St. Luke's Cornwall (N.Y.) Hospital's emergency department closed at 7 a.m. Thursday morning.
St. Luke's officials announced plans in July to close the hospital's ED due to a decline in utilization in recent years. The ED was originally slated to close Oct. 1, but, about a month before the closure date, officials paused the application to shutter the ED until questions about access to care could be addressed with local leaders and elected officials. In December, hospital officials said the pause on closing the ED had been lifted.
The Cornwall facility's emergency services will be consolidated with services at the hospital's campus in Newburgh, N.Y. Emergency services were expanded at the Newburgh campus in preparation for the closure.
St. Luke's said an ambulance will be stationed outside of the Cornwall facility's ED for a week following the closure in case a patient who needs emergency medical treatment comes to the hospital.
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