After numerous requests, letters, and petitions from the community, Chautauqua County is one step closer to a new hospital.
Healthcare leaders joined Governor Kathy Hochul in Fredonia on Thursday to sign a beam on the $223 million Northern Chautauqua Hospital.
Hochul said replacing the aging Brooks Memorial Hospital means some residents won’t have to make the near-hour-long drive to Buffalo or Erie, Penn.
"The people of this fabulous, beloved county will have the peace of mind they deserve," she said. "They will not have to drive the 50 minutes to Buffalo unless they need specialized care, or 55 minutes to Erie, Pennsylvania, in the middle of an emergency. But also, this is about the professionals whose jobs these are. We are able to protect the 300 jobs that are so important. Those who stood on the front lines of COVID."
Hochul credited the community for getting shovels in the ground, saying countless letters, petitions, and rallies called on leaders for around a decade to get the new hospital built.
"You wrote letters. You signed petitions. Everything you could. You held the rallies to get this hospital built. So we are lucky to have you," she said. "People care enough about others to care about your neighbors to stand up and say we needed this, we needed this, and let's get it done. So you're part of this story."
Ken Morris, the president of Brooks TLC Hospital, said the new hospital will feature 20 private medical, surgical, and observation beds, an expanded 17 bay emergency department, three state-of-the-art operating rooms, and three procedure rooms, as well as a comprehensive imaging suite with MRI, CT, X-Ray, and mammography, with 47 exam rooms and dedicated primary and specialty care.
"Patients will be able to see their provider, conveniently access hospital services, in one location, which means fewer trips, fewer handoffs, and more coordinated care," said Morris.
The 133,000-square-foot facility on East Main Street is expected to open by 2029.
