FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The hospital on the hill will remain the only medical center in Flagstaff after voters overwhelmingly voted "No" on Proposition 480.
If approved, the proposition would have re-zoned about 100 acres in south Flagstaff and allowed Northern Arizona Healthcare to build a privately funded state-of-the-art medical center that the city desperately needs, according to supporters.
Mike Martinell, a former NAH board member, spoke out against the proposition.
“I think the magnitude of the project from the beginning was something that a lot of people had concerns about,” Martinell said.
It's not only the dramatic change that this new hospital would bring that had Martinell worried. He said it was also about the distrust he and hundreds had about the project.
“The sustainability issues around the project, the environmental concerns, the traffic concerns, and all of that started to pile up,” he said.
NAH released a statement to 12News shortly after initial results were released that said they are "disappointed" in the results.
"NAH cannot build a new hospital there without the zoning change, and NAH also cannot continue to renovate Flagstaff Medical Center," the statement said.
It also claimed a new hospital is very much needed due to the growing population and advancing medical standards.
"It is imperative that we expand, as FMC already is out of space for adult patients many days, which leads to long wait times in the Emergency Department and local patients transported to Phoenix hospitals," the statement said.
“I think this has been a topic, a hotly contested topic,” Martinell said.
While he said there may be an issue with Flagstaff Medical Center running out of space, he believes the bigger issue is lack of staffing. He also believes there is room for expansion in the areas surrounding where the hospital is currently located.
NAH said they will begin to evaluate alternative locations for a new hospital.
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