Hospital move given conditional approval

The Trustees gave conditional approval for the relocation of the Dartmouth Medical School during their June meeting. The project involves the joint relocation of the medical school, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, and the Hitchcock Clinic to a site outside of Hanover. The Board endorsed the plan stating, "... moving the entire Dartmouth Medical School to an off-campus location in the vicinity of Route 120 along with the Hospital and Medical Center is the best alternative for accomplishing an integrated Medical Center and assuring high quality medical education and patient care in this region into the next century. A new location is needed because approval by Hanover for an expansion of the existing complex is unlikely. The town is concerned about parking and traffic congestion.

In a letter circulated to the College faculty, President McLaughlin clarified the Trustees' position: "The Trustees reluctantly concluded that the present site of the Medical Center is not suitable for future requirements and on this basis favored the relocation of the entire Center if it can be accomplished in a timely and financially prudent way."

The Trustees also gave conditional support for a joint financial strategy that will involve the three institutional participants. The Board will support the relocation only if the participants identify financial alternatives based on "the revenue-generating capacity of the medical center."

The Trustees outlined several financial guidelines designed to protect the College from an economic hardship resulting from the project. Those guidelines include: Capping the cost of the Medical School relocation at $6O million.

Endorsement of a five-year fund-raising campaign generating $25 million for the hospital and $30 million for the medical school. The Trustees also want College clearance before major donors are contacted to see if they are people who might give to other College programs.

Limiting the College's contribution to the unrestricted portion of the medical school's endowment should financial complications impede completion.

The College will make a contribution to the medical school relocation fund based on the value of present medical school facilities. In an earlier agreement with the hospital, the College agreed to pay $25 million for the current complex.

The action of the Trustees follows endorsements of the relocation by the faculties of the Tuck School, the Thayer School, and the Dartmouth Medical School. The faculty of Arts and Sciences, citing the high cost, voted against the relocation plan.

An initial cost estimate released by William Fissinger, vice president of development and public affairs .at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, puts a price of about $215 million on the entire project. This figure includes $6O million for the medical school relocation.

Even though the medical center relocation project has the support of the three institutions involved/ construction isn't a certainty. As of yet, a site hasn't been chosen. Planners for the hospital indicated an interest in three parcels of land, but expressed a preference for the Gile Tract, a 200-acre parcel located south of Hanover along Route 120. After a site is chosen, the project faces review by local zoning and planning boards. Since the project is the largest local authorities have ever faced, the review process could last a year. The medical center must also obtain a Certificate of Need (CON) from the state. Medical center officials must convince the Bureau of Institutional Health Services that the project is needed and that it won't raise health care rates too high to obtain a CON.