MONTGOMERY – The Certificate of Need Board awarded a Certificate of Need (CON) to the Hoover Health Care Authority (HHCA) on Wednesday.
The award gives HHCA the green light to officially establish an ambulatory surgical center (ASC) and diagnostic center in Hoover’s Riverwalk Village.
"I am very grateful for the affirmative ruling we received from the CON Review Board today," said HHCA chairman Alan Paquette said in a statement after the meeting. "Getting to this point has proven to be an arduous undertaking. The Health Care Authority, our attorneys, and the City staff should be commended for staying the course."
Riverwalk Village is a 90-acre, mixed-use community focused on health and wellness.
“This is a historic day for the City of Hoover. We could not be happier with the Board’s decision. But more so, we are excited for the residents of Hoover and the surrounding areas. We did our research and feel confident these centers and this project overall will serve multigenerational needs in multiple ways,” Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato stated. “It’s been a long, long journey for the City of Hoover. But we stayed the course, we worked with people and did the things you need to do to get to this great day today.”
The HHCA will now move to the next phase which includes seeking a “highly qualified health provider” through the request for proposal (RFP) process. Several high-profile providers have already expressed interest in the project. The HHCA will join with developer Robert Simon and Corporate Realty to select the provider for the area. RFP information will be available starting this Friday, September 20th and interested parties will have until mid-October to submit their proposal.
The board’s vote does include two stipulations. The Forest Park Group originally opposed the HHCA’s CON application.
Peck Fox, an attorney representing Forest Park Group, said at the meeting on Wednesday Forest Park no longer opposed the HHCA getting a CON after reaching a “confidential resolution of the differences between them on this project.”
A three-week trial followed which resulted in an administrative law judge (ALJ) siding with the HHCA. The CON added two stipulations to the ALJ’s ruling including adding language to the ruling that says even though the Board approved the HHCA’s application without an official operator being named, this ruling does not set a precedent on approving future projects where an operator is not identified. The other stipulation is the HHCA will come back
before the CON Review Board once an operator is selected for a project modification where HHCA must disclose more information about the selected provider.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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