The State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA) is considering an application to continue Open Health Surgery and Catherization procedures at Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

That agency recently announced the application and noted that it could result in the issuance of a Certificate of Need (CON).

Shelby Medical Center Consultant Gary Griffin submitted the application. Cost of the project is projected to be $300,372.

Anyone who would like to submit a written statement or indicate a desire to appear to before the CON Board must do so before Nov. 25 and provide a copy of their statements to Gary Griffin, Gary Griffin and Associates, Inc., Post Office Box 8551, Gadsden, AL 35902.

The application number is AL2006-001.

About 300 patients, friends and supporters of Shelby Baptist Medical Center’s open-heart surgery program recently turned up at the hospital in Alabaster to celebrate the Open-Heart Surgery program’s success and first anniversary.

Despite a recent setback from the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals that reversed the approval of the hospital to perform the surgery and related services, hospital officials said the program would continue as it seeks reconsideration from the court and pursues another certificate of need.

Ross Mitchell, vice president of marketing, planning and government relations, said the reconsideration by the Court of Civil Appeals is still pending.

However, he said, there has been no interruption in the performance of the open-heart procedures at the hospital.

&uot;While we continue our aggressive pursuit of legal options regarding our Open-Heart CON, we felt it necessary to file a new Open-Heart CON application under the new State Plan to assure we can continue providing these critical services for our patients in Shelby, Chilton and Bib Counties in a faith-based environment,&uot; Mitchell said