Editorial: How to Build a Hospital

The ongoing battle between Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and Inova Health Systems over the construction of a hospital in the Broadlands community of Ashburn was “topic one” in Loudoun County for years.

Because the stakes were so high, it was a dispute waged on many fronts. It was waged by citizen groups both for and against. It was fought in the courtroom. It was debated with nearly every public figure in the county. And it was certainly orchestrated on both sides by a massive public relations machine.

The end result was that neither side and very few involved with the debate walked away unscathed. Nobody looked good.

In the end, the Board of Supervisors denied a special exception for Broadlands Regional Medical Center (BRMC). It was not a perfect outcome, as it appeared to almost permanently forestall the construction of a new hospital by years. But as with any dispute, one side won, and the best that most onlookers could say was, “At least it’s over.”

Not so. Where many believed that the denial of the BRMC meant that Loudoun would not see another hospital application, we are now cursed with an overabundance. In June, Inova submitted a request for a Certificate of Public Need (COPN) for property along Route 50. Now, in August, HCA has asked that their existing COPN (initially for BRMC) be modified for a planned hospital site next to the Inova site on Route 50.

The good news is that it would appear that Loudoun will have a second hospital built—and it will be built along Route 50, with easy access to Ashburn and Sterling and primary access to the growing community of Dulles South. Moreover, residents of Middleburg and Purcellville will have a much closer option for serious health care issues. Still, after a bruising public battle, there are some who appear to be bracing themselves for another all-out war.

At the risk of seeming naïve, let’s instead put the knives away. Who gets the COPN will be determined by the Virginia Health Commissioner. Let’s take a moment and hope that this decision will mark the end of the debate and decide who will begin construction. Perhaps we can avoid what seems likely to be another legal challenge to the COPN decision, and instead focus on what’s best for Loudoun—getting construction underway on the new hospital.

For the massive number of public supporters of either Inova or HCA who feel some lingering resentment after the BRMC fight, try to take for granted that both HCA and Inova are quality medical facilities, and that a hospital constructed by either organization would be a much-needed addition to the Loudoun community.

If a public debate does recur between the two health care organizations, let the debate be about the merits of their respective proposals instead.