Clifton Springs Hosp & Clinic

Name :

Clifton Springs Hosp & Clinic

Address  :

2 Coulter Road

Town  :

Clifton Springs

State  :

New York

Country  :

USA

Post Code:

14432

Phone  :

315 462 9561

Web URL  :

Available

Email  :

CommunityRelations@cshosp.com

Description

About Clifton Springs Hospital amp Clinic
We are a 262bed Joint Commissionaccredited Hospital and Nursing Home providing preventive and restorative care to individuals and families in the Finger Lakes region We maintain outpatient facilities in Ontario Wayne and Seneca Counties while conducting all inpatient and some outpatient Medical Surgical and Behavioral Health care on the campus where our work began as the Clifton Springs Sanitarium Company in 1850

Centers for Joint Replacement Diabetes Education Integrative Medicine and Wound Care allow patients of the Hospital access to highly skilled practitioners in a culture that is professional convenient and personal

The sulfur spring for which the Sanitarium and later the Village would be named still feeds a brook that runs along the west border of our campus The therapeutic properties of these waters are put to use today in The Springs Integrative Medicine Center amp Spa located on the first floor of the Hospitals main building

We are proud to be a major employer in the region and a supporter of the communities in which we live and care for others Our employees and volunteers are involved in many outside groups and activites and bring their varied experiences to the Hospital to make for a culture of inclusion integrity and respect If this sounds appealing to you we may be the right place for you to work or volunteer

History

Our Past
Narrative portion of the booklet is provided courtesy of the Village Historian
Frederick L Gifford

HENRY FOSTERS VISION18501900

It is difficult for many of us who have lived here over the years to believe that here we are in the year 2000 a new century ready to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the present day Clifton Springs Hospital amp Clinic

Dr Henry Foster was born at Norwich VT on January 18th 1821 Henry attended the Milan Normal School in Ohio where he studied under his brother Dr Hubbard Foster and brotherinlaw Dr Horner He later entered the Medical College at Cleveland Ohio an allopathic institution and a department of the Western Reserve University He graduated from there in February of 1848 receiving the title of Doctor of Medicine

Many of the Foster family were Methodists and early in young Henrys life he developed a strong religious outlook which was to become the center of his work and legacy We must remember that in this time the practice of medicine was in its infancy Approved practice consisted of bleeding purging blistering setons sweatings and the like along with the copious use of the then known drugs Dr Foster made an extensive study of hydrotherapy and homeopathy with noted results He was indeed entering medicine at an exciting time and throughout his life always investigated the latest medical knowledge

There were several others at the time that were experimenting with baths and Henry anxious to step out on his own heard of springs located on the line of the N Y Central amp Hudson Railroad in the Finger Lakes Section of New York State He investigated and arrived here in 1849 by train to see the spot It was also at this time that he had a quotvisitationquot much like St Paul in the Bible Remarking on the event in later years he said quotIt was about 2 oclock in the morning when the heavens seemed to open and the Glory of God filled my whole being In spirit I asked quotWhat wilt Thou have me to doquot I believed immediately that the Lord had a task for me and set about itquot He purchased land in and around the springs and set to work to begin his own special Water Cure Facility Here he would welcome the ill and weary to renew their bodies

I wish that we had records to refer to in order to better view those early days It must have been a struggle in this community of only a few houses a little white church and few workmen to set forth on such a venture His first buildings were of local wood His company was begun February the 24th of 1850 and with his own funds in the amount of about a thousand dollars he convinced others to purchase shares in his venture 20 shares at 500

The Water Cure Facility was completed and opened for guests on September 13th 1850 Guests were charged for board room and medical care at the rate of 5 to 8 per week The institution when completed came to a little over 23000 This amount was soon liquidated and a dividend paid

