Dan's Papers - March 21, 2008 - Southampton Hospital Looks To Move

Since it was built in the early 1900s, Southampton Hospital has outgrown its parking capacity and as modern medicine has changed, the hospital's original design has become outmoded.

In an effort to be proactive, the hospital's current administration is considering options for its future needs and growth. One of the possibilities is the available 17.8 acres along County Road 39, where the Southampton Elks Lodge now sits. Since January 1, the hospital's administrative staff has had four meetings with members of the Lodge.

"We've had several conversations with the Elks, but by no means have we entered into any kind of deal with them about property," said Southampton Hospital President and CEO Robert Chaloner. "It is an interesting site in terms of a central location, but right now we are just in the research and fact-finding stage."

He said his hospital wants to look at the property's size, study the traffic, and look at what kind of expansion they need in terms of space and design. Southampton Hospital is now located on about seven acres of prime real estate a half-mile from the ocean in a growing residential neighborhood near the Village. Including their parking capacity, which needs to increase, they take up about ten acres in total.

"Obviously if we were looking to move, we'd look at getting more space, and the Elks Lodge would give us more acreage on which to grow," said Chaloner. Citing the desirable points of the Elks Lodge location, he included that it was "highway accessible, and the land is flat, which works better for a hospital."

Chaloner also said the Elks property is not in the middle of a quiet area - part of it is zoned for commercial use, and a section in the back is also zoned residential. He said the hospital is now doing some preliminary zoning and architectural analysis, and they are also looking to create a building that is green and energy efficient.

"Going in this modern, 'green' direction makes sense for saving us money and also helping the community and the environment," added Chaloner. "For example, we have already switched from using the old film x-ray technology to the new digital x-rays, which cuts down on medical waste."

The new hospital would also need more space for an emergency room, which has grown over the years. Chaloner said the original hospital was built more for inpatient services, like a hotel. But he said the need for more outpatient services has increased, so the new hospital would need more outpatient and ambulatory programs. He also said the current layout of hospital facilities isn't as efficient as it could be, like the ICU being on a different floor from the emergency room, which requires people to be moved back and forth.

"If these two rooms were next to each other, it would be easier and better," he said. "Since our hospital is so old, these more modern changes would be needed at a new location." More space will also be needed for physical therapy rehab, a department that is also growing quickly. The cardiac rehab program is now in an old outpatient area, which is not designed for this purpose.

As of now, the Elks Lodge is looking optimistically toward a possible negotiation with the hospital, according to their attorney, Jonathan Platt of Southampton.

"We have a positive feeling about the hospital, since it would benefit the whole community, and that is what we strive to do," he said. "In the past, we've had proposals for condominiums, multiple family dwellings, and entrepreneurial ventures on our property, but we haven't been interested."

The Southampton Elks Club, which consists of 460 members and has been here since 1942, is a fraternal organization of men and women who sponsor civic and patriotic activities to help the community.

Platt said the National Elks Organization oversees the assets of every lodge, and they would have to assess the fair market value of the Southampton Lodge's land. He said the proposed new hospital would probably take up most of the 17.8 acres, and that the Elks Lodge would probably keep about four acres for themselves.

When asked if the Southampton Elks would continue to run their fairs and carnivals on their grounds, Platt said they would probably change their outdoor events to indoor gatherings like weddings and dinners.

Platt said his organization likes the idea of getting new hospital facilities to serve the community. "That hospital is very old, and was assembled in a hodge-podge fashion, and needs to be modernized and better equipped. I think the method of hospital treatment has changed with managed care, and we also like the idea of an energy-efficient building," he added.

When asked about any concerns the Elks may have, he said, "Traffic is always a problem on County Road 39, but I don't think the new hospital would generate enough traffic to become a concern."

Platt said the Elks are waiting for the hospital to talk to the State and Town agencies regarding necessary permits. "This is all very preliminary, and a lot of permits need to be secured, and the Town needs to also be comfortable with it," he said.

Chaloner said he anticipates this to be a "long-term process" of about five to seven years, and that his hospital "also hasn't ruled out other sites, or even staying where we are, and improving upon it." But he added that it would probably cost more to convert the existing hospital than to build a new one.

"Right now, we're open to anything that's appropriate, and also affordable for us," he said. "We need to be away from the ocean in case of hurricanes, since we are now in a surge area. We'd like to be on higher ground, and also not in a residential area, so we can more easily get our ambulances and other traffic in and out of the hospital."

Chaloner added that funding for a new hospital would come from a combination of the sale of the existing property, some fundraising, and a potential bond.