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Recapping Operation Oswego County’s annual meeting
Event included project review, awards, board elections […]
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OSWEGO, N.Y. — A review of 2023 projects, award announcements, and the election of a new board president highlighted the 72nd annual meeting of Operation Oswego County (OOC) held June 13 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center in Oswego.
OOC and the County of Oswego IDA (COIDA) in 2023 assisted on projects that resulted in the creation or retention of 630 jobs with more than $130 million in capital investment.
The projects were associated with 33 new, expanded, or retained facilities in the targeted industry clusters of manufacturing, health care, tourism and hospitality, agribusiness and energy, OOC said in its June 13 announcement.
Austin Wheelock, executive director of OOC, reported the data during the annual meeting, noting that the projects were spread over 16 municipalities around Oswego County.
Ellen Holst, president of the OOC board of directors, welcomed 170 representatives of businesses, government, education, labor, and other community organizations to the meeting.
The OOC also announced that its board of directors elected Pete Cullinan, who is retired from Exelon, to succeed Holst as the board president, although Holst was also re-elected to serve as a board member.
In his remarks, Wheelock reported on marketing highlights and collaborative initiatives with key stakeholders such as National Grid, Oswego County Tourism, SUNY Oswego, the Port of Oswego Authority, Oswego County Workforce New York, and the Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce.
Joseph Pacher, senior VP of operations at Constellation Energy, was the annual meeting’s keynote speaker. In his remarks, Pacher discussed Constellation’s economic impact on Oswego County, how its plants help New York state to meet its clean-energy goals, and the firm’s plans to continue to invest in and relicense Nine Mile I, Nine Mile II, and the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plants.
Collectively these plants produce 2,514 megawatts of power, which is enough to power 2 million homes, per the OOC announcement. Pacher also reported that Constellation paid more than $69 million in state and local taxes in 2023.
The annual meeting also included the announcement of several awards, including the Ally Award for 2024, which was presented to the Onondaga Small Business Development Center (SBDC) “in recognition and appreciation of the vision, commitment and leadership exhibited by the Onondaga [SBDC] to provide critical entrepreneurial training and technical assistance to the small businesses and entrepreneurs of Oswego County; and for being a vital and essential partner in economic development in Oswego County,” per the announcement.
OOC gave the Business Excellence Award for 2024 to River View Pediatrics for “showing resiliency, adaptation and growth” in a changing market for pediatric health-care services, for the “vision to revitalize and expand” into a vacant building, and for its more than 40 years of business excellence in the city of Fulton.
In addition, OOC presented the 2024 Jobs Award to Broadwell Hospitality Group for its significant contribution and economic impact on the Oswego County economy by providing tourism attractions and hospitality services in Oswego and the town of Scriba, for employing over 200 persons across multiple venues, for the opening of the Splash Indoor Water Park Resort in 2023, and for its 49-year history of business growth in Oswego County.
Dr. Ali Hawthorn received OOC’s 2024 Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award in recognition of “exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and dedication” in expanding Highland Animal Hospital, a small animal-veterinary clinic in Central Square, and for receiving the SBA Woman Owned Small Business of the Year Award for Upstate New York.
OOC honored H. Leonard Schick with the 2024 Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award for his “outstanding record” of leadership, expertise, support, and commitment to enhance the economic vitality of Oswego County’s businesses, industries, communities, and citizens; by serving on the board of directors of COIDA for 18 years; and for serving on numerous other boards and organizations that are “vital to economic development and quality of life” such as the Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Fulton City School Board of Education, and Fulton Youth Soccer.
The OOC board elected a new slate of officers to two-year terms. Besides Cullinan as president, the officers include John Sharkey IV from Universal Metal Works of Fulton as board VP; Tricia Peter Clark, president and CEO of ConnextCare, as board treasurer, and Eric Behling, co-owner of Behling Orchards in Mexico, as board secretary.
The OOC board of directors also reelected board members, including Edward Gilson, a county legislator; Brian Heffron of CiTi BOCES; Holst, who is retired from Oswego County Opportunities; Sharkey IV; and Ronald Tascarella of Pathfinder Bank.
The board also elected Joseph Demars of Huhtamaki’s Fulton location and Collin Palm of the Fulton Companies for one-year terms; as well as Tom Roman of Fulton Savings Bank, Rachel Pierce of the Workforce Development Board of Oswego County, and Ryan Malone of WD Malone Trucking & Excavating for three-year terms.
Those retiring from the OOC board of directors include Tim Hardy after six years of service; Vincent Lobdell after 17 years; Joseph McConnell after four years of service; Joseph Solazzo after 18 years; and David Turner after 29 years of service, the organization said.
