The groundbreaking of some historic Lewis County Hospital projects took place recently at the 90-year-old Lewis County General Hospital in New York. These construction and renovation projects are estimated at $33 million and will involve the development of a new 26,000-square-foot surgical pavilion and some major renovations to the office spaces and county buildings on the hospital’s campus.
One of the Lewis County Hospital projects was kicked off with a tree clearing exercise by about 100 people, who were gathered under a large white tent at the foot of the hill. This was done to make way for the new surgical pavilion, which will be built on the General Hospital’s main campus, located at North State Street in Lowville.Â
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Development plans for the new surgical building
Development plans for the new surgical building will include the construction of three operating rooms, a procedure room, and other supporting family rooms to handle both ambulatory and inpatient surgery operations. Besides the new surgical building, the Lewis County Hospital projects will also involve renovations and upgrades for up to 17,000 square feet of medical, surgical and ICU units at the Lewis hospital.
According to the Health System CEO, Gerald Cayer, all inpatient rooms at the hospital would be transformed from the existing double occupancy into private spaces. He added that all private rooms would have private baths included for the convenience of patients.
Cayer also pointed out that these Lewis County Health System projects would result in a transformational change for medical and surgical services at the hospital, which also places them in a better position to attract, recruit and retain medical professionals in Lewis County.
Fundraising campaign for the Lewis County Hospital projects
Chair of the Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, Rebecca E. Dunckel-King informed those present at the groundbreaking event about the fundraising campaign for the Lewis County Hospital projects, which will help pay for the building’s construction.
She said the campaign was about to begin, but donations have already been received, which amounts to about $400,000. This also includes a “lead gift” of $175,000 from the Northern New York Community Foundation.
