IT’S STRANGE how we get used to things. Once upon a time, not long past, news of a $17 million private-sector investment in Rome would have come with the heralding sound of trumpets, with chamber types strewing petals in its path, with government leaders shouted “Hosanna!”
Not that the news that Harbin Clinic had taken out a building permit for its planned Specialty Center at 504 Redmond Road, next to its Southeastern Cardiovascular Institute, was ignored. Nonetheless, it seemed to be greeted as “more of the same” or “more of a good thing.”
Particularly, one suspects, because it is a health-care facility and Greater Romans have become accustomed to those becoming bigger and better.
Indeed, isn’t there a cancer center waiting in the wings?
Perhaps it came as no surprise as Harbin had earlier announced it planned to do this. Still, a $9.5 million facility, at a cost of $16-$17 million when fully equipped, in no small deal. Sure, Floyd Medical Center — and Redmond Regional Medical Center — have been biting off even bigger development chunks in recent years but this is a major signal of continued growth in the medical sector, already Floyd County’s largest single employer.
THE CENTER will be home to several specialties, including Harbin’s vascular lab (blood vessels), ophthamology (eyes), plastic and reconstructive surgery, dermatology (skin), nephrology (kidneys) and neurosciences services. About 25 of Harbin’s doctors will call it home and the new three-story, 75,000-square-foot building is even being constructed so two more floors can be added in the future.
It’s noteworthy, despite a comparatively ho-hum reaction, that this investment equals the $15 million that Mom’s Bakery is putting into Adairsville to considerable hoopla. And, while the Cabela’s coming to the same location doesn’t have a price tag attached, Fort Worth (Texas) officials gave the outdoors superstore $30 million to build a similar one there. Come to think of it, there’s a new Floyd County high school (Pepperell) going up with a $25 million price tag.
All this leads to two points worth noting.
First, despite the impression of a lull in Greater Rome economic activity, it is actually a case of the community perhaps having become used to more of a good thing. Lots of existing homegrown industries have been growing/expanding, too (Steel King made an announcement just the other day).
SOMEHOW, IT SEEMS to have gotten to the point where many in the public only consider things “new” and “different” to reflect progress. It’s like television, where perfectly good long-running series seem to die of old age while newcomers fight for audience attention.
Second, in an observation not unique to this page and probably still premature, Rome seems to be turning into the Rochester, Minn., of the South. Rochester, of course, is where the fabled Mayo Clinic is located. That community has that multidisciplinary medical clinic (as is Harbin) and two major hospitals (as does Rome). Of course, they’ve got 1,500 physicians while there are “only” about 300 here.
Still, Rochester/Olmstead County are, in population, only about 25,000 souls larger than Rome/Floyd and both are outside their region’s major metropolitan locations. Those who do pathological studies on where medical centers flourish may have something worth exploring in those genetic conditions.
Rochester, by the way, is also home to IBM’s research center.
If Rome (and the chamber of commerce) could convince Microsoft or Intel to expand here, the match would be near-perfect.
HARBIN PRESIDENT/CEO Ken Davis recently observed that in the past three years “We have brought over almost 40 physicians to the clinic. I don’t see a stopping point to our growth at this point.”
Neither should Greater Romans.
