Press Release

Schumer, Gillibrand, Higgins, King: Foot-Dragging By Feds Puts Billions Of Dollars For Ny Hospitals At Risk – Officials Urged Feds To Extend Deadline So Hospital Projects Can Move Forward

Jan 19, 2011

Today, U.S Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representatives Brian Higgins (D-NY)  and Peter King (R-NY) released a letter urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jacob J. Lew to extend an important construction completion deadline for capital and other projects at New York State hospitals and other health facilities, paid for with federal dollars. The construction deadline is currently September 30th of this year, meaning that under current regulations, the projects need to be completed by then, or funding will be cut off .  The program through which these 350 projects in NY are being funded is called Federal-State Health Reform Program (F-SHRP).  The program provides help to modernize hospitals and create jobs across the state by investing in infrastructure projects. The F-SHRP program’s goals are to promote the efficient operation of the State’s health care system; consolidate and right-size New York’s health care system by reducing excess capacity in the acute care system; shift emphasis in long-term care from institutional-based to community-based settings; expand the adoption of advanced health information technology and improve ambulatory and primary care provision.

In 2006 New York was awarded $2.5 billion for capital improvements at hospitals and health care facilities across New York State, with the stipulation that the projects needed to be completed by September 30th, 2011.  Unfortunately, due to bureaucratic red tape at the state and federal level, it took an unexpectedly long time to get the projects underway. Now many projects across the state are in danger of being stopped in their tracks, meaning major job losses, unless the deadline is extended.  Projects at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY; St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse; Bassett Healthcare Network in Little Falls, NY;  Oswego Health in Oswego, NY; will be particularly hard hit

The state of New York has requested an extension, but the Feds have so far not responded.

“This program invests now in projects that create jobs in the short-term and maximizes taxpayer savings in the medium and long-term,” said Schumer. “This aims to give New York the most up to date and cost-effective hospitals so that patients can receive the highest level of care at the lowest possible cost. Putting a halt to these job-creating projects because of an arbitrary deadline, particularly when the hospitals themselves are not at fault, makes no sense.”

“This agreement has resulted in greater oversight and accountability,” said Senator Gillibrand. “It has saved taxpayer money and improved care for millions of New Yorkers. The waiver should absolutely be extended. These are exactly the kind of  solutions we need right now. It is common sense.”

“This is a fight to build on the progress underway that is creating quality jobs in the construction and health sectors and delivering enhanced treatment and care to patients across New York,” said Congressman Higgins.  “Keeping these federal funds here is critical to the state’s economy and our position as a leader in health care delivery and breakthrough medicine.”

“It is imperative that New York be granted a waiver,” said Congressman King. “This program not only enhances patient care but reduces Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse. Additionally, the failure to secure an extension would shut down shovel-ready projects and cost New Yorkers good jobs.”

Through the F-SHRP program, New York State has been empowered to implement significant reform to the health care system including long-overdue and necessary modernization of the state’s health care infrastructure.  Further, F-SHRP has increased access to patient care, while improving the quality of care through the establishment of medical homes. As a condition of the waiver, the state has consistently met annual goals to reduce Medicaid fraud and abuse. 

Beginning in 2006 and continuing through 2010, New York State made grant awards of approximately $2.5 billion in state and federal funds to finance more than 470 projects.  These awards are providing necessary financial support to help facilities undertake major projects, including developing supportive housing options as alternatives to nursing homes, revamping behavioral health services to better integrate medical and mental health care, and assisting facilities in developing health information technology interfaces to help coordinate care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Many hospitals also are in the process of using these funds to help finance major projects to improve efficiency and expand access, including developing new primary care clinics and shifting inpatient beds to outpatient space. 

While the funds have been committed to all of these worthy and complex projects, final completion of 350 of them may not occur before the September 30th expiration of the F-SHRP program.

The extension would not require additional federal funds, but simply provide the state with authority to use the federal funds already committed under the waiver.  In fact, it is expected that full implementation of all F-SHRP programs will result in Medicaid savings to both the state and federal government.  An extension of F-SHRP would allow hundreds of reform and restructuring projects to be completed, including job-creating capital projects throughout the state

As the continuation of F-SHRP becomes increasingly uncertain, many facilities in early stages of their projects are reconsidering moving ahead, further endangering the job-creating capital projects and long-term reform that will help build a more efficient and cost-effective health care system.