For the first 18 months Dr Foster was the only physician and spent time looking not only to his guests medical needs but their spiritual needs as well Using the sulphur water from the nearby springs he developed several types of baths for the use of his patients In addition he stressed the need for good physical practices such as the control of diet and the benefit of walking and exercise Wood was the only fuel to begin with and lights were candles The doctors early years were a continued worry about the possibility of fire It was said at the time that many a night he would be seen roaming the establishment checking to make sure his guests were safe and his buildings secure

To go into the day by day accounts of how the institution grew I refer you to the book on Dr Fosters life by Samuel H Adams Chaplain from 1898 until 1915 Copies are available at the local Clifton Springs Library

I want to touch lightly on the progress of the institution As the popularity of the Water Cure increased Dr Foster began a second set of buildings made of brick in 1856 which were completed by 1871 This greatly enlarged the number of rooms In 1871 the name was changed to the Clifton Springs Sanitarium Company During those years he introduced new medical items including hand massage Turkish and salt baths the first steps in hygienic treatment and provided for indoor exercise with the addition of a gymnasium A center in this new set of buildings was a chapel where guests and staff alike were encouraged to seek spiritual healing and assistance on a daily basis

By the year 1891 work had begun on a new rail line the Lehigh Valley Railroad which ran just south of the village This additional line made possible an increase in the influx of new patients to the doctors ever enlarging facility The doctor envisioned a final set of buildings and early in 1882 tore down the West half of his facility This stately building was the crowning glory of his life This new building was 244 feet long and five stores in height with a large glassed in area on its roof known as the Solarium Of the finest red brick it originally hadpeaked towers These were later removed as a safety measure In the new facility there were gas electric lights and the latest of medical tools The medical staff was increased and guests flocked to the Sanitarium the San

The doctor weakened by the long hours of work began in the 1880s to take winter vacations in Florida Here he developed a home away from home and brought new life to the area of central Florida with his orange groves and spiritual outlook This benefited an entirely new section of the country

At Clifton Springs the growth of Dr Fosters facility had a direct effect on village growth As patients flocked here there arose in the village new stores to provide their every need Food hardware clothing shoes jewelry schools churches and just about everything you can think of came into being Most of the community was in some way connected with the institution What the San wanted the San got and all benefited Dr Fosters dream had indeed been fulfilled

MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE BLOSSOMS
19001950

Early in 1900 with the Sanitarium one of the most popular stopping off spots in the area the health of its founder Dr Henry Foster began to fail He and his wife had in 1881 executed a special quotDeed of Trustquot The entire plant its equipment and holdings were to be held in trust and overseen by a Board of thirteen Trustees In this way realizing his mortality he envisioned that his facility would go forward when he was no longer here to attend to its daily leadership

On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the institution in 1900 Dr Foster spoke briefly using as his text quotWhat Hath God Wroughtquot It was indeed evident what he and the Good Lord had been able to accomplish On January 15th1901 the doctor passed away His wife Mary Foster was able to carry on as superintendent until 1916 when she passed away and was laid to rest in the Foster plot in the cemetery on Pearl Street That same year the Buck family close friends of the Fosters purchased a Tiffany mosaic and had it installed in the chapel of the 1896 building Today it remains a gem in our midst

The Sanitarium continued to draw people from all over the country and the world at large It was known for its fine medical doctors the excellent nursing staff and the spacious facility in which to seek cures and revitalization It continued to stress as in Dr Fosters day that it was the mind and well as the whole body that needed healing and rebuilding from time to time

The Board of Trustees building upon the past continued to look for all avenues of improved medicine The entire sense of medical knowledge was expanding daily as things like germs new drugs xrays and operating tools came into being In the early 1900s most doctors now graduated from medical schools with a specialty They continued tolearn the basics of medicine but now one picked the heart to study further another internal medicine another vision another the science of blood and what it could now tell us One was good in bone injuries one in damage to the brain another in sight and still another in the testing of new equipment coming on line

