INCREASED TRAFFIC + FREE ALCOHOL + 24/7/365 OPERATIONS = MORE ACCIDENTS, MORE PUBLIC SAFETY CALLS, MORE HOSPITAL VISITS
Foxwoods actively recruited overseas to fill their LOW WAGE POSITIONS.
Those workers DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH, regardless of what Foxwoods promises.
What is Milford going to do with Non-English Speaking people during emergencies?
Milford hospital asks for casino money
Frank Saba, CEO of Milford Regional Medical Center.
MILFORD —
Milford Regional Medical Center is now weighing in on the proposed Milford casino and asking for a substantial payout – totaling a little over $7 million – to cover a projected increase in emergency calls and other health services.
In a letter to town officials, Milford Regional CEO Frank Saba requested that hospital mitigation funding be considered in the host community agreement with Foxwoods, the proposed developer of a $1 billion, 660,000-square-foot resort-casino at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Rte. 16.
“We know that these requests are significant and carry a substantial cost but we do feel that this staffing and these programs would be very important to our hospital in providing the necessary care and services for the increase in patients that we expect with the arrival of a Casino,” Saba wrote.
Saba requested an upfront payment of $5 million toward the expansion of the hospital, a $55 million project proposed in 2011 that would grow the emergency room to accommodate up to 70,000 visits a year and would more than double the number of intensive care unit beds.
Additional funding was also requested to cover seven new employees at the hospital, including three nurses to cover increased emergency room volume and increased cases of substance/alcohol abuse, mental health cases and other health issues.
On top of funding for the current hospital site, Saba also proposed creating an on-site medical facility, with Foxwoods contracting the services out to Milford Regional. The on-site facility would serve employees and customers and include an urgent care clinic operating during the day and evening.
The on-site facility would include hiring 10 new employees at a total cost of nearly $2.5 million annually.
For this plan, Saba requested the casino commit to five years of funding “after which we would review these services and mutually discuss and agree upon future needs and plans.”
Saba reportedly told the town’s attorneys from Shefsky & Froelich that, based on his conversations with medical colleagues in Connecticut, he expects to see a 5 percent increase in emergency room visits with the casino.
He also said he was concerned about the possibility of the casino project increasing mental health problems in the town, as well, according to the attorneys.
The casino’s Chief Development Officer, David Nunes, said he did not want to comment on the specific hospital requests because the negotiations are still ongoing.
Host community agreements remain ongoing this week and selectmen are expected to meet again next Wednesday to discuss another draft.
Selectmen didn’t discuss the specifics of the hospital’s request on Monday, but Chairman William Buckley said he hopes to see some funding allocated for the medical center.
http://www.milforddailynews.com/topstories/x1868831799/Milford-hospital-asks-for-casino-money
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