With Plans to Transform Healthcare in Ulster County, the Westchester Medical Center Health Network and HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley Announce New Hospital Expansion
KINGSTON, N.Y. (September 8, 2016) – The Westchester Medical Center Health Network and HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley (HealthAlliance), a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), unveiled plans for a five-year, $133.6 million project that includes a 110,000 square-foot expansion — highlighted by a new, four-story tower addition — and 70,000 square-foot renovation of the HealthAlliance Hospital on Mary's Avenue, as well as a medical village hub at HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus, that will transform the delivery of healthcare in Ulster County.
"The new HealthAlliance Hospital is a fundamental component of WMCHealth's vision to expand and enhance the healthcare options in the region," said David Scarpino, President and CEO, HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley. "Plans for the hospital have grown in scope and size from original discussions, with $112 million now earmarked for this expansion project. When the renovation is complete, Kingston will be home to one of the most impressive and technologically advanced community hospitals in the nation."
"Our goal is for HealthAlliance to be here for the community for generations to come, so we need to remain at the top of our field and continue to evolve," said Michael D. Israel, President and CEO, Westchester Medical Center Health Network. "The new HealthAlliance Hospital will be a bold embodiment of WMCHealth's commitment to technological sophistication in healthcare, coupled with high standards of service, patient safety and clinical quality."
The new, 437,000-square-foot HealthAlliance Hospital will boast 141 all-private patient rooms (201 total) and a nearly 25,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art emergency center, along with a new surgical concentration that will include an advanced medical imaging center, two computer- enhanced inpatient surgical suites, a same-day surgery unit, an expanded postsurgical recovery unit and an advanced endoscopy services center, along with a new birthing center and a pharmacy. WMCHealth's eHealth program, which uses the latest technologies provided by strategic partner Philips to bring medical experts stationed far away to the bedside, also will be featured in the new HealthAlliance Hospital.
Additionally, the energy-efficient concrete and steel building — with a special design that will bounce diffused sunlight into the rooms, increasing natural light and reducing electrical demand while keeping heat out — will also feature a two-story main entrance and lobby.
"With a soaring lobby and cheerful, light-filled patient rooms, the new hospital will provide a welcoming and caring environment to advance the healing process," Scarpino said.
The new HealthAlliance Hospital effort on Mary's Avenue and the resulting consolidation of all HealthAlliance inpatient and emergency services in that hospital are the first part of a five-year, $133.6 million "Healthy Neighborhood Initiative" project. The project will also redevelop the current HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus into a "medical village" — an innovative focal point for the city's health and related needs. Of the $133.6 million total, $88.8 million of the multiphased project's funding will come from the New York State Capital Restructuring Financing Program, with the balance coming from WMCHealth, HealthAlliance and a capital fundraising campaign.
Next steps include the submission of a certificate of need to the New York State Department of Health and a presentation to the City of Kingston planning board this fall. After all city and state approvals, construction is expected to start in the second half of 2017 with a target completion two years later. Details surrounding the development of the medical village on the campus of the current HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus will be announced in the near future.
About HealthAlliance, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network
HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley operates a 315-bed hospital bed healthcare system comprising HealthAlliance Hospital: Mary's Avenue Campus and HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus in Kingston, New York, and Margaretville Hospital in Margaretville, New York. It also operates Mountainside Residential Care Center, an 82-bed facility in Margaretville. As Ulster County's largest employer, HealthAlliance is committed to attracting the best-qualified medical and support staff; providing outstanding, responsive, coordinated, compassionate patient- and family-centered care; excelling in clinical outcomes and patient experiences; and ensuring patient rights, privacy and respect are honored at all times, while improving the overall health and well-being of the diverse communities it serves. For more information about how HealthAlliance is delivering the promise of medicine, visit hahv.org or follow Facebook.com/HealthAllianceHV or Twitter.com/HAllianceHudVal.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 12,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1, Level 2 and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State, today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org.
Frequently Asked Questions: Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) and HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley Announce Plans to Transform Healthcare in Ulster County
Q. What are the details of the project?
A. HealthAlliance Hospital: Mary's Avenue Campus will undergo a 70,000-square-foot renovation, and a new, 110,000-square-foot bed tower addition will be constructed, to accommodate all inpatient medical services currently located there and at HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus. The HealthAlliance Hospital will include a new main entrance and lobby, emergency center, endoscopy center, same-day surgery suite, medical imaging center, birthing center, intensive care unit, medical-surgical floors and hospital pharmacy.
All diagnostic and surgical services in the new hospital will be strategically located to maximize efficiency and promote quality outcomes and patient safety. There will also be a separate ambulance entrance away from the main entrance to provide patient privacy. Additionally, the new main entrance will provide ample space for vehicles to drop off and pick up patients, with adequate parking onsite.