MACNY, PEB awards ceremony honors workforce-development achievement
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The 2024 Workforce Development Awards recognized the accomplishments of students and registered apprentices pursuing an education or careers in manufacturing and other industries. The awards event also acknowledged those supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers and education. MACNY, The Manufacturers Association, and Partners for Education & Business, Inc. (PEB) hosted
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The 2024 Workforce Development Awards recognized the accomplishments of students and registered apprentices pursuing an education or careers in manufacturing and other industries.
The awards event also acknowledged those supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers and education. MACNY, The Manufacturers Association, and Partners for Education & Business, Inc. (PEB) hosted it on June 12 at Le Moyne College. The nonprofit PEB is MACNY’s K-16 (education) arm.
In addition, “as a testament to their commitment to upskill and bolster the talent-development pipeline,” MACNY concluded the program with a first-ever apprentice signing for four of its own employees to “signify the beginning of their apprenticeship journey.”
“This year was especially meaningful for MACNY because four of our own staff members signed their apprenticeship paperwork, demonstrating our belief in the effectiveness of the program and the value of building our workforce through upskilling,” Randy Wolken, president and CEO of DeWitt–based MACNY, said in a statement. “On behalf of the MACNY Board of Directors, staff, and the manufacturing community, we would like to extend our congratulations to all of those that were honored at this year’s event.”
Those from MACNY that participated in the signing included Murjan Abdi, a workforce-development specialist apprentice; Colleen Blagg, a project manager apprentice; Amanda Rice, a project manager apprentice, and Justyna Valencia, a marketing coordinator apprentice.
The ceremony also recognized 29 registered apprentice graduates that earned their Journeyworker credential in 2023 from the New York State Department of Labor.
The companies that received recognition for expanding their registered-apprenticeship programs from January 2023 to April 2024 included 110 Metalworks Inc.; Allen Tool Phoenix, Inc.; Bausch + Lomb; Belden Inc.; Bush Industries; Consolidated Precision Products (CPP); EMCom, Inc.; Hardinge, Inc.; Hubbard Tool & Die Corp.; Indium Corporation; Knowles; North Country Dairy; Superior Metals Manufacturing; and Thompson & Johnson Equipment Co., Inc.
The companies that were recognized as new signatories were: Buxton Medical Equipment Devices, Eaton Crouse-Hinds, Flex-Hose Co. Inc., F.X. Matt Brewing Company, GSE Dynamics Inc., Plug Power Inc., Semikron Danfoss, and Wolfspeed.
MACNY tells CNYBJ that a signatory is “an employer who is part of a group program (such as MACNY), and has executed a written agreement with a New York State Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor and has agreed to be bound by the terms, standards and conditions of the program.”
“This event is a powerful testament to the dedication and hard work of students, apprentices, and the companies that support them in their journey towards successful careers,” Roberta Reardon, commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor said in the MACNY announcement. “The recognition of these individuals and the commitment shown by MACNY and PEB in fostering talent development underscores the vital role of workforce development in the economic growth of Central New York. The DOL is proud to support these efforts and celebrate the accomplishments of all the awardees and apprentices.”
PEB also used the event to announce its 12th cohort of CNY STEM Scholars, which includes 11 Central New York students, each of whom had a company sponsor, MACNY said.
The PEB Awards also recognized community partners, local organizations, and those individuals that dedicate their time and resources to support STEM careers and education in the community.
PEB honored the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (the MOST) as the Community Partnership of the Year.
It also acknowledged Belden Inc., Byrne Dairy, City of Syracuse, and Giovanni Food Company with the Business Partnership of the Year recognition.
In addition, PEB honored Matthew Eaton, senior business consultant with JPMorgan Chase, as the 2024 SRC STEM Champion of the Year. It also recognized Steve Schill, senior director of global sales projects at INFICON, with its Lifetime Achievement honor.
Brooklyn Pickle set to open third North Carolina location
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Brooklyn Pickle is growing again. A little over a month after the Syracuse–based restaurant opened its second North Carolina location, the business announced it will soon open a third one. Brooklyn Pickle will open in Charlotte, N.C., on July 1 in the Levine Center Institute at Atrium Health, 1021 Morehead Medical Drive.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Brooklyn Pickle is growing again.
A little over a month after the Syracuse–based restaurant opened its second North Carolina location, the business announced it will soon open a third one.
Brooklyn Pickle will open in Charlotte, N.C., on July 1 in the Levine Center Institute at Atrium Health, 1021 Morehead Medical Drive.
The location is another partnership between Peter and Jane Kim and Brooklyn Pickle owner Craig Kowadla. The Kims opened the Raleigh location in May.
“Atrium Health approached us to open our first restaurant in Charlotte at their Carolinas Medical Center because their busy medical staff and patients needed more convenient, healthy, and fresh food options,” Jane Kim said in a press release announcing the news. “Our team is grateful for the opportunity to serve at the top-ranked hospital in Charlotte. Because of the restaurant’s central location, we anticipate lots of customers ordering from outside the hospital for either delivery or pickup.”
