Schumer, Gillibrand, Higgins, King: Foot-Dragging By Feds Puts Billions of Dollars for NY Hospitals at Risk

Press Release

-- Officials Urge Feds To Extend Deadline So Hospital Projects Can Move Forward

Today, U.S Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representatives Brian Higgins (D-NY) and Peter King (R-NY) released a letter urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jacob J. Lew to extend an important construction completion deadline for capital and other projects at New York State hospitals and other health facilities, paid for with federal dollars. The construction deadline is currently September 30th of this year, meaning that under current regulations, the projects need to be completed by then, or funding will be cut off . The program through which these 350 projects in NY are being funded is called Federal-State Health Reform Program (F-SHRP). The program provides help to modernize hospitals and create jobs across the state by investing in infrastructure projects. The F-SHRP program's goals are to promote the efficient operation of the State's health care system; consolidate and right-size New York's health care system by reducing excess capacity in the acute care system; shift emphasis in long-term care from institutional-based to community-based settings; expand the adoption of advanced health information technology and improve ambulatory and primary care provision.

In 2006 New York was awarded $2.5 billion for capital improvements at hospitals and health care facilities across New York State, with the stipulation that the projects needed to be completed by September 30th, 2011. Unfortunately, due to bureaucratic red tape at the state and federal level, it took an unexpectedly long time to get the projects underway. Now many projects across the state are in danger of being stopped in their tracks, meaning major job losses, unless the deadline is extended. Projects at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY; St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse; Bassett Healthcare Network in Little Falls, NY; Oswego Health in Oswego, NY; will be particularly hard hit.

The state of New York has requested an extension, but the Feds have so far not responded.

"This program invests now in projects that create jobs in the short-term and maximizes taxpayer savings in the medium and long-term," said Schumer. "This aims to give New York the most up to date and cost-effective hospitals so that patients can receive the highest level of care at the lowest possible cost. Putting a halt to these job-creating projects because of an arbitrary deadline, particularly when the hospitals themselves are not at fault, makes no sense."

"This agreement has resulted in greater oversight and accountability," said Senator Gillibrand. "It has saved taxpayer money and improved care for millions of New Yorkers. The waiver should absolutely be extended. These are exactly the kind of solutions we need right now. It is common sense."

"This is a fight to build on the progress underway that is creating quality jobs in the construction and health sectors and delivering enhanced treatment and care to patients across New York," said Congressman Higgins. "Keeping these federal funds here is critical to the state's economy and our position as a leader in health care delivery and breakthrough medicine."

"It is imperative that New York be granted a waiver," said Congressman King. "This program not only enhances patient care but reduces Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse. Additionally, the failure to secure an extension would shut down shovel-ready projects and cost New Yorkers good jobs."

Through the F-SHRP program, New York State has been empowered to implement significant reform to the health care system including long-overdue and necessary modernization of the state's health care infrastructure. Further, F-SHRP has increased access to patient care, while improving the quality of care through the establishment of medical homes. As a condition of the waiver, the state has consistently met annual goals to reduce Medicaid fraud and abuse.

Beginning in 2006 and continuing through 2010, New York State made grant awards of approximately $2.5 billion in state and federal funds to finance more than 470 projects. These awards are providing necessary financial support to help facilities undertake major projects, including developing supportive housing options as alternatives to nursing homes, revamping behavioral health services to better integrate medical and mental health care, and assisting facilities in developing health information technology interfaces to help coordinate care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Many hospitals also are in the process of using these funds to help finance major projects to improve efficiency and expand access, including developing new primary care clinics and shifting inpatient beds to outpatient space.

While the funds have been committed to all of these worthy and complex projects, final completion of 350 of them may not occur before the September 30th expiration of the F-SHRP program.

The extension would not require additional federal funds, but simply provide the state with authority to use the federal funds already committed under the waiver. In fact, it is expected that full implementation of all F-SHRP programs will result in Medicaid savings to both the state and federal government. An extension of F-SHRP would allow hundreds of reform and restructuring projects to be completed, including job-creating capital projects throughout the state

As the continuation of F-SHRP becomes increasingly uncertain, many facilities in early stages of their projects are reconsidering moving ahead, further endangering the job-creating capital projects and long-term reform that will help build a more efficient and cost-effective health care system.

Schumer, Gillibrand, King, and Higgins were joined on the letter by their colleagues in the New York congressional delegation.

