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Home My WebLink About01/06/2004, - CENTRAL COAST INSTITUTE FOR PLASTIC SURGERY Central Coast Institute for lastic Surgery A MEDICAL CORPORATION Gary R. Donath,M.D. CALIFORNIA MEDICAL CENTER AESTHETIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE 628 CALIFORNIA BOULEVARD, SUITE E DIPLOMATE, AMERICAN BOARD OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA 93401 PLASTIC SURGERY, INC. 805-544-6000 FAX 805-544-5460 JAN 0 6 2004 January 5, 2004 SLO CITY CLERK Mayor David Romero City of San Luis Obispo City Hall Palm Street San Luis Obispo, California 93401 Dear Dave, I am a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon in practice in the city of San Luis Obispo. I first arrived in 1996 and have struggled to find adequate office space for the past seven years. I must now consider alternatives such as relocation to the south county where commercial real estate prices are more reasonable and the marketplace is generally more favorable. I am currently the president of the San Luis Obispo County Medical Society and have engaged the other board members in a number of discussions regarding the citywide medical office space dilemma. We are all in agreement that the situation has reached crisis proportions. The tripartite general plan is in my opinion, and the opinion of other medical practitioners, antiquated. Medical offices no longer need to be in proximity to hospitals. Technologic advances such as internet access and FAX machines have enhanced the exchange of information between physician offices and hospitals. Couriers are only needed for the transfer of pathology tissue specimens. Radiographic imaging data is easily transmitted without hand delivery of films and or copies. Physicians and other health care providers have siginificam differences regarding their practice profiles which in tum reflects differences in needs. Some are hospital-based or closely tied to hospitals(eg., anesthesiologists)while others are only loosely or minimally affiliated with other outside facilities. Why should a dermatologist be required to have office space near a hospital? Additionally, the hospitals that remain in our county are experiencing significant financial strain. Many services have been transferred to satellite facilities and clinical labs that are already distant from the hospital and physician offices. COD Member AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS,INC. Restrictive zoning requirements have worsened our burden. A requirement regarding the ratio of parking spaces to square footage for all medical offices has further shrunken the marketplace for available office space in the city. Weare left with a very small and inadequate inventory as a group of lessors and purchasers of commercial real estate. A real estate consultant has informed me that inventory is actually plentiful within the city limits but is unavailable for medical office use. Many physicians have been forced to consider options out of the city limits. Others have left the county and even the state. We are presently short approximately 75 primary care physicians as indicated by the American Medical Association's study on physician characteristics and distribution, 2004. Recruiting new physicians to San Luis Opispo continues to be difficult for a variey of reasons including low reimbursement for professional services and a relatively high cost of living. Difficulties regarding office space availability have only further desuaded physicians to come here to practice. We are certainly living in an extremely volatile era as it regards the delivery of medical care and one which is unfortunately most severe in our city and county. Please understand that most physicians operate small businesses. We face all of the challenges that other small business operators face in addition to those mentioned above. I believe we would all like to see harmony and balance in our community. The physicians and members of the San Luis Obispo County Medical Society would like to see that adequate and convenient health care services are available to all of our citizens. The city would also like to see tax revenue from small business owners and maximi occupancy of commercial real estate. Removing the restrictive zoning and parking requirements placed on medical offices and ammending or changing the general plan of the city would certainly benefit our physicians, dentists, chiropracters and other medical practitioners. More importantly, I believe it would preserve and enhance the delivery of medical care to our local residents and citizens in San Luis Obispo. Thank you for your prompt attention in this matter. I would encourage the city council to work closely with the San Luis Obispo County Medical Society to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Sincerely Gary . Donath, M.D. cc:Members of the City Council John Ewan Christine Mulholland Ken Schwartz Allen Setfle Ken Hampian: SLO City Administrator %16 -P CENTRAL COAs f CARDIOTHORACIC SURGICAL ASSOCIATES A MEDICAL GROUP I�� 1 James R Skow,M.D.,F.A.C.S. Luke A.Faber,M.D.,F.A.C.S. 1941 Johnson Avenue,Suite 101 David A.Canvasser,M.D.F.A.C.S San Luis Obispo,CA 93401 Steven J. Freyaldenhoven,M.D. Phone (805)541-6037 RECEIVED January 6, 2004 ,JAS o 6 2004 City of San Luis Obispo SLO CITY CLERK 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, Ca 93401 Dear members of the city council, As a representative of Central Coast Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, I would like to express our frustration in obtaining suitable medical office space within the city limits of San Luis Obispo. As a result,we are considering relocating to South County. Unfortunately, the members of our group are unable to attend this meeting but please feel free to contact us regarding the above item. Sincerely, 04&6 V4 L A- David A. Canvasser, M.D Yqua /if I)�Cjj ffJ&hjM7 RECEIVED Central Coast Chiropractic JAN 0 6 2004 Karen J. Krahl, D.C. SLO CITY CLERK 1025 Pacific Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 544.6846 humantouch@fiz.net January 6, 2004 The Honorable David Romero Mayor City of San Luis Obispo Government Center San Luis Obispo,CA 93401 Dear David, A number of us are addressing an issue this evening that is changing the face of health care in San Luis Obispo:the need for zoning changes to allow professional/medical office redesignation away from the old definition by the city restricting these offices to zones adjacent to acute care facilities. The old tri-polar plan may have been relevant when it originated,but things have developed differently in San Luis than expected and this idea needs to be set aside. Chiropractic, Dental and other health professionals including acupuncturists,MD's etc., do not need to be adjacent to hospitals to conduct their businesses. Not every health professional needs to access outpatient labs,etc,which might have been true years ago. The downtown core is already congested,lacking in parking,and lacking in modern,patient-accessible modern rentals that are competitively priced. San Luis City residents deserve and want access to health care, where they live, work and shop. In many cases that's the Higuera corridor, Tank Farm,and South Broad. Currently the pressure on doctors brought to bear by the insurance industry and the lack of appropriate office space within the designated areas within the city,is causing our colleagues to move out of the area altogether or to rent or build office space in Templeton, Pismo, and Arroyo Grande for instance, to"make the numbers work." Besides causing many daily commutes and attendant pollution, the egress of both doctors and residents of SLO to other areas will hurt our community. Please don't overlook the fact that doctors of all kinds,too,are small businesses, and employ residents of San Luis Obispo. The income for residents, and tax dollars paid by owner/doctors will be lost to SLO forever. Doctors who have spent years developing community goodwill and establishing practices want to stay where they are rooted. Krahl, D.C./Need for Zoning Changes"O" 2 flexibly, in areas that are currently zoned CS, O,or even industrial/mixed use,on the outskirts of town. Making timely(within the next 3-5 mos)Amendments to the General Plan, or at least allowing conditional use permits to those health professionals seeking them within the next several months,will help stave off this exodus of doctors from SLO. There are currently several ideal sites on the outskirts of town that would be suitable, but if these changes take too long the opportunities to rent locally will be missed,and more doctors will be lost. The City of San Luis Obispo must act now if it is to attract more residents, businesses and professionals to be a long term part of our community. Of the key factors that businesses look at when moving in to this area: -can the employees afford the housing -is there adequate health care available. Currently our area is underserved. Please help us find adequate office space by supporting zoning changes that will open up currently unavailable, affordable office space for us to stay rooted in the City of SLO. Sincerely, Karen J. Krahl, D.C. cc: to the other members of the San Luis Obispo City Council John Ewin Christine Mulholland Allen Settle Ken Schwartz