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Community representatives urge larger Sutter Health hospital capacity in public comment to Emeryville council
Summary
Speakers at the July 15 meeting urged the council and the EIR preparers to assume a larger hospital than the 225-bed figure discussed for a planned Sutter Health facility, citing Berkeley's 339-bed capacity as a comparison and urging the EIR to account for patient overflow and regional demand.
At the start of the regular meeting, a representative for SEIU UnitedHealthcare Workers told the City Council the environmental-review assumption of a 225-bed Sutter Health hospital is too small and urged the city and consultants to consider a larger facility in the EIR.
Doug Jones, political organizer with SEIU UnitedHealthcare Workers, told the council the Berkeley hospital has 339 beds and that a hypothetical Emeryville hospital with 225 beds "is too small for this community." He urged the EIR to consider likely patient volumes and the prospect that a smaller facility will be overrun by patients and families.
Speakers asked that the EIR and project planning account for realistic hospital capacity and impacts on traffic, parking and regional patient demand rather than assuming a smaller facility that commenters said would require later expansions.
Jones cited Castro Valley as an example where a facility built too small later required new beds a decade after opening and urged the EIR preparers to evaluate downstream impacts. Ending: The council did not act on hospital project approvals during this meeting; the comments were entered into the public record for the EIR and future review.