Schumer, Gillibrand, King, and Higgins were joined on the letter by their colleagues in the New York congressional delegation. 

 

New York ‘F-SHRP’ Program Hospitals

 

A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital Society, Oneonta

Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx

AHRC Health Care, Inc., New York

Morningside at Home, Inc., Bronx

Albert Lindley Lee Memorial Hospital c/o Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC , Syracuse

Morningside House Nursing Home Company, Inc., Bronx

Alice Hyde Medical Center, Malone

Morris Heights Health Center, Bronx

Allegany/Western Steuben Rural Health Network, Inc., Wellsville

Morrisania Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Bronx

Amber Court @ Suffolk County, LLC, Nesconset

Mount Sinai Hospital , New York

Amsterdam Nursing Home Corp., New York

Mount Sinai Hospital (Project #2 $13.5M), Long Island City

Anthony L. Jordan Health Center, Rochester

Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens, Long Island City

Arnot Ogden Medical Center, Elmira

Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center, Inc., Mount Vernon

Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc., New York

Nassau Health Care Corp., East Meadow

Aspire of WNY D and T Center, Cheektowaga

Nassau Health Care Corporation d/b/a the NuHealth System, East Meadow

Association to Benefit Children, New York

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York

Auburn Memorial Hospital, Auburn

New York City Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH), New York

Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Inc., Scotia

New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, New York

Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center, Brooklyn

New York Downtown Hospital, New York

Bellevue Hospital Center, New York

New York eHealth Collaborative, New York

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, Springville

New York Ehealth Collaborative, New York

Betances Health Center, New York

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York

Beth Israel Medical Center, New York

New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, Flushing

Bethel Nursing Home, Inc., Ossining

New York Westchester Square Medical Center, Bronx

Bon Secours Charity Health System, Suffern

New York Westchester Square Medical Center c/o Garfunkel, Wild & Travis, P.C., Great Neck

Bronx Addiction Services Integrated Concept Systems, Inc. (BASICS, INC.), Bronx

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Niagara Falls

Bronx RHIO, Bronx

North Shore University Hospital, Lake Success

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx

North Shore-LIJ Health System, Great Neck

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, New York

North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Care, Inc. , Great Neck

Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn

Northeast Health, Inc., Troy

Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, Patchogue

Northern Manor Geriatric Center, Inc., Nanuet

Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, Patchogue

Nyack Hospital, Nyack

Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, Inc., Patchogue

NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), New York

Brooklyn Health Information Exchange (BHIX), Brooklyn

NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation – Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx

Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn

NYCHHC – East New York Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Brooklyn

Brownsville Community Development Corporation, Brooklyn

NYCHHC – Elmhurst Hospital Center, Elmhurst

Cabrini Medical Center, New York

NYCHHC – Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica

Cabrini Medical Center c/o Garfunkel, Wild & Travis, P.C., Great Neck

NYCHHC Coler-Goldwater, New York

Camphill Ghent, Inc., Copake

NYCHHC Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn

Carthage Area Hospital, Inc., Carthage

NYCHHC Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, New York

Catholic Health Care System, New York

NYCHHC-Lincoln, Bronx

Catholic Health System, Inc., Buffalo

Oak Orchard Community Health Center, Brockport

Catskill Hudson Area Health Education Center, Inc., Highland

ODA Primary Health Care Center, Inc., Brooklyn

Catskill Regional Medical Center, Harris

Open Door Family Medical Center, Inc., Ossining

Center for Disability Services, Albany

Orleans Community Health, Medina

Central Assisted Living, LLC, Far Rockaway

Oswego Hospital, Oswego

Central Nassau Guidance & Counseling Services, Inc, Hicksville

Oswego Hospital – Fulton Urgent Care, Oswego

Central Suffolk Hospital, Patchogue

Oswego Hospital – Primary Care Network, Oswego

Central Suffolk Hospital dba Peconic Bay Medical Center, Riverhead

Otsego County, Cooperstown

Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Medical, Plattsburgh

Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital, Inc., Binghamton

Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Medical Center, Plattsburgh

Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital, Inc. (Lourdes Hospital), Binghamton

Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, New York

P2 Collaborative of Western New York, Inc., Williamsville

Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Inc., Flushing

Parker Jewish Institute of Health Care and Rehabilitation, New York

Chautauqua County Health Network, Jamestown

Perry Avenue Family Medical Center, Inc., Bronx

Chenango Health Network, Norwich

Pine Valley Center, LLC d/b/a Pine Valley Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing, Spring Valley

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Ogdensburg

Planned Parenthood of Western New York (PPWNY), Buffalo

CNYHS, East Syracuse

Premier Health Care, New York

Cobble Hill Health Center, Brooklyn

Presbyterian Home for Central New York, Inc., New Hartford

Columbia County Community Healthcare Consortium, Inc., Hudson

Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica

Columbia Memorial Hospital, Hudson

Richmond Medical Center dba Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island

Columbia University Health Care, Inc., New York

Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island

Community General Hospital, Syracuse

Rivington House Health Care Facility and Mapplethorpe Residential Treatment Facility, New York

Community Health Care Association of New York State, New York

Rochester General Hospital, Rochester

Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. (CHCB), Buffalo

Rochester General Long Term Care, Inc. d/b/a Hill Haven Nursing Home, Webster

Community Health Center of Richmond, Inc., Staten Island

Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona

Community Health Project, Inc. d/b/a Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, New York

Rutland Nursing Home, Brooklyn

Community Health Project, Inc. d/b/a Michael Callen – Audre Lorde Community Health Center, New York

Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton Community Health Center, New York

Community Healthcare Network, New York

Ryan-Nena Community Health Center, New York

Community Memorial Hospital, Hamilton

Saint Francis Health Care Foundation, Inc., Poughkeepsie

Coney Island Hospital, New York

Saint John’s Riverside Hospital, Yonkers

County of Lewis, Lowville

Samaritan Hospital of Troy New York, Troy

County of Schenectady – Glendale Home, Scotia

Samaritan Hospital of Troy, New York, Troy

Crestwood Health Care Center, Inc., Niagara

Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown

Cumberland Diagnostic and Treatment Center North Brooklyn Health Network, Brooklyn

Samaritan Medical Center for Watertown Nursing Home, Watertown

Damian Family Care Center, Briarwood

San Simeon by the Sound Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Inc., Greenport

Damian Family Care Centers, Inc. (Project Samaritan Health Services, Inc.), Briarwood

Schenectady Family Health Services, Inc., dba Hometown Health Centers, Schenectady

Daughters of Jacob Nursing Home Company, Inc., Bronx

Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, White Plains

DMN Management Services, LLC d/b/a Capital Living and Rehabilitation Centres (The Avenue), Schenectady

Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center & Home, Staten Island

Dolan Family Health Center, Greenlawn

Seton Health, Troy

East Hill Family Medical, Inc., Auburn

Sisters of Charity Hospital, Buffalo

Eastern Niagara Hospital (formerly Lockport Memorial Hospital), Lockport

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital, Penn Yan

Eastman Dental Center , Rochester

Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, New Rochelle

Ellis Hospital, Schenectady

Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, New Rochelle

Ellis Hospital- St. Clare’s takeover, Schenectady

South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside

Erie County Medical Center Corporation (ECMCC), Buffalo

Southern Tier Link, Binghamton

Family Health Network of Central New York, Inc., Cortland

St. Ann’s of Greater Rochester Inc., Rochester

Family Services of Chemung County Inc., Elmira

St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx

Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, Utica

St. Clare’s Hospital- Closure, Schenectady

Federation Employment and Guidance Service, Inc. (FEGS), New York

St. Francis Geriatric and Healthcare Services, Buffalo

Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, Rochester

St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers c/o St. Francis Healthcare Foundation, Inc., Roslyn

Finger Lakes Migrant Health Care Project, Inc., Penn Yan

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, South Shore (SJEH), Far Rockaway

