MultiCare opened an early Christmas present Tuesday morning with the magic number of 58 inside.
The Department of Health approved a certificate of need request from MultiCare asking for approval of 58 beds for a hospital the health care facility plans to build in Covington.
Auburn Regional Medical Center and Valley Medical Center also requested beds, but both medical entities were turned down according to the Gordon MacCracken, spokesman for theDepartment of Health.
Auburn asked for 70 beds and Valley was seeking 60.
At the Dec. 20 Valley Medical Board of Commissioners meeting the members were told by the staff if the certificate of need request was not approved a legal appeal was likely.
Valley sent out a press release Tuesday afternoon stating the Department of Health’s decision would appealed.
Hugh Kodama, administrator for the MultiCare Covington Clinic, said the decision was greeted with cheers at the clinic.
“This is a big community win,” Kodama said. “Southeast King County is being recognized as a regional entity. This is exciting. More and more services will now be brought out here.”
MultiCare is in the process of building a 24-hour emergency department at the Covington Urgent Care site. Construction of the emergency department is set to begin the first quarter of 2011 and the plans are to open it the first quarter of 2012.
Kodama said serious planning for the hospital will begin after a little celebration. The original plan was to open the hospital in 2014 or 2015, but the timeline will be reassessed now the certificate of need request has been completed.
Kodama said he believes the emergency department and hospital point to the beginning of an economic resurgence in the region.
City Manager Derek Matheson said, “This is fantastic news. It will strengthen Covington’s position as the health care center for southeast King County. This will bring high wage and family wage jobs that will support office, retail and housing development in our community.”
Valley Medical is also planning to build a 24-hour emergency department in Covington’s town center with construction beginning in 2011.
Valley officials stated plans for building the emergency department are not influences by the health department’s certificate of need decision and construction will continue on schedule.
