Area’s first responders pleased with location of WCMC

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By Dave Greber, Staff Writer Updated 4:46 PM Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The opening of a hometown hospital next month will increase the availability of local police officers and firefighters, save both departments money and add to the overall medical convenience of area residents. First responders and others eagerly anticipate the West Chester Medical Center, which opens May 11.

The project, which broke ground in July 2006, is expected to bring the equivalent of more than 550 full-time jobs to West Chester Twp. to serve the campus off Cox Road in the township’s northern section.

It’s not every day a hospital springs up in your backyard.

Carl Rullmann, who’s lived in the township since 1972, typically travels more than 20 minutes to Bethesda North Hospital off Montgomery Road for appointments or to visit friends and relatives.

This summer — although he hopes he won’t need it — these sorts of trips will take between five and 10 minutes.

“I’ve thought for years that this place needed its own hospital,” Rullmann said. “Now, it’s all falling into place. It’s exciting because it goes with everything else around here.”

Others are just as thrilled as Rullmann.

Take the West Chester Twp. Fire Department, for example.

Traditionally, the department’s emergency medical staff were forced to use Bethesda, Fort Hamilton, Mercy Fairfield or another hospital requested by a patient.

The trips cost patients and the EMS crews crucial time. Sometimes the emergency crews would be out of service for 10 and 15 minutes, according to West Chester Twp. Fire Chief Anthony Goller.

“We’re really looking at it as earlier hospital turn-around,” Goller said. “It’s getting the patient to the hospital faster.”

Although they will evaluate the results after a year with the West Chester Medical Center, Goller estimated using the location would cut his medical response times in half.

And shorter distances means fuel savings as well.

“We’re trying to convince patients that’s where they need to go,” he said.

West Chester Twp. police Chief Erik Niehaus said he expects similar results.

Depending on the incident, police officers have to travel to hospitals to interview patients or collect blood or other medical evidence.

Like emergency medical personnel, that means officers are forced not only out of service, but out of their community.

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