Hoover residents pay millions of developers’ costs for new healthcare facility; councilor unsure if they will be reimbursed
Earlier this week, the Alabama Certificate of Need Board unanimously approved the city of Hoover’s application to build an outpatient surgical center. The surgical center is set to be the cornerstone of the Riverwalk Village project. The CON’s approval comes after months of waiting following hearings over objections to how the city fast-tracked the project, its implications on previously planned projects, and a process that even the CON board members acknowledged as unusual. Testimony during those hearings focused on whether the project was primarily a healthcare project or an economic development project pushed through as a priority of City Council President John Lyda. The first day of testimony included unsubstantiated accusations of wrongdoing made by Brocato against a beloved community member who has since passed away. It also revealed a secret forensic audit that was subsequently made public and highlighted failures by city officials and leadership. While Brocato is taking a victory lap telling The Hoover Sun, “To me, it’s one of the biggest events that’s happened in the last 25 years in the city of Hoover.” Expanding to say, “It’s been a long road. I’m so proud that our council stayed the course, our citizens stayed the course. It was a long hard-fought battle, but in the end, we are where we wanted to be, and now we’re going to bring incredible health care to the Hoover area, and who knows what the next step is.” The biggest question is how Brocato and council leadership will ensure that the cost of the CON is not borne by residents, as stated in the PUD agreement voted on by the council. City council just passed another budget amendment approving an additional $381,251 to cover the costs of legal fees and bringing the total to over a million dollars. Hoover resident Robin Schultz has repeatedly asked the city and city staff beginning in June why the costs were being born of the residents. He confirmed with Alabama Today that to date he has had no response from the city leadership or the city’s attorney. In late July, Alabama Today pointed out the discrepancy between the oversized spending which required multiple budget amendments and the language that the city council passed. Earlier this week, The Hoover Sun reported a shocking statement by Councilor Curt Posey who discussed the city paying for the developers costs, “It’ll have to be reviewed, and then there will have to be conversations about reimbursement on the back end,” Posey said. “But I am not confident it will happen.” As previously reported by Alabama Today, the amendment to the Riverchase Planned Unit Development (PUD) approved by the City Council and signed by Healthcare Resources Manager Robert Simon and Signature Homes President Jonathan Belcher, stated (emphasis added in image below): “The Developer will seek a Certificate of Need from the Alabama State Health Planning and Development Agency for development and operation of a ‘non-traditional hospital’ or ’boutique hospital,’ with outpatient surgery and other forms of ambulatory care.”
Personnel Update: Allison Ross joins Huntsville Hospital Health System as VP of Government Affairs
The Huntsville Hospital Health System (HH Healthcare System) announced earlier this week on its social media pages that former Yellowhammer News owner Allison Ross has joined its senior management team. In a LinkedIn post the HH Health System said, “We are excited to welcome Allison Ross to HH Health System’s senior leadership team!” They described her and the position as follows: “Our very first senior vice president of government affairs, Allison is known throughout the state for her business savvy. She is the former owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia, which includes Yellowhammer News, YHN News radio network, the lifestyle content site SoulGrown, and 256 Today, serving local news to North Alabama.” Last August, Ross sold Yellowhammer News and its affiliates to Paul Shashy and Thomas Harris. According to the LinkedIn post, Ross’s background includes serving “as vice president of the Morgan County Economic Development Association and worked for the international site selection and consulting firm Hickey and Associates.” According to her LinkedIn page, Ross has been with the HH Healthcare System since July. She worked at Yellowhammer News for just over eight years, owning it for six years. She was also the President and CEO of Alabama Tax Credit Exchange from 2016-2018. Ross replied to the announcement of her hiring, saying, “The impact this organization has across north Alabama and southern Tennessee is remarkable. I’m proud to join the team and look forward to joining the mission of improving the health of the communities we serve.” Last month, the Huntsville Hospital Health System announced that it was included in Forbes magazine’s “2024 America’s Best-In-State Employers rankings.” This was the system’s second year on the list. “HH Health is honored to receive the Forbes Best in State Employer recognition for another year,” said Jeff Samz, CEO of Huntsville Hospital Health System. “We value our employees and strive to provide opportunity and advancement for our staff. They are the heart of our organization and the reason for our accolades and achievements.”
