SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND DELIVER OVER $3 MILLION FOR HEALTH CARE ACCESS, FIRST RESPONDERS IN ROCHESTER & THE FINGER LAKES
Funding Will Go To Trillium Health, Rochester General Hospital, Nazareth University, And The Emergency Operations Centers of Livingston
Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that they have secured $3,173,000 in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations package to improve health care access and shore up emergency operations in the Finger Lakes. The funding will help provide health care and supportive services to underserved communities and improve health care infrastructure. It will also make emergency operations more resilient to energy disruptions, ensuring that first responders maintain their ability to respond quickly. The senators personally secured funding for these projects as congressionally directed spending requests.
"I am proud to deliver this $3+ million shot in the arm for our brave Rochester and Finger Lakes first responders and healthcare workers,” said Senator Schumer. “From technology upgrades to expand real-time patient monitoring and convenient health care access for patients at Rochester General and Unity Hospitals and improving mental health services at Nazareth University, to ensuring Livingston County's Emergency Operations Center has emergency power to keep them prepared to take on every emergency, this funding will improve quality of life and give our brave first responders the resources they need to keep our communities healthy and safe.”
“Rochester General Hospital and Trillium Health provide world-class health care,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This funding will help them expand their facilities and implement new technologies to better serve the people of Rochester. It will also help address a shortage of mental health care services in the region and provide backup for first responders. I’m proud to have fought to secure this funding, and I’ll continue to work tirelessly to make sure that Rochester’s health care providers and first responders have the resources they need to care for their communities.”
More details on the funded projects are below:
$1,673,000 to Trillium Health, Inc. to expand its existing medical clinic, pharmacy, and food cupboard space in the City of Rochester.
$1 million to Rochester General Hospital to implement virtual care delivery technology at Rochester General Hospital and Unity Hospital to expand their patient centered care delivery model capabilities. This technology not only will provide greater real-time patient monitoring but allow health care workers the opportunity to utilize this platform to provide patients with a number of virtual specialty care services including virtual social work and care management, virtual clinical support and vital nursing care, virtual dietary management and pharmacist access, and more.
$250,000 to Nazareth University to improve access to mental health services in Rochester. The funding will help increase access to high-quality services, including primary prevention, mental health first aid, and psychoeducational-focused initiatives for underserved children and adults in Monroe and surrounding counties.
$250,000 to the Livingston County Emergency Operations Center to build a solar array and on-site battery storage that can provide green, auxiliary power in the case of an emergency.
“At Trillium Health, we believe that everyone should have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare – regardless of income, race, ethnicity, or any other factor,” said Jason Barnecut-Kearns, President and CEO of Trillium Health. “We’re proud to serve 16,000 people in the Greater Rochester area, and over the years, we’ve experienced a significant increase in the demand for our programs and services. In fact, Trillium Health’s patients have increased by 71% in the past five years. This capital funding will improve the patient experience in the clinic, the pharmacy, and the food pantry, and it will allow us to provide barrier-free healthcare and supportive services to more low-income families and historically marginalized communities. Trillium Health is extremely grateful to Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for securing this funding, which will direct resources to the people who need it the most and improve the overall health of the Greater Rochester community.”
“Rochester Regional Health is on a transformation journey to innovate care delivery for our community members. Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Gillibrand's support in securing this vital funding will bolster our system's ability to expand our virtual care delivery across upstate New York. This innovative approach will not only help us in providing expanded access to the community, but also support the care team to work top of license within a tech-forward organization,” said Richard ‘Chip’ Davis, CEO, Rochester Regional Health.
“Nazareth University deeply appreciates the funding Senators Schumer and Gillibrand have secured, which will enable our world-class art therapy, music therapy, play therapy, social work, and nursing programs to increase access to high-quality behavioral health services through on-campus, interprofessional mental health clinics,” said Dr. Elizabeth Paul, President, Nazareth University. “As the only area university offering music and art therapy preparation programs and a constellation of social work, creative arts therapies, and nursing programs supporting mental health initiatives, these clinics advance two of Nazareth’s goals: providing hands-on experiential education for our area's future clinicians, as well as providing critically-needed mental health services for the community.”
“I’m grateful to both Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand and their efforts to secure funding that supports Livingston County's award-winning programs and initiatives,” said David L. LeFeber, Chair of the Livingston County Board of Supervisors. “Their partnership in our communities has had a lasting positive impact as the County continues to find creative ways to deliver the highest level of services for our residents.”
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