The Charlotte Brooklyn Pickle will be open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., offer catering, and employ 15 people.
“We have a great team, but we are always looking for employees with diverse experiences, skill sets, and the potential to help deliver an amazing guest experience,” Kim said.
Christina Reeves will manage the Charlotte Brooklyn Pickle. She previously served as manager of one of the Kims’ prior restaurants.
The Kims say the customer response to the Raleigh location has been positive since its opening in May.
“The buzz has been great, even more than we had expected,” Peter Kim said. “The press coverage was exciting, and the public response showed us there are quite a few New Yorkers in this area — and not enough pastrami sandwiches!”
Brooklyn Pickle, which started with one Syracuse location in 1975, is known for its huge sandwiches along with soups, hot entrees, desserts, and, of course, pickles. Daily hot specials include chicken riggies on Thursdays and macaroni and cheese on Fridays.
The business first expanded outside New York state in 2023 with a location in Southern Pines, N.C. Brooklyn Pickle opened its first location outside of the Syracuse area earlier in 2023 when it opened in Utica.
Kowadla said he is currently working on a fourth Syracuse–area location.
Ken Sniper founded Brooklyn Pickle in 1975 on Burnet Avenue and added a West Side location two years later. The restaurant moved into its West Genesee Street location in 1984. The Clay Brooklyn Pickle opened in 2019.
Hochul visits former Syracuse Developmental Center site as demolition starts
She says site is “worse than I thought.” SYRACUSE — Gov. Kathy Hochul said the condition of the former Syracuse Developmental Center site is “worse than I thought.” “I have seen … abandoned projects all over the state of New York but the scale of this … consumed with just blight, how depressing for a
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SYRACUSE — Gov. Kathy Hochul said the condition of the former Syracuse Developmental Center site is “worse than I thought.”
“I have seen … abandoned projects all over the state of New York but the scale of this … consumed with just blight, how depressing for a community and neighborhood,” Hochul said.
She commented on June 14 while speaking with reporters at Public Service Leadership Academy (PSLA) at Fowler High School on Syracuse’s west side, which is near the Syracuse Developmental Center site.
“The children who go to this very school to have to witness this and for their entire lives, had to accept this as the way it has to be. So, that’s why this is so much more exciting because we took a negative, [and are] turning it into an incredible positive,” Hochul told reporters.
The governor had earlier announced progress toward the $100 million project to turn the site into a mixed-use development. Demolition work is underway at 800-2 S. Wilbur Ave., which is also not far from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.
Following the demolition, the plan is for a project that will include more than 250 new homes, 7.5 acres of green space, and 3,600 square feet of retail commercial space as part of the first phase of construction to redevelop the site, Hochul’s office said in a June 14 announcement.
Before speaking with reporters, Hochul provided a project update to a gathering of local officials inside PSLA at Fowler High School.
“The demolition and redevelopment of the Syracuse Developmental Center after 25 years of being shut down, shuttered, blighted … we’re getting it done,” Hochul said in remarks that were greeted with applause from the gathering at Fowler.
She went on to say, “Visitors to this vibrant community have to witness this … the people [who] live there … going to the zoo, this is what you see. Come on, we’re better than that, right?”
The center closed in 1998 and in the years that followed became a structure plastered with graffiti.
New York is providing up to $29 million in state funding for the project, which Hochul’s office says will help to support the statewide goals of increasing New York’s housing supply with new market-rate and affordable options and establishing a regional job hub to help drive the local economy.
State funding will support pre-development site preparation work, including the demolition and remediation of the existing structures on the site as well as infrastructure investments to expand water and sewer service lines, roads and sidewalks, tree planting, canopy and lighting throughout the site.
Mohawk Valley contractor Ritter & Paratore Contracting Inc. has been selected to undertake the demolition/environmental remediation of the existing structures and grading of the site in the building demolition location.
In his remarks, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh called the property “derelict” and said it was blighted and “significantly tax delinquent” when the City took control of the property five years ago.
Walsh told the gathering his mother worked at Fowler for 18 years, so he was familiar with the neighborhood. He would look at the shuttered facility covered in graffiti and think to himself, “What kind of message are we sending to our kids every day when they’re going to and from school and looking up at that building? What kind of message are we sending about how we feel about them and their community and their neighborhood? That wasn’t something I was comfortable with.”
He also believes that getting it back on the tax roll and into productive use will be a catalyst for continued investment in Syracuse’s west side. The 47-acre site is ideally suited to meet the growing need for quality mixed-income housing and high-tech manufacturing space in Syracuse.
Hochul told the crowd that Walsh had requested help with the project during a meeting at the Gem diner on Spencer Street, not long after she’d had started duties as governor.
The redevelopment of the 600,000-square-foot Syracuse Developmental Center is a multi-phase, mixed-use project that will include hundreds of new housing units, an advanced manufacturing facility with office space, vibrant new green space, and retail. Phase I of the project is set to begin in late 2025, the governor’s office said.
