SCHUMER ANNOUNCES NEARLY $20 MILLION USDA LOAN TO GREENLIGHT PHASE II OF COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL TRANSFORMATION
Senator Says Fed Investment Will Strengthen Health of Madison County With New Facilities, Protecting Local Jobs, & Improving Healthcare In CNY
USDA Rural Development Loan Guarantee Will Help Community Memorial Hospital’s Plans Finally Move Forward To Expand, Renovate, Modernize, And Retool Over 42,000 SF Of Patient Treatment Space From Radiology To Labs, Rehabilitation And More
Schumer: Fed $$ Is The Shot-In-The-Arm Community Memorial Hospital Needed To Expand And Boost Healthcare For Rural Communities In CNY
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced a major nearly $20 million federal loan guarantee for Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Madison County through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program to support the next phase of CMH’s renovation. Schumer said this critical federal loan guarantee will greenlight the Hospital’s expansion and modernization of over 42,000 SF of patient treatment space, including their Radiology Department, Laboratory Department, Center for Rehabilitation and Main Entrance, helping strengthen the facility and improving healthcare for rural communities in Central NY.
“This nearly $20 million federal investment is a major shot-in-the-arm for Madison County and Community Memorial Hospital. This will help kick start the next phase of the hospital’s transformation, expanding to help get our rural communities the healthcare they need with new, top-of-the-line equipment and facilities,” said Senator Schumer. "With this federal support, Community Memorial will continue to build on their recent expansion of services and add new state-of-the-art equipment, positioning the Hospital to meet the changing needs of rural patients. I am proud to deliver this funding to CMH and will never stop fighting to strengthen healthcare infrastructure for all Central New Yorkers.”
“On behalf of all of us at Community Memorial, I would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to Senator Schumer for leading our Congressional Delegation in advocating to make this $19.7 million USDA loan guarantee possible. We are incredibly excited to restart our facility renewal project, especially after increased labor and supply costs during the pandemic significantly delayed the financial approvals for Phase II," said Community Memorial Hospital President and CEO Jeff Coakley. "Thanks to Senator Schumer and our federal representatives, Community Memorial can now make good on our promise to expand and revitalize our facility and equipment, safeguarding patient care and over 400 jobs for many years to come."
“We are proud to have partnered with Community Memorial Hospital and Senator Schumer in helping to address the unique challenges rural New Yorkers face in accessing health care in their communities,” said Brian Murray, NY State Director for USDA Rural Development. “USDA, with the support of the Biden-Harris Administration, has devoted significant resources to make it easier and more convenient for rural residents - like those in Madison County - to receive health care services without having to make long drives or delay care. This investment of nearly $20 million will bring much needed upgrades to the facility, expand patient care in the region and continue to deliver on USDA’s commitment to the long-term health, prosperity and vitality of rural America.”
Schumer said this nearly $20 million USDA loan guarantee will support CMH’s expansion and renovation of over 42,000 SF of hospital and patient treatment space, including 6,000+ SF of new space. According to CMH, this investment will stand up cutting-edge healthcare facilities, tooled with top-of-the-line medical equipment, ensuring that rural patients across CMH’s catchment area have better access to high quality medical care close to home. Phase II included the expansion and modernization of CMH’s Radiology Department, Laboratory Department, Center for Rehabilitation, and Main Entrance. This comes after years of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but thanks to this loan guarantee CMH now has the financing in place to proceed.
CMH’s new Radiology Department will house new, state-of-the-art CT, MRI, and digital mammography equipment, and it will be centralized within the hospital, allowing staff to more quickly and conveniently to respond to the diagnostic needs of Emergency Department providers and better meet the demands of referral patients. The Senator explained that the new Laboratory Department will include ADA-compliant draw spaces, increased test processing space, technology for faster results, and larger waiting areas, while the new Center for Rehabilitation will have expanded physical therapy and occupational therapy treatment spaces and an enhanced patient experience for both inpatient and outpatient care. Lastly, Schumer said the reimagined main entrance will connect to radiology lab and therapy services forming a cohesive exterior and will feature stronger patient security services and a larger waiting areas.
Located in the Village of Hamilton, NY, CMH embarked on a two-phase Transformation Project in 2020 to position the hospital for long-term growth and increase patient access to high quality healthcare. Completed in December 2021, Phase I focused on CMH’s inpatient unit and the Emergency Department. The new, all-private inpatient rooms provide a more comfortable atmosphere for recovery. The expanded and updated Emergency Department provides increased patient capacity and treatment space, a separate entrance for ER patients to increase safety, and negative pressure treatment space. Phase II builds on those efforts by providing critical upgrades to over half of the hospital’s core facilities. CMH plans to get shovels in the ground as soon as possible and anticipates the project will be complete by the end of 2025.
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