Our discussions with SUNY Upstate

In late May, I announced that Community was interested in discussing a potential affiliation with SUNY Upstate University Hospital. Yesterday, I reported on the progress we have made in discussions with Upstate.

Here is the text of a memo I sent to members of the Community General family:

On Thursday, June 24, the Community General Hospital board of directors voted to approve a letter of intent that identifies CGH’s desire to negotiate a merger with Upstate University Hospital. I am very pleased to report that the ongoing discussions with University Hospital’s leadership have been productive. The potential benefits of a merger are encouraging for each facility, and more importantly, for the Central New York community.

This afternoon the SUNY Board of Trustees approved a resolution to support SUNY Upstate Medical University’s acquisition of Community General Hospital. As such, Community General Hospital would partner with Upstate University Hospital and expand Upstate Medical University’s clinical presence in the Syracuse area. The approval of the resolution today demonstrates SUNY’s commitment to improving the health care resources in the Syracuse area. CGH’s strategic plan to become part of a larger health system took a significant step forward because of the action by the SUNY trustees.

CGH and Upstate have drafted a vision and set of principles for the proposed relationship. Key among these is respect for the voluntary medical staff at CGH. These principles were reviewed at the semi-annual meeting of the CGH medical staff on June 12, 2010.

Planning committees related to finance, communications, and operations are currently being established with representatives from Upstate and CGH, while medical staff representatives are expected to begin discussions soon regarding clinical service improvements. In addition, Upstate has retained PricewaterhouseCoopers to develop a business plan for the proposed merged entity.

There are many parts to any new relationship, and our potential affiliation with Upstate is no different. A tremendous amount of progress has been made in a short period of time, and representatives from both institutions are working efficiently, but carefully, to establish the most comprehensive health care system for the community at large.

I will continue to keep the CGH family updated as additional details become available in the coming weeks and months. I thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to CGH and the patients we serve.