In the last years of Dr Fosters life he had begun a nursing school here in Clifton Springs The first graduating class was in 1894 and the nursing school continued until the Class of 1934 By that time area colleges were giving courses in nursing and the cost to continue the training school here was too much During the years of the 1st World War several of the nurses from here entered military service and performed their dedicated services to those fallen or injured in conflict

One of the important changes in this first part of the 20th Century was the arrival of the automobile Never before had the general public had the ability to move so far so quickly By the 1920s the age of the horse had for the most part passed into history In the early depression years the San continued to serve the hundreds that came here for their medical care As the field of medicine was changing so also became the need for new additions to the old San of 1896 In 1926 the Trustees of the hospital decided to add a new medical wing naming it the Woodbury Building after Dr Malcolm Woodbury a noted doctor of the era Now the doctors on staff would have a medical wing of their own The main building would continue to house additional patient rooms the administration nursing facilities and staff

The depression caused a slow down in hospital activities for due to lack of funds people put off many major medical operations for as long as they could In the village family doctors continued to receive an everincreasing load The hospital however ran into a period when several floors had to be shut down By the time of the early 1940s with the country facing a 2nd World War several on the staff left to perform their services in their countrys time of need At one time it was even thought that the federal government might take over the facility as a Veterans Hospital Fortunately public opinion fought for it to remain as it was

Following the end of WWII a new set of doctors flocked here to begin their service to the hospital and area I mention here a few of the time who served with distinction Dr Bernard Watson was elected Medical Staff Director in 1946 Dr Samuel Munford had been superintendent here at one time coming to Clifton Springs as early as 1916 Dr James Blanton arrived here in 1946 a specialist first in pediatrics and later in rheumatic diseases Dr R Willard Brand of Brooklyn arrived about the same time headed internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases Dr George Brown served as a radiologist Dr Glenn Copeland headed the Department of pathology Dr Harry Kittell came as a dental surgeon Dr Stephen Brouwer arrived in 1947 skilled in gastroenterology and internal medicine Dr Raymond Maslyn was a chief surgical resident Dr William Eikner became one of our outstanding surgeons Dr William Ahroon headed the Department of Otolaryn gology Dr Robert Price arrived in 1937 left for war service and returned to serve in the surgical department for many years before retiring Dr Richard Platzer came in 1946 as a specialist in internal medicine Other names of the era were doctors by the name of Schopbach Schubmehl and Gregory Sarr I am sure that there were others but these come quickly to mind

At the Centennial celebration of 1950 the hospital and village turned out for a special toast to the Clifton Springs Sanitarium and Clinic as they began a new century Unendowed and supported by no public funds the small Water Cure of 1850 had certainly come a long way in 100 years The early sulphur baths and massage had expanded to bacteriological labs an xray room two operating rooms a chemical lab a blood count center a pathological lab and services in ophthalmology and otolaryngology What would the next fifty years bring We wondered and could only guess about the future

RENEWAL
19502000

The time of celebration in 1950 had just settled down when we all realized that many new changes were coming The old Water Cure of Fosters day had changed to the busy time of the Sanitarium era Now in this age of ever new developments in the medical fields we knew that the old ways were coming to an end This was to become a time of renewal People now came here not to rest and relax but when in truth they needed medical attention or had a pressing medical need

The Board of Trustees and the administration of the hospital knew that they had to begin to update their facility What course should they follow Should they try and do over the San building of 1896 or should they build for the next century and raise an entirely new facility How would the costs compare Where would the funds come from Could they really continue this excellent hospital in the face of the changes being made around us or would Dr Fosters dream come to an end With faith in what they were doing and with the rich history of their past as a basis they decided to build anew

By the mid1960s the Trustees had put into play what the cost of a new facility would be with the thought to tear down the old 1896 building when the new building was completed Plans were approved funds projected and building begun It was decided to locate the new facility behind the old San taking up more than threequarters of the lovely park of Dr Fosters era The land was there why not use it and prepare to meet the next generation with the best in advancing medical know how The new construction was centered around a twofloor lobby with two story medical wings running off it to the west north and east To the south would run a new one story medical wing with multiple doctors offices and treatment centers A bit of the old park was even rescued and is still a bright spot outside the hospital today complete with duck pond and walking lanes

