MEMORANDUM

TO: City Council

FROM: David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT: Support for the Bowie Hospital

DATE: November 2, 2006

The Maryland Health Care Commission meets on November 16 at 1:00 p.m. at its Baltimore office to decide the fate of the proposal for a new 100-bed hospital in Bowie. The Commission recertified the 1970’s era Certificate of Need (CON) last year. Letters were sent to the Commission and Dimensions in October 2005 supporting the new facility in Bowie.

A new draft letter urging the Commission to move forward is attached. Your full support of this new $185 million facility is recommended.

DJD/asf

Attachment

November 6, 2006

Mr. Stephen J. Salamon, Chairman
Maryland Health Care Commission
4160 Patterson Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215

Dear Mr. Salamon:

The Bowie City Council urges the Commission to approve a new hospital facility in Bowie. As we pointed out in a letter to you in October 2005, Bowie has a population of approximately 56,000. It is estimated that 106,132 people reside within a five-mile radius of the site currently occupied by the Bowie Health Center. A community of our size deserves a 24-hour hospital facility. The current facility is a significant community asset but its scope is limited, and it is actually closed from midnight to 7:00 a.m.

Along with the residential expansion that now places over 100,000 people in close proximity to the proposed hospital location, over three million square feet of commercial and retail facilities have been built in the past fifteen years in Bowie. All of this growth clearly generates significant additional demand for medical services.

In summary, the Bowie City Council is unanimous in its support of the proposed new hospital in Bowie. We urge you to take the necessary step to make this long-held vision a reality.

Sincerely,

Bowie City Council
G. Frederick Robinson
Mayor