MADISON, Ala. (WAAY) -- The largest city in Alabama without a hospital now knows that help is on the way, as the long-awaited decision on who will build a hospital in Madison was made Wednesday in Montgomery.
A bitter 7-year struggle between Huntsville Hospital and Crestwood Medical Facility may have come to an end with the decision by the state Certificate of Need Review Board. In a 5-3 decision, Huntsville Hospital won the right to build the hospital on Highway 72.
After two hours of arguments from attorneys from both hospitals, the board took up their vote on Huntsville Hospital's proposal. Their decision sealed the deal and locked up their bid that also went against a recommendation from a judge who oversaw the case and endorsed Crestwood's bid.
A majority of the board said they felt Huntsville Hospital had a better overall case. One of the deciding factors in that was the medical plaza that the hospital already has in Madison.
As far back as 1984, consultants have been saying that the city of Madison would need a hospital. Talks between Crestwood and the city began in earnest in June of 1996, but it would be six more years before a state health group began holding hearings about the need for a hospital.
Those talks stalled, and several local hospitals, including facilities in Decatur and Athens, filed lawsuits to prevent a hospital from being built in Madison, saying it would take away business from them.
Between September of 2005 and January of 2006, both Crestwood and Huntsville Hospital submitted their plans for a 60-bed hospital to the state Certificate of Need board. In January of 2007, an administrative law judge began hearings to determine which plan is best for the city.
Last november, the judge ruled that crestwood would be the best fit for the project, but that ruling was not binding. The board met Feb. 20 to settle the issue, but not enough members showed up and the issue was again side-stepped.
After the deferred decision, Madison Mayor Sandy Kirkendall and several other lawmakers sent an angry letter to Gov. Bob Riley demanding action, which finally came on Wednesday.
Officials from Crestwood said they were stunned by the vote. The hospital's CEO, Pam Hudson, said she needs a couple of days to think about whether or not they want to appeal the decision.
Hudson's reaction was not what Madison county and city leaders want to hear, even though most of them supported Crestwood's bid. Kirkendall and others said enough is enough, and that they just want to move forward and work with Huntsville Hospital to get the facility built quickly.
Ccrestwood has 45 days to appeal and if they decide not to, the construction can officially begin. But even if Crestwood decides not to appeal the decision and Huntsville Hospital goes forward with construction by the end of the year, it won't be soon enough for some Madison residents
"I'm exceptionally excited because my own son has some pretty severe issues that cause us to need to have emergency care sometimes with anaphylactics, so i'm very excited that it's actually going to happen," said Rebecca Shelton.
Reporter: Nick Banaszak
Web Editor: Dana Franks
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