SIDNEY _ Now that a hospital has opened its doors again in Sidney, speakers at the formal opening ceremony Tuesday told attendees it is up to the community to support the service.
Several dignitaries who have helped Tri-Town Regional Hospital spoke during a brief afternoon ceremony. The facility, an affiliate of Bassett Healthcare, opened Sunday.
Speakers included state Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, who helped secure the $2 million in state funding that was needed to make the plan work, several speakers said.
"Hospital are not created by any one person," he said, and the community has to use it if it is to going to grow.
Assemblyman Peter Lopez, R-Schoharie, was thanked for his efforts.
"This hospital is the heart and soul of the community," he said.
The hospital, which replaces a town-owned facility that closed in 2005 in the face of a multi-million debt, represents a new model for health-care delivery in New York, said Bassett Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. William F. Streck.
It is designed for a community that needs more than primary-care services but is not able to support a traditional hospital model, he said.
It provides a physician-staffed, round-the-clock emergency department, he said, that can treat up to six patients at a time and hold some for observation.
Sidney Mayor Jim Warren said he wanted to thank Streck and the Bassett staff for the role they played in opening the facility.
"It's something that has been needed in our community (ever since the previous hospital closed)," he said. "The ability to have quick emergency care is a necessity for the quality of life in the tri-town community."
Sidney Supervisor Joseph Maddalone said Senator Bonacic deserves credit for his help.
Four members of the tri-town community were recently named to the hospital board of trustees, which will provide oversight of many aspects of the facility. These includes Scott McLean of Tieco-Unadilla Corp. in Unadilla, who will serve as board chairman.
The board will soon announce community meetings in Bainbridge, Sidney and Unadilla to explain services to the community and encourage their use, he said.
Other local members are Joe Mirabito of the Mirabito Fuel Group of Sidney and Binghamton, James Meno, of the Scoville-Meno family of dealerships of Sidney and Bainbridge, and Sidney Central School Superintendent Sandra Cooper. Three other members are from Bassett.
