Advocate Hearing is Tuesday! Free Bus to the Hearing!

The folks at Advocate asked me to pass along this information to you.

Thank you for your continued support of Advocate Health Care’s proposal to construct a full service hospital for the people of northwest Lake County. At the public hearing held in June, you gave us a clear indication that the community understands the need for increased access to care in a region with diverse health care needs and rapid population growth.

On August 28, the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board (IHFPB) will evaluate our full proposal for the first time, as well as a State Agency Report, which is a report from the Board’s staff evaluating our application. When they review our application, they will also read your comments in transcripts from the public hearing and hundreds of letters of support

At the August IHFPB meeting, we will either receive a decision on the application or be asked to submit further information to address any of the Planning Board Members’ questions or concerns. We will be prepared to respond to the Board Members’ requests, and we want to assure you that we are still confident that we are the best organization to respond to the health care needs of Lake County residents.

Advocate will soon receive our State Agency Report from the IHFPB. This report is produced to inform both the IHFPB and Advocate where there may be issues with our proposed project. Because the IHFPB has not yet revised the rules that determine “need” in planning regions, we may receive some negative comments that are simply reflective of the unrevised and out-of-date rules. Though there will be no opportunity for public comment during the IHFPB meeting on August 28, we still encourage community members to attend to support Advocate’s proposal while also learning more about how the planning board process works. Community support will continue to be crucial as we move forward in this process.

The meeting will be held at Harold Washington College in Chicago at 9 a.m. on August 28. We estimate that Advocate will be on the agenda late in the morning. Please check the Round Lake Chamber web site at http://www.rlchamber.org for detailed information closer to the date.

Advocate will provide free charter bus transportation from the Village of Round Lake Civic & Cultural Center in Round Lake Beach to Harold Washington College for those who would like to attend the hearing. The bus will depart from Round Lake Beach promptly at 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning and return between 5 and 6 p.m. that evening. Space is limited so please contact April Green at 630-990-5124 or april.green@advocatehealth.com to reserve your seat.

Again, thank you for your continued support. We sincerely hope that our proposal will be approved, and in part because of the unwavering commitment we have received from community members like you.