September 25, 2009
GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES $436 MILLION TO SUPPORT STATEWIDE HEALTH CARE REFORMS
“HEAL NY” Funding Will Support Improvements in Health IT, Hospital Restructuring and Community-Based Services for Older Adults and Individuals with Disabilities
Governor David A. Paterson today announced the award of $436 million in grants under the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law of New York State (HEAL NY) to further improvements to the State’s health care system. This funding, approved by the Legislature during the budgetary process, will go to health facilities across the State to advance health information technology, support capital restructuring and long-term care improvements. The funds will be allocated through both the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY).
“New York health care centers are known for their expertise in patient care, and I am proud to announce these grants to institutions that are creating more effective and more efficient ways of caring for those in need,” Governor Paterson said. “Thanks to these grants, our health care facilities will get much needed technology upgrades that will save them money, more of our hospitals will be able to join forces to improve patient care and our long-term care system will be able to provide better service to the growing population of aging New Yorkers and New Yorkers with disabilities.”
Governor Paterson joined DOH Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., at the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, which received a $4 million grant to renovate and expand its Emergency Department with 14 new treatment spaces, a short-stay unit to reduce admissions and support space.
Commissioner Daines said: “We congratulate all of the projects and look forward to working with them to achieve these very important clinical goals. We look forward to moving the State’s health information infrastructure from infancy to childhood, establishing an operational statewide health information exchange to put clinical information in the hands of practitioners when and where they need it.”
DASNY Executive Director Paul T. Williams, Jr. said: “This visionary program will enhance quality of care and quality of life for thousands of New Yorkers, while also making the delivery of these critical services more cost-effective. In many cases, community-based alternatives for long-term care are a viable and sensible alternative to nursing home settings, and this new program will help provide the funding to make them a reality.”
Other Queens institutions that received HEAL NY funding – more than $30 million in total dedicated to addressing the specific needs for the borough – include Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Damian Family Care Center, Flushing Hospital and Medical Center, Forest Hills Hospital, Institute for Community Living, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Joseph P. Addabbo Health Center, Mount Sinai Hospital (Long Island City), NYCHHC Elmhurst Hospital Center, Queens Hospital Center and Wyckoff Heights Medical
HEAL NY Phase 10:
Nearly $60 million of the funding, through HEAL NY Phase 10, will go to community-based health information technology (IT) projects to build a more streamlined approach to sharing patient information. These projects will lead to significant savings in health care in the coming years. Unnecessary paperwork and redundancies throughout the system will be removed, and doctors and nurses will have better access to information of patients who transfers from one medical center to another.
These reforms are based on the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model, which health care professionals believe to be the most effective in treating a patient – by establishing a partnership among doctors, nurses, patients and their families to ensure that patients have the support they need to participate in their own care.
HEAL NY Phase 11:
A second block of funding, HEAL NY Phase 11, consists of more than $174 million in grants to 25 hospitals across the State to enter into collaborative arrangements that promote quality and efficiency in the delivery of care appropriate to the needs of their communities.
These awards will help the recipient hospitals to eliminate duplicative services and achieve greater efficiency in providing services responsive to identified community needs. For example, the Catholic Health System’s merger of its three acute care hospitals in Western New York into its single governance structure will lead to a more efficient service line model – patients will get better care, and operating costs will go down. In New York City, an award to St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center in Manhattan will support that facility’s collaboration with NYU Hospitals Center to consolidate services in pediatrics, physical rehabilitation, psychiatry and cardiovascular care, while eliminating more than 60 beds that are no longer needed.
HEAL NY Phase 12:
Finally, the HEAL NY Phase 12 awards consist more than $172 million in grants to 19 applicants for projects to support long-term care services in community-based settings. The primary goal of these awards is to help communities organize, finance and develop alternatives to traditional nursing home while reducing of nursing homes’ certified inpatient bed capacity.