Q. What will the new bed tower include?
A. The bed tower will consist of four floors and will add 110,000 square feet to the existing 327,000-square-foot hospital and house the new emergency center, endoscopy center, intensive care unit and medical-surgical floors. Of the 201 total beds in the hospital, 141 of them will be private.
There will be sound-absorbing features in patient care corridors, including acoustical ceiling tiles and a quiet nurse-call system to promote a private, tranquil environment.
Q. Why does another facility need to be built at the Mary's Avenue Campus?
A. As is, neither of the Kingston hospitals can accommodate all the current services. Of the two campuses, Mary's Avenue is the best option for expansion, in terms of construction and services, to provide a better patient experience. Additionally, this consolidation will allow us to establish a "medical village" at the Broadway Campus, all of which is part of our Healthy Neighborhood Initiative collaboration with the City of Kingston. Learn more by visiting http://www.hahv.org/state-endorses-healthalliance-plans-awards-88-8-million-toward-capital- projects/
Q. What is a "medical village?"
A. A medical village is a convenient, integrated primary care and outpatient destination for medical services in a "one stop" location, providing easy and open access to medical care and services. The medical village will focus on wellness and community services to support population health through innovative approaches. In this case, it will be a neighborhood focal point where HealthAlliance, WMCHealth and community partners will offer primary care, behavioral health and other support services, including retail, educational programs, community events and transportation.
Q. What is the projected cost for the project?
A. The project is anticipated to cost a total of $133.6 million over five years. Phase One of the project, the construction and renovation at the Mary's Avenue Campus, will cost $112 million. While not finalized, Phase Two, the medical village at the Broadway Campus, is expected to cost $21.6 million.
Q. How can we pay for all of these improvements?
A. Earlier this year, New York State announced nearly $1.2 billion in healthcare awards for hospitals and health systems in New York. HealthAlliance received a grant award of $88.8 million for the Kingston campuses, which are critical to the continued provision of healthcare services in the community. WMCHealth, HealthAlliance and a capital campaign will support the cost balance.
Q. Why did the projects change?
A. When the single-campus hospital was initially planned, HealthAlliance was still a standalone health system. Now that HealthAlliance is affiliated with and has the support of WMCHealth, we are able to develop a project that is more substantial and better suited to the needs of the community. Economies of scale are better as part of a network, plus the partnership enables HealthAlliance to work with WMCHealth's strategic partners, like healthcare technology leader, Philips.
Q. What is the expected project timeframe?
A. Construction for Phase One is expected to start in the second half of 2017 and completed about two years later. Plans for Phase Two will be finalized by the end of 2016. The entire project is expected to be completed within five years.
Q. What happens to HealthAlliance programs and services?
A. WMCHealth will continue its commitment to retain already-provided services at HealthAlliance locations, enhance and strengthen many offerings that currently exist and expand advanced services not currently available at HealthAlliance facilities
Q. How will Kingston and the surrounding communities benefit from the new hospital?
A. The construction and renovations to HealthAlliance Hospital: Mary's Avenue Campus will create a hospital of the size, importance and influence that will meet the needs of our community and ensure that the residents in our region have access to the highest level of care, as close to home as possible. By investing in and modernizing equipment, we will provide the best patient experience. Additionally, the new facility will attract top doctors and staff to deliver the best practices of medicine.
The community also will benefit from WMCHealth's new e-Health initiative, which uses the latest technologies to connect clinical expertise among all of our network partners in eight counties. Through a strategic network partnership with healthcare technology leader Philips, patients will receive care from doctors and specialists in other locations without the patient having to travel to visit them. It even lets healthcare professionals in multiple locations share information and discuss patient issues as if they were in the same room. It's been successfully used to save lives in critical care and emergency situations.
Q. What is WMCHealth?
A. The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 12,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1, Level 2 and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State, today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org.
Q. What is HealthAlliance?
A. HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley operates a 315-bed hospital bed healthcare system comprising HealthAlliance Hospital: Mary's Avenue Campus and HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus in Kingston, New York, and Margaretville Hospital in Margaretville, New York. It also operates Mountainside Residential Care Center, an 82-bed facility in Margaretville. As Ulster County's largest employer, HealthAlliance is committed to attracting the best-qualified medical and support staff; providing outstanding, responsive, coordinated, compassionate patient- and family-centered care; excelling in clinical outcomes and patient experiences; and ensuring patient rights, privacy and respect are honored at all times, while improving the overall health and well-being of the diverse communities it serves. For more information about how HealthAlliance is delivering the promise of medicine, visit hahv.org or follow Facebook.com/HealthAllianceHV or Twitter.com/HAllianceHudVal.