Politics & Government
Chesterfield Council Approves Overnight-Stay Orthopedic Facility
In spite of opposition from local hospitals, the council approved the measure Monday night in a 6-0 vote.
Patients of Chesterfield Orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Paletta will now be able to stay overnight at a new facility thanks to a favorable vote by Chesterfield’s city council at their Monday night meeting.
Dr. Paletta, who is also the St. Louis Cardinal’s physician, requested a zoning change from the city so he could expand his 10-doctor practice into two buildings in Chesterfield Valley at Highway 40 and Boones Crossing exit. He also plans to allow patients to stay overnight at his facility after surgery.
The request has been met with criticism from area hospitals who say Dr. Paletta is not abiding by state regulations that define what a hospital is.
Greg Bratcher, BJC HealthCare policy analysis director, said , which would require the facility to go through more rigorous regulations for building, patient treatment, and many other factors.
City officials, however, put the discussion of what constitutes a hospital and focused only on the land use. That is because the state will still need to approve Dr. Paletta’s facility.
"The state has to make the decision about whether it's a hospital, and I'm sure SSM and BJC will be pushing that issue," said Chesterfield Mayor Bruce Geiger in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story.
Tell us in our comments: Do you support Dr. Paletta’s proposed new facility?
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