Communities
HOSPITALS: LMH, Newfane Inter-Community get $9M grant
ALBANY — Lockport Memorial Hospital and Inter-Community Memorial Hospital in Newfane have been awarded $9.1 million from the state Health Department to assist in a merger recommended by the Berger Commission. Mount View Health Facility has been awarded $8.8 million to assist in the plan to close the facility by June 30.
The Health Department announced Friday that $362.5 million in grants will go to 23 hospitals and seven nursing homes affected by state policy to close several institutions and consolidate services.
“We are most appreciative to the Health Department” for the grant, said Lockport Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Susan Wendler. “We applied for the funding, and it will be used to implement the recommendations of the commission.”
Wendler said the Berger Commission’s recommendations were consistent with LMH and Inter-Community hospital’s affiliation plans. “Their report recommended a merger, and we had been working toward that point.” She said the two hospitals already had a legal affiliation and the merger “was the next logical step.”
Wendler said LMH’s CEO Clare Haar would have additional comment on the grant next week.
The grants come from a $550 million pool designated for helping hospitals comply with the changes mandated by the state Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century — also known as the Berger Commission.
Based on the commission’s recommendations, state lawmakers required several hospitals to merge under legislation enacted in January. About 50 hospitals are to be restructured and nine are expected to close.
The state Health Department will announce additional grants for the remaining $187.7 million in funding over the next few weeks.
The funds are meant to help hospitals and nursing homes reduce excess inpatient capacity in favor of outpatient services. For those required to close or merge, grants are for retiring debt, paying legal fees and severance packages, and retraining or finding jobs for displaced workers, the department said.
“I commend these facilities for responding in a constructive manner to the Berger Commission mandates,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines in a prepared statement. “Their resourcefulness in reconfiguring their buildings, services and governance will smooth the transition to a more stable and efficient health care system.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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