Oswego Health completes capital campaign with more than $4.1 million raised

OSWEGO, N.Y. — Oswego Health says it has concluded its fundraising campaign — the Campaign for Oswego Health — with more than $4.1 million raised.

Fundraising for the capital campaign began in 2018, with an initial financial goal of $2.5 million to support “key strategic priorities,” Oswego Health said.

They included the renovation of the medical-surgical unit at Oswego Hospital; the opening of the Lakeview Center for Mental Health and Wellness; and offering the “most advanced, state-of-the-art orthopedic suite in [Central New York]” by opening the Center for Orthopedic Care.

“I think health care in any community is really important and it’s obvious, if not before the pandemic, but certainly in the past two years, how important Oswego Health is to this community,” Ed Alberts, chair of the campaign steering committee, said. “I am tremendously grateful for the support The Campaign for Oswego Health received and the transformation these dollars raised have been able to do.”

About Oswego Health

Oswego Health is a health-care system with 17 locations. For 140 years, it has been providing health care for nearly 120,000 people in Oswego County, per its Monday news release.

Based on a recent report from the Rensselaer–based Healthcare Association of New York State, Oswego Health has an annual payroll of $76 million; generated $228 million in economic activity for the region, resulting in $28 million in tax dollars.

Additionally, Oswego Health annually provides $18 million as part of a community-investment project to provide care for those without insurance; those who are underinsured; and those who are “medically indigent.”

Insurance reimbursements — including those from Medicare and Medicaid — “do not cover operating expenses in their entirety,” making the Oswego Health Foundation and the support it facilitates a “critical component” of the health-care system. The institution relies, “in part,” on philanthropy for its “continued success,” Oswego Health said.

“Quality health care should be accessible without the need to travel outside the community where you live,” Michael Harlovic, president & CEO of Oswego Health, said. “This is the mission of Oswego Health and something we have stayed true to for the past 140 years as we are dedicated to reinvesting in this community, our facilities, our providers and staff, to continue to transform healthcare locally.”