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St. Joseph's appeals state ruling

RIVERVIEW - South Bay's plan to move and build a new hospital is being challenged.

By S.I. ROSENBAUM, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2008

When South Bay Hospital won state approval last month to move its facilities to Riverview, many Sun City Center residents were outraged. They depend on the current facility, within golf-cart range of their homes, they said.

Now, South Bay's main rival for a new Riverview hospital has appealed the decision, asking the state to reverse itself and approve its proposal instead.

Letting South Bay build a new facility off Big Bend Road will create a monopoly in the area because South Bay's parent company also owns Brandon Regional Hospital, argued Isaac Mallah, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Hospital.

"We feel strongly that this community deserves another provider of care," he said. "And we are in the best position to provide it."

For years St. Joseph's vied with South Bay, as each applied simultaneously for approval to build a facility in Riverview. Population was exploding in the area, each company argued, and a new hospital would soon be necessary.

But the state Agency for Health Care Administrations disagreed. In 2005, it turned down both proposals, saying the area didn't need another hospital.

In 2007, South Bay and St. Joseph's both returned to AHCA with new proposals. St. Joseph's was essentially unchanged, Mallah said.

But South Bay had come up with a new angle: Instead of building a new facility in Riverview, it would simply close its hospital at Sun City Center and "relocate" it to Riverview. This way, the state wouldn't be adding to the total number of hospitals in the region, and South Bay could still expand.

AHCA approved South Bay's plan -much to the dismay of Sun City Center residents - while stipulating that South Bay maintain an emergency center at its old location.

In its appeal, St. Joseph's argues that the state should have listened to residents.

"The agency disenfranchised those people," Mallah said.

The region needs diversity in health-care services, he said. "Let's introduce choice into the community."

Debra McKell, spokeswoman for South Bay, said she's not sure Mallah's argument will sway state officials.

To win the appeal, St. Joseph's will have to prove to a judge that AHCA's decision wasn't in accordance with state law, she said.

"All the drama and emotion, I'm not sure how much it plays," she said.

As for South Bay, she said, "We're very disappointed that they've challenged the state's decision but we understand this is part of the process. ... We hope to resolve it and begin providing services at the new hospital as soon as possible."

S.I. Rosenbaum can be reached at srosenbaum@sptimes.com or 661-2442.

[Last modified January 24, 2008, 23:01:28]