
DATE: Friday, July 11, 1997                 TAG: 9707110880

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  110 lines

OK SOUGHT TO BUILD HOSPITAL ON OUTER BANKS CHESAPEAKE GENERAL'S CASE WILL BE PRESENTED IN RALEIGH ON TUESDAY.

Dare County officials and representatives of Chesapeake General Hospital will go before a state panel Tuesday in Raleigh to campaign for the construction of a small hospital on the Outer Banks.

The Virginia hospital's proposal for the new outpatient facility includes 24-hour emergency services and urgent care; a small birthing center including delivery facilities and room for Caesarean births; outpatient surgery, including diagnostic testing for X-ray and laboratory facilities; no more than 10 beds for inpatient care, and physician office space.

Members of the Dare County Board of Commissioners and officials of the hospital are expected to speak at a 1:30 p.m. public hearing before the State Health Coordinating Council.

A bus carrying more than 40 county residents will also make the trip to Raleigh to bolster the bid for a certificate of need.

A certificate is issued by the state Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources if state health planners determine that the need is there for such a facility.

North Carolina's medical needs are updated annually in the State Medical Facilities Plan. Planners study the various health needs around the state, then determine where services are needed.

Earlier this year, the Dare County Board of Commissioners endorsed Chesapeake General's efforts to obtain a certificate of need from the state. However, Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. was quick to say that the county was not playing favorites among regional health care providers. Chesapeake, as well as Pitt Memorial and Albemarle Hospital, are all jockeying for position in the rapidly expanding Outer Banks market.

``Our only involvement was to unanimously approve a resolution supporting Chesapeake General's request for a certificate of need,'' Owens said Thursday. ``In the past, Albemarle Hospital has asked for support and so has Pitt, and we've given it.''

Owens said the new hospital is needed to serve the communities on the barrier islands that make up Dare County, as well as portions of neighboring Hyde and Currituck counties. He conceded that the plan will draw opposition from critics who say the facility is not needed.

``Our people are so remote and out here on an island, that we need additional health care facilities,'' Owens said. ``I know there are going to be people who are against this, who say we don't have the population to justify it. But the need for more health care facilities is here.''

Chesapeake General released a two-page document to its Outer Banks patients outlining its case for a new facility.

Geographically, Dare, Hyde and Currituck counties are cut off from the rest of the state, and driving time to the nearest hospitals can be from one to two hours. Increased traffic during the busy summer tourist season can make the trip even longer.

Hospital officials say the area is ``medically underserved.'' Unlike other parts of the state, the three-county area does not have a centrally located hospital. Population increases caused by the summer tourist season make the problem worse.

Because of decreased drive time, a new hospital will improve the chances for survival for those patients in life-threatening situations. Lives will be saved, hospital officials say, and expectant mothers and sick people will spend less time on the road.

In light of the present shortage of medical facilities in the area, emergency medical services may be stretched thin. A new hospital would ease the burden on local emergency services.

Becky Maples, the hospital's vice president for planning and marketing, said Tuesday's hearing is the last in a series held by the state's health care planning board. She said the chances for a change in the state's medical facilities plan are not likely this year. In fact, the draft of the State Medical Facilities Plan for 1998 maintains there is no need for a medical facility or outpatient surgery facility anywhere in North Carolina, including the Outer Banks. Chesapeake General, however, is exploring other options.

``They've been up front with us and told us that the chances of changing the plan this year are not real good,'' Maples said. ``But the General Assembly will have to approve any changes in the plan. If any political pressure is brought to bear, then something may happen. But the state has really been working with us, looking at various options. I think they see this year as a chance to lay groundwork for approval in the future.''

Some have questioned whether the Outer Banks has an adequate population base to support a hospital, particularly in the off-season.

``I think it's sort of a chicken-or-the-egg kind of thing,'' Maples said. ``There may be a lot of retired people who would consider moving to the Outer Banks if there were a hospital available. That's a consideration for them.''

Some reports have said that Chesapeake General has purchased a tract of land at Milepost 20 for the new facility. Those reports, however, are inaccurate, Maples said.

``We are in negotiations to purchase a piece of property,'' Maples said. ``Because of those negotiations, I'm not at liberty to say where that is. But it's not at Milepost 20.''

The Outer Banks Medical Center in Nags Head is too small for expansion, she said.

``We lease that from the county for $1 a year,'' Maples said. ``I believe that facility could be used as a medical facility. But that lot is so small, there's no room for us to grow there.''

Tuesday's hearing is a critical step in Dare County's efforts to get a hospital for the Outer Banks.

``This is something we've worked for a long time,'' Owens said. ``I believe it's something we need here.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED

The North Carolina Health Coordinating Committee will hold a public

hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Raleigh to allow the public to

suggest changes in the 1998 State Medical Facilities Plan.

A draft proposal says there is no need for an outpatient hospital or

surgical facility anywhere in North Carolina, including the Outer

Banks.

Chesapeake General Hospital has a chartered bus leaving at 8 a.m.

Tuesday from the Marketplace in Southern Shores for those who wish

to speak at the hearing. For more information, call Connie Cameron