These awards will result in new community-based, long-term care options, including Assisted Living Programs, Assisted Living Residences, Enriched Housing Programs, and affordable senior housing with coordinated medical services.
A complete list of the HEAL NY awards by institution is available at: http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/pdf/press_0925091-b.pdf.
A complete list of the HEAL NY awards in Queens is available at: http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/pdf/press_0925091-a.pdf.
The following is a region-by-region list of HEAL NY Phase 10, 11 and 12 awards:
Total New York City Region Awards: $140,115,761
- Phase 10 New York City Awards: $13,741,782
- Phase 11 New York City Awards: $63,173,261
- Phase 12 New York City Awards: $63,200,718
Total Northern Region Awards: $23,183,925
- Phase 10 Northern Awards: $7,000,000
- Phase 11 Northern Awards: $6,021,752
- Phase 12 Northern Awards: $10,162,173
Total Western Region Awards: $67,839,658
- Phase 10 Western Awards: $13,997,972
- Phase 11 Western Awards: $23,399,321
- Phase 12 Western Awards: $30,442,365
Total Central Region Awards: $72,320,205
- Phase 10 Central Awards: $6,676,804
- Phase 11 Central Awards: $23,856,401
- Phase 12 Central Awards: $41,787,000
Total Hudson Valley Region Awards: $65,168,126
- Phase 10 Hudson Valley Awards: $5,902,937
- Phase 11 Hudson Valley Awards: $35,957,244
- Phase 12 Hudson Valley Awards: $23,307,945
Total Long Island Region Awards: $37,694,355
- Phase 10 Long Island Awards: $12,295,218
- Phase 11 Long Island Awards: $21,935,797
- Phase 12 Long Island Awards: $3,463,340
The following statements were provided in support of the HEAL NY grants:
Senate President Pro Tempore Malcolm A. Smith said: “These grants will significantly increase the quality of healthcare services for many New Yorkers. In particular, the consolidation of resources between different medical providers and the development of a comprehensive patient information management system means that the state will save millions of dollars, all while ensuring that patients receive more efficient care. I applaud the Governor and his administration for this important step forward.”
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said: “As the nation considers reforms that would provide greater access to health care for uninsured Americans, it is crucial that New York fosters greater efficiency in its hospitals and community based health centers by eliminating duplicative services and encouraging innovation in patient information sharing. The HEAL NY program provides a framework for hospitals to consolidate services and improve the quality of care for all New Yorkers. I thank Governor Paterson and Commissioner Daines for encouraging innovation in our hospital and health center systems.”
Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said: “Last week, I organized a meeting of members of the Queens Delegation and New York Hospital of Queens to discuss healthcare concerns in our borough. At the meeting, I raised the issue of HEAL funds. In the last year alone, Queens has lost three hospitals. That is why this HEAL funding comes as such a welcome respite. I thank Governor Paterson for his commitment to the special needs we have in Queens.”
Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, Chair of the Health Committee, said: “Moving to electronic health records and using technology to build communication among health care providers produces better health care and helps avoid duplication and unnecessary cost. These grants continue the solid work of Governor Paterson and the state’s health team.”
Assemblywoman Grace Meng said: “HEAL grants offer hospital systems and community-based health centers strategic and comprehensive means to reduce costs and eliminate duplication of services. Each phase provides essential component for health care reform in New York that improves patient care while assisting communities in creating where possible alternatives to costly nursing home care. I thank Governor Paterson and Commissioner Daines for their support of these important initiatives right here in Flushing.”
Stephen S. Mills, President and Chief Executive Officer of New York Hospital Queens, said: “We are honored that Governor Paterson has come to New York Hospital Queens to announce grant funding for New York State hospitals and the great borough of Queens. This HEAL funding is critical to local health care institutions that have had dramatic budget cuts. As hospitals face the possibility of additional budget cuts, it is more important than ever to have opportunities for grant funding that will allow us to provide greater accessibility to the urgent care that our community needs.”
