What do you think?

January 21, 2007

Editor's note: Each week, The Herald-Mail invites readers to answer poll questions on its Web site,www.herald-mail.com

Last week's poll question was: The five people appealing a zoning decision that allows construction of a new Washington County Hospital at Robinwood are: costing taxpayers money, delaying better care or doing the right thing?

"The existing hospital has more than it can handle now. How (is) closing the existing facility and moving it to a location with fewer beds doing a ... bit of good? Robinwood Medical was built with the understanding in the contract that the hospital would not be moved there. The area is a traffic nightmare without ambulances and helicopters. Remember, there is an elementary school quite literally in the backyard of Robinwood.Move the admin offices out there, where they make more sense, and convert the entire second half of the existing hospital for patient care....Keep this hospital. And to those five citizens with the fortitude to stand up to the moneymen - make them abide by their original contract. You go!"

"... I believe they are doing the right thing."

"I wonder who really thought that putting a new hospital at or near Dual Highway/Robinwood was a good idea. That area has been congested for years... After the huge intersection was put at the corner of Downsville Pike and Halfway Boulevard, why wasn't the new hospital put there? No congestion. Plenty of interstate access for ambulances and people needing to find the hospital from out of town quickly. The roads in all directions could have handled all the traffic needed without any extra cost in purchasing houses and making the roads large enough to take away traffic problems. I guess no one wants to admit they made a mistake in picking Robinwood..."

" ... I agree that the proposed location is a bad choice. This definitely needs to be revisited. There are so many other choices ..."

"Those still using legal devices to try stopping the (hospital) are now at the point that (continuing) is just self serving. They can (only) delay the building of it, costing us millions of (additional) dollars because of delays."

"I believe the needs of many (supersedes) the needs of two couples and one person. I also think a class action lawsuit by the citizens against these folks should be launched to retrieve the money they are forcing us to spend on them."

"We need more hospital beds as our population is growing. Even Frederick (Memorial) Hospital has had to close frequently due to overcrowding. We need to add to the bed space with the growing population. We are waiting longer at all the venues for care. No matter how (efficient) 300 beds are, you can't squeeze more sick people into fewer spots ..."

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