The state contends the project will help Syracuse and the surrounding Central New York region prepare for the arrival of Micron, whose $100 billion commitment to build a new campus in the town of Clay is expected to create 50,000 new jobs over the next 20 years.
In her remarks, Janice McKenna, chair of the Tipperary Hill Neighborhood Association, thanked Hochul, saying that the governor “saw the mayor’s vision for the city” and “helped to make this possible.”
“I have complete faith in what’s going to happen here,” McKenna said.
She went on to say, “We are proud of our neighborhood, its immigrant history, and we deeply care about its future and this project is going to enhance its future.”
PAR CEO sets sights on company’s future
NEW HARTFORD — PAR Technology Corporation’s recent news that it was selling the two subsidiaries that make up its government operating segment marks the end of an era at the business, which got its start as a government contractor. But more than that, it shows the evolution of a company that just years ago was
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NEW HARTFORD — PAR Technology Corporation’s recent news that it was selling the two subsidiaries that make up its government operating segment marks the end of an era at the business, which got its start as a government contractor.
But more than that, it shows the evolution of a company that just years ago was on the brink of bankruptcy.
When Savneet Singh took the helm as CEO and president of PAR Technology in April 2019, he had served on the firm’s board for less than a year. Just a day or two into the job, the company’s CFO told him bankruptcy was imminent.
Things were bleak, Singh says, and he took on the leadership role solely with the intent to shore up the company enough to sell it.
“Unfortunately, there was nobody that wanted to buy it,” he tells CNYBJ in an interview. “We had started to grow as a software business,” Singh says. However, about 95 percent of the company’s revenue was still coming from legacy hardware products.
Those products primarily were hardware point-of-sale (POS) systems, with McDonald’s being PAR’s largest customer. Those POS systems are still deployed in about 30 to 40 percent of McDonald’s locations.
Singh, a Cornell graduate that grew up near Albany, had spent time working on Wall Street, had started his own financial technology company, and was running an investment firm before he joined PAR.
While he originally thought to sell the company, something changed along the way. With financial experience and a technology background, Singh explains that he looked at PAR with a different perspective than others had.
“By having no background in restaurants or the company, we were able to question things,” he says. “Disruption comes from people who don’t have the baggage.”
With other POS products like Square and Toast popping up, he felt PAR’s future was rooted in software and not in the legacy hardware product.
Bit by bit, PAR’s focus has shifted over the past five years away from the legacy hardware toward software, right at a time when software has become more important than ever to the restaurant industry.
Five or six years ago, the average restaurant needed about four to six pieces of software to run. Today, that number is closer to 15 or 20, Singh says, for everything from in-house POS, mobile and online ordering, delivery options like DoorDash and Uber Eats, back-office operations, and customer loyalty programs.
“They’ve kind of plugged it all into their POS and hope it worked,” Singh says. PAR hopes to take the lead in providing restaurant operators with a suite of products to meet all their needs.
Today, PAR loyalty-program products are used at 45 of the nation’s top 100 restaurants, and sales of its Brink POS system has seen 40 percent year-over-year growth, Singh says. PAR continues to sell hardware, too, and altogether, more than 95,000 restaurant locations in over 100 countries use PAR products.
The company has turned the corner far enough that it was time to streamline things and double-down on its focus on the restaurant industry, Singh says.
“This was almost an emotional one,” he notes of the sale of PAR Government Systems Corporation (PGSC) to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., and the pending sale of Rome Research Corporation to NexTech Solutions Holdings, LLC, in a set of deals valued at $102 million. PAR’s 400 employees at both companies have or will transition their jobs to the new owners.
The company’s stock (NYSE: PAR) reacted favorably to the news, closing at $45.57 on June 10 after PAR announced the deals. That was up more than 6 percent from the previous day.
Analysts are feeling bullish about PAR as well. Texas–based Voss Capital noted in a May 24 letter to partners, “The market especially loves tech stocks that go from unprofitable to profitable, which we believe PAR will demonstrate on a sustainable basis within the next two quarters.”
The letter went on to indicate the sale of the government business was just one of “several tangible catalysts” on the horizon that bode well for PAR.
“Oh, we’re just getting started,” Singh says of the company’s future. “Absolutely, you’ll see us grow.”
Headquartered in New Hartford, PAR has about 1,400 employees with additional locations in Houston, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.; and Toronto, Canada. PAR also has a technology hub in India. The company develops and markets restaurant hardware, software, loyalty, drive-thru, and back-office solutions.
New York hunters harvested almost 10 percent fewer deer in latest hunting season
ALBANY — Hunters harvested an estimated nearly 210,000 deer in the 2023-24 hunting season, down almost 10 percent from just under 232,000 deer in the 2022-23 season, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently reported. The 2023-24 deer harvest included more than twice as many older bucks (bucks two-and-a-half years old or
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ALBANY — Hunters harvested an estimated nearly 210,000 deer in the 2023-24 hunting season, down almost 10 percent from just under 232,000 deer in the 2022-23 season, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently reported.
