HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) – Hoover city leaders can take the next step in their plan to expand access to health care after a judge recommended a Certificate of Need (CON) be issued for the development of the Riverwalk Health and Wellness Center.
CON is an Alabama requirement that allows health care providers and systems to extend health care services to the public.
The ASC and diagnostic center will be the main components of the development, which will also include housing, retail areas and wellness facilities. Riverwalk Village will be part of a larger medical district that stretches from Interstate 65 west to U.S. Highway 31, and from the Cahaba River on the north to Valleydale Road on the south.
The Hoover Health Department submitted an application for a certificate of need to the state Health Planning and Development Agency in January. HHCA is considering building an outpatient surgery center and medical diagnostic center at Riverchase Office Park.
In March, Forest Park Group, LLC filed an opposition to HHCA’s application, so the case is now before an Administrative Law Judge, who will then issue an advisory order against SHPDA.
Officials believed the opposition was unfair and politically motivated, and felt that Judge DeGraffenried had seen through the opposition's tactics and ruled in the residents' favor.
“We are extremely grateful that Judge DeGraffenried ruled in our favor,” said HHCA Chairman Alan Puckett. “We have always felt that the testimony and evidence supporting our position was overwhelmingly positive, and it is time to regain the ground we have lost as a result of this litigation.”
The Hoover Health Department is scheduled to make a presentation to the CON Committee in Montgomery on Sept. 18.
“I trust that the Commission will make the right decision and grant the CON's request, giving us permission to move forward with our plans to build both an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) and diagnostic center in our city,” said Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato. “Improving access to health care is a top priority for this administration, and the Riverwalk project will provide our residents with new outpatient care along with state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging services. We are excited about the medical possibilities and infrastructure this integrated development will provide in one of our most accessible locations, on Valleydale Road just off I-65 in Riverchase.”
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