New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has given preliminary approval for investments in seven hospital and healthcare partnerships through the state's Healthcare Safety Net Transformation Program.
Three notes:
1. The program incentivizes partnerships with healthcare organizations to improve resilience of safety-net hospitals through capital investments, operational support and regulatory flexibility, according to a Jan. 17 news release from Ms. Hochul's office.
2. Up to $188 million will support a partnership with Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, both in New York City. The initiative is designed to establish a "Comprehensive Cancer Program of Queens," including a new radiation and infusion therapy campus at Jamaica Hospital.
3. The six other preliminarily approved projects are:
- Glens Falls Hospital and Albany Med Health System will modernize the hospital's emergency department and integrate Glens Falls into Albany Med's electronic medical record system.
- Olean General Hospital and Springfield-based Bertrand Chaffee Hospital will receive infrastructure upgrades in partnership with Buffalo-based Kaleida Health.
- St. Barnabas Hospital will receive emergency department upgrades and reduce unnecessary admissions and readmissions through a partnership with Cityblock Health and Union Community Health Center, all in New York City.
- Westchester Community Health Center in Mount Vernon will partner with Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital to strengthen its maternal child health program.
- UVM Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Elizabethtown will partner with Champlain Valley Family Center in Plattsburgh to improve quality and access to behavioral healthcare.
- Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown will create two partnerships, one with a specialty pharmacy and another with an ambulance service to enhance care delivery.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:10 a.m. CT on Jan. 21.