OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) - Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center’s proposed transition to a “critical access hospital” drew a large crowd and many questions Thursday night.
Close to a hundred employees past and present, along with Ogdensburg community and city leaders met with CEO Rich Duvall to learn more about the plan to change the hospital.
Because the medical center can’t survive the $30 - 50 million dollars in debt it currently has - Duvall wants the facility split in two. Claxton would run a mental health hospital. The rest - including the emergency department - would be a critical access hospital - with fewer beds - run by Carthage Area Hospital.
“What happens to a patient, if they need care? Are you going to give them a switch-over to Carthage or is the patient going to have the decision-making process of where they go?” asked a current employee of Claxton-Hepburn.
Duvall, who also leads Carthage Area Hospital, says if the hospital gets more patients than its planned 35 patient beds, they will document the need, contact the State Department of Health and expand to a larger capacity.
One retired employee expressed concern about her pension - wanting to make sure it would still be there
“Is Hepburn going to still be able to continue to make those payments to that retirement system? Or is that retirement system going to run out of money and we’re going to run out of our pensions?” the employee said.
Duvall explained with Claxton-Hepburn running a mental health hospital - and leasing Carthage the rest of hospital, it preserves pensions.
One common concern was the possible replacement of employees at Claxton with employees from Carthage Area Hospital.
Duvall immediately reassured the room that would not be happening. Those who work on the mental health side would remain Claxton workers. All others would become Carthage employees. Layoffs aren’t expected.
“Now, would we bring nurses to replace our nurses at Claxton? No. Is there the opportunity for nurses from Carthage or from Claxton to work at either place to fill holes like vacations or illnesses? Absolutely there is,” Duvall said.
Duvall remains steadfast that the changes protect pensions, keeps all 500-600 workers at Claxton-Hepburn and allows healthcare to stay the same in Ogdensburg.
“The hospital is a main keystone for this community and if anything jeopardizes the hospital, I think it will have a major impact on the city and our region. By making these changes, they’re the responsible changes to secure the future of the hospital and also continue to be a major employer in this city,” Duvall said.
Later this month, Duvall anticipates the state will approve the plan - and let Claxton-Hepburn and Carthage split the campus, allowing for the changes to happen this summer.
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Claxton-Hepburn's plans draw big crowd, many questions - WWNY
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