“Projects like this move our hospital forward and fulfill our mission to deliver world-class care right here in Jamestown,” said Brian Durniok, interim president, UPMC Chautauqua. “This $20 million project features an improved design, additional space, more privacy and modern amenities for patients and visitors.”

The new 42,000 square-foot expansion includes:

• Four labor and delivery suites and three triage rooms;
• 12 postpartum private rooms where patients will be able to heal;
• 10 inpatient adolescent mental health beds; and,
• 20 inpatient adult mental health beds.

The expansion project was made possible by a $26.4 million state grant, part of a $1.5 billion commitment made by the state in 2016 to assist health care providers fund capital improvements and further develop health systems.

Others who offered remarks at the ceremony included County Executive George Borrello; Betsy Wright, former UPMC Chautauqua president; Peter Stark, WCA Foundation board chair; and Steve Kilburn, UPMC Chautauqua board president.

Additionally, unveiled for the first time was a baby mural wall with more than 700 baby photos submitted by former patients. “Community is a very important part of what we do here. That is why we asked our friends, our patients, to help us share some thoughts and memories that we could feature in our new units,” said Durniok. In the mental health unit, an inspirational word art display includes about 100 submissions from the community.

“We’re grateful because expansion projects like this enable our medical staff to practice in a hospital with a very rich tradition of excellent local leadership and compassionate care that also is part of a nationally ranked academic medical center, strong hospital network and one of the largest provider-led integrated health care delivery and finance systems in the country,” said Durniok.

Betsy Wright

JAMESTOWN – The head of UPMC Chautauqua – formerly WCA Hospital – will be stepping down from her position at the end of this year.

That’s according to an article in Friday’s Post-Journal, which says UPMC Chautauqua president and CEO Betsy Wright will retire as of Dec. 31.

Wright has spent 35 years in the health care field and has worked at the local hospital for 29 years. She’s served as CEO since 1998.

Betsy Wright

JAMESTOWN – UPMC WCA Chautauqua held its 23rd Annual Meeting of the Corporations Thursday morning, with hospital president Betsy Wright, president along with members of the board offering a recap of the past year’s accomplishments and financial summary.

Wright said 2017 was highlighted with the hospital breaking ground on a $20 million, 44,000 sq ft addition that will provide a new Women’s and Maternity Care Center and a 20-bed inpatient adult and adolescent mental health program.  The construction project was funded by New York State’s Department of Health Essential Health Care Provider Support Program.

Wright reported on a number of other accomplishments including, a building project located at Jones Memorial Health Center to construct a long term residential treatment program slated to open in late 2018.

Wright noted the hospital welcomed 13 new physicians on its medical staff this past year.  The Hospital Association of New York State also reported UPMC Chautauqua WCA generated $213,000,000 in economic activity in 2017.

Other 2017 highlighted results:

• Acquired high-precision image-guided system for cardiovascular and interventional imaging to assists physicians in a variety of services including, interventional radiology, diagnostic cardiac catheterization, pain management, and AICD placement.
• First hospital in Chautauqua County to receive New York State Department of Health Primary Stroke Center designation.
• As a major safety net provider in southern Chautauqua County, UPMC Chautauqua WCA preserved health care access for the region’s most vulnerable populations, rendering services and care that amounted to millions of dollars.

To learn more about hospital services and programs, visit UPMCChautuauquaWCA.org.

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JAMESTOWN -The $20 million UPMC Chautauqua WCA expansion project reached another milestone Thursday when the final structural steel beam was put in place.

UPMC Chautauqua WCA officials and community leaders gather to sign the final steel beam that was put in place on April 12, 2018 as part of the hospital’s expansion effort. (Image from WCA)

Dozens of hospital employees and local officials gathered for the ceremony, which featured iron workers placing a final steel beam atop the future site of the Women’s and Maternity Care Center and Adolescent and Adult Mental Health Inpatient Units.

WCA president Betsy Wright said the new programs are fundamental to the health and safety of the region.

“UPMC Chautauqua WCA has been and will continue to be, the main source of health care for a large percentage of area residents,” Wright said. “Maintaining our hospital as a key provider in this region is critical.  The major goal of the construction project is to consolidate and enhance our current obstetrics and prenatal delivery system and bring inpatient mental health services from Jones Memorial Health Center to the Foote Avenue campus.”

The multi-million-dollar construction project began in mid-September of 2017, commencing with demolition of the existing ambulance building and verification of existing structural features for steel fabrication. Concrete foundations progressed through winter and finished on-time to allow setting of structural steel.

Funds for the project were made possible from New York State through The Essential Health Care Provider Support Program. With the integration of WCA Hospital in 2016 into the UPMC network, UPMC relieved the hospital of its debt, covered its pension obligations, and freed up significant additional monies for future developments.

