City weighs need for community hospital service

City weighs need for community hospital service

Written by Christi Covington Monday, 07 January 2008

Pflugerville has a population of more than 40,000, but no source of major emergency health care in its city limits.

“We are in a metropolitan area so we are in a reasonable distance of hospitals, but there is still a void,” said Charles Simon, the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation director. “Residents are starting to ask for it more.”

Right now, the nearest hospital is North Austin Medical Center on MoPac. Cedar Park, with a population comparable to Pflugerville, just opened its first hospital in December. In 1983, Round Rock had approximately 30,000 residents when St. David’s brought the Round Rock Medical Center.

Simon expects to present the city council this month with the option of funding a study that could be used for the community to foster interest in health networks and a future full-service hospital.

The need for a hospital is not only about the people who already live in the city, according to Simon. It is about economic development. Part of his job is drawing major employers to the community. The lack of a medical center can make that challenging.

“When you are trying to get a business to move here, and there is little health care, it does not look so good,” he said

So far, City Manager David Buesing and Council member Darelle White, who works with The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research, have helped Simon with initial research. However, Simon said they now need a comprehensive study.

While he has not received any proposals yet, a similar — but not identical — study completed for the City of Marble Falls cost around $80,000.

“Considering the industry, it’s not surprising,” Simon said. “We do not know how much it will cost.”

Towards the end of January, Simon anticipates bringing the study option to the council for a decision.

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