New York "F-SHRP' Program Hospitals:

A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital Society, Oneonta
Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx
AHRC Health Care, Inc., New York
Morningside at Home, Inc., Bronx
Albert Lindley Lee Memorial Hospital c/o Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC , Syracuse Morningside House Nursing Home Company, Inc., Bronx
Alice Hyde Medical Center, Malone
Morris Heights Health Center, Bronx
Allegany/Western Steuben Rural Health Network, Inc., Wellsville Morrisania Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Bronx
Amber Court @ Suffolk County, LLC, Nesconset
Mount Sinai Hospital , New York
Amsterdam Nursing Home Corp., New York
Mount Sinai Hospital (Project #2 $13.5M), Long Island City
Anthony L. Jordan Health Center, Rochester
Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens, Long Island City
Arnot Ogden Medical Center, Elmira
Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center, Inc., Mount Vernon
Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc., New York
Nassau Health Care Corp., East Meadow
Aspire of WNY D and T Center, Cheektowaga
Nassau Health Care Corporation d/b/a the NuHealth System, East Meadow
Association to Benefit Children, New York
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York
Auburn Memorial Hospital, Auburn
New York City Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH), New York
Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Inc., Scotia
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, New York
Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center, Brooklyn
New York Downtown Hospital, New York
Bellevue Hospital Center, New York
New York eHealth Collaborative, New York
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, Springville
New York Ehealth Collaborative, New York
Betances Health Center, New York
New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York
Beth Israel Medical Center, New York
New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, Flushing
Bon Secours Charity Health System, Suffern
New York Westchester Square Medical Center, Bronx
Bronx Addiction Services Integrated Concept Systems, Inc. (BASICS, INC.), Bronx New York Westchester Square Medical Center c/o Garfunkel, Wild & Travis, P.C., Great Neck
Bronx RHIO, Bronx
North Shore University Hospital, Lake Success
Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx
North Shore-LIJ Health System, Great Neck
Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, New York
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Care, Inc. , Great Neck
Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn
Northeast Health, Inc., Troy
Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, Patchogue
Northern Manor Geriatric Center, Inc., Nanuet
Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, Inc., Patchogue
Nyack Hospital, Nyack
Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, Inc., Patchogue
NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), New York
Brooklyn Health Information Exchange (BHIX), Brooklyn
NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation - Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx
Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn
NYCHHC - East New York Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Brooklyn
Brownsville Community Development Corporation, Brooklyn
NYCHHC - Elmhurst Hospital Center, Elmhurst
Cabrini Medical Center, New York
NYCHHC - Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica
Cabrini Medical Center c/o Garfunkel, Wild & Travis, P.C., Great Neck
NYCHHC Coler-Goldwater, New York
Camphill Ghent, Inc., Copake
NYCHHC Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn
Carthage Area Hospital, Inc., Carthage NYCHHC Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, New York
Catholic Health Care System, New York
NYCHHC-Lincoln, Bronx
Catholic Health System, Inc., Buffalo
Oak Orchard Community Health Center, Brockport
Catskill Hudson Area Health Education Center, Inc., Highland
ODA Primary Health Care Center, Inc., Brooklyn
Center for Disability Services, Albany Orleans Community Health, Medina
Central Assisted Living, LLC, Far Rockaway
Oswego Hospital, Oswego
Central Nassau Guidance & Counseling Services, Inc, Hicksville
Oswego Hospital - Fulton Urgent Care, Oswego
Central Suffolk Hospital, Patchogue
Oswego Hospital - Primary Care Network, Oswego
Central Suffolk Hospital dba Peconic Bay Medical Center, Riverhead
Otsego County, Cooperstown
Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Medical, Plattsburgh
Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital, Inc., Binghamton
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, New York
P2 Collaborative of Western New York, Inc., Williamsville
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Inc., Flushing
Parker Jewish Institute of Health Care and Rehabilitation, New York
Chautauqua County Health Network, Jamestown
Perry Avenue Family Medical Center, Inc., Bronx
Chenango Health Network, Norwich
Pine Valley Center, LLC d/b/a Pine Valley Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing, Spring Valley
Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Ogdensburg
Planned Parenthood of Western New York (PPWNY), Buffalo
CNYHS, East Syracuse
Premier Health Care, New York
Cobble Hill Health Center, Brooklyn
Presbyterian Home for Central New York, Inc., New Hartford
Columbia County Community Healthcare Consortium, Inc., Hudson
Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica
