Community Memorial Hospital

Description

Community Memorial Hospital is a modern healthcare system providing primary care performing sophisticated orthopedic surgery offering familyoriented birthing facilities meeting the burgeoning demand for same day surgery offering skilled nursing facilities for the elderly population and convalescing patients and providing a complete roster of diagnostic testing and ancillary services

The hospital is one of the few small facilities nationwide to earn a VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence in Surgical Complications and Infection Prevention The hospital was awarded the Gold Seal from the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is a recipient of the HealthGrades 2008 Joint Replacement Excellence Award Community Memorial which has received fivestar rating for joint replacement total knee replacement and hip replacement is ranked 2 among all New York State hospitals for joint replacement and among the top five percent of hospitals nationwide

Community Memorial Hospital serves a population of 45000 people in 27 communities throughout Madison County and the eastern sections of Onondaga County as well as parts of Chenango and Oneida Counties In 2006 the hospital admitted 2511 patients treated 11517 patients in emergency services and had 26807 patient visits to the five hospitalowned Family Health Centers A safety net for the people of Central New York Community Memorial is dedicated to treating all patients regardless of ability to pay

The hospital is directed by a 15member Board of Directors comprising influential business education and civic leaders

The youthful medical staff includes 52 highly trained physicians who appreciate the special nature of rural practices Departments include Family Practice Orthopedics General Surgery Obstetrics Gynecology Cardiology Urology Ophthalmology ENT Emergency Medicine Anesthesiology Radiology and Pathology

Community Memorial employs 382 people at wages and salaries comparable to Syracuse hospitals and is a major economic force in Madison County Eightynine registered nurses 32 licensed practical nurses and 33 certified nurse aides make up the largest department in the hospital and with the medical staff have created an atmosphere of personal care Despite a nationwide shortage all nursing positions at Community Memorial are filled due in part to its active educational programs

Education is an important component encompassing TuitionOnUs for nurses Bachelors Degree Program for employees Rural Medical Program clinical rotations SUNY Health Science student rotations clinical training for students in Morrisville nursing programs and internships for Albany College of Pharmacy The hospital also provides community education through local health fairs smoking cessation programs and events sponsored by the hospital Auxiliary

Medical technicians staff increasingly sophisticated departments that feature stateoftheart diagnostic equipment Administration and administrative services are all located on the hospital campus Housekeeping takes seriously its role as the first line of defense against infection and the hospitals results are wellabove industry standards

MISSION STATEMENT

Community Memorial Hospital is a notforprofit healthcare institution organized to provide appropriate patient care to the residents of the hospital service area and other individuals requiring healthcare within the resources available at this facility

History

Community Memorial Hospital opened its doors in 1952 after years of civic effort For three decades the hospital met basic needs but by the 1980s with a dwindling number of World War II era physicians and the nature of healthcare entering an era of drastic changes it was clear Community Memorial would have to remake itself in order to survive The hospital set a course to provide for the three main healthcare needs for the people living in several small Central New York communities medical coverage upgraded facilities and a modern management system

The hospital worked with the Central New York Health Systems Agency to develop a larger and clinically diverse medical staff to upgrade the physical plant and to build a modern management system To address the severe shortage of physicians the hospital implemented a recruitment plan that took advantage of close working relationships with Colgate University Mary Imogene Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown Crouse Hospital in Syracuse and emphasized the quality of life in the midst of several college towns

Community Memorial Hospital also began to update the physical plant and expand

In 1985 a new operating suite and intensive care unit were added

In 1989 the first three family health centers were opened today there are five

In 199394 the emergency room was expanded

In 199798 all the medicalsurgical patient rooms were renovated

In 2000 the size of the operating suite was doubled and the Womens Center was created to house the obstetrics unit

Most recently the ambulatory surgery unit was greatly expanded in 2004 to accommodate an unprecedented growth in the number of cases and a doubling of the surgical medical staff

With a state approved certificate of need the hospital added an MRI unit in 2004

In 2006 the hospital was awarded the Gold Seal by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations This is a nationwide seal of approval that indicates a hospital meets high performance standards