2005/12/05 Council Agenda Packet

Planning Commission Meeting February 15, 2005 Page 10 ............._.. Henry Veldman, 23820 1151h Place West in Woodway, who is CEO of Western Washington Medical Group, stated that most of the physicians in this group are specialists who work very closely with the hospital group. He stated that 85 members of his group wrote letters in support of the master plan expansion and would ask that Planning Commission move forward and support this effort. To recruit new physicians to this area, the hospital has to stay current, it has to have current technology, it has to have current equipment, and current facilities to work in. Hilary Hager, 1321 Lombard Avenue, stated that she appreciated PEMC's need to expand; however, questioned the approach. PEMC has had these plans to expand for the last twenty years in one form or another. She is a.student in a masters program for organizational and community leadership and is currently taking a class on organizational design and theory. In that class she has learned that an organization must have a relationship with the external environment to exist. Part of that relationship includes recognizing and being able to respond to changes in the environment in order to survive and she realizes that the steps PEMC is taking at this time is to respond to the changes in need in Snohomish County and western Washington in healthcare; however, surrounding PEMC is another environment. PEMC is a unique hospital in a unique environment, which requires unique solutions to the problems. She felt that the conceptual drawings lack this understanding. The concern about the expansion plan is the quality of life for the people that are living in the neighborhood over the long term. This plan is for the next twenty years and construction will be going on for the next 15 — 20 years, which will have a direct impact on the way that they live their lives. Ms. Hager commented that in several letters to the City, they have referenced the City's comprehensive plan as a guide to how POMC should proceed. Guidelines concerning hospitals avoiding sprawl into neighborhoods, and about hospitals intensifying their footprint, there are also guidelines concerning protecting housing stock and she asked that the City follow the guidelines that they have set out for themselves. She added that the current hospital plan included a 100 foot setback and reflecting pool on the corner where houses are currently standing which did not feel right to her. The hospital has a long history of presenting plans and not following through with them. She commented that since October last year, the hospital had put forth several ideas and have changed their minds; first they were not going to develop block 248 for five years and now the hospital needs to develop the lot immediately. The current proposed plan calls for a 100 foot setback which is close to the lot line to the houses that actually site on the west side of Oakes. An earlier idea was discussed to save the houses on the west side of Oakes in order to keep one solid block remaining of the Donovan District and now the hospital is saying that they don't need that setback and that they need every square yard. She feels that she is getting mixed messages. The burden of proof lies with the hospital and not the neighborhood. She stated that this was a complex issue that deserves more time to make sure that this is the best move for Everett and the Donovan District. Norman Gregory, 13103 301h Avenue SE, Unit A, Everett, a registered nurse who works as a floor nurse and sometimes an administrative supervisor looks for available beds when patients are admitted. Most of the time, the hospital is at or above bed capacity. In 2004, he had to find beds for 145 patients at other Puget Sound hospitals. It is not uncommon to have patients end up spending the night on an ER gurney. Sometimes patients would not be able to move to a patient room until discharges start to happen. Working on the floor and often in the oncology unit, he is faced with moving cancer patients across town to the radiation center and would like the Planning Commission to understand what that involves. Patients are on continuous pain medication to control their pain and they may have bone mastitis so any movement is painful and can cause bone breakage when moving them into an ambulance across town. He