Hoover receives CON to move forward with new ambulatory surgical center, diagnostic center – Shelby County Reporter

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

HOOVER – In an unanimous vote on Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Certificate of Need Review Board granted the city of Hoover a Certificate of Need for the city to move forward with the establishment of an ambulatory surgical center and diagnostic center.

A Certificate of Need is a requirement by the state of Alabama that allows health care providers and systems to expand medical services to citizens while minimizing the duplication of services. The approved CON will allow the Hoover Health Care Authority to establish an ambulatory surgical center and diagnostic center at Riverwalk Village.

“This is a historic day for the city of Hoover,” Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said. “We could not be happier with the board’s decision. But more so, we are excited for the residents of Hoover and the surrounding areas. We did our research and feel confident these centers and this project overall will serve multigenerational needs in multiple ways. “It’s been a long, long journey for the city of Hoover. But we stayed the course, we worked with people and did the things you need to do to get to this great day today.”

Riverwalk Village is a 90-acre, mixed-use community focused on health and wellness, that will be the cornerstone of the Riverchase Health and Wellness District. The village is strategically positioned to grant easy access to Interstate 65, Valleydale Road and Highway 31.

The surgical and diagnostic centers will be housed in the existing South Tower of the Regions Bank property near 250 Riverchase Parkway E. Along with the centers, Riverwalk Village will include medical offices, commercial, retail and residential units blended into walking trails and green spaces which will be nestled against the backdrop of the Cahaba River. Neighboring businesses include Regions Bank, BioHorizons, Blue Cross Blue Shield, BlueRxAlaTenn, and Bud’s Best Cookies.

“I am very grateful for the affirmative ruling we received from the CON Review Board today,” said Alan Paquette, chairman of the Hoover Healthcare Authority.  “Getting to this point has proven to be an arduous undertaking. The Health Care Authority, our attorneys and the city staff should be commended for staying the course.”

Now that the city has received the CON, the Hoover Health Care Authority will move forward with the next phase which involves locating a highly-qualified health provider through the request for proposal process. According to the city, several high-profile providers have already expressed interest in the development which is projected to have an economic impact of $2 billion.

The Hoover Health Care Authority will be joined by developer Robert Simon and Corporate Realty to select the right provider. The request for proposal information will be made available starting on Friday, Sept. 20 and parties that are interested will have until mid-October to submit a proposal.

The vote by the CON Review Board on Sept. 18, features two stipulations. The first adds language to the ruling which clarifies that even though the board approved the HHCA’s application without an official operator being named, the ruling does not set a precedent on approving future projects where an operator is not identified. The second stipulation highlights that once an operator for the Riverwalk Village ASC is selected, the HHCA will come back before the CON Review Board for a project modification in which the HHCA must disclose more information about the selected provider.

“It doesn’t slow down the process at all,” Paquette. “The good news is nobody can oppose that modification. That’s the key to preventing things from slowing us down.”

Previously, in March, Forest Park Group LLC opposed the Hoover Health Care Authority’s CON application and a three-week trial followed which ultimately resulted in an administrative law judge siding with the HHCA. On Sept. 13 the CON Review Board voted to uphold the judge’s ruling with the aforementioned stipulations.

“This is a perfect scenario of the right idea at the right time,” Brocato adds. “What could have been another large, vacant commercial office building going dark will now be resurrected into a vibrant center for innovation, healthcare and livability.”