The two-story WCA addition is located above the hospital’s emergency department. Once completed, the hospital will relocate labor and delivery, post-partum, nursery and an operating room to the new third floor space, while the fourth floor space will house inpatient psychiatric care, including a 10-bed adolescent unit and a 20-bed unit for adults. (Image by WRFA)

In addition, UPMC committed $25 million in capital improvements and more recently, $30 million in information systems.

Steve Kilburn, chair UPMC Chautauqua WCA Board of Directors, said the new building project will serve the growing needs of the community for years to come.

“Today marks yet another milestone in our hospital’s ongoing commitment to provide world-class health care to our region,” Kilburn said. “A state-of-the-art Women’s and Maternity Care Center will serve growing families in our community for years to come. This hospital also remains committed to providing a full-range of behavioral health services, including brand-new inpatient mental health units.  With these and other advances at UPMC Chautauqua WCA, our local health care system grows stronger, our families and communities become healthier, and our hospital’s investment in our local economy becomes even greater.”

The 42,000 square-foot expansion will meet the growing health care needs and feature:

• 4 labor and delivery suites
• 12 post-partum private rooms where patients will be able to heal
• 10 inpatient adolescent mental health rooms
• 20 inpatient adult mental health rooms, including a spacious waiting area,

The expansion will feature the design, space, privacy, and modern amenities our community residents need and deserve.

Image by WRFA

“We are excited for UPMC Chautauqua WCA, Betsy, her leadership team, and hospital staff in their assurance to continue to serve this community with world-class care,” said UPMC VP and CFO of Community Services Division Edward Karlovich. “When UPMC welcomes a new hospital into its network, as we did Chautauqua WCA in 2016, we are as committed to its local communities as the hospital is committed to providing and preserving local health care. This is at the heart of what we do. Together, we advance health care and innovation now and into the future.  We are proud to be a part of this special day and the world-class expansion project that will meet the local needs as outlined today.”

Event attendees included city officials and representatives from Congressman Tom Reed’s office and New York State Senator Cathy Young’s office.

The construction project is slated to open in the summer of 2019.

At 12:30 p.m. the hospital will hold a Beam-signing and topping off ceremony to mark the completion of assembling the structural steel for the hospital’s new Women’s and Maternity Care Center and inpatient adolescent and adult mental health units.

The $26 million expansion project was announced near the end of 2016 after WCA merged with UPMC –  Pennsylvania’s largest health system. Clark Patterson Lee handled the project design and LeChase Construction is the lead contractor.

Among those who will be on hand for the occasion are UPMC Chautauqua WCA president Betsy Wright, WCA Board Chair Steve Kilburn, WCA Foundation chair Peter Stark, and State assemblyman Andy Goodell – among others.

The two-story addition is located above the hospital’s emergency department. Once completed, the hospital will relocate labor and delivery, post-partum, nursery and an operating room to the new third floor space, while the fourth floor space will house inpatient psychiatric care, including a 10-bed adolescent unit and a 20-bed unit for adults.

Funding for the project comes from a $26.4 million grant awarded in March by DOH to support sustainability efforts and infrastructure improvements.

Thursday’s event is several months in the making and follows the special ground breaking event for the project that took place in May 2017.

Hospital officials stand with Sen. Catherine Young (center, wearing red) and other guests during a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion project at UPMC Chautauqua WCA involving the hospital’s maternity and mental health service departments.

JAMESTOWN – Officials with UPMC Chautauqua WCA held a ground breaking ceremony Friday to begin the process of building a new 18,000-square-foot addition to the hospital on Foote Ave.

UPMC Chautauqua WCA president Betsy Wright.

Once completed, the $26.4 million project will provide a new, state-of-the-art maternity department, along with an upgraded mental health services department that will provide psychiatric care for children and adults dealing with mental illness.

Funding for the project comes from a state grant that was awarded to the hospital in 2016 and which was part of a $1.5 billion commitment by the state to assist hospitals with their capital improvement projects.

Clark Patterson Lee handled the project design and LeChase Construction will handle the construction.

The project is expected to be completed some time in 2019.

Prior to the groundbreaking, WCA President Betsy Wright delivered a recap of the past year’s accomplishments and financial summary at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Corporations. The annual report, which was entitled “131 Years Strong and Getting Stronger Each Day” – is available for public review at the Hospital’s website.

UPMC Chautauqua WCA announced late last week that it has been awarded $700,000 in state funding for the construction of a 20-bed, long-term residential treatment program in Jamestown.

The program, which will be located at Jones Memorial Health Center at 51 Glasgow Ave., can treat patients for up to a year and is designed for individuals suffering from severe and chronic drug addiction.

According to UPMC Chautauqua WCA, the long-term program will fill a “substantial and significantly-needed disparity” in local services that has been forcing patients to leave the area for care.

