Beloit (Wis.) Health System is opposing a zoning amendment that would change the zoning classifications related to medical facility uses and development, including for ASCs, Beloit Daily News reported Aug. 12.
Under the proposal, the word "hospital" would be replaced as a use category with the term "medical facility," which would include ASCs, nursing homes, hospitals and medical clinics as potentially allowed developments.
The proposal comes after Rockford, Ill.-based OrthoIllinois withdrew its application to build an ASC after it faced strong opposition from Beloit Health System, the city's largest employer, according to the report. The health system argued that the proposed ASC would be more of a "mini hospital" than an ASC.
OrthoIllinois said in April that it still plans to open the ASC. As of Aug. 12, the group has not filed new plans for that proposed development, Beloit Daily News reported.
Regarding the proposed change, in an Aug. 11 news release, Beloit Health System accused the city of "favoring private interests of a for-profit developer over an established nonprofit health system" as well as "continued bias and lack of uniformity of governance" over the proposed change, according to the report.
In response, Beloit City Manager Lori Curtis Luther said the city is "unbiased and neutral" and is disappointed by the health system's accusations, the news outlet reported.