Faust: Dover should worry about hospital expansion

The key concerns, after the expansion is approved, should be whether this expansion will improve the quality of life of the citizens of Dover.”

William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.

I recently listened to the audio of the presentation by Bayhealth leaders at Dover’s Council Committee of the Whole meeting Sept. 23. Bayhealth wants to expand the capacity of the current hospital, so it can better treat and serve the citizens of Dover. On face value, this is a positive venture to explore.

At this meeting, I heard Council President Fred Neil urge the Bayhealth representatives to move medical staff into the proposed apartments slated for the downtown project on South Governors Avenue. I also heard a council member inquire if a rooftop garden of some type would be part of the expansion project and if the administration could bring back the good milkshakes the hospital once had. Have some of our council members lost their loving minds? I would expect something like this to be read from a comic book.

I would expect more high-quality questions coming from our local leaders about such an important project, which will affect all the citizens of Dover. In my opinion, the key questions that should have been asked are:

1. Have the residents in the area surrounding the hospital been notified and asked for their input or concerns? As stated, “This expansion will affect the neighborhood with more vehicle and pedestrian traffic.”
2. Was there a traffic study done on how the expansion will impact the neighborhood? As noted, “We have a condensed population in a small neighborhood, with Holy Cross Elementary School within close proximity, along with small businesses.”
3. Will this expansion decrease the extensive wait times most citizens experience in the emergency room? I personally know this is a fact because, during my last two visits to the Bayhealth emergency department, I was subjected to a 10-plus-hour wait to see a doctor.
4. Will there be more patient rooms in this expansion, to reduce the waiting times for the treatment floors? Many friends have told me they wait hours or a day or two for a bed to be available to receive the treatment and testing they require.
5. Is this expansion going to have an updated trauma unit or level established? With all the recent gun violence and trauma-related crime in Dover, I think this would be an important upgrade for the hospital to consider.
6. With this proposed expansion, will we get a better caliber of doctors coming to Dover to treat citizens with cancer or neurological issues and more cutting-edge surgeries?

The key concerns, after the expansion is approved, should be whether this expansion will improve the quality of life of the citizens of Dover. All nonmedical questions — like about rooftop gardens or the housing of hospital staff — should never have been asked, in my opinion.

These kinds of questions just prove that many on council are out of touch with the real world. Trying to support the downtown improvement project on the back of the possible expansion smacks of poor timing and stinks of improper dealings. Trying to influence the development and expansion of the hospital to support the downtown project has all the earmarks of failure. If all the critical issues facing the city are not addressed and corrected immediately, the social ills of Dover will spread like cancer that is not curable. If Council President Neil thinks well-educated medical staff are going to move into an area full of social problems, he is foolish.

All the fancy speeches from Council President Neil or the mayor are not going to entice highly educated medical staff or other professionals to move into a war zone. To think otherwise, you are either living in a fantasy world or have no grasp on how to run a business. The city of Dover is a business, and we are constantly running in the red. If corrective action is not taken soon, I can foresee the city going bankrupt. If spending is not kept under control, eventually, the business will collapse and fail.

Let’s keep it real. In the past two years, the mayor and council have not been able to submit a balanced budget without passing on some type of increase to the citizens of Dover. So, how can we have confidence that the upgrades of the downtown project will bring a positive revenue flow into the city’s coffers? I foresee the downtown project being a big flop because of the past track record of the mayor and council.

Actions and results speak louder than words.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.