Effects of Unity services expansion discussed
by Kristina Gabalski
Well over 200 people gathered at the Brockport High School Auditorium Wednesday, January 18 for a community forum presented by Lakeside Health System in regards to a new facility Unity Health System plans to open in Brockport.
Unity officials say they will lease an 18,000 sq. ft. facility currently under construction and relocate/expand their existing Unity Ob/Gyn at Brockport office and ACM Lab. Unity also plans to add two primary care providers and specialty outreach including diabetic educators, endocrinology, pulmonary, neurology, infectious disease and vascular surgery. Physical Therapy services and mammography and X-ray services would also be provided at the Brockport facility.
Unity COO Stewart Putnam told Westside News Inc. (Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald) the expansion is in response to community need, “This has nothing to do with Lakeside,” he said.
Unity has information about the Brockport facility available on its website: www.unityhealth.org/buildingbettercare.
Lakeside’s forum began with a presentation by CEO James Wissler who provided information on how Unity’s plan would likely affect Lakeside.
“It will take patients away from us. That means we would have to eliminate jobs,” Wissler said.
He emphasized the hospital’s positive economic impact on the community and high quality of care Lakeside provides. Lakeside consistently ranks higher than other local hospitals as well as the state average in multiple quality measures including heart attack care, surgical care improvement, pneumonia care and heart failure, Wissler said.
He noted concerned residents have called their state assemblymen and senators and signed a petition in support of Lakeside.
“Ask yourself, ‘Is this community enriched by having the hospital, or is it better off without it?’” Wissler said.
The program was then opened up to questions and comments from the audience directed to a panel including Nancy Plews, Chair of the Lakeside Health System Board; Jim Wissler, Lakeside CEO; Dr. Alex Fahoury, Hospitalist/President Lakeside Health System Medical Staff; and Dr. Benson Zoghlin, Primary Care Physician, Hilton Health Care, PC/past President Lakeside Health System.
Many Lakeside physicians, staff and patients spoke of the personal, high quality care Lakeside provides close to home.
Physicians and staff said when Unity brings in primary care physicians, they will refer patients to Unity Hospital for services and Lakeside will lose patients. They urged the community to oppose the Unity plan and to utilize Lakeside.
“We would like you all to write the State Department of Health and show support to Lakeside,” Dr. Alex Fahoury said.
Nancy Plews, Chair of the Lakeside Health System Board of Directors, said information will be provided on the hospital’s website: lakesidehealth.org.
Many community leaders also spoke.
Brockport Village Trustee Carol Hannan said it would be “a medical, financial and personal tragedy” if Lakeside was forced to close. Trustees Margaret Blackman and Kent Blair said they would do everything they could to support Lakeside.
Josephine Matela, President of the Brockport Merchants Association and a former mayor, said residents and community leaders should work to get the state to delay the granting of a Certificate of Need for the Unity project.
“Our elected officials should be doing all possible to see that Lakeside stays in Brockport,” Matela said.
Ogden Supervisor Gay Lenhard said she and her family utilize Lakeside. She asked Jim Wissler about ways to support the hospital.
Wissler responded that letters as well as phone calls to the State Department of Health would help.
Garry Stone, Superintendent of the Brockport Central School District, said there is an important relationship between the school and the hospital. “We need to do everything we can to keep you open, our kids need it,” he said.
One resident questioned Sweden Town officials about why they had not done anything to prevent construction of the building that will house the Unity facility.
“I don’t think you were looking out for the community,” he said.
Sweden Supervisor Patricia Connors responded that the project was approved by the town Planning Board and did not come through the Town Board. She explained that if a project meets town codes “the town cannot prevent a business from coming here to build.”
Dr. Alex Fahoury said the Town of Sweden has been very supportive of Lakeside and that it is the State Department of Health that provides approval for such a project.
He reminded those in attendance that the purpose of the forum was to “alert the community how important the facility (Lakeside) is for everyone.”
A Bergen resident asked how the Unity facility could threaten Lakeside. “I like to have a choice close to home. Why is that a problem?” she questioned.
Dr. Benson Zoghlin responded that Lakeside wants to raise some concern in the community over the beginning of what it sees as an “incursion, a drifting of services,” with the expansion of Unity in Brockport.
He cited the closing of Genesee Hospital in Rochester which began, in part, with a large internal medicine practice leaving. He also noted that St. Mary’s in Rochester is no longer an acute care hospital.
“It makes us prick up our ears a little bit,” he said of Unity’s plans. “A lot of this starts with primary care.”
Dr. Zoghlin said Lakeside is willing to compete with other medical providers and that “we’re not going to back down from what we do now.”
Lakeside would like to delay or stall the process of Unity’s expansion, “as much as we can,” Dr. Zoghlin said. “One or two (hospital) admissions a week do make a difference. We want to be moving forward and not worry about regressing in a year.”
