CATSKILL — Greene County Legislator Matt Luvera said Wednesday he is disappointed and frustrated with Columbia Memorial Health for its lack of transparency with lawmakers over plans for providing additional medical services for Greene County residents.
Luvera’s remarks, made during a speech to the Legislature’s Health Services Committee, were a response to his learning of the current status of Columbia Memorial Health’s plans through an article in the Daily Mail rather than from the state or a spokesperson from Columbia Memorial Health.
Luvera’s speech referenced the Daily Mail story “CMH gets $5M state grant for Greene County Health Center” published Feb. 17, which reported Gov. Kathy Hochul had awarded the Hudson hospital $5 million from New York’s Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program toward “a 40,000-square-foot facility to provide essential ambulatory surgery, cancer treatment and specialty physician care to Greene, Columbia and northern Ulster counties.”
“It was great that this announcement happened, but the lack of information provided to this Legislature is alarming and very concerning to me,” Luvera said Wednesday.
Columbia Memorial Health’s omission of the Legislature from the information is a disappointment, Luvera said, angry at having to find out from a newspaper story what was going on.
“The Governor didn’t inform the county, the legislators or Assemblyman Chris Tague’s office, for that matter,” Luvera said.
Luvera said he found the announcement so troublesome because of Columbia Memorial Health’s lack of commitment to build a new health center at the Exit 21 West site.
“The most alarming, as if the lack of information wasn’t concerning enough, is the apparent lack of concern by Columbia Memorial Health on the geographical location of [a newly constructed] facility,” Luvera said.
The latest information he and the Legislature received was that Columbia Memorial Health was only planning to consolidate its services in the region.
“We were told that Columbia Memorial Health was interested in a simpler consolidation of services in Coxsackie and New Baltimore,” he said.
Any investment in either Coxsackie or New Baltimore would not address the problem of Greene County’s need for additional health facilities, Luvera said, noting additional development in those locations would “serve southern Albany County, not Greene County.”
Luvera did not immediately return calls for comment Friday.
Officials have not given up on Exit 21 just yet, hospital spokesman Bill Van Slyke said Friday.
“Columbia Memorial Health is still considering the Exit 21 West option,” Van Slyke said. “The expiration of our option at Exit 21 shouldn’t be misinterpreted — that site remains one of several properties in Greene County that has potential for us to locate the new facility.”
Van Slyke reaffirmed Columbia Memorial Health’s commitment to Greene County.
”We work hard to build relationships with local, state and federal representatives because we are all partners in serving our communities,” he said. “We look forward to continuing our work with Greene County and other government officials to make this project a reality.”
Van Slyke’s statements were confirmed Friday by Greene County Industrial Development Agency Executive Director April Ernst.
“The IDA has been working with Columbia Memorial Health,” Ernst said. “Yes, the 21 West option expired but the door’s not closed. Conversations are still being held. As soon as I get information I will be sharing.”
Gov. Hochul’s announcement and the full list of Health Care Facility Transformation Program recipients can be found at www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-658-million-strengthen-access-high-quality-health-care.
Johnson Newspapers 7.1