Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 31, 1993 TAG: 9308310071
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But a recommendation for either hospital might not be enough to bring such a center to the New River Valley. The HSA board recommended that Radford's earlier application be approved, but Virginia Health Commissioner Robert B. Stroube rejected it anyway.
The board meets at 7 p.m. at the Airport Holiday Inn.
The HSA held a public hearing on the question of which hospital, if either, should get to build a treatment center last Wednesday.
Supporters of the Pulaski proposal for a $3.9 million center connected to its hospital stressed the need for doctors and an emergency room to be close by.
The $3.3 million unit proposed by Radford would be separate from the hospital, but Radford supporters said it would be just off Interstate 81 and so would be more quickly accessible than one in Pulaski. They also criticized Pulaski's estimated treatment cost of $305 per visit, compared with $161 for Radford.
Pulaski hospital Chief Executive Officer Christopher Dux said the Radford group probably thought the Pulaski rate was exorbitant, while he thought Radford's was too low. "It appears to me that it's going to make them go broke in about 2 1/2 years," he said.
But all the speakers at the meeting agreed that a New River Valley treatment center is needed. They told of loved ones who simply gave up being treated because of the strain of traveling to Roanoke or Bristol.
Pulaski Town Councilwoman Alma Holston said the necessity of her late husband having to go to Roanoke robbed them of time they could have had together. "The doctor stated many times that this travel time was what was pulling him down, and I agree," she said.
Rebecca Kirby told of a family member who underwent 25 treatments, each one requiring someone to lose a day of work in providing transportation. Sometimes they would arrive only to find the treatment machine was down that day, she said.
Kathy White told of taking leave from her job for six months to help her father get treatment, until his death. When her husband subsequently was diagnosed with cancer, she said, the place where she worked suggested she find a job elsewhere. "For the rest of my life, I will be paying off the cost of cancer treatment," she said, and questioned why Pulaski's proposed charges would be higher than Radford's.
"I lost my job because my mother had no transportation other than myself," said Sylvia Austin. She also described how they would have to stop along the interstate when the treatment left her mother sick to her stomach.
by CNB