Flushing Hospital and Medical Center, Flushing

St. Joseph’s Hospital, Elmira

Flushing Hospital Medical Center, Flushing

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Syracuse

Folts Homes Inc., Herkimer

St. Joseph’s Hospital Yonkers, Yonkers

Forest Hills Hospital, Forest Hills

St. Luke Residential Health Care Facility Inc., Oswego

Forest Hills Hospital , Forest Hills

St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, Newburgh

Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, Watertown

St. Margaret’s House and Hospital for Babies, Inc., Albany

Glens Falls Hospital, Glens Falls

St. Vincent de Paul Residence, Bronx

Goldwater Specialty Hospital Nursing Facility , New York

Stamford Health Care Society, Inc., Stamford

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, West Islip

Stony Brook University Hospital, East Setauket

Good Samaritan Nursing Home , West Islip

Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook

Greater Harlem Nursing Home Co., Inc., New York

Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Hauppauge

Greater Rochester Independent Practice Assn (GRIPA), Rochester

Sunset  Park Health Council, Brooklyn

Greater Rochester RHIO, Rochester

SUNY @ Stony  Brook School of Dental Medicine Dental Care Center, Stony Brook

Health Information Exchange of New York (HIXNY), Clifton Park

SUNY Downstate Medical Center / University Hospital of Brooklyn, Brooklyn

Health Information Technology Alliance of Syracuse (HITAS), Syracuse

SVCMC-St. Vincent’s Hospital Staten Island (Richmond University Medical), Staten Island

Health Information Technology Evaluation Collaborative (HITEC), New York

Syracuse Community Health Center, Inc., Syracuse

HealtheLink, Buffalo

Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center , New York

Healthy Capital District Initiative, Albany

The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn

Heathwood Health Care Center, Inc., Williamsville

The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC), Brooklyn

HHC/Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica

The Center for Discovery, Monticello

HITEC, New York

The Children’s Aid Society , New York

Home for the Aged of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Queens Village

The Gerry Homes, Jamestown

Home of the Good Shepherd, Saratoga Springs

The Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale, Bronx

Horizon Health Services, Inc., Buffalo

The John T. Mather Memorial Hospital of Port Jefferson NY, Inc., Port Jefferson

Housing Works, Inc., Brooklyn

The McGuire Group Healthcare Facilities LLC, Buffalo

Hudson Headwaters Health Network, Queensbury

The New York and Presbyterian Hospital, New York

Hudson River Healthcare, Peekskill

The New York and Presbyterian Hospital, White Plains

Hudson River HealthCare, Inc., Peekskill

The New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York

Hudson River Healthcare, Inc., Peekskill

The Research Foundation of State University of New York, Rensselaer

ICD-International Center for the Disabled, New York

The Research Foundation of State University of New York, Brooklyn

Institute for Community Living, New York

The Rosa Coplon Jewish Home & Infirmary, Inc., Getzville

Institute for Family Health, New York

The Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla

Institute for Family Health , New York

The Woman’s Christian Association of Jamestown, N.Y. (WCA Hospital), Jamestown

Interboro RHIO, Elmhurst

The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Great Neck

Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn

THINC RHIO, Fishkill

IPRO, Lake Success

THINC RHIO Inc, Fishkill

Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital, Inc., Bath

THINC RHIO, Inc., Fishkill

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica

Tioga Health Care Center, LLC, Williamsville

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center D &TC, Jamaica

TLC Health Network, Gowanda

Jefferson County Public Health Service, Watertown

TLC Health Network, Irving

Jewish Board of Family & Children’s Services, Inc., New York

Tri-County Family Medicine Program, Inc., Dansville

Jewish Home Lifecare, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Campus, Bronx, Bronx

UB Associates, Inc., Buffalo

Joseph P. Addabbo, Arverne

United Health Services Hospitals, Johnson City

Judith Lynn Home for Adults, LLC, Bronx

United Hebrew Geriatric Center, New Rochelle

Kaleida Health – Gates-Deaconess, Buffalo

United Hospital Fund, New York

Kaleida Health – MFG, Buffalo

United Memorial Medical Center, Batavia

Kingsbrook Healthcare System, Inc. , Brooklyn

Unity Hospital, Rochester

Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn

University Hospital of the State of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse

Lake Erie Regional Health System/TLC Health Network, Irving

University of Rochester (Golisano Children’s Hospital), Rochester

Lenox Hill Hospital, New York

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, Albany

Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center NYC HHC, Bronx

Upper Hudson Primary Care Consortium Inc, Glens Falls

LIPIX, Inc. (Long Island Patient Information Exchange), Manhasset

Valentine Lane Family Practice, Yonkers

Little Falls Hospital, Little Falls

Valley Health Services, Inc., Herkimer

Long Beach Medical Center, Long Beach

Valley View Center for Nursing Care & Rehabilitation, Goshen

Long Island College Hospital, New York

Victory Memorial Hospital, Brooklyn

Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Great Neck

Village Center for Care, New York

Long Island Patient Information Exchange (LIPIX), Manhasset

Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York

Loretto Health & Rehabilitation, Syracuse

Vocational Instruction Project Community Services, Inc., Bronx

Lutheran Housing Reality, Inc., Jamestown

Wartburg Home of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mount Vernon

Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn

Weill Cornell Medical School – Health Information Technology Evaluation Collaborative, New York

Lutheran Retirement Home, Jamestown

Westchester County Health Care Corporation, Valhalla

Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn

Western New York Clinical Information Exchange (WNYCIE), Buffalo

Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown

Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, Inc. dba HealtheLink, Buffalo

Medina Memorial Health Care System, Medina

Westfield Memorial Hospital, Westfield

Menorah Campus Adult Home, Inc., Getzville

Westside Health Services, Inc., Rochester

Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo

Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, Brooklyn

Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York

Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center/North Brooklyn Health Network, Brooklyn

MJG Nursing Home, Inc., Brooklyn

Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn

Mohawk Valley Network, Inc., Utica

Wyoming County, Warsaw

Monroe County Department of Public Health, Rochester

Wyoming County Community Hospital, Warsaw

 

The members’ letter to Secretary Sebelius and Director Lew can be seen below:

January 14, 2011

 

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius                                           The Honorable Jacob J. Lew
Secretary                                                                                 Director
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services                   Office of Management and Budget
200 Independence Avenue, SW                                             1650 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20101                                                          Washington, DC 20503
 

Dear Secretary Sebelius and Director Lew:

We urge you to swiftly review and approve New York State’s request for a three-year extension of the Federal-State Health Reform Partnership (F-SHRP) waiver under Section 1115 (e) of the Social Security Act.  The five-year term of the F-SHRP waiver is due to expire on September 30, 2011.  The New York State Department of Health (DOH), on behalf of the state, requested this extension on September 30, 2010. 

The extension would not require additional federal funds, but simply provide the state with authority to use the federal funds already committed under the waiver.  In fact, it is expected that full implementation of all F-SHRP programs will result in Medicaid savings to both the state and federal government.  An extension of F-SHRP would allow hundreds of reform and restructuring projects to be completed, including job-creating capital projects throughout the state.

Through the F-SHRP waiver, New York State has been empowered to implement significant reform to the health care system including long-overdue and necessary modernization of the state’s health care infrastructure.  Further, F-SHRP has increased access to patient care, while improving the quality of care through the establishment of medical homes. As a condition of the waiver, the state has consistently met annual goals to reduce Medicaid fraud and abuse. 

Beginning in 2006 and continuing through 2010, New York State made grant awards of approximately $2.5 billion in state and federal funds to finance more than 470 projects.  These awards are providing necessary financial support to help facilities undertake major projects, including developing supportive housing options as alternatives to nursing homes, revamping behavioral health services to better integrate medical and mental health care, and assisting facilities in developing health information technology interfaces to help coordinate care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Many hospitals also are in the process of using these funds to help finance major projects to improve efficiency and expand access, including developing new primary care clinics and shifting inpatient beds to outpatient space. 

While the funds have been committed to all of these worthy and complex projects, final completion of 350 of them may not occur before the current expiration of the F-SHRP waiver.

Facilities that responded in good faith to the federal and state calls for reform will need additional time to carry out these transformations. The procedures put in place to establish and oversee numerous grant programs, some of which require institutions to clear additional administrative conditions, help ensure the integrity of each awardee’s application, yet require a generous timeline.

As the continuation of F-SHRP becomes increasingly uncertain, many facilities in early stages of their projects are reconsidering moving ahead, further endangering the job-creating capital projects and long-term reform that will help build a more efficient and cost-effective health care system.

We believe New York State’s request for an F-SHRP extension is imperative and should be reviewed and approved expeditiously.  We look forward to working with you on this issue.