Merger, new hospital addition mean major health care changes in Hudson Valley

Buy This Photo

Despite the driving rain, construction crews were still out and working to build the new $47 million addition to North Dutchess Hospial in Rhinebeck on Tuesday, April 15th, 2014.KELLY MARSH/For the Times Herald-Record

Published: 3:20 PM - 04/15/14 Last updated: 3:23 PM - 04/15/14

RHINEBECK The regions health care landscape underwent a dramatic if quiet sea change over the weekend, as one venerable medical institution was given a new name and another launched a new $47 million building expansion.

Last year, St. Francis Hospital fell short of celebrating its centennial year as an independent Catholic hospital when it declared bankruptcy in December. It will soon likely in May become part of Health Quest, the regions largest health care conglomerate. Health Quest has promised there will be no job loss as the result of the acquisition. Its new name will be Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center.

On Friday, the same day Health Quest announced the name change, company officials and political figures turned over the first ceremonial scoops of earth that will mark the beginning of a new $47 million addition to Northern Dutchess Hospital in the village of Rhinebeck.

That addition includes another six operating rooms and 40 patient rooms at the hospital.

Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, who participated in the ceremony, lauded the hospital for paying attention to public comment during planning board review.

While not all stakeholders were on the same page from the start, the hospital took great pains to listen to public input and make significant changes to their plan, he said in a statement.

The changes on the east side of the Hudson come as the fate of the two major hospitals on the west side, in Ulster County, contend with uncertain futures.

The rest is here:

Merger, new hospital addition mean major health care changes in Hudson Valley

Related Posts

Comments are closed.