Kingston, NY After a review of plans to transform healthcare delivery in Ulster County and surrounding Hudson Valley communities, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) has granted full project approval to HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley (HealthAlliance), a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), for the expansion and enhancement of its hospital on Mary’s Ave. The DOH approval of HealthAlliance’s Certificate of Need application is the latest and final administrative milestone for the $92.9 million project. 

“On behalf of HealthAlliance and WMCHealth, I would like to thank NYS for its support of this important project,” said Michael Israel, president and CEO, WMCHealth. “When completed, the transformation of the HealthAlliance Hospital on Mary’s Ave. will enable HealthAlliance to deliver an even higher level of care, locally, through enhanced facilities and services, world-leading healthcare technologies and new programs. We’re glad NYS shares our vision for a healthier community.” 

The new HealthAlliance Hospital will feature the addition of a new, two-story, 79,000 s/f building adjoining the current facility, and a full renovation of 48,000 s/f within the existing hospital. The project team includes: Architect, Francis Cauffman Architects (FCA); construction manager, Turner Construction & Sano-Rubin Construction (joint venture); and project manager, CBRE Healthcare.

Key components of the new 175-bed facility will include a newly constructed 25,000 s/f emergency care center that will incorporate special services for cardiac observation and behavioral health; a newly constructed 10-bed ICU, along with a six-bed medical “stepdown” unit, providing an intermediate level of care between the ICU and the new hospital’s medical-surgical wards. Nearly all of the patient rooms will be private. 

The new HealthAlliance Hospital will also feature a newly constructed birthing center with ultramodern labor, delivery and postpartum rooms. The building will have a new imaging department and fully remodeled centers for ambulatory surgery, infusion therapy and endoscopy. 

A new hospital lobby with central registration and admitting, financial counseling, family support services, a retail pharmacy, a gift shop and waiting areas is another of the hospital’s planned amenities. 

“The design of the new, high-tech, HealthAlliance Hospital will focus on patients and families. In short, practically every design feature furthers the goal of providing the highest-quality medical treatment for patients and a highly functional environment for our medical providers and support staff,” said Robert Ross, executive VP, northern region, WMCHealth. “We are excited by the potential of this project and the positive impact it will have on our community.” 

Preparations for the Mary’s Ave. project are already underway with a construction start date to be determined. 

“NYS’ endorsement of the Mary’s Ave. project puts Kingston and Ulster County on a course for an exciting healthcare future. This final approval of our plans will permit HealthAlliance to transform our community hospitals, currently on two campuses, into a 21^st century, single-campus model of first-class healthcare delivery,” Ross said. The current HealthAlliance Hospital on Broadway in Kingston will be converted into a medical or “health village” – a focal point for the area’s outpatient healthcare and related needs – after patient care services at Broadway are relocated to the new Mary’s Ave. site. On the reimagined Broadway campus, HealthAlliance will collaborate with community partners in the “health village” to provide preventative and primary care services in one convenient destination. 

The combined projects on Mary’s Ave. and Broadway, known as the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative, are expected to cost $134.9 million, with $88.8 million of the completion cost stemming from the NYS Capital Restructuring Financing Program. The balance will from come from WMCHealth, HealthAlliance and a capital fundraising campaign. 

Investing in the health of the Hudson Valley The HealthAlliance Hospital project is just one of several investments by WMCHealth into the health and well-being of Hudson Valley residents. For example, a $40 million expansion and enhancement of Bon Secours Community Hospital, a member of WMCHealth, in Port Jervis is already underway and recently, Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of WMCHealth, cared for its first patients in the adjacent, 280,000 s/f Ambulatory Care Pavilion. 

The Ambulatory Care Pavilion represents a $230 million investment in outpatient care for the region.