New York State is releasing the $74 million in funds needed for the new Brooks Hospital to be built in Fredonia.
State Senator George Borrello, in a press release, called it a “historic moment” for residents in the northern part of Chautauqua County, “Accessible, quality health care and updated facilities should be available to all New Yorkers, no matter where they live. However, rural areas like Chautauqua County have increasingly struggled to meet that goal due to economic factors, population shifts and labor shortages. This will be a game changer for our local health care landscape and a quality-of-life asset that will boost the appeal of our area for employers, families, and seniors.”
Borrello said that the current hospital in Dunkirk has “outlived its effectiveness as an acute care facility and is continually hindered by costly repair and maintenance issues.” The current 170,000 square foot facility was built in 1942. Borrello said that while the current hospital has 65 beds, only about 18 to 20 are occupied, on average. He said this excess capacity contributes to the hospital’s operating deficit which is over $20 million per year.
It is projected that the efficiencies and improvements of the new hospital will bring the deficit closer to break-even status.
Planning for the hospital began in 2016 when Brooks-TLC was awarded a $57 million grant that included state and federal funds to build a new modern hospital and to convert TLC Lakeshore to an Ambulatory Destination Center specializing in chemical dependency. The 2017 state budget included another $17 million dollar Healthcare Facility Transformation grant for the projects.
However, progress was slowed by disagreements over the location of the new hospital, the closure of Lakeshore in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Features of the new hospital will include emergency services, medical and surgical beds, surgical suites and procedure rooms, imaging with CT scans, MRI and ultrasound, stat lab services, a pharmacy, support services and a helipad. The hospital will be located at the former Cornell Cooperative Extension site to the west of the roundabout on East Main Street.
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