The state opened up its hospital permit process to public comment, but neither McLaren nor Beaumont spoke up.
Kevin Tomkins, spokesperson for McLaren Health Corp, said it’s not the right time to lobby for changes. McLaren is constructing a medical complex at Sashabaw Road and I-75, with plans for a hospital in a few years.
‘It’s our full intent to work directly with the Department of Community Health and work with the CON (Certificate of Need) Commission in terms of demonstrating a need for the proposed hospital in Clarkston,? Tompkins said.
‘We’ve always supported the CON process ? we don’t have any intention of going around them,? said Mike Killian of Beaumont, which hopes to build a hospital at M-15 and I-75.
To build a hospital, they must prove the area needs it, despite a surplus of about 1,237 hospital beds in Macomb and Oakland counties, according to the commission.
‘We thought it better for it to go through the Independence Township project planning process first,? Killian said. ‘We have not completed the whole PUD process and want to respect the township board and their guidelines before we take it a step further.?
Killian said he doesn’t think anyone will be building a new hospital within the next two years because infrastructure must be built first.
‘There will be time to go back to the Certificate of Need Commission when it’s appropriate,? he said.
Norma Hagenow, chairperson of the Certificate of Need Commission, said public comments at the Feb. 6 hearing didn’t give any reason to change anything.
‘Since there were no major issues, we decided that we did not need to open the standards at this point in time,? she said. ‘If somebody comes up with key issues that would indicate we should, we can, but the public hearing did not indicate that would be necessary.?
The commission holds a full review of the CON standards every three years, although parts are reviewed every year, she said.
‘It’s not that it’s off the table for three years,? she said. ‘It’s because there isn’t right now any acute issue that required us to open it.?