By Jolene Cleaver
What are smaller hospitals in the Mohawk Valley region doing to beef up services to fill community needs, especially when it comes to offering rural healthcare services and specialties?
The answer might surprise you as two small, community hospitals on the western end of the Mohawk Valley are making big, long-term investments in facilities, staffing and services to meet the needs of the diverse populations they serve.
At Rome Health, chief operating officer Ryan Thompson said there is work being done to offer more surgical services and upgrade the ICU with more space and more amenities in a $45 million project.
Since 2021, through public funding and private philanthropy, the hospital has built state-of-the-art facilities, including the new medical center and women’s surgical suite.
The new ICU and Kaplan Center for Surgical Services are expected to open mid-year 2025. The project involves constructing a 30,000 square-foot, three-floor addition on the north side of the hospital, which replaces operating rooms and intensive care units.
In recent years, Rome Health also has been able to expand access to care by launching new programs like robotic surgery, primary stroke designation and advanced gastroenterology procedures and recruiting new providers.
Making plans
The work completed over the last few years started with a master facility plan in 2020, Thompson said, adding that when staff were planning for ICU expansion, for example, they were diligent in “making sure they are co-located for the best patient experience.”
It was an opportunity to really examine flow and efficiency from a working staff perspective. There was staff involvement from the start. Floor plans were simulated at scale, he said.
“Not only do we have construction going on, but continual planning. We talk about what it’s going to take to move around this space,” he added. “All of these things help a person heal during their stay.”
Numbers
Headed up by CEO AnneMarie Czyz, Rome Health has 928 full-time employees and Rome Health’s total patient revenue increased nearly 29% in 2024, compared to 2023, according to information provided by the hospital. When it comes to the service area, patients are coming from Oneida County, southeastern Oswego County and Madison County.
Looking forward
Rome Health will continue to advance its facilities and services in 2025 as part of its ongoing transformation plan.
In mid-2025, the hospital will open a new ICU and the Kaplan Center for Surgical Services to enhance the experience for patients and their families while supporting the care team in delivering advanced life-saving care.
Rome Health will add a second daVinci surgical system in 2025 as a result of the rapid adoption of the technology by its surgeons.
The hospital is partnering with Turning Stone Resort and Casino to create Áhsi’ Aesthetics by Rome Health, a new medical aesthetics practice located at the resort. The grand opening was March 6.
Looking down the road toward 2027, there are plans for a hybrid room for more invasive surgeries.
According to a statement: “The hospital has embraced advancements like robotic surgery, which enhances precision and reduces recovery times for patients. The hospital will be investing in a hybrid operating room that accommodates more technology and larger teams of specialists to perform advanced interventional and surgical procedures. Additionally, the hospital is exploring the adoption of virtual nursing to supplement its existing nursing staff.”
Little Falls Hospital sees growth, looks to future
At Little Falls Hospital, Heidi Camardello, the director of nursing and operations, said that in 2024, there were roughly 18,000 patients seen in the emergency room.
“We’re the third busiest ER in the [Bassett Healthcare] network,” she said, adding there are five hospitals in the Bassett network which covers a 5,000 square mile footprint in Upstate New York.
Susan Oakes Ferrucci, president and chief nursing officer, said the hospital is always looking to “enhance the services we have. We have a great surgery, ambulatory and outpatient service.”
The hospital is striving to find efficiencies to pave the way for local service improvements and has recently undergone operating room improvements, as well as upgraded their instrument sterilization units.
Looking forward five years, emergency room enhancements and recruitment and retention are the ongoing goals, hospital leaders said.
Numbers and more
Little Falls Hospital in Herkimer County is part of the Bassett Healthcare Network and was founded in 1893. It joined Bassett Healthcare Network on Oct. 1, 2004.
In 2024, 726 surgeries were performed at the hospital.
One hundred eighty-one staff members are currently employed at Little Falls Hospital.
It is a critical access hospital in the Bassett Network, which is tasked with serving a rural population in a set distance.
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