Wednesday, May 19, 1999
UC is taking hospital workers' parking spots
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When University Hospital went private in 1997, the parking garages and lots that serve its 2,900 employees did not. Now, the University of Cincinnati has plans for those spaces.
That means nurses, medical residents, X-ray technicians, cafeteria workers and other hospital employees will have to find off-campus parking in an area where parking is scarce.
“Effective Sept. 1, 1999, University Hospital employees and house staff will no longer be permitted to park in University of Cincinnati facilities,” states a May 3 letter sent to employees by Michael Grodi, vice president of hospital services.
How many employees will be affected remains in dispute. UC officials say fewer than 1,500 hospital employees have parking decals. The hospital puts the figure at 1,500 to 1,700.
UC needs the parking for various reasons, said UC spokesman Greg Hand. It plans to demolish the aging 800-space Medical Sciences Building garage at Eden and Bethesda avenues. Meanwhile, several nearly complete construction projects — a convention center, office building and molecular research center — have increased parking demand even though the projects include some of their own parking.
University Hospital — now part of the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati — went private in 1997 because officials said it needed to cut costs to survive. Since then, the hospital has dropped telephone and computer systems provided by UC.
However, the Health Alliance has been depending on UC-owned parking for hospital employees and visitors. UC has promised to allow visitor parking to continue. UC faculty members — mostly doctors — who work at the hospital also will keep parking privileges. But eventually, all other hospital employees must park elsewhere.
If that frustrates employees, UC points its finger at the Health Alliance.
“We've been in discussions for some time with the hospital,” Mr. Hand said. “They were instructed a long time ago to develop their own parking. They have possibilities.”
UC and the hospital continue to discuss the Health Alliance's buying or leasing spaces from UC.
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