Another new hospital for LS...

[GRID]

This will make three new hospitals in East Jack and major improvement to Truman Lakewood and BS Hospital.

HCA selects Lee's Summit hospital site
Lola Butcher
Staff Writer
HCA Midwest wants to build a new hospital at Todd George Road and U.S. Highway 50, five miles southeast of its current Lee's Summit site.


Spokesman Rob Dyer said HCA hopes to acquire an option to buy the 39-acre tract at the northeast corner of the intersection by the end of the year. A timetable for building a new hospital has not yet been announced.

"We're excited about the opportunity to build a new hospital to serve the residents," Dyer said.

Lee's Summit, with about 80,000 residents, is one of the fastest-growing cities in Missouri, said Robert McKay, the city's director of planning and development. The population has grown more than 12 percent in the past three years and is expected to hit 90,000 by 2010.

The current Lee's Summit Hospital, at U.S. 50 and Chipman Road, has 102 licensed beds and sits on an 8.3-acre site.

Dyer said residents attending a recent town hall meeting about the proposed hospital site were supportive. Two years ago, Lee's Summit residents successfully opposed construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter and other retail establishments at that location, citing traffic concerns.

McKay said his office has discussed with Missouri officials the possibility of opening an interchange off U.S. 50 at Blackwell Road, to the east of Todd George Road.

"The site currently has great access and is very visible from 50 Highway," he said. "Long-term, there is the possibility of expanding the access even more."

The Lee's Summit property is the second location that has attracted HCA Midwest's fancy since it entered the Kansas City market earlier this year with the purchase of 12 hospitals from the former Health Midwest.

In September, HCA confirmed that it had put an option on a $15 million, 80-acre plot on the northwest corner of 39th Street and Selsa Road/Little Blue Parkway, near Independence Center shopping mall. That site will be the home of a new 250- to 280-bed hospital, which will replace Independence Regional Health Center and Medical Center of Independence.

By terms of its purchase agreement for the Health Midwest hospitals, HCA is committed to spend $450 million on capital improvements within the next five years.

Reach Lola Butcher at 816-421-5900 or lbutcher@bizjournals.com.



© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.

[The Summit]

I personally think the new hospitals in LS and Indy are needed. Right now all the big modern hospitals are in Johnson County or close to Johnson County (St Joe, St Lukes) and even the northland but MCI, Indy Regional and LS Regional need to be replaced especially while there is money to do so for the big buyout.