Update: Lake Placid ER decision

There’s still no word this morning on a final decision involving Lake Placid’s emergency room.  The board of directors of Adirondack Health met last night to discuss the future of the ER.

Adirondack Daily Enterprise reporter Chris Knight tells North Country Public Radio that the organization has declined to say if any vote had been taken or what the outcome was.

The issue has grown into a major controversy in Lake Placid, with many community leaders campaigning to keep the 24/7 emergency room open.

Adirondack Health has argued that the ER sees little traffic, especially late at night — and cost the non-profit hospital half a million dollars in red ink last year.

An effort to push through legislation in Albany that would allow the facility to operate as a part-time ER failed win approval.

Adirondack Health has proposed operating the facility as an “urgent care” clinic.  NCPR will update this story as more information becomes available.

Yesterday morning, NCPR reported that a final decision is expected tonight on the future of Lake Placid’s emergency room.

Adirondack Health has proposed reducing the facility to a part-time “urgent care clinic.”  That idea has sparked significant opposition in Lake Placid.

In that brief story, which I wrote, we included the following statement:

“Community leaders, including state Senator Betty Little, have criticized the plan to cut back operations at the small hospital in Lake Placid.”

A number of listeners and community leaders have contacted us to inquire about the source of our information about Sen. Little’s perspective on Adirondack Health’s decision.

The following comment was made to NCPR last month by Sen. Little in an interview, at a time when she was working to secure special legislative approval for the Lake Placid ER to operate part-time.

“We have so much activity in Lake Placid.  You can’t be an Olympic center and not have emergency services here. And to help our rescue squad when they’re coming from Wilmington, you know to Lake Placid you could say, ‘Well, what’s another 11 miles?’  Well during the day, that other 11 miles is pretty slow.”

In the interview, Sen. Little also pointed to the fact that Adirondack Health faces serious economic hurdles to maintaining the Lake Placid ER.

If a decision is made this evening, Adirondack Daily Enteprise reporter and NCPR contributor Chris Knight will have an update tomorrow morning during the 8 O’clock Hour.

 

 

Tags: health care, lake placid, little