Columbia Memorial Hospital, Hudson
Richmond Medical Center dba
Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island
Columbia University Health Care, Inc., New York
Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island
Community General Hospital, Syracuse
Rivington House Health Care Facility and Mapplethorpe
Residential Treatment Facility, New York
Community Health Care Association of New York State, New York
Rochester General Hospital, Rochester
Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. (CHCB), Buffalo
Rochester General Long Term Care, Inc. d/b/a Hill Haven Nursing Home, Webster
Community Health Center of Richmond, Inc., Staten Island
Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona
Community Health Project, Inc. d/b/a
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, New York
Rutland Nursing Home, Brooklyn
Community Health Project, Inc. d/b/a
Michael Callen - Audre Lorde Community Health Center, New York
Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton Community Health Center, New York
Community Healthcare Network, New York
Ryan-Nena Community Health Center, New York
Community Memorial Hospital, Hamilton
Saint Francis Health Care Foundation, Inc., Poughkeepsie
Coney Island Hospital, New York
Saint John's Riverside Hospital, Yonkers
County of Lewis, Lowville
Samaritan Hospital of Troy New York, Troy
County of Schenectady - Glendale Home, Scotia
Samaritan Hospital of Troy, New York, Troy
Crestwood Health Care Center, Inc., Niagara
Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown
Cumberland Diagnostic and Treatment Center North Brooklyn Health Network, Brooklyn Samaritan Medical Center for Watertown Nursing Home, Watertown
Damian Family Care Center, Briarwood
San Simeon by the Sound Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Inc., Greenport
Damian Family Care Centers, Inc. (Project Samaritan Health Services, Inc.), Briarwood Schenectady Family Health Services, Inc., dba
Hometown Health Centers, Schenectady
Daughters of Jacob Nursing Home Company, Inc., Bronx
Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, White Plains
DMN Management Services, LLC d/b/a
Capital Living and Rehabilitation Centres (The Avenue), Schenectady
Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center & Home, Staten Island
Dolan Family Health Center, Greenlawn
Seton Health, Troy
East Hill Family Medical, Inc., Auburn
Sisters of Charity Hospital, Buffalo
Eastern Niagara Hospital (formerly Lockport Memorial Hospital), Lockport
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital, Penn Yan
Eastman Dental Center , Rochester
Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, New Rochelle
Ellis Hospital, Schenectady
Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, New Rochelle
Ellis Hospital- St. Clare's takeover, Schenectady
South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside
Erie County Medical Center Corporation (ECMCC), Buffalo
Southern Tier Link, Binghamton
Family Health Network of Central New York, Inc., Cortland
St. Ann's of Greater Rochester Inc., Rochester
Family Services of Chemung County Inc., Elmira
St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx
Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare, Utica
St. Clare's Hospital- Closure, Schenectady
Federation Employment and Guidance Service, Inc. (FEGS), New York
St. Francis Geriatric and Healthcare Services, Buffalo
Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, Rochester
St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers c/o St. Francis Healthcare Foundation, Inc., Roslyn
Finger Lakes Migrant Health Care Project, Inc., Penn Yan
St. John's Episcopal Hospital, South Shore (SJEH), Far Rockaway
Flushing Hospital and Medical Center, Flushing
St. Joseph's Hospital, Elmira
Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Flushing
St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, Syracuse
Folts Homes Inc., Herkimer
St. Joseph's Hospital Yonkers, Yonkers
Forest Hills Hospital, Forest Hills
St. Luke Residential Health Care Facility Inc., Oswego
Forest Hills Hospital , Forest Hills
St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, Newburgh
Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, Watertown
St. Margaret's House and Hospital for Babies, Inc., Albany
Glens Falls Hospital, Glens Falls
St. Vincent de Paul Residence, Bronx
Goldwater Specialty Hospital Nursing Facility , New York
Stamford Health Care Society, Inc., Stamford
Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, West Islip
Stony Brook University Hospital, East Setauket
Good Samaritan Nursing Home , West Islip
Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook
Greater Harlem Nursing Home Co., Inc., New York
Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Hauppauge
Greater Rochester Independent Practice Assn (GRIPA), Rochester
Sunset Park Health Council, Brooklyn
Greater Rochester RHIO, Rochester
SUNY @ Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine Dental Care Center, Stony Brook
Health Information Exchange of New York (HIXNY), Clifton Park
SUNY Downstate Medical Center / University Hospital of Brooklyn, Brooklyn
Health Information Technology Alliance of Syracuse (HITAS), Syracuse
SVCMC-St. Vincent's Hospital Staten Island (Richmond University Medical), Staten Island
Health Information Technology Evaluation Collaborative (HITEC), New York
Syracuse Community Health Center, Inc., Syracuse
HealtheLink, Buffalo
Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center , New York
Healthy Capital District Initiative, Albany