The 2023-24 deer harvest included more than twice as many older bucks (bucks two-and-a-half years old or older) than were harvested in the early 1990s, and nearly five times as many than were harvested in 1969 when DEC first began monitoring the age structure of New York’s deer herd.
“Nearly 70 percent of the bucks harvested by hunters during the 2023-24 deer hunting seasons were two years or older,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said in the report. “This demonstrates the continued effectiveness of DEC’s Let Young Bucks Go and Watch Them Grow campaign, and the willingness of hunters to voluntarily pass up opportunities at young bucks to improve their future opportunities to harvest older bucks.”
The 2023-24 estimated deer harvest included an estimated 112,224 antlered bucks (adult males) and an estimated 97,557 antlerless deer (adult females and fawns of either sex). Statewide, this represents a nearly 4 percent dip in the antlered-buck harvest and almost 16 percent fall in the antlerless-deer harvest from last season, per the DEC.
“The decrease in antlerless deer harvest, which is approximately 15 percent lower than the five-year average, is concerning because DEC manages deer populations through actions that encourage harvest of antlerless deer,” the department said in its report. “Harvesting antlerless deer helps ensure deer populations remain in balance with available habitat and do not exceed levels of public acceptance that can lead to increased crop damage, deer-vehicle collisions, and other potentially negative deer-related impacts. Harvesting antlerless deer also helps ensure deer are able meet their nutritional demands for antler development, fawn recruitment, and body growth.”
The DEC said it is looking at various regulatory and non-regulatory alternatives to increase harvest of antlerless deer during future hunting seasons and encourages all deer hunters in the designated wildlife management areas to harvest at least one antlerless deer during the upcoming 2024-25 deer hunting season.
DEC’s 2023-24 Deer Harvest Summary report provides tables, figures, and maps detailing the deer harvest around the state and is available at: https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/2023deerrpt.pdf
MVHS CEO addresses Wynn Hospital concerns
UTICA — The Wynn Hospital has been making news — not all of it good — since it was just an idea, and not much has changed since the hospital opened its doors last October. Recently, MVHS made a series of announcements that once again sparked public interest and criticism in some cases. On May
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UTICA — The Wynn Hospital has been making news — not all of it good — since it was just an idea, and not much has changed since the hospital opened its doors last October.
Recently, MVHS made a series of announcements that once again sparked public interest and criticism in some cases.
On May 8, the health system announced a temporary pause in open-heart surgeries at Wynn Hospital amid concerns expressed by the New York State Department of Health.
MVHS then announced on June 5 that its Adult Day Health Care Program would close, effective June 7. On the heels of that, it announced its Senior Network Health plan would transition to another provider.
MVHS President/CEO Darlene Stromstad recently spoke with The Central New York Business Journal about all these announcements and more.
Talking about the Adult Day Health Care Program first, Stromstad said the decision to close the program was a business evaluation, based on declining interest in the program as well as ongoing staffing issues.
“We had a fairly strong program for many years pre-pandemic,” she says. That changed after the program was shuttered for several years during the height of the pandemic.
“We reopened it, but the volumes never came back, and we were never able to find the volume of staff we needed,” Stromstad says. It wasn’t feasible to keep the program going with such a low volume of participation, she adds. “We felt it was a decision we need to make.”
MVHS worked with participants to help them find new programs, and was able to move staff from that program to other areas.
The transfer of Senior Network Health, a managed long-term care plan (MLTC) has been in the works for several years and was the result of provisions enacted in the 2023-2024 state budget that requires all MLTCs to have a Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) with three or more stars,
As a small organization, MVHS’s Senior Network Health didn’t meet the criteria and was faced with the choice of either folding the program or finding a qualifying organization that could take it over, Stromstad explains.
“This is simply the state requiring that organizations our size do not continue to offer programs like this,” she says.
While other MLTCs in the same position decided to close up shop, Stromstad says MVHS didn’t want to do that and found a partner in VNS Health, which operates the largest MLTC in the state.
The transition from MVHS to VNS Health, which was supposed to happen at the end of 2023 but got held up by the state, has gone smoothly, with employees keeping their positions with the new organization and as little disruption to clients as possible, Stromstad notes.
As for open-heart surgeries and the cardiac program at Wynn Hospital, Stromstad wants to make one thing clear.
“The state did not shut down our cardiac surgery program,” she says. “The decision was ours to shut down the program.”
It wasn’t an easy choice, especially when MVHS — as are many other health-care organizations — is facing financial challenges now that federal pandemic aid has dried up, but “we recognized we had issues,” Stromstad says.
“We recognized this was going to be a reputational blow,” she says, as well as a financial one.
