Elizabethtown Community Hospital

History

Elizabethtown Community Hospital originally began in 1921 as Elizabethtown Community House Inc serving as a facility for medical and surgical treatment Three years later it became headquarters for the Essex County Childrens Agent which served nearly 250 children and 115 families In 1926 Elizabethtown Community House Inc officially became Elizabethtown Community Hospital a nonprofit voluntary hospital It was located in the Kellogg House on Court Street which was secured by founding members Mr amp Mrs W H Hubbard In the 1930s with generous support from Mr amp Mrs Ed Lee Campe through the Campe Foundation the Kellogg House received an additional wing to better serve its patients quotThe old hospital was a wonderful place to workquot said Ethel Johnson who recalled the old hospital location She remembers how the old building didnt have elevators so patients had to be carried up and down the stairs on stretchers

On October 28 1967 Elizabethtown Community Hospital served its first patient at 75 Park Street This marked the completion of a successful building campaign supported by residents from Essex County and throughout the country Mildred Vargo a retiree of ECH worked at the Hospital for 35 years quotIt was a thrill for me when we moved to the new hospitalquot she recalled quotWe had a lot newer equipment and everything was laid out in bigger space It was more like a hospital The old hospital was just a home converted into a hospitalquot

Bev Huntley also a retiree of Elizabethtown Community began working at Elizabethtown Community Hospital a few years before the new facility opened quotA lot of people have told me they think it would be boring working in a small hospital like Etown but in many ways it was a lot harder There are so many responsibilities and you dont see everything every day like you would in a bigger hospitalquot

In 1979 the Hospital was expanded to include a 2500 square foot shell to house the expanded and enlarged departments of Pharmacy Physical Therapy and Radiology In 1983 additional space was built for Laboratory waiting areas and a new Emergency Room A satellite Veterans Administrative Medical Center in Albany New York was formed at Elizabethtown Community Hospital in 1988 to offer veterans health care coverage One year later Mammography was added to the list of services provided by ECH

In order to further reach out to members of the hospital community the Westport Health Center opened in 1993 to provide primary care In 1997 the Kidney Dialysis Unit opened providing a lifesustaining service close to home for several area patients In 2003 the Clinical Services Building was built across the street from the Hospital and provided needed space for the Elizabethtown Community Health Center Out Patient Physical Therapy the Business and Finance Offices Also in 2003 the Radiology Department added bone density scanning to their list of services installing a DXA unit so patients would not have to travel for this procedure

With changes in healthcare reimbursement small hospitals began to struggle to keep their doors open and they began to affiliate with larger hospitals for survival In February 1993 a formal affiliation between Community Providers Incorporated the parent holding company of CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh and the Elizabethtown Community Hospital was finalized To maintain its service to the residents of rural Essex County Elizabethtown Community Hospital was designated as a Rural Primary Care Hospital in 1998 This designation put the Hospital in a different reimbursement methodology thereby increasing its financial security This designation was later changed to Critical Access Hospital which allows patients to access health care through the many services offered by Elizabethtown Community Hospital This includes the off site Westport Health Center Elizabethtown Community Health Center and High Peaks Health Center

Since Elizabethtown Community Hospital began in 1926 it has had a strong history of support from the community and has continued to grow and offer more convenient health care services Throughout the years ECH has strived to provide quality health care close to home By expanding services and service hours as well as offering specialty clinics the hospital continues to meet the growing needs of the community

Within the past five years ECH has continued to offer state of the art health care with the addition of digital radiography which now includes mammograms a CT scanner brand new highdefinition endoscopy equipment and telemedicine Looking to the future with the current expansion and renovation project ECH will enhance the patient experience within the facility and will add new programs such as chemotherapy and cardiac rehabilitation to meet the evolving needs of the communities it serves

quotIve seen a tremendous amount of growth at this facilityquot said Jean Dickerson who has worn several different hats since she began working as a registered nurse at ECH in 1968 quotOver the years weve seen a trend from inpatient to outpatient care Elizabethtown has been able to keep up with those changes Weve learned to do more with less people Sometimes it can be overwhelming but weve learned to make adjustments

Quotes taken from PressRepublican article on 6101 written by Jeff Meyers Elizabethtown Hospital marks 75 years