DANSVILLE – After nearly a year of planning, Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville and Noyes Health in Dansville will officially join UR Medicine.
According to a press release from Noyes Health, the boards of Jones and Noyes voted unanimously in favor of their hospitals’ respective affiliations with UR Medicine.
“The partnership between Noyes Health and University of Rochester Medical Center is welcome news for healthcare in Livingston County,” said U.S. Representative Chris Collins “URMC is a leader in innovative medicine and will be a tremendous partner to continue the great care Noyes Health is known for. I look forward to working with Noyes Health and URMC as we continue to strengthen rural healthcare and provide 21st century care to the community.”
“The changes taking place in America’s health care system have significant implications for rural hospitals and the communities they serve,” said University of Rochester President Joel Seligman. “The regional approach of UR Medicine ensures that these hospitals remain the cornerstone of local health care and also an economic anchor for their communities.”
The affiliations expand UR Medicine’s network to five hospitals, including Strong Memorial, Highland Hospital, and Thompson Health. UR Medicine also has been working with the leadership of St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell to preserve its inpatient services and to obtain State funding to establish a new facility that would emphasize outpatient services but would also provide 15 inpatient beds, for patients with more complex needs.
The regional effort involving Jones, Noyes, and St. James Mercy hospitals, working collaboratively with each other and in partnership with UR Medicine, is aimed at strengthening health care services for patients across the Southern Tier. The institutions currently collaborate to bring UR Medicine specialists such as medical oncologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons and others to all three communities. Two weeks ago, construction began on the new Ann and Carl Myers Cancer Center in Dansville, part of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, that will serve as a hub for oncology services across the Southern Tier.
“These collaborations will allow us to strengthen health care services and make those services more easily accessible to patients who live in these communities,” said Mark Taubman, M.D., CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center and UR Medicine and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Everyone’s boat rises when we can expand the capabilities of local health care providers and reverse the need for many patients to travel to Rochester.”
Eva Benedict, CEO of Jones Memorial Hospital, said that the union realizes common goals for both Jones hospital and UR Medicine.
“Our overall goal is to provide services that will allow our patients to stay in their own community, close to their families and support systems, whenever possible,” said Eva Benedict, CEO of Jones Memorial Hospital. “It was clear from the start that UR Medicine’s goals in that regard are tightly aligned with our own.”
Amy Pollard, president and CEO of Noyes Health, cited the swiftly changing health care landscape and the need to collaborate to ensure sustainability. “Our affiliation with UR Medicine will help us to create a model that produces the highest quality care for our communities and makes it sustainable for generations. This work we’re doing today will improve health care for our children’s children.”
Shawn Hogan, Mayor of Hornell and a board member of St. James Mercy Hospital, congratulated Jones and Noyes.
“UR Medicine has been working with St. James’ leadership and board on many levels, both operational and financial. I’m optimistic that those efforts, and our efforts to secure funding from the State of New York, will make possible a similar affiliation between St. James and UR Medicine.”
The affiliations have been approved by each organization’s board, and leaders from UR Medicine will join the leadership, staff and physicians at Jones Memorial at 9:30 a.m. and Noyes Health at 12:00 noon to celebrate the announcement.