2005/12/05 Council Agenda Packet

Planning Commission Meeting February 15, 2005 Page 11 mentioned that he is concerned about meeting the community's needs if the expansion request is not approved. Ruth Hopkins, 1323 Oakes Avenue will be directly affected by the proposed expansion of the hospital. She is not opposed to the hospital expanding; however, she would like them to further explore the other options. Cynthia Markus, 2360 43rd East, Seattle, is an emergency physician who has practiced in Everett for 30 years. She has been a member of the hospital board for nine years and is on the hospital's planning committee. She was also chief of staff during the merger negotiations. She explained that the need for the hospital to expand its bed capacity is acute. The PEMC ER will nearly see 100,000 patients this year and the ER is responsible for the majority of admissions to the 220 beds that are available at the Colby Campus. In comparison, Swedish Hospital had 50,000 ER visits and 800 beds, and Harborview had 80,000 visits and 400 beds. On a routine basis, the ER routinely holds admitted patients in the emergency department filling their rooms and hallways with patients who would be better served on an inpatient bed. Forty to fifty ambulances a day arrive at ER and nurses struggle to find a stretcher for them to unload patients. They need additional in patient beds in order to move patients upstairs and free the emergency department to care for the incoming. Without a new bed tower, they will face increasing difficulty in managing patients and the situation will become more intolerable. Elie Saiclaly, 4612 75th St SW, Mukilteo, Everett Clinic, stated that he was a cancer specialist and has resided in Everett for almost three years. One of the things that struck him when he came to this community was the high quality of medical staff as well as the quality of the facilities. One of the areas the need is most urgently felt is in the area of cancer care. Cancer is the number one cause of death in Washington State and that is the cornerstone of the modernization for PEMC. People with cancer will have multiple hospitalizations, procedures, doctors visits, and treatments over a long period of time. A state of the art cancer center which is seamless, integrated and multi -disciplinary, high tech and high touch will allow PEMC to provide a high level of care. Stephanie Larson, 1306 Lombard, stated that she had concerns about the traffic in the area and in proximity to Whittier Elementary. For an elementary student to use bus service, they must live south of 16th Street to get transportation, all other kids are required to walk. She was concerned about their safety in walking to and from school. She stated that she had dealt with prostitution and drug activity in the hospital's parking garage. She was not opposed to health care but was opposed to expanding into the North Everett area. Affordable housing is hard to come by and the proposed expansion plans will remove a whole block. She requested that the hospital put them back up for sale and invite young families to move back in. She added that most of the PEMC supporters do not live in North Everett but outside the neighborhood and outside the City limits. Jane O'Brien, 1415 Lombard Avenue, stated that she supports the hospitals expansion but does not support the eastward expansion. She is very concerned over the increased traffic going though her neighborhood and her two autistic boys. She stated that Mr. Donovan and Mr. Allen erected the Donovan homes at a time when most of the countries hopes and dreams were ruined yet they forged ahead and created the one thing that most Americans were unable to have at a critical time, housing. To destroy these homes for the sake of progress is to destroy their dreams. She hoped that the hospital could find other outlets to expand.