MVHS starts community input program for new hospital project

UTICA, N.Y. — Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) says it is seeking community input on its development of a new hospital in downtown Utica.

The organization is calling it a “new engagement program aimed at facilitating community involvement” in the nearly $500 million hospital project, according to its Thursday news release.

MVHS has hired the Paige Group¸ a Utica–based marketing-communications firm, to speak with stakeholders to hear citizens’ interests and concerns.

“This is a complex project and we understand our community’s strong interest and need to further understand how it will impact our region,” Scott Perra, president and CEO of MVHS, said in the release. “We’re pleased that we have reached the stage of development where we can begin to share more information in a clear and timely fashion.”

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

The engagement program’s outreach efforts will include individual meetings, group presentations, and neighborhood and community-wide forums.

“We believe strongly in the value of community input and will ensure that there are multiple opportunities to be involved as we move forward,” Nancy Pattarini, president and CEO of the Paige Group, said in the MVHS release. “We will accomplish this through a combination of listening sessions, informational presentations, and increased community awareness through key partners such as our local and regional media.”

The initiative will also include the establishment of a community-advisory committee, which will include stakeholders who will remain involved throughout the project-development process, MVHS said.

Reduced size, cost
MVHS on Nov. 3 announced it has decided to pursue a smaller hospital with a reduced cost compared to the original proposal.

The upcoming facility will be a 750,000-square-foot building with a projected cost of $480 million. The original plan called for a 830,000-square-foot hospital at a projected cost of $573 million.

Planning and design for the hospital will begin once the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) “finalizes the disposition” of the $300 million in New York State funding. 

NYSDOH “is still trying to figure out how to award the funding,” according to an Oct. 3 article on the website of Politico New York.

At that time, MVHS will have the construction manager and architectural and engineering firms begin designing the new facility. 

MVHS estimates the design process will continue for 16 to 20 months.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com