|
Q-
It seems some hospitals are
expressing strong opposition to the Commission’s report. Why
are The Kingston Hospital and Benedictine Hospital not opposing
what is in the report? |
| A-
Both
hospitals support the findings of the Berger Commission. We
believe the proposed realignment will result in better health
care for the region, and we believe we should create the design
of the system ourselves. The two hospitals have made attempts
in the past to realign in a similar manner based on the belief
that it would improve healthcare for the region. Now, in
addition to setting realignment goals, the Berger Commission
includes opportunities for funding to accomplish the goals. |
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|
Q-
For over a hundred years,
Benedictine and Kingston Hospitals have been competing. Can the
hospitals efficiently come together? |
| A-
Both
institutions share a common goal of providing the best health
care possible to the citizens of the region. The realignment
will support that goal by creating opportunities to invest in
newer, state-of-the-art equipment that neither hospital could
procure on its own while also strengthening recruitment efforts
for skilled healthcare professionals. |
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|
Q-
What does the Memorandum of Agreement between the
two hospitals do? |
| A-
The
MOA, a copy of which is
available for review on this website,
creates an initial board of a new corporate parent made up of
equally divided nominees from both hospitals and will ultimately
allow the two hospitals to consolidate administrative functions
as well as assess program consolidations. |
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|
Q-
Do the hospitals intend to
inform the community on the progress of the realignment effort
and implementation of the MOA? |
| A-
We are going to great lengths to keep the
community informed and include the public in the process as we
move forward. In addition to this website, which we set up to
keep the public abreast of the process every step of the way, we
have scheduled five community forums designed to give the public
an opportunity to ask questions and provide input. The schedule
and locations of the forums are available on this website.
Anyone is welcome to attend and participate in these forums. |
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|
Q-
By creating a “Parent”
Corporation, but maintaining the Kingston and Benedictine
hospitals, it does not seem that the hospitals are truly
uniting. Is this simply a paperwork shuffle? |
| A-
The
realignment effort should not be confused with a conventional
merger, where two entities combine and ultimately share physical
assets. While the realignment will enable the hospitals to
share revenues and expenses and use their collective strengths
to work together toward improving health care services in our
community, it also allows each hospital to retain the authority
to adhere to their respective missions. The realignment will
produce greater efficiencies and help to identify any unmet
healthcare needs in the region and allow the individual
hospitals to cooperate closely to meet those needs.
|
|
|
Q-
What is the role of the Parent Corporation?
|
| A-
The Parent Corporation will have ultimate
oversight of budgets, strategic planning and services, but each
hospital retains its respective corporate mission. |
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|
Q-
How will the medical services be
distributed between TKH and Benedictine? |
| A-
The
realignment process gives us the opportunity to thoroughly
review the services we offer currently and the services we
believe are necessary moving forward, with an eye toward
eliminating duplication of services, adding new services and
strengthening existing services. Until the review and analysis
are complete it is not possible to determine where services will
be provided. |
|
|
Q-
Do either of the hospitals feel
that they are sacrificing their ethics or morals to comply with
the Commission’s report? |
| A-
Both hospitals will maintain their respective
missions as described in the MOA and available for review on
this website. Both boards are committed to pursuing the
realignment and look forward to working together. |
|
|
Q-
With the consolidation of executive and
administrative staff, how many jobs are predicted to be lost?
|
| A-
The realignment process allows us to thoroughly
review the staffing and the services currently in place and
those determined to be necessary to move forward. Until the
review and analysis are completed it is not appropriate to
predict staffing models. |
|
|
Q-
How do you feel the community
will be affected by the realignment? |
| A-
We think the community will be better served by
the realignment in that it will allow us to build on the
strengths of both institutions and better utilize scarce
resources, while streamlining duplicative services and
functions. Ultimately we believe that the quality of healthcare
delivered to the residents of Ulster County will be improved. |
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|
Q-
How will abortions be handled
under the new affiliation? |
| A-
An ambulatory surgery center will be established
in a facility that is separate, but connected to The Kingston
Hospital. This facility will house certain reproductive
healthcare services as well as a host of other treatments and
services. |
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|
Q-
What is the timeframe for the completion of the
affiliation? |
| A-
As mandated by the Berger Commission, we expect
to have a plan delivered to the Department of Health by December
2007. |
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