A broader look at affiliation

On May 19, I sent the following announcement to Community General family:

Yesterday, the CGH board of directors decided it was in the best interests of the community to examine more than one option for hospital affiliation. Accordingly, the board did not proceed to the next step of the merger planning process with Crouse Hospital. CGH remains interested in continuing strategic planning with Crouse, but not on an exclusive basis. Therefore, the board exercised its right to dissolve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which required exclusive joint planning.

Upstate University Hospital has recently provided CGH with an alternative strategic proposal, which is well-developed and comprehensive. The CGH board believes it is in the best interests of the community to examine all options when considering the community’s long-term needs for health care quality, service and access to care.

As details of this become clearer, I will, of course, provide additional information to the CGH family about these important issues.

We have much to be proud of - our medical staff, our employees, our facilities and the support of the community-at-large. We have demonstrated excellence in many areas. We continue to plan the best way to improve upon these assets as we prepare for the many changes to come in health care delivery, technology and finance.

I thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to CGH.