By Tom Ryan, UIC News
Keeping the West Side veterans hospital open is "critical" to
the future of UIC's medical training programs, justifying the university's
lobbying efforts against plans to "eviscerate" the hospital, UIC
Chancellor David Broski told the UI Board of Trustees at the board's Jan.
22 meeting in Chicago.
"I can't underestimate the critical nature of this facility,"
Broski said, responding to a question from Trustee William Englebrecht,
R-Henry, about a proposed increase and extension of a contract with the
Chicago public relations firm Jasculca-Terman and Associates, which has
been working with UIC on the West Side issue.
Broski said UIC's efforts, aided by Jasculca-Terman, have paid off so far.
"The train was on the tracks and we have frozen that train," he
said, referring to what UIC officials have said were plans by the Department
of Veterans Affairs to shift medical and surgical services from the West
Side facility to Lakeside VA hospital, located in the Gold Coast area at
333 E. Huron St.
But, Broski added, it's still unclear what future the VA ultimately has
in mind for the two hospitals. "We're having trouble determining what
the VA's end game is," he said. "They may be making it up as they
go along."
For that reason, he said it's important that UIC keep working to save the
West Side facility, a process he hopes will take no more than about four
more months. "Sooner or later we will need to make a decision when
to throw in the towel, but we're not there yet."
The board approved extending the contract with Jasculca-Terman from Jan.
16 through June 30 at an additional cost of $200,000, bringing the total
cost of the contract to $400,000. Broski said he is "listening to the
board" and working to keep the costs down, while balancing that against
the need to fight "plans to eviscerate that hospital."
Broski said Jasculca-Terman also would advise the university on public relations
aspects of the South Campus redevelopment. "They're not just limited
to the VA," he said, adding that UIC and the College of Medicine have
benefited from increased public and news media attention during the West
Side controversy.
In a shortened meeting delayed a week by snow, the board also voted to establish
a health services facilities system, under which the university could issue
bonds and finance UIC's ambulatory care facility and similar projects. Trustee
Judith Reese, R-Chicago, said she was "nervous [and] worried"
about the "possible burden" the proposal could put on Medical
Service Plan revenues and College of Medicine tuition payments, both of
which would be used as security for the bonds. The first level of security
for the system is the revenues brought in by the UIC Hospital and Clinics.
Dieter Haussmann, vice chancellor for health services, said the Medical
Service Plan and tuition money never would be used to make bondholders'
interest payments, since that would mean the hospital and clinics would
have been operating at a loss for a signficant period of time, which he
said the board would not allow to happen.
In other actions, the board:
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