If Orange Regional Medical Center”™s new hospital were running for office, no one would miss its campaign signs: They are visible everywhere you look in the region, touting the opening of the new campus Aug. 5.
With 353 private rooms in a 21st century technology-centered setting, Orange Regional”™s new facility has no doubt it will attract quality physicians and patients from around the region to its new town of Wallkill location and become a destination for residents on both sides of the Hudson River.
Since the initial merger of Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen and Horton Hospital in Middletown in 2002, combining the two aging hospitals under one new roof was never far from its board of directors”™ minds. After bringing new CEO Scott Batulis on board in 2006, the ball started rolling.
After several sites were analyzed, the 61-acre parcel on Main Street in Wallkill was chosen: a prime location for the 600,000-square-foot building, thanks to its easy access to Interstate 84 and Route 17/future Interstate 86 and its ability to grow the campus for future needs. ORMC plans to keep its current walk-in clinic and other established services along Crystal Run Road, which is fast becoming Orange County”™s “medical mile.”
One challenge was how to move forward with the ambitious project. Both Arden Hill and Horton needed to be sold in order for ORMC to take the next step ”“ getting shovels into the ground. Thanks to some creative thinking with The Gerry Foundation and Community Foundation of Orange & Sullivan Counties, both buildings were put into a development corporation that netted an additional $10 million in a lease-to-purchase deal. Alan and Sandra Gerry sweetened the pot by donating $5 million to the hospital. The new hospital”™s entry wing is named in their honor.
Along with the Rowley Family, who helped underwrite the hospital”™s new maternity wing with a 10-bed neonatal intensive care unit, many local philanthropists, donors, hospital physicians and workers literally pooled blood, sweat, tears and donations from their own pockets to raise the additional funding needed to make the new ORMC a reality.
The total cost was $350 million, with more than $260 million acquired through the New York State Dormitory Authority; another $48 million in HEAL (Health Care Efficiency and Affordable Care Laws) grants and a capital campaign that raised nearly $22 million from avid supporters, all of which helped ORMC hit its  financial goal. The lease arrangement to purchase the two old hospitals enabled ORMC to literally hit the ground running. (There has been no public statement regarding tenants or prospective buyers at the former hospitals.)
It has been three years since the new hospital first broke ground; it is now poised for its ribbon cutting. Despite the economic climate, no one involved let it dampen the resolve to get the new hospital built. “It could not have been done without the total support of the community,” said Batulis before the opening date was announced, “and I”™ve had a great board to work with and many supporters who want to see quality health care here in the region.”
The new hospital will bring state of the art ”“ and some extra heart ”“ to the Hudson Valley region. Its 30-bed psychiatric inpatient ward will have a private garden allowing patients access to the outdoors, a first for ORMC. It will also offer a healing garden for patients to enjoy at the front entrance, along with bringing a bit of respite from visiting as well as a place to smell the flowers for those who wait for loved ones receiving outpatient treatment.
The emergency room offers 50 private bays of Level II trauma care, and outside its ambulance doors, a helipad is the first thing you notice.
ORMC”™s new facility fulfills a recommendation from the Berger Commission, which deemed it should shed 100 beds from its two former hospitals. That”™s been done; but this time, every room will be private, helping to cut down on the rate of infection and offering more patient privacy.
Several last-minute touches are being put on ORMC to get ready for its official opening on Aug. 5.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for the Hudson Valley,” said Batulis. “It”™s beyond exciting to see the new hospital grow every day, complete with wireless technology, electronic health records and portable carts that allow nurses to connect directly to the pharmacy in place.”
Batulis told HVBiz after the ceremony celebrating the end of electronic health records training the two hospitals”™ equipment, staff and records will all be moved in one night and be ready for the public the day the doors open. “It sounds hard to believe, but we are going to get it done.” Batulis”™ energy can and does make it believable. Rain or even stifling heat will not dampen ORMC”™s opening Aug. 5.
