Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507070040
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
"It was kind of a big family affair," he said Thursday.
The hospital's intentions to leave town for a new site in Montgomery County caused a change of heart.
Today, Worrell's ready to go anywhere or do anything to support Pulaski Community and Montgomery Regional hospitals' hopes of setting up shop inside city limits.
"I'm thrilled to death," the often-outspoken City Council member said of the pending medical tug-of-war to see which of the two hospital competitors will get the state's OK serve the city.
"From what I've heard the last couple of days, I think everybody's excited."
Radford Community Hospital is a Carilion Health System affiliate, while the Pulaski and Montgomery county hospitals are owned by Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp.
Worrell, a long-standing and lone council opponent of the Radford hospital's move outside the city, now feels vindicated. At the last City Council meeting, he cast the only "no" vote on a resolution supporting the hospital's plans.
Worrell can now argue convincingly that council's action was premature.
Thursday, those cautiously climbing aboard the bandwagon included Mayor Tom Starnes, who defeated Worrell in two attempts to oust him from the mayor's seat.
"I would like to see a hospital within the corporate limits of the city," he said. "It will bring additional revenues to the city."
Worrell couldn't agree more.
"The beauty of this, if it becomes reality, is that we'll have people paying taxes to the City of Radford," he said. Radford Community Hospital is nonprofit and now pays no taxes to the city, while Columbia/HCA is a for-profit corporation, subject to taxes, he pointed out.
Radford's economic development director, Jill Barr, thinks it could make her job easier if the city keeps its hospital.
"In terms of marketing the city, it always helps to have a hospital located within the corporate limits," she said. People and businesses moving to Radford want to know there's a hospital and emergency services nearby, she said, "the closer the better."
Radford Community Hospital wants to build a new hospital on the far end of the Va. 177 corridor of Montgomery County, near I-81, while the smaller Columbia/HCA hospital would be on Tyler Avenue, next to the Tyler Square shopping plaza.
City Manager Robert Asbury said the Carilion move "was not good news for Radford" from the start. He called Columbia/HCA's plans "very encouraging."
"I look at it as an economic development opportunity for the City of Radford," he said.
But for Worrell, the best part is the city might get to keep its hospital in town after all.
"I think Radford has been forgotten," he said. "There's no way it can be `Radford Hospital' when it's all the way on the other side of I-81."
by CNB