New 9,185 sq. ft. Renovation Provides Coordinated Care Under One Roof

February 1, 2021  Montour Falls, NY  – Schuyler Hospital and Cayuga Health (CH) officials held a virtual ribbon cutting today announcing the opening of the new Convenient Care and Primary Care center at Schuyler Hospital. This is the final component of Phase II Transformation capital improvement project, where nearly $11 million has been invested into the hospital.  Fast web check-in is also now available for Convenient Care, and all COVID-19 safety protocols are being implemented for patient safety.

Phase II included the complete renovation of the former Medical-Surgical unit into a 9,185 square foot center – a 58 percent expansion – that is telehealth enabled and will offer improved care coordination. This move enhances patient care by having the new space in the front of the building and adjacent to the Specialty Clinic to improve interdisciplinary coordination for treatment plans. The new space also increases patient capacity so they can see an additional 50-60 patients per day. As  part of this renovation, they now have the capacity to add additional providers in the future. The Primary Care Center was previously located above the hospital. Dr. Spaulding has also moved his practice from his original Main Street location.

The new Convenient Care, located at Schuyler Hospital, will offer non-emergency services, including minor injuries, sports/camp/work physicals and mild illness treatment and fast web check-ins and same day access for Lab and most Imaging Services. Appointments are not required. The high-tech exam rooms allow for regular and telehealth appointments, or for online family conferences.  Convenient Care will be open Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Convenient Care replaces the previous walk-in service.

“We are very pleased to announce the finalization of an extensive expansion and transformation capital project at Schuyler Hospital,” states Dr. Martin Stallone, President and CEO of Cayuga Health. “I could not be prouder of the team’s successful management of this project throughout an extremely difficult and challenging year”.

Schuyler Hospital opened Phase I of the Transformation Capital project, a 15,000 square foot state-of-the-art Medical-Surgical inpatient unit on April 21, 2020. The full project was made possible by a $10.3 million New York State Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program (SHCFTP) Grant that was awarded in July of 2017.

 “Having primary care and specialty care coexisting in our main building will provide more convenience and better care to our patients,” says Rebecca Gould, President and Chief Financial Officer for Schuyler Hospital. “When patients see their physicians and get an order for blood work or X-rays, they only have to walk a few steps to get the necessary procedures done that day in the same building.”

The new center will take all necessary precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19 with an on-site call number and/or fast website check in, closed waiting room, and signage to direct patients to wait in their car until called. Upon entry at screening desk, temperatures will be taken. 

“Having Convenient Care and Primary Care in our main building, and under one roof, will be a great convenience to our patients,” says Matthew Rouff, Executive Director, Outpatient and Support Services at Schuyler Hospital and the project’s manager. “When patients see their physicians and get an order for bloodwork or X-rays, they only have to walk a few steps to get the tests done that day in the same building.”

In anticipation of the expansion, work began in November 2018 on new and expanded parking lots to support the Transformation project. The Phase 1 and Phase II project cost was primarily covered by a $10.3 million grant from New York’s Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program. The grant was the largest of six grants, totaling $40 million, awarded in 2017 to hospitals and health-care programs in the Southern Tier. The new project follows a $6.5 million renovation funded by a state grant in 2014 that improved the hospital’s clinical laboratory, operating rooms, out-patient registration area, and gift shop, as well as its main entrance and hallway.

The growth of specialty health-care services at Schuyler Hospital underscores how patient needs have been changing. In 2014, the hospital’s two specialists in orthopedics and general surgery had approximately 1,500 patient visits. By the end of 2019, nine specialists were at the hospital for over 4,700 patient visits. The range of on-site specialty care includes oncology, cardiology, gynecology, sleep/pulmonology, orthopedics, general surgery, wound care and ear, nose and throat care.

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About Schuyler Hospital

Schuyler Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital, with a 120-bed skilled nursing facility attached. Schuyler Hospital’s main campus – overlooking Seneca Lake – is located in Montour Falls, New York. For 100 years, Schuyler Hospital has been the primary healthcare provider in and around Schuyler County. They have evolved over the years into a network of providers, programs, and services that reaches throughout Schuyler County and into neighboring counties to meet the healthcare needs of a population of over 32,000 residents.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Michelle Benjamin, Executive Director, Community Relations  

Schuyler Hospital, Montour Falls, New York  (607) 210-1950

John Turner, Vice President for Public Relations

Cayuga Health, (607) 274-4498