Peach still faces the. fund
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Grow places.
ing requirements associ
ated with its frozen pen
sion plan,” according to the
objection document, with a
net pension obligation in fis
cal year 2005 of over $1 mil
lion and unfunded actuarial
accrued liability of more
than $2 million.
The number of days cash
on hand, according to the
objection, is expected to drop
to less than 20 days, creat
ing “a constant challenge of
making payroll and funding
accounts payable.”
In the objection it was also
noted Peach’s creditworthi
ness report from May of this
LOCAL
There were also concerns about the Peach Hospital Authority
ability to pay back the $22 mHlkm loan. "Peach still laces
the funding requirements associated with Its frozen pension
plan," according to the objection document, with a net pension
obligation in fiscal year 2005 of over $1 million and unfunded
actuarial accrued liability of more than $2 million.
year “indicates payments
suppliers average 78 days
beyond terms. When dollar
amounts are not considered,
approximately 25 percent of
the company’s payments are
within terms.”
Houston Healthcare has
filed its own certificates of
need for expansion plans, at
about $74 million for phase
one, which includes 20 new
beds, a 102-bed tower and
an energy plant.
The master site plan
through 2025 includes two
SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2006
more towers, parking expan
sion and expansion for ancil
lary services, the women’s
center and outpatient ser
vices, all on the campus bor
dered by Watson Boulevard,
Sunset Drive, Briarcliff Road
and Hospital Drive.
7A