MVHS was issued an immediate jeopardy notification regarding the cardiac program. According to Cadence Acquaviva, a public information officer with the state Department of Health, immediate jeopardy is a term used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to describe a situation in which a provider’s noncompliance with one or more requirements of participation has caused or is likely to cause serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to a resident or patent.
Once it receives an immediate jeopardy notification, a health-care provider is required to submit an acceptable plan to remove the immediate jeopardy, Acquaviva said in an email. The immediate jeopardy is removed when surveyors verify the approved plan has been fully implemented.
Prior to halting the program, MVHS had performed 299 open-heart surgeries in 2023 and wanted to improve the program, Stromstad says. It had two surgeons heading up the program, and MVHS was considering adding a third to round things out — as a surgeon must be available 24/7 for surgeries to take place.
Health care is a team sport, she says, and personality conflicts can be an issue. “We had some issues, and we’re working those out.”
In the meantime, while declining to go into detail, Stromstad confirms that MVHS now has just one cardiac surgeon, and that wasn’t enough to safely continue the program.
MVHS could have brought in locum doctors — essentially outside travel physicians —but didn’t want to put the program in the hands of people it didn’t know, she says.
Since halting the open-heart surgery program, MVHS is working with an outside organization to conduct a complete comprehensive review of the program and has a board committee overseeing the process.
The health system is actively working on a permanent solution that would involve adding cardiac surgeons to its roster. In the meantime, three structural heart surgical procedures have resumed at Wynn Hospital. MVHS expects the review to wrap up by the end of this month, with it taking several more months before the program is completely restarted.
Finally, going forward, Stromstad says the open-heart surgery program will have an external review every two years, “so I have outside eyes.”
For those opposed to the hospital, including a group called No Hospital Downtown, the recent news has sparked new criticism of Wynn Hospital.
“They have amped up their vitriol,” Stromstad notes. “It feels like we are in a constant war. It’s very demoralizing on our staff.”
While acknowledging the move to the Wynn has not gone as smoothly as hospital officials had hoped, Stromstad states, “I’m very proud of the work this organization is doing.”
In its early days, Wynn struggled with long emergency room wait times which kept both patients and ambulances waiting. Whether patients arrive on their own or are brought by ambulance, Stromstad says wait times are consistently dropping. These days, the average time it takes to complete the hand off from ambulance to emergency department — when the ambulance is free to return to service — averages 11 minutes, she says. At the same time, the volume of ambulance drop offs has increased from a out 65 a day to between 80 and 85 a day now. For patients that arrive on their own, the goal is a turnaround time of less than two hours.
“We’re making progress on all of those areas,” Stromstad says. And MVHS is making that headway despite being short of both staff and funds, she adds.
“MVHS and the bulk of hospitals in Central New York are all suffering post-pandemic financially,” she says. The cost of care has increased year-over-year by 17 percent, while reimbursement for that care has only increased 7 percent.
From fuel to food to medications, costs have gone up across the board, Stromstad notes. At the same time, government funding to help hospitals through the pandemic exhausted in early 2023. In 2022, the most recent year for which a Form 990 is available, MVHS had revenue of $104,558,940. Of that, $11,924,610 came from program revenue with $92,537,032 coming from other contributions and grants.
The health system’s expenses have escalated. Between the cost of moving, maintaining its two former hospitals until they are redeveloped, traveling nurse costs, and more, 2023 was “a really expensive year,” Stromstad says.
Staff remains an issue both from a cost perspective and from a staffing-level perspective. There was an increase in retirements during the pandemic, while other health-care professionals left positions at the health system to become traveling providers.
“We have about 220 travelers in our organization,” Stromstad says. She understands the popularity of being a traveler. “They make more money.”
Travelers typically work anywhere from 13 to 26 weeks at a facility where they are not only paid for their services, but also their housing and food. The role became popular during the pandemic especially because it allowed health-care professionals to use their skills without having to get involved in politics or other issues at the facility.
But for a health system, travelers are a necessary but expensive reality when it comes to filling vacant roles.
“Our traveler budget was over a million dollars a week over budget,” in 2023, Stromstad says.
MVHS is not the only health-care organization struggling since the pandemic, says Gary Fitzgerald, president and CEO of Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA). Based in Clifton Park, IHA is a nonprofit regional health-care trade organization that represents more than 50 hospitals and health systems across 32 counties in upstate New York.
“The cost of labor is continuing to go up,” he says. “That has impacted hospitals financially.” Labor costs make up about 65-70 percent of total expenses, he notes.
According to IHA’s annual financial survey report released in January, vacancy rates at health-care facilities have increased 135 percent since 2019. The jobs with the highest vacancy rates are operating-room technicians at 28.4 percent, licensed practical nurses at 27.8 percent, and registered nurses at 27.4 percent.
Across all job titles, the average vacancy rate is about 20 percent, Fitzgerald says. IHA is actively working to reach young people at high schools, BOCES, and community colleges to talk to them about careers in health care, but it will take a while to generate the workforce needed, he says.
