MONTPELIER, Vt. -
In video of Gov. Peter Shumlin running his campaign back in May of 2010, Shumlin said: "A 15-bed facility will never work, working with hospitals will never work."
Now, he's pushing a plan through the Legislature that sounds contradictory. State employees accused him of flip-flopping once he got elected.
"I'm also glad the Senate will have an opportunity to weigh in on this issue and I very much hope and expect the Senate will pass a 16-bed facility as requested by my administration," said Shumlin, D-Vermont.
But Shumlin says he stands by the video and his new plan. In the video, the governor says he was voicing his opposition to a plan by then-Governor Jim Douglas, R-Vermont, to build a 15-bed facility in Waterbury.
"I opposed it because it was being built in a flood plain and because the location it was being built was in a flood plain and I think it's pennywise and pound foolish. The first thing I did as governor was kill that proposal," Shumlin said.
The new facility would be built in Berlin and incorporate regionalized care from hospitals and step-down facilities statewide.
"I've now proposed a plan that will work because we are building other beds; 10 in Brattleboro, six in Rutland, a community-based delivery system and a facility that can be added onto if we're wrong," Shumlin said.
Another key factor in the push for 16 beds is money. Vermont will get nearly $10 million in federal funding annually if the state facility is 16 beds or fewer. The administration says the plan is a win-win. They say moving to regionalized care saves money and is in the best interest of patients. State hospital workers disagree.
"They've been making all kinds of plans and stuff for 20 years and it's time somebody made good on the promises they've been making," said Kristopher Martin of the Vermont State Hospital.
State hospital employees say a 16-bed facility isn't adequate and there were people waiting overnight in emergency rooms even with the 54-bed facility before Irene hit.