“We are becoming even stronger in Jamestown as we expand our efforts to combat the disease of addiction and expand critically needed long-term residential services in the region,” said Betsy Wright, president, UPMC Chautauqua WCA. “Our new residential program is about saving lives and providing individuals with the essential and necessary resources that will allow them to overcome addiction and enjoy life.  As a major health care anchor in the region, UPMC Chautauqua WCA’s strategy moving forward will be to encompass the philosophy of community benefit including adding jobs, investing in the improved health of the community, and improving the overall well-being of the people we serve while building an even stronger and healthier hospital, city, and region.”

Local officials and advocates have lauded the announcement, saying long-term addiction support is something the Jamestown area has been in desperate need of.

The state funding is part of an $8.1 million grant awarded to eight addiction treatment providers in seven counties across New York state.

Last week WCA Hospital and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) announced that the integration agreement was finalized and approved by New York State.  The move allows WCA to integrate into the UPMC network. The change also brings a new name to WCA, which will now be known as UPMC Chautauqua WCA.

UPMC Chautauqua WCA is the first New York State hospital and the first hospital outside of Pennsylvania to integrate with world-renowned UPMC, based in Pittsburgh.

As part of the signed agreement, UPMC will invest at least $25 million over the next 10 years to support WCA’s mission. UPMC also has agreed to relieve WCA’s debt and cover its pension obligations, freeing up significant additional monies for WCA development.

UPMC Chautauqua WCA will continue to operate as an acute-care community hospital providing high-quality inpatient, outpatient and emergency department services to the Chautauqua County region.

WCA President/CEO Betsy Wright said the move positions to hospital to become stronger than ever, calling the integration the culmination of a five-year process of assessing the future of health care for Jamestown and meeting the challenges of today’s evolving health care industry.

JAMESTOWN – WCA Hospital is partnering with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services for a safe sleep study designed to prevent sleep-related infant deaths.

Sleep-related death is the number-one killer of infants 1 to 12 months old in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that almost 2,500 infants die in the US each year while sleeping or napping. That’s nearly seven babies every day.

During the study, hospital maternity care staff will share information on the importance of creating a safe sleep environment for infants with parents of newborns. Maternity care staff will emphasize that infants sleep safest alone, on their backs in a crib, the ABCs of Safe Sleep. Parents will be surveyed later to determine if they’re following safe sleep practices at home.

WCA Hospital President and CEO, Betsy Wright, said the study compliments WCA’s existing efforts to teach parents and caregivers about the importance of infant safe sleep practices.  “WCA Hospital’s mission is to protect our community,” Mrs. Wright said.  “We are pleased to be a collaborative health partner in this study with a common goal to prevent the risk of sleep-related infant deaths.”

Locally, the Southern Tier Child Health and Safety Team (CHST), a child fatality review team, has investigated five infant deaths linked to unsafe sleep environments since the team formed in 2010. The team helped recruit local hospitals to participate in the Safe Sleep Kits Study.

Southern Tier Health Care System CEO Donna Kahm coordinates the Child Health and Safety Team. She said despite ongoing safe sleep campaigns locally and across New York, infants continue to die due to unsafe sleep environments.

“Sadly, most of these deaths are preventable,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important to continue to share safe sleep messages with parents and caregivers so they can take proactive steps to protect their newborns.”

As part of the study, new parents will receive a safe sleep kit including a tote bag, a door hanger with safe sleep information, written information on safe sleep, a book on safe sleep, a safe sleep DVD and a Halo Infant Sleep Sack. The kit will also include a safe sleep mirror cling and refrigerator magnet from the Department of Health. Parents will be asked to sign a consent form so researchers can survey them approximately one month after discharge. Parents will receive a safe sleep kit and information even if they decline to participate in the survey following discharge from the hospital.

Hospitals participating in the study include Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville, Niagara County Medical Center, Olean General Hospital and WCA Hospital in Jamestown.

Supported by a grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), the Southern Tier Child Health and Safety Team was founded to explore the causes of preventable child deaths and make recommendations to the community to prevent child deaths and improve the health and safety of children in Allegany and Cattaraugus counties.

Child Health and Safety Team Member agencies include the OCFS Buffalo Regional Office, Southern Tier Health Care System, the New York State Police, Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, the Allegany County and Cattaraugus County Departments of Social Services, Departments of Health, County Attorney’s Offices, District Attorney’s Offices and Coroner’s Offices, Olean General Hospital, Jones Memorial Hospital, Cuba Memorial Hospital, Olean Police Department, Salamanca Police Department, Wellsville Police Department, Dr. Pamela Salzmann, Allegany/Western Steuben Rural Health Network and the NYS Sudden Infant and Child Death Resource Center.

For more information about the Child Health and Safety Team or child safety, please call (716) 372-0614 or visit www.sthcs.org.