Recent Testimony Before the Health Facilities Planning Board
November 2nd, 2008On Wednesday, October 30th, I appeared before the Illinois Department of Public Health Health Facilities Planning Board in support of Vista Health System’s proposal for a new hospital in Lindenhurst, Illinois. Obtaining a new hospital for northwestern Lake County has been and will continue to be one of my highest priorities. Below is my testimony.
October 30, 2008
Hello. I am Bill Gentes, Mayor of the Village of Round Lake. I am here to tell you that northwestern Lake County is in great need of a new hospital. Our region is one of the fastest-growing areas in the state. Most of that growth is happening in the northern half of the county. In fact, the population of Round Lake alone has tripled in the past six years.
It is important that we plan for the future growth in our area. That is why I strongly support Vista Health System’s plan to build a satellite hospital in Lindenhurst.
I am proud to say that I was one of the first public officials to call for a new hospital in northern Lake County. In 2006, in an address to the Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, I talked about the need for a new hospital to serve our rapidly growing communities. All of us in our village worked countless hours over many, many months to bring a new hospital to Round Lake. Unfortunately, Advocate Health Care’s plans have changed and a new hospital in the Village of Round Lake is no longer a possibility.
Now, to be honest, I would have preferred that the new hospital would be built in Round Lake. But that’s not going to happen. Advocate’s choice to acquire Condell Memorial Hospital does nothing to shorten our drive time to a hospital, nor does the addition of beds to Condell. The fact of the matter is that the area hospitals, whether you are talking about Vista in Waukegan, Condell, Good Sheperd in Barrington or Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry, are too far away.
The site of the new Vista hospital in Lindenhurst is literally just a few miles up Route 83 from the four Round Lake sister communities — Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, and the Village of Round Lake.
In addition, and very important to me, our communities have a sizable population that is uninsured or under insured. It’s a well known fact that Vista, through its Waukegan hospitals, is the largest provider of Medicaid services in the county and that it works actively with HealthReach. Knowing that Vista will be moving west will be a great comfort to many of our residents.
In closing, the Village of Round Lake is celebrating its centennial this year. We are in the process of a large-scale downtown redevelopment plan. Our village is growing. We have a need for a hospital and the other medical services that a hospital brings nearby. It would be great for everyone who lives in our area if the state planning board would approve a new hospital for our area. Our residents need it.



