"No go" for Trinity, people along Hwy 280 react - ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, Sports

"No go" for Trinity, people along Hwy 280 react

Posted: Updated:
By Sarah Snyder - bio | email
BIRMINGHAM - AL -

Trinity Medical Center hits yet another roadblock.  A judge blocked approval to relocate the hospital from East Birmingham to the Highway 280 corridor. He says the move didn't meet the state's requirements--like not having a high enough occupancy rate.

The judge ruled the state "health planning and development agency" was wrong to have even granted a certificate of need for this move. He says, Jefferson County already has more hospital beds than is considered necessary. 

We spoke with people living along Highway 280 and everyone we found says having emergency care close to home is critical.

"The traffic is congested, so people are practically running into each other to try to get an open lane for the ambulance to get by," Jackie Turner, who lives off Highway 280 said.

"I know how bad traffic can be and by the time you get to Brookwood or St. Vincent's which are really the closest ones to here, or go back the other direction to Shelby, then honestly someone could die during that period of time," Chris Towns, who lives off Highway 280 said.

For Trinity, this has been a four- year legal fight. They're up against Brookwood and St. Vincent's hospitals for the space. But the people we found living along the 280 corridor tell us, they don't care who moves in - as long as it offers emergency care.

"I see the ambulances on this road all the time, so a hospital close by would be a big help for us in the community," Turner said.

Louis Isaacson travels to Brookwood every couple of months and with 280 traffic...

"About 20-30 minutes sometime," Isaacson said.

"It would make a big difference," he said. "I wouldn't have to go 15 miles to the hospital."

Trinity Medical Center  says, the decision is "unacceptable." It says, this erases the chance for thousands of new jobs, and millions of dollars in new tax revenue.

"Here is the need. This is where the growth area is," Towns said. "To Brookwood is a long time, to St. Vincent's is a long time."

Trinity Medical Center - says this fight isn't over. They're planning to appeal to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and seek an expedited review.