62 Health-Care Facilities Apply for $550 Million in Funds to Implement Berger Commission Mandates

ALBANY, NY, July 18, 2007 - Sixty-two hospitals and nursing homes have submitted applications for financial assistance to implement the mandates of the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, also known as the Berger Commission.

The total requested by the facilities is $2.5 billion. The state Health Department has $550 million available, funded from the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY) and the Federal-State Health Reform Partnership (F-SHRP). The funding will reimburse facilities for expenses incurred since January 1, 2007, because many facilities' efforts to comply with Berger have already incurred significant costs.

Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., said, "We're pleased with the overwhelming response. Each application was required to include a compliance plan, and we are very pleased with the number of facilities who have indicated they will comply. We are moving forward toward full implementation in a manner that will improve health care for all New Yorkers."

Dr. Daines added, "The task before us now is to analyze the applications and award the funding in keeping with the law. The best applications will fully comply with the Commission's mandates, have the fewest barriers to implementation, and be considered financially feasible and cost-effective." DOH anticipates announcing all awards before the end of September.

The recommendations of the Berger Commission became a legal mandate on January 1. Grant applications must outline how the facility will implement the directives by June 30, 2008, in a reasonable and cost-efficient manner. The Commission's final report in November 2006 spells out the principles underlying these grants:

  • Public funds for implementation of Commission mandates must be used judiciously and in the most prudent possible manner;
  • Facilities must self-fund their own closure, conversion, affiliation or rightsizing as much as possible, and can use private third-party financing and, in the case of closures, the sale of assets; and
  • The costs of implementation must be shared among all interested parties, and the State need only contribute a portion of these costs.

"The goals of the Commission - to strengthen New York's delivery of acute and long-term care - are being realized," Commissioner Daines said. "Health Department staff are working with all the affected facilities to ensure that their plans are implemented in a cost-effective manner, keeping in mind the need to ensure local health and safety of affected nursing home residents and hospital patients. We will achieve better health-care quality and a more affordable health-care system with the community-based services that New Yorkers truly need."

DOH and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) will review applications to determine the minimum public investment needed. The grants will be awarded through a contract to implement a facility's compliance plan and the Commission's requirements.

The State Health Department anticipates offering another round of HEAL NY grant awards later this year regarding community services, such as long-term care, primary care, women's health care, health information technology, and other efforts in which health-care institutions are expected to seek local input as they design more outpatient services for their area to meet Berger mandates.

The applicants are:

  1. A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility
  2. Albany County Nursing Home and Ann Lee Infirmary
  3. Albert Lindley Lee Memorial Hospital
  4. Andrus on Hudson
  5. Auburn Memorial Hospital
  6. Bellevue Woman's Medical Center Inc.
  7. Benedictine Hospital
  8. Bertrand Chaffee Hospital
  9. Beth Israel Medical Center
  10. Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center
  11. Brooks Memorial Hospital
  12. Brunswick Hospital Center
  13. Cabrini Medical Center
  14. Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation
  15. Community General Hospital
  16. Eastern Long Island Hospital
  17. Ellis Hospital & St. Clare's Hospital
  18. Erie County Medical Center Corporation
  19. Glendale Home
  20. John T. Mather Memorial Hospital
  21. Kaleida Health
  22. Lakeside Nursing Home Inc.
  23. Lenox Hill Hospital (on behalf of Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital (MEETH)
  24. Lockport Memorial Hospital and Inter-Community Memorial Hospital
  25. Long Beach Medical Center
  26. Mercy of Northern New York
  27. Mercy Skilled Nursing Facility
  28. Mount View Health Facility
  29. Nassau University Medical Center
  30. Nazareth Nursing Home
  31. New York Downtown Hospital
  32. New York Methodist Hospital
  33. New York Westchester Square Medical Center
  34. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
  35. North General Hospital
  36. Orange Regional Medical Center
  37. Peconic Bay Medical Center
  38. Peninsula Hospital Center
  39. Queens Hospital Center
  40. Sheehan Memorial Hospital
  41. Sound Shore Medical Center
  42. Southampton Hospital
  43. Split Rock Rehabilitation and Health Care Center
  44. St. Charles Hospital
  45. St. Elizabeth Home
  46. St. John's Episcopal Hospital, South Shore
  47. St. Joseph Hospital of Cheektowaga
  48. St. Vincent's Midtown Hospital
  49. Stony Brook University Hospital
  50. SUNY Upstate Medical University, University Hospital
  51. The Avenue & Dutch Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers
  52. The Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry
  53. The Kingston Hospital
  54. TLC Health Network
  55. United Helpers Canton Nursing Home, Inc.
  56. Valley View Center for Nursing Care & Rehabilitation
  57. Van Duyn Home and Hospital
  58. Victory Memorial Hospital
  59. Westchester Medical Center
  60. Westfield Memorial Hospital, Inc.
  61. Williamsville Suburban, LLC
  62. Willow Point