MVHS has its own efforts underway to find qualified, interested employees.
“MVHS continues to work to recruit registered nurses into the health system,” Senior VP, Chief Human Resources Officer Allison M. Wollen said in a statement sent to The Business Journal. “Sign on/retention bonuses are being offered to RNs, and wages have been adjusted to ensure they are market competitive.”
It’s been a challenge to convert traveling staff into full-time staff, she noted. “We continue to try and recruit travelers to become permanent staff, but the rich tax incentives, stipends, and ability to earn inflated wages will continue to create recruitment challenges that all hospitals are currently facing.”
As the state focuses on economic development with news like Micron Technologies coming to Clay, Fitzgerald says there needs to also be more public investment in health care.
“You can’t do economic development without a good health-care system,” he says.
Going forward, MVHS is focused on becoming an efficient machine without sacrificing any quality of care, Stromstad says.
MVHS is working with Guidehouse, a global consulting firm that works with both the public and private sectors. It consults with health-care providers to help them become more agile and financially resilient, according to its website.
Work started in January on a one-year project with Guidehouse to define efficiencies across areas including revenue growth and how departments are run, Stromstad says. It was important to tackle the project early in the life of Wynn Hospital before bad habits set in, she adds.
“It’s a real intensive project,” she notes. “We are trying very hard to just be an open book.”
Excellus parent, Capital region health insurer plan affiliation
It’s pending regulatory approval ROCHESTER — The Lifetime Healthcare Companies isn’t sure how long the review process will take, but it has plans to form an affiliation with a health-insurance carrier in the Capital Region. The Lifetime Healthcare Companies — the Rochester–based parent company of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Univera Healthcare — and
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ROCHESTER — The Lifetime Healthcare Companies isn’t sure how long the review process will take, but it has plans to form an affiliation with a health-insurance carrier in the Capital Region.
The Lifetime Healthcare Companies — the Rochester–based parent company of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Univera Healthcare — and CDPHP of Albany on May 22 announced plans to form an affiliation.
A spokesman for Lifetime tells CNYBJ that the firm’s officials “do not know how long it will take the regulatory agencies to review the proposal.” The Lifetime Healthcare Companies and CDPHP are two of New York’s larger health-insurance carriers.
Under the agreement, the health insurers say they will maintain their local brands and identities while “gaining economies of scale” through shared technologies, systems, processes, and resources as part of “one corporate family.”
The Lifetime Healthcare Companies and CDPHP have announced their intent to affiliate with the appropriate government agencies.
If state and federal regulators approve the affiliation, the Lifetime Healthcare Companies would become the parent company of CDPHP, Excellus, and Univera Healthcare.
Excellus is Central New York’s largest health insurer. The Lifetime Healthcare Companies employs about 4,500 New Yorkers and serves 1.5 million members in the 39 counties of upstate New York.
Established in 1984, CDPHP is a physician-founded health plan that offers health insurance throughout New York. CDPHP covers an area with that includes Madison, Oneida, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Broome, Chenango, and Tioga counties.
CDPHP currently employs 1,400 people in the Capital Region and beyond and serves 400,000 members in 36 counties.
“As we celebrate 40 years of CDPHP delivering high-quality, affordable health care —and as I mark 16 years of leading this great organization — it gives me tremendous pride to announce our plans to partner with The Lifetime Healthcare Companies,” Dr. John Bennett, president and CEO of CDPHP, said in the announcement. “It was important for us to partner with a not-for-profit health plan that shares in our mission of driving better health outcomes, increasing member satisfaction, and controlling the rising cost of care in the combined communities we serve.”
The boards of directors of CDPHP and The Lifetime Healthcare Companies unanimously approved the affiliation.
“As a physician founded and guided health plan, the CDPHP board of directors knew it was important that we find a health plan that puts patient care first. I am pleased to say that we have found a likeminded partner with The Lifetime Healthcare Companies,” Dr. Michael DeVito, chair of the CDPHP board of directors, said in the announcement. “We look forward to working alongside The Lifetime Healthcare Companies as we continue our mission of providing access to high quality, high satisfaction care in the communities we serve.”
“We’re confident that The Lifetime Healthcare Companies and CDPHP will accomplish even more together with this affiliation,” Faheem Masood, chair of The Lifetime Healthcare Companies boards of directors, added. “The health insurers are likeminded in mission, and their shared commitment to our communities will help make health care better for us all.”
Working together, Excellus, CDPHP, and Univera Healthcare will combine resources; leverage best practices; and develop “new and innovative ways to improve the quality, affordability, and experience of care” for millions of New Yorkers, per the joint announcement.
