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"Right Size" Statement


STATEMENT BY
REPRESENTATIVE GORDON D. FOX,
SENATOR RHODA PERRY, and
CITY COUNCILMAN KEVIN JACKSON

The Growth Of Miriam Hospital
And The Future Of The Summit Neighborhood

As elected representatives, as neighbors to Miriam Hospital and as Board members of the Summit Neighborhood Association, we wish to state our support for the Summit Neighborhood Association as it seeks agreement with the Lifespan health care system on the closely linked futures of Miriam Hospital and the Summit neighborhood.

We recognize the excellent reputation for care enjoyed by The Miriam Hospital. We value our access to a broad range of medical services in our neighborhood. We must point out that Miriam's location in the heart of a low-density urban residential area is unique in our city. The hospital's location creates special hardships for neighbors and may pose serious risks to the long term health of the Summit neighborhood.

Lifespan and Miriam must recognize that their choice to invest in and improve a facility surrounded by one- and two-family homes and accessible only by narrow streets designed for low-volume traffic places special obligations upon them. Chief among these is to do no harm to the surrounding neighborhood. Indeed, Miriam must remedy existing negative impacts whenever possible.

This means finding the "right size" for Miriam within its present setting and establishing limits to growth within the Summit Avenue site. Continued utilization of commercially zoned areas should continue to be a priority for Miriam Hospital. Doing no harm also means working with neighbors to establish clear benchmarks and standards for other quality-of-life impacts in the neighborhood and a long term commitment to maintain those standards.

We look forward to close consultation between Miriam and its neighbors in the months ahead and to an outcome that will protect the interests of both Summit and Miriam for many years to come.

Signed February 11, 2004

This Page Last Updated: Fri Feb 13 00:46:15 2004