Challenges and Opportunities

It’s a challenging time for our hospital and our region. Hospitals across the state are facing unprecedented financial hardships brought on by declining reimbursement and escalating costs – and SLCH is no exception. A New York State "hospital closing commission" has issued a report recommending the closure of nine hospitals and the merger or downsizing of dozens of others. Fortunately, SLCH is not on that list. In fact, it was cited as a merger that worked. Patient care sustains as our number one priority, and we’ve made maintaining financial stability a priority to ensure we can continue to care for our community.

I’m proud to report that St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital is continuing to fulfill its mission to provide comprehensive, compassionate health care to the Hudson Valley. Big-city care is available right here in our community, thanks to the new physicians, facilities, and services we’ve added, and the clinical affiliation with The Mount Sinai Hospital that continues to develop. On another exciting note, this fall we became the first hospital between Westchester and Albany to offer cutting-edge da Vinci robotic surgery for minimally invasive prostatectomies and hysterectomies.

Allan E. Atzrott

President & CEO,
St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital

Some of our other recent accomplishments:

• Opened a new Center for Joint Replacement that offers patients a hotel-like environment and follows a "best practices" model of care.
  
  
• Renovated our dedicated Pediatric Unit for the enhanced comfort and well-being of our youngest patients and their families.
  
  
• Completed renovations to other floors, moving to more private rooms and monitored beds for cardiac patients.
  

• Started construction on a comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center at our Cornwall campus, scheduled to open in late 2009.
  
  
• Opened a Special Procedures Room for interventional radiology to provide additional capability for angiograms, carotid stenting, lumbar punctures for pain, and other advanced procedures – this is part of a $4.7 million expansion and renovation of our Imaging/Radiology department.
  
  
• Opened a New Paltz site featuring our fifth Center for Rehabilitation and physicians’ offices.
  
  
• Brought open MRI technology to our region with our affiliate, Hudson Valley Imaging.
  
  
• Opened the Cornwall Medical Pavilion at our Cornwall campus. The 44,000-square-foot facility houses physicians' offices, a Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbarics, a Vascular Lab, and a cutting-edge Same-Day Surgery Center.
  
  
• Renovated patient rooms at our Cornwall campus.
  
  
• Brought a 540-space parking garage to Dubois Street, opposite our Newburgh campus. With 24-hour security, the garage offers patients and visitors safe, convenient parking.
  
  
• Opened the beautiful new Hudson View Café at our Newburgh campus. Be sure to stop by for hot entrees, carving station selections, deli sandwiches, paninis, salad bar items, and more.

I’ll keep you posted as our evolution continues! P.S. Learn more about our compassionate, comprehensive care by watching our videos which feature SLCH facilities, physicians and other caregivers.