Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health and Dunkirk, N.Y.-based Brooks-TLC Hospital System will work together to build a hospital in Fredonia, N.Y., as part of Gov Kathy Hochul's safety net transformation program.
The hospital will replace Brooks-TLC Hospital, a 65-bed facility in Dunkirk, N.Y. The facility is a participant in the rural directed payment template program and the vital access provider assistance program, which aim to keep financially distressed hospitals sustainable.
The project will be supported by $74 million from New York State. Kaleida and Brooks will submit a revised certificate-of-need application to the department of health, which will expedite approval, according to a June 3 news release.
As a hospital receiving state financial support, recipients were required to develop restructuring plans that would lead them to sustainability. As part of its restructuring, Brooks merged with TLC Network, and the combined entity affiliated with Kaleida.
The plan is to integrate Brooks-TLC Hospital into Kaleida as the new hospital comes online. The new hospital is expected to open within three years of approval.
"Our objective from day one has been and remains our unwavering commitment to our community to provide access to healthcare in the most efficient and fiscally responsible way possible, while attracting and retaining additional talent in this region," Ken Morris, president and CEO of Brooks-TLC Hospital System, said. "We are proud to be able to keep care close to home."