In a major decision affecting health care in Middleburg, Virginia State Health Commissioner Karen Remley approved a request from the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) to move its "Certificate of Public Need" for new facilities, from Brambleton to the intersection of Route 50 and Gum Spring Road. The new facility would comprise more than 160 beds and cost nearly $200 million.

A year ago, on September 11, 2008, on the eve of a major public hearing before the Loudoun County Planning Commission, Middleburg's Town Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing construction a164-bed HCA hospital in Broadlands, near the intersection of State Route 659 and the Dulles Greenway.

At that time Council requested that the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors comply with guidelines in the County's Comprehensive Plan, recommending that " . . . the next full-service hospital be constructed closer to Middleburg, at some point on Route 50." Town Administrator, Jerry Schiro noted that, to the best of his knowledge, nor further action by Council was anticipated. "While I can't speak for the Mayor, or Town Council," he said, "I do know that the primary concern for all of us was to make sure that the next hospital built in the county was easily accessible from the Middleburg area."

The new facility would bring roughly 500 new jobs to the County.

HCA to Drop Lawsuits

HCA's Vice-President of Communications, Mark Faust, told the Eccentric that, if all goes well, the new hospital should open its doors in the fourth quarter of 2015. "Response has been positive from all over the County, he said.

HCA's construction timetable will be profoundly affected by how long the County takes to approve a critical land use "Special Exception" for the new facility. Asked about the corporation's still pending litigation against the County, Faust commented, "We now see no need for further legal action."

In a formal statement, Inova Loudoun Hospital CEO, Randy Kelley, noted "Our position has always been that the next hospital built in Loudoun County should be built on Route 50. Our plans are to pursue the ongoing expansion and improvement of our services on the main campus in Lansdowne, in Leesburg, and in Purcellville.

Inova has dropped all formal legal objections to HCA's plans.