Lawmakers: Senate, Assembly budget proposals include funding for proposed MVHS hospital

UTICA, N.Y. — Budget proposals in the New York State Senate and Assembly include funding for a proposed hospital in Oneida County.

The $300 million that the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) is seeking for the facility is part of the budget proposals in both legislative houses, State Sens. Joseph Griffo (R–Rome) and David Valesky (D–Oneida) along with State Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi (D–Utica) said in a joint news release issued Friday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal didn’t include the funding, the legislators said.

MVHS is an affiliation of Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center, both of Utica. The two organizations teamed up in March 2014.

MVHS on April 1, 2015 had announced the 2015-16 state budget included $300 million that it would target for a new facility.

Since then, the funding had been “reallocated for other purposes” in the budget, the lawmakers noted. But they believe their “corrective action will ensure” that the funding is part of the current budget process.

A new hospital would replace the inpatient care currently provided at the St. Luke’s campus of Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) and at St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC).

MVHS estimates that a new hospital would cost between $460 million and $500 million. The state-approved $300 million “helps to lay the foundation for funding,” the organization added in its April 2015 announcement.

MVHS has been working to assemble a budget, timeline, location analysis, and re-use plans for its current facilities, Griffo said.

“But in order to move forward, Mohawk Valley Health System must be confident that the state will fulfill its promise. By now taking this corrective action in the Legislature, we’re hopeful that the governor’s administration will stand by its stated commitment and agree to the necessary funds we have budgeted for this important community project to improve the healthcare services of Oneida County,” he added.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com