Mayor expects news on hospital’s future soon

City will examine options once Aurora announces plans for Burlington area

By Ed Nadolski

Editor in Chief

Burlington Mayor Bob Miller said Monday he’s hopeful the city will have some indication in the next two weeks from Aurora Health Care regarding long-term plans for Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington.

“That timetable may be a bit too optimistic, but I’m holding out hope,” Miller said.

Miller and City Administrator Kevin Lahner have been involved in what Miller described as “low-key” talks with Aurora officials since late May when the state’s largest health care provider announced the earliest it would have any information regarding future plans would be the end of 2013.

That announcement cooled off what had been six months of turmoil involving Aurora and the city in the wake of Aurora’s announcement a little over a year ago that it was closing its birthing center in the Burlington hospital as of July and transferring labor and delivery to Aurora Lakeland Medical Center near Elkhorn.

At the time, Miller said his goal was to retain a full-service community hospital for Burlington – one that includes an obstetrics department – and he was open to any option that would benefit city residents.

In the meantime, the city was contacted by officials from United Hospital System of Kenosha to gauge interest in the possibility of building another hospital in the city to fill any void in services.

Since then, however, Miller has said the first priority is attempting to convince Aurora – which is the city’s largest employer – to maintain a hospital here.

“The number one questions is, ‘How does Burlington figure in (Aurora’s) plans?’” Miller said. “I’m trying to keep the lines of communication open and see what Aurora’s needs are.

“Ultimately what I’m trying to do is keep my goal alive of keeping a hospital in the city,” he added.

Miller said the discussions with Aurora in the past few months have not included the ad hoc hospital committee he established in early 2013 to honor Aurora’s request to keep things low-key.

Concern over the hospital’s future in Burlington dates back more than a decade when Aurora initially announced that it had plans to consolidate Memorial and Lakeland hospitals into a single regional medical center. Although Aurora identified several potential sites at the time – at least one of them near Burlington – those plans were put on a shelf as the health care provider pursued projects in other markets.

Miller acknowledged the challenges facing Aurora in terms of upgrading local facilities, but reiterated that Burlington wants more than just a slice of the pie.

“Keep in mind that both hospitals (Burlington and Lakeland) are in dire need of upgrades,” he said.

He declined to speculate on the direction Aurora may be leaning or reveal any of the substance of the recent discussions with Aurora.

It is possible the city could be contemplating a package of incentives that would increase Aurora’s chances of building a new facility in Burlington.

Last spring, some members of the mayor’s ad hoc hospital committee expressed fear that Burlington could be left without a full-fledged hospital should Aurora build elsewhere. However, some of those same people said it is important to fully explore all avenues with Aurora before considering alternatives.

Back in May, Jeffrey Bailet, executive vice president of Aurora Medical Group, said:

“Aurora Health Care’s board of directors is evaluating the organization’s strategic needs for clinical services and sites, including those in Burlington and the surrounding communities.

“Capital expenditures of this magnitude (potentially hundreds of millions of dollars) require a thoughtful, analytical process.  This work will continue into the fall, with a board decision on capital expenditures expected at the end of 2013.”

At the time he also announced a website that Burlington area residents could use to offer their ideas, input and concerns regarding Aurora’s future.

As things now stand, it appears the city’s future course will be determined by Aurora’s decision.

“I’m open to anything and everything,” Miller said, noting the city could continue its discussions with United Hospital System if it desired.