“I’m excited to partner with CDPHP to work together on quality, affordability, and access to health care in our respective regions,” Jim Reed, president and CEO of the Lifetime Healthcare Companies, said in the announcement. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the reputation CDPHP has built in the Capital Region and the work of the health plan. It just makes sense to partner with such a trusted, mission-driven not-for-profit whose culture aligns so closely to ours.”
UHS opens new Wilson Main Tower
JOHNSON CITY — UHS opened its new Wilson Main Tower on June 26, wrapping up years of work on the UHS Wilson Medical Campus where the tower will serve as the new “front door” of the facility. With its location facing Main Street, the Wilson Main Tower streamlines access for all individuals arriving at the
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JOHNSON CITY — UHS opened its new Wilson Main Tower on June 26, wrapping up years of work on the UHS Wilson Medical Campus where the tower will serve as the new “front door” of the facility.
With its location facing Main Street, the Wilson Main Tower streamlines access for all individuals arriving at the medical center including those seeking emergency care. Accessible via Harrison Street, the tower entrance will serve as the primary point of entry for patients and visitors and offers drop-off, pick-up, and valet services. Valet parking is available Monday to Friday from 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
The new emergency department at the Wilson Main Tower can be accessed via Baldwin Street with parking also accessed on the same street. The new emergency department entrance is through the doorway on the first floor of the parking lot. Emergency-department valet parking is also available Monday to Friday from 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
The new front-door design provides a centralized point of entry but also prioritizes patient convenience, making it easier for them to locate their appointments and navigate the campus. UHS ambassadors are on hand to guide patients and visitors to their destination.
The six-story, 183,000-square-foot Wilson Main Tower was the first expansion of the UHS Wilson Medical Center campus in more than 30 years. The $175 million project includes a new trauma center and emergency department, MRI suite, rooftop helipad, surgical support area, and four inpatient units featuring 120 private patient rooms.
Founded in 1981, United Health Services, Inc. (UHS) serves Greater Binghamton and surrounding counties with medical, surgical, rehabilitative, and long-term care services at more than 60 locations including hospitals, primary and specialty centers, retail pharmacy services, senior living, and home care.
Cayuga County cancer patients can now seek treatment at Auburn Community Hospital
AUBURN, N.Y. — Cancer patients in Cayuga County can now travel to Auburn instead of either Syracuse or Rochester for specialized care. Auburn Community Hospital (ACH), in partnership with the Upstate Cancer Center in Syracuse, on June 12 formally opened a $15 million cancer center in Auburn. The 12,000-square-foot treatment facility is called the Upstate
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AUBURN, N.Y. — Cancer patients in Cayuga County can now travel to Auburn instead of either Syracuse or Rochester for specialized care.
Auburn Community Hospital (ACH), in partnership with the Upstate Cancer Center in Syracuse, on June 12 formally opened a $15 million cancer center in Auburn.
The 12,000-square-foot treatment facility is called the Upstate Cancer Center at Auburn Community Hospital, which is located at the intersection of Lansing and North streets.
The center includes radiation technology, software, and patient setup facilities. Auburn Community Hospital describes it as a “beacon of hope for individuals requiring advanced treatment.”
“Inaugurating the cancer center underscores our commitment to delivering world-class healthcare to Auburn and Cayuga County,” Scott Berlucchi, president and CEO of Auburn Community Hospital, said in the hospital’s announcement.
Berlucchi also noted that Auburn Community Hospital has evolved from a 99-bed hospital to a “comprehensive rural integrated delivery system.”
“This is a great day for the Auburn Community,” Andrew Bodewes, partner and founder of Park Grove Realty, said in a separate announcement from the firm. “Park Grove Realty is honored to partner with Auburn Community Hospital to bring this important facility to greater Auburn. Congratulations to Auburn Hospital and Upstate for this incredible initiative.”
Park Grove Realty is a Rochester–based real-estate development and management company. Besides Park Grove Realty, Ithaca–based Holt Architects, which has an office in Syracuse, was also involved in the cancer center project, Park Grove said.
“Projects like this Cancer Center don’t happen without partnerships that are singularly focused on a goal. I want to personally thank Andrew Bodewes with Park Grove Developers … Andrew and his partners agreed to build and fund this $15 [million] project and ACH will lease it back from them. Without their vision and generosity this project would still be just a dream,” Berlucchi added in the Park Grove announcement.
The center features a linear accelerator treatment vault, exam rooms, infusion rooms, consultation spaces, and office space.
Others attending the formal-opening ceremony included Dr. Robert Corona, president of Upstate University Hospital; Dr. Thomas Vandermeer, director of the Upstate Cancer Center; Dr. Komal Akhtar, director of the Upstate Cancer Center at Auburn Community Hospital; New York State Senator Rachel May (D–Syracuse); and Auburn Mayor James Giannettino.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) secured $2 million in 2022 for Auburn Community Hospital to purchase essential medical equipment for the center’s cancer diagnostics and boost the expansion of the hospital as it broke ground on the new cancer center. ν
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