Advocate hospital plan meets resistance

Advocate Health Care has hit a bump with a state agency in its quest to build a hospital in Round Lake.

Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board officials contend the proposed $251 million, 144-bed Advocate hospital does not comply with certain state criteria it must meet to justify construction.

Advocate officials are to make a last presentation before the health facilities planning board Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago. New hospital projects can't be built without permission from the planning board.

Vista Health is seeking to construct a $100 million, 140-bed hospital at Grand Avenue and Deep Lake Road in nearby Lindenhurst. Vista Health also is slated to participate in next week's health facilities planning board meetings.

Because approval is based on need, it's believed unlikely both hospital projects -- if either -- will be approved.

In the staff report issued Tuesday, the health facilities planning board states the Advocate plan for Route 120 and Wilson Road in Round Lake doesn't meet the criteria established for bed need. Advocate contends more hospital beds are needed in northwest Lake County.

Vista has faced similar questions from planning board officials on the necessity of a new full-service hospital. Board officials said an inventory taken in June by the state showed more than 406 beds in the area for which Vista is proposing its new hospital.

Jackie Bailis, a spokesman for Oak Brook-based Advocate, said the planning board report's contents were expected, in part, because the state has been using what will be outdated criteria pertaining to the number of hospital beds considered suitable for an area.

Bailis said Advocate intends to note at next week's appearance that if proposed new guidelines are taken into consideration, there would be a need for 144 hospital beds in the Round Lake area.

"We do think we still have a shot," Bailis said Wednesday.

Advocate also doesn't meet the criteria necessary for expansion or establishment of cardiac catheterization services, according to the 29-page report from the health facilities planning board.

Vista and Advocate are competing to build the first new hospital in Lake County in 30 years.