At the same time the new hospital was being built a decision had to be made regarding the old 1896 building Why would you destroy such a fine building if it could be put to some use It was estimated that it would cost in excess of 100000 to tear it down Concerned citizens backed by assemblywoman Mildred Taylor of Lyons and Albert Kamm of the Baptist Church Chaplain at the hospital went to work to see if it could be saved Financing for the renovations was obtained through government sources The NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal served as the supervisory agency The name of the facility was changed to the Spa Apartments and is owned by several NY investors calling themselves Clifton Springs Associates

The building with an address of 11 East Main Street in Clifton Springs was turned into a new independent living facility and converted from top to bottom into 119 apartments for senior citizens This meant doing over all 5 floors of the building and putting in all new wiring electric and equipment There are three 2bedroom apartments fiftyfive 1bedroom apartments and 61 efficiencies Ovid Randall who helped lead the renovations was selected to become the manager of the new facility Spa Apartments opened for business in the spring of 1974 and has been filled almost to capacity since that time

The new hospital buildings were dedicated on January 30 1972 by the administration headed by Gerald Duffner MD clinical doctors and many of the hospital staff to say nothing of a large community following The building had the latest in medical equipment private rooms for acute patients even a monorail system which was later found to be less than successful In 1981 a Cardiology Department was established which provided the first rehabilitation program in the area That same year it was sad to see the maternity ward closed for henceforth we would have no new Cliftonians by birth In 1982 the new hospital was given a 3year accreditation In 1984 ours was the first hospital in the area to offer Neurology services By 1985 Radiation Oncology was offered In 1995 a new two story medical wing was added to the clinic area Since that time they have added a third story to the patient wings enlarging the capacity offered to senior citizens confined due to disabilities

Over the period from 1950 to 2000 we have seen a complete changeover of our entire medical staff and most of the earlier Sanitarium employees The specialty practitioners in todays hospital include cardiology dentistry dermatology endocrinology ear nose amp throat emergency medicine family practice gastroenterology general surgery gynecology infectious diseases internal medicine nephrology neurology oncologyhematology ophthalmology orthopaedic surgery pulmonary diseases reconstructive surgery psychiatry psychology radiation oncology radiology thoracic surgery urology and vascular surgery And dont close the list We do not know what new fields of medical endeavor may come to light

As we enter this 21st century the field of medicine continues to expand and develop Imagine the ills that have been cured and the suffering that today can be relieved because of these able and skilled hands Our lives today grant us a life span of over seventy years if were lucky Who would have thought in the days of Dr Foster that in our major hospitals of today we are able to replace body parts and even put in new hearts Through the developments of research we may still be only at the beginning of what might one day be realized

Thankful that we have this valued facility within our small village and looking forward to tomorrow we salute their 150 years of service to us all

THIS YEAR 2000 AND BEYOND

In this year 2000 the Clifton Springs Hospital amp Clinic is proud of its past record and looks forward to this new century wherein we will continue to provide the best health care services to all who enter our doors seeking help in time of need

We have a present bed complement of 262 beds of which 100 are medicalsurgical 6 intensive care 30 addiction recovery 18 mental health and 108 in our nursing home In the 108 nursing home beds there is a 25 bed dementia unit a 4 bed unit for ventilator care and the remaining 79 beds for skilled nursing care and short term rehabilitation Acute inpatient admissions for 1999 were approximately 3000 emergency department visits were approximately 9000 and inpatientoutpatient surgeries exceeded 3000 with over 95000 outpatient visits

The Clifton Springs Hospital amp Clinic through the Charity Care Policy provides to patients who meet certain criteria medical services without charge or at a lower cost During 1999 the total cost of these services to the institution was some 667633

