Bruce Taylor, spokesman for the Taylor family which has owned Taylor Manor since 1939, said he held an "informal meeting this morning" with fewer than a dozen "area residents and elected officials" to discuss the hospital's plans to lease the space.
"I talked to Dr. Taylor about 1 1/2 hours ago about the project," County Councilman Darrel E. Drown, a Republican who represents the Ellicott City area, said yesterday afternoon.
"I think they need to address the security issues more," Drown said. "I want them to take the fears people may have and make sure they have answered their concerns."
Taylor and BHMA officials said they would be willing to meet with residents to discuss how the facility will be run. The 14-member state health commission board has 90 days to accept or reject the plans.
"We've seen [BHMA's] work in other facilities, and we've seen that they do an excellent job meeting these special clients' needs," Taylor said.
Some state officials and health-management experts say the hospital's potential for making money from such a facility is quite high. Neither the hospital nor BHMA would reveal the terms of the proposed five-year lease, which could be renewed for 10 years.
Though Taylor Manor has been losing its patient population in recent years, Garber, the business manager, said the hospital has "finished in the black" for the past year. But he acknowledged that "part of [the deal] is an economic decision."
"It will generate additional cash flow," Garber said.
Pub Date: 7/26/97
