By Lee Filas
Posted Friday, March 02, 2007
Location. Location. Location.
Lake County towns are choosing sides in the debate over which proposed hospital should get the green light by the state health board.
Fox Lake, Volo, Round Lake Beach, Wauconda and Round Lake have signed on in support of Oak Brook-based Advocate Health Care’s proposal to build a 144-bed hospital at Route 120 and Wilson Road in Round Lake.
Roughly 11 miles to the northeast, Antioch, Lake Villa Township, Lindenhurst, Waukegan and North Chicago signed similar resolutions supporting a 140-bed hospital proposed by Vista Health on Grand Avenue in Lindenhurst.
The municipalities say they are supporting the hospital proposal closest to their communities.
“Response times would be only eight minutes from the farthest location of Fox Lake,” Mayor Cindy Irwin said. “From a fire and rescue standpoint, this is great for us.”
Irwin and Fire Chief Ron Hoehne endorsed Advocate’s plan for the new facility, claiming there is an “absolute need for it” on their end of the county.
The fate of both projects is in the hands of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, which determines need based on an area’s population and proximity to another facility.
Both hospital groups have filed letters of intent with the state.
Earlier this month, Antioch officials approved a resolution “whole-heartedly” supporting Vista’s proposal.
“It would be a lot closer and more convenient for our residents than the hospital proposed for Route 120 and Wilson Road,” said Village Manager Mike Haley. “It’s better for our village.”
Lake County Board officials are not endorsing either project, but unanimously agreed a hospital is needed in the northwest part of the county.
Vista is owned by Tennessee-based Community Health Systems and operates two Waukegan hospitals.
Its proposal is a financial plum for Lindenhurst because the group would have to pay property taxes.
Advocate Heath Care is a nonprofit hospital. It also owns Good Shepherd Hospital near Lake Barrington and Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
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