Published on: Tuesday, February 02, 2010

By Nancy Royden

Formed in May 2008, the Prince George’s County Hospital Authority’s mandate is to make recommendations to stakeholders regarding medical facilities managed by Dimensions Healthcare System.

Nearly two years later, the board’s members and others continue to work toward the ultimate goals of stopping financial loss and improving operations.

The group met Jan. 11 at the Laurel Regional Hospital in Laurel. The board includes Chairman Kenneth E. Glover, Dr. Donald Wilson, Stanley Brown, Andrea Leahy Fuchek, Thomas Himler, Karen Johnson Shaheed and Dr. Joseph Wright.

For several months, the seven-member body and others have been seeking potential buyers for the system – which includes the Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, the Laurel Regional Hospital, the Bowie Health Campus, the Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital and Nursing Center and the Larkin Chase Nursing and Rehabilitation Center – but a sale has not happened yet.

Board members and others are considering the possibility of construction of a new hospital or a medical teaching facility in the county, however.

“The authority has not, nor will it “take facilities off the market.” The authority has had conversations with interested bidders and plans to make a recommendation or two regarding a plan for management and utilization of the county’s assets,” said Donna Wilson, spokeswoman for the PGCHA. “At this point, bidders are doing due diligence to better understand the area’s health care needs and will provide their preferences on this type and use of facilities that they are willing to pursue.”

Wilson said several bidders expressed an interest in building a new hospital.

“While this was not considered in the authority’s initial mission, the prospect of a new hospital being built required consideration by the Authority; it has chosen to extend its work, and the resulting recommendations, to include a recommendation for new health care facilities,” she said.

Wilson said there has also been an ongoing dialogue over the years about the possibility of a medical teaching facility in Prince George’s County.

“Currently, the county assets, managed by Dimensions, serve as teaching facilities for hundreds of medical professionals. The Authority is now investigating, with the help of the University of Maryland Medical System, the possibility of a teaching and research facility which would be affiliated with an educational institution,” she said.

Glover said for approximately two months, the PGCHA has been reaching out with assistance from Gov. Martin O’Malley’s office, Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson’s office and others to look into a feasibility study which will analyze the economic possibilities of constructing a new, standalone teaching hospital in Prince George’s County in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Glover said a teaching facility in the county would not only provide health care, but research, training and retraining. He emphasized talking about this issue is no guarantee it will come to fruition.

During the meeting, Glover said Dimensions has overseen the effort to produce high level of health care with leaner assets and lesser technologies, perhaps, than others in the same business. He said some representatives of bidders told authority members they were interested in buying assets, but they wanted them presented with a more creative solution.

Many questions have come for the board members, Glover said, including how health care can be improved and instead of just being sold. Another concern has been saving jobs and creating new ones. Additionally, how to stop the very serious financial losses was broached during the meeting.

Glover said as part of the PGCHA’s mandate from the state of Maryland, a well-developed and well-researched series of recommendations will be procured. The recommendations are expected to not only have what should be done next, but implementation and financing strategies for stakeholder review.

Despite all the challenges surrounding the future of the health care facilities, Donna Wilson said she is hopeful.

“We have been given a chance to re-assess the decades of efforts of Dimensions Healthcare System, we share their concern that the existing method and model of health care delivery requires a through re-examination and re-thinking.

“Finally, the authority feels that, despite the economic environment and other external developments in the health care arena, this is an excellent time to take a stand and develop and implement a solution which makes sense to respond to the present and future health care needs of the people of Prince George’s County and this region,” she said.

The next meeting of the PGCHA is scheduled Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Prince George’s Hospital Center.