Most New York State Hospitals, Nursing Homes Reach Deadline For Downsizing, Merging, Closure

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Also Included In: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 08 Jul 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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All but 18 of the 81 affected hospitals and nursing homes in New York state have met the June 30 deadline to close, merge or downsize in accordance with the recommendations made in 2006 by the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, state Health Commissioner Richard Daines announced Wednesday, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports. The recommendations became law on Jan. 1, 2007, after the state Legislature did not vote to reject them. The New York Health Department amended the operating certificates of the 18 facilities that were not in compliance with the mandates or had not made significant progress as of June 27.

The commission projects that have been or are in the process of being completed include the closure of nine hospitals by the end of 2008, which will eliminate nearly 1,700 beds; the elimination of an additional 1,700 hospital beds by the end of 2010 through mergers, downsizing and affiliations between health care facilities; the closure of seven nursing homes by the end of 2008, which will eliminate about 1,100 beds; and the elimination of an additional 1,600 nursing home beds by the end of 2011 (Matthews, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 7/3).

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