Pelham still dedicated to development of freestanding emergency department amid UAB acquisition

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The development of a freestanding emergency department in Pelham is currently unknown in the wake of UAB Health System’s purchase of Ascension St. Vincent’s.

Although the extent of the progress toward the hospital’s development remains unclear, according to sources within the city of Pelham, the city’s commitment to the project remains unchanged as does their support toward bringing a new healthcare option to its residents and the citizens of Shelby County.

Despite large support for the facility, there have been worries in the community that UAB’s upcoming acquisition of St. Vincent’s, which will see the UAB Health Authority assume full ownership of Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System’s care sites, might have left the project’s ultimate fate in doubt.

Officials with both UAB Health and Ascension have stated there is no update at this time, with neither confirming the status of the project as either having been placed on hold or moving forward as previously planned.

Word of the UAB acquisition first spread during a meeting of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees on Tuesday, June 25 that saw the agreement approved in the amount of $450 million.

Upon its expected finalization this fall, UAB’s purchase of St. Vincent’s will also affect multiple local facilities including primary care locations in Oak Mountain, Greystone and Ascension St. Vincent’s One Nineteen in addition to the Pelham development.

The upcoming facility in Pelham was approved more than a year prior to this purchase and has already seen a significant level of attention and investment put forth in its development.

On Wednesday, June 7 of last year, the state of Alabama’s Certificate of Need Board—which regulates new healthcare facilities in the state—submitted the necessary certificate of need to St. Vincent’s following their approval of the project the preceding April, an act which allowed the project to move forward.

At that time, the design and engineering of the facility was already in a stage of active development, with plans for the facility calling for a two-story building that would include enough space to provide patients with access to both primary and specialty care services in addition to emergency services.

Speaking on the hospital’s future construction at the time of this approval, Shelby County Manager Chad Scroggins described the project as a net positive for not just Pelham, but the county at large.

“From the county aspect, it provides the opportunity for additional health related resources in our community,” Scroggins said. “It adds more resources that will meet the future needs.”

At the time of its approval by the state of Alabama’s Certificate of Need program, which acknowledged the area’s current need for healthcare services, more than 40 leaders in the community submitted letters of support for the development of the Freestanding Emergency Department in Pelham.

Currently, details as to an updated timeframe for the construction and development of the emergency department remain unavailable. The tentative date for the facility’s opening was originally slated for the summer of 2025. It is unclear if the UAB purchase will result in any delay.

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