HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealthPartners Letter of SupportHealthPartners
8170 33rd Avenue South
Bloomington, MN 55425
healthpartners.com
Mailing Address:
PO Box 1309
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1309
March 8, 2023
Dear Maplewood City Council,
#,)� HealthPartners-
As a leading healthcare provider in the region, HealthPartners strongly supports the proposed Purple
Line bus rapid transit (BRT) project that will serve the communities of Maplewood, St. Paul, and
other surrounding cities. We believe that the Purple Line BRT will be a valuable asset to the
community, improving public transportation options, supporting economic development, and
promoting healthier lifestyles for our patients and residents.
First and foremost, the Purple Line BRT will provide reliable and efficient public transportation that
will benefit our patients and employees. Many of our patients and staff members rely on public
transportation to get to our clinics and hospitals, and this will be an important enhancement to
existing transit services in the east metro. With the Purple Line BRT, they will have a fast, safe, and
affordable option that will improve access to healthcare and support healthier lifestyles.
HealthPartners facilities along this transit line include:
0 HealthPartners Maplewood Clinic- offering a variety of primary and specialty care services
and providing over 26,000 patient visits per year.
0 Regions Hospital — a level one Trauma Center and teaching hospital as well nationally
renowned centers for bum, cancer, heart, mental health care and more. Regions' emergency
department sees over 00,000 visits per year, the hospital admits over 26,000 patients for acute
level care and performs over 13,000 surgeries annually.
0 HealthPartners Neuroscience Center — a state-of-the-art care and research facility that
specializes in neurological conditions including Dementia and Alzheimer's, Multiple
Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Epilepsy, Headaches, Stroke, ALS and Neuronnuscular Disorders, and
provides over 84,000 patient visits per year.
9 HealthPartners Health Specialty Centers provide a wide variety of high -quality specialty
medical care:
* 435 Phalen Blvdprovides gastroenterology clinic and procedures, urology, foot &
ankle surgery, orthopedics, and sports medicine. Also includes a Same Day Surgery
Center, providing over 81,000 visits per year, including 11,000 surgical cases.
* 401 Phalen Blvd provides many medicine and surgical specialties, high tech
imaging/radiology, physical and hand therapy and more. Over 264,000 visits per
year.
Our mission is to improve health and well-being in partnership with our members, patients and community.
For a corridor with so many medical facilities, BRT is even more promising because its systems are
designed to provide faster, more reliable, and more accessible transit service than traditional, buses.
BRT systems often 'include features such as level boarding, wider doors, and low floors to make
boarding and exiting easier for individuals with mobility challenges, including those who use
wheelchairs, scooters, canes, or walkers. In addition to physical accessibility features, BRT systems
offer real-time arrival 'information, dedicated lanes, and priority signals, which can reduce wait times
and make travel more predictable. Furthermore, the Purple Line BRT will connect to other transit
lines, providing seamless access to the wider transit network, and making it easier for individuals
with mobility challenges to get around and participate fully in their communities.
We believe the Purple Line BRT will be an important driver of economic development in the region
as well. By connecting major job centers, commercial areas, and residential communities, the Purple
Line BRT will help attract new businesses and stimulate economic growth. This will create new job
opportunities, increase property values, and support the vitality of our community.
Finally, the Purple Line BRT will promote healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. By encouraging
people to use public transportation, the Purple Line BRT will reduce traffic congestion, air pollution,
and carbon emissions. This Will have a positive impact on the environment, public health, and the
overall quality of life in our community.
In conclusion, we encourage the Maplewood City Council to support the Purple Line BRT project
and to work collaboratively with other stakeholders to make this important project a reality. We
believe that the Purple Line BRT will be a transformative investment in our community, improving
access to healthcare, promoting economic development, and supporting healthier lifestyles.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
es McClean
Government Relations Director — Care Delivery
Jainies.M M C r� HealthPairtnersxorn
Direct 952-883-7201 Cell 612-805-9670