August 27, 2009

Chamber Comments on March Development LifeCare Project

The Corona Chamber issued the following comments as part of the EIR commenting phase of the March Development Lifecare Project. The March LifeCare development will be an integrated healthcare campus, offering a wide range of medical-related services to residents of southwestern Riverside County.

Click here for more information on the project.

August 27, 2009

Grace Williams, Senior Planner
March Joint Powers Authority
23555 Meyer Drive
Riverside, California 92518
Via Fax: (951) 697-6703

Subject: March Healthcare Development – EIR Corona Chamber of Commerce Comments

Dear Ms. Williams:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the March Healthcare Development Life Care project EIR. It is a long standing position of the Corona Chamber of Commerce to support responsible healthcare policy proposals and projects. The Corona Chamber feels that even though the March Healthcare Development project should be lauded for its efforts in providing state of the art healthcare services, we are very concerned with the last minute change of a 100 bed long term care facility to a 550 bed tertiary acute hospital. The concern we have is why was this proposal not included in the original Exclusive Right to Negotiate (ERN)?

We feel the project, as it is now being proposed, may put existing health care facilities in our region at a competitive disadvantage. The indigent care that has been taxing our existing healthcare facilities will become even more so - as patients with insurance will opt for the MHD, leaving only the lower tiered, underinsured and indigent patients to fund existing facilities - MHD will take the cream of the crop - with their revised plans, they are not obligated to share with the indigent population.

The Corona Chamber feels that this may impact Corona Regional Medical Center and other existing facilities' ability to provide affordable healthcare services to our community and surrounding areas. We ask that the Joint Powers Agency (JPA) consider the original proposal as included in the ERN.

Thank you for your time and consideration of our concerns.

Sincerely,

Bobby Spiegel
President and CEO
Corona Chamber of Commerce

Cynthia Schneider
Chair, Legislative Action Committee
Corona Chamber of Commerce