The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn
Heathwood Health Care Center, Inc., Williamsville
The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC), Brooklyn
HHC/Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica
The Center for Discovery, Monticello
HITEC, New York The Children's Aid Society , New York
Home for the Aged of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Queens Village
The Gerry Homes, Jamestown
Home for the Aged of Home of the Good Shepherd, Saratoga
Springshe Little Sisters of the Poor, Queens Village
The Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale, Bronx
Home of the Good Shepherd, Saratoga Springs
The Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale, Bronx
Horizon Health Services, Inc., Buffalo
The John T. Mather Memorial Hospital of Port Jefferson NY, Inc., Port Jefferson
Housing Works, Inc., Brooklyn
The McGuire Group Healthcare Facilities LLC, Buffalo
Hudson Headwaters Health Network, Queensbury
The New York and Presbyterian Hospital, New York
Hudson River Healthcare, Peekskill
The New York and Presbyterian Hospital, White Plains
Hudson River HealthCare, Inc., Peekskill
The New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
Hudson River Healthcare, Inc., Peekskill
The Research Foundation of State University of New York, Rensselaer
ICD-International Center for the Disabled, New York
The Research Foundation of State University of New York, Brooklyn
Institute for Community Living, New York
The Rosa Coplon Jewish Home & Infirmary, Inc., Getzville
Institute for Family Health, New York
The Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla
Institute for Family Health , New York
The Westchester Institute for Human DeveThe Woman's Christian Association of Jamestown, N.Y. (WCA Hospital), Jamestownopment, Valhalla
Interboro RHIO, Elmhurst
The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Great Neck
Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn
THINC RHIO, Fishkill
IPRO, Lake Success
THINC RHIO Inc, Fishkill
Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital, Inc., Bath
THINC RHIO, Inc., Fishkill
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica
Tioga Health Care Center, LLC, Williamsville
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center D &TC, Jamaica
TLC Health Network, Gowanda
Jefferson County Public Health Service, Watertown
TLC Health Network, Irving
Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services, Inc., New York
Tri-County Family Medicine Program, Inc., Dansville
Jewish Home Lifecare, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Campus, Bronx, Bronx
UB Associates, Inc., Buffalo
Joseph P. Addabbo, Arverne
United Health Services Hospitals, Johnson City
Judith Lynn Home for Adults, LLC, Bronx United Hebrew Geriatric Center, New Rochelle
Kaleida Health - Gates-Deaconess, Buffalo
United Hospital Fund, New York
Kaleida Health - MFG, Buffalo
United Memorial Medical Center, Batavia
Kingsbrook Healthcare System, Inc. , Brooklyn
Unity Hospital, Rochester
Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn
University Hospital of the State of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse
Lake Erie Regional Health System/TLC Health Network, Irving
University of Rochester (Golisano Children's Hospital), Rochester
Lenox Hill Hospital, New York
Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, Albany
Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center NYC HHC, Bronx
Upper Hudson Primary Care Consortium Inc, Glens Falls
LIPIX, Inc. (Long Island Patient Information Exchange), Manhasset
Valentine Lane Family Practice, Yonkers
Little Falls Hospital, Little Falls
Valley Health Services, Inc., Herkimer
Long Beach Medical Center, Long Beach
Valley View Center for Nursing Care & Rehabilitation, Goshen
Long Island College Hospital, New York
Victory Memorial Hospital, Brooklyn
Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Great Neck
Village Center for Care, New York
Long Island Patient Information Exchange (LIPIX), Manhasset
Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York
Loretto Health & Rehabilitation, Syracuse
Vocational Instruction Project Community Services, Inc., Bronx
Lutheran Housing Reality, Inc., Jamestown
Wartburg Home of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mount Vernon
Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn
Weill Cornell Medical School - Health Information Technology Evaluation Collaborative, New York
Lutheran Retirement Home, Jamestown
Wartburg Home of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mount Vernon
Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn
Western New York Clinical Information Exchange (WNYCIE), Buffalo
Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown
Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, Inc. dba HealtheLink, Buffalo
Medina Memorial Health Care System, Medina
Westfield Memorial Hospital, Westfield
Menorah Campus Adult Home, Inc., Getzville
Westside Health Services, Inc., Rochester
Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo
Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, Brooklyn
Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York
Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center/North Brooklyn Health Network, Brooklyn
MJG Nursing Home, Inc., Brooklyn
Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn
Mohawk Valley Network, Inc., Utica
Wyoming County, Warsaw
Monroe County Department of Public Health, Rochester
Wyoming County Community Hospital, Warsaw