We are providing education in preventative care and educational seminars to the community at large

An Auxiliary was formed in 1959 with 33 charter members In 1999 several of these members were still serving We currently have some 120 Volunteers 60 of which belong to the Auxiliary These volunteers donate from two hours a month to 30 hours a week and serve in areas such as the lobby shop the library the emergency department the operating room health services the information desk in the nursing home at physical therapy the cancer center food services and the new spiritual care unit

In 1999 a Volunteer Greeters Program was formed which presently numbers 12 These persons welcome early arrivals and direct them through the admission and registration process During this past year the emergency department volume increased by 14 and a new and enlarged emergency department was constructed The Finger Lakes Community Cancer Center in the same period provided 5195 treatments to cancer patients which reflected a 28 increase over the previous year Information systems were updated and the laboratory added the Troponin assay to the labs testing menu

The nursing home operated at 98 capacity with patients ranging from 30 to 100 in age This enlarged facility has made possible the treatment of almost double its original number

The surgical department acquired a new Holmium laser for Urology cases Presently we are the only area hospital to have a laser of this caliber The department also acquired a microwave therapy device for prostate treatment

Other unique additions to hospital programs included molecular coincidence detection and dual head PET scanning stereotactic core needle biopsy for breast care full body densitometry for diagnosing osteoporosis and a Hospitalist or physician to take care of inpatients to the hospital

In 2000 the hospital has embarked upon a new program under the name of quotThe Springs of Cliftonquot This represents Integrated Health Care for the mind body and spirit where complementary therapies will be offered The goal is to support the maintenance of health and well being and the process of healing The services offered are massage therapy chiropractic acupuncture and hydrotherapy The Medical Staff is composed of primary care physicians as well as many different specialists to meet the demands of health care in our community and surrounding area As we enter this new century we have 56 active physicians of which 88 are board certified Our quotcourtesy physiciansquot total 78 allied health 28 and consultants 2 bringing our staff members to a total of 164 And What of Tomorrow

Tomorrow is anyones guess Who knows what new fields of medicine might open up Who knows if our Clifton Springs Hospital Board of Trustees the Medical Staff and Administrative Staff will again seek to enlarge the facility add new services or convert existing space and services to other programs Much will depend upon the cost the need and laws which govern hospitals and their operations

One thing is a given that Clifton Springs Hospital will continue its traditional care traditional values and commitment to modern technology Services will continue to be offered at its main campus and off site locations in the communities served Emphasis will remain focused on such programs as cancer care behavioral health primary care cardiacvascular diseases elderly care and the specialty and subspecialty services for which Clifton is known The organization will adapt to changing times with a pledge to maximize its strengths and resources while recognizing the benefits of affiliation

Questions arise Today parking at the hospital is almost at capacity Should a concrete multifloor parking building be erected in the rear of the institution to help solve this problem This would certainly free up area to the west of the present buildings for future expansion should it be warranted As long as we are only projecting guesses maybe it could even include a helicopter landing spot on its roof

So many things are possible but they all depend on the outlook of the time What will the financial status be Will funds still be there from Medicare Medicaid and managed care organizations How will future insurance coverage effect expansion and further development

We are fortunate that we find the institution itself today in good health as we enter the dawn of a new era The Clifton Springs Hospital amp Clinic Board of Trustees and Management Team is determined to see that we have the finest in physicians modern facilities caring nurses and staff with which to provide the needed medical needs of all those who come here as patients Its a big job but one filled with rewards What better business could we be in than that of healing and putting worn and torn bodies back together to face a new day

With thankfulness to all those who have gone before and with trust in our abilities to meet the task of a new century we look forward with pleasure to the years ahead If we can continue to carry forward the vision of Dr Henry Foster who began this enterprise 150 years ago we will indeed have fulfilled the goal he then sought to bring about As he said there is a HIGHER POWER who is overlooking this enterprise Indeed the age of miracles has not passed