POTSDAM — Ground was broken Tuesday, June 14 at the site of a planned $71.8 million expansion of Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s regional care pavilion off Cottage Street.

Executives from St. Lawrence Health and Rochester Regional Health, the local organization’s healthcare affiliate, were on hand to deliver remarks and cast the first dirt for the project. Members of the community, local government and college administration were in attendance as well.

“Access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right of all American citizens. And as with all such rights it must be afforded equally,” said outgoing SLH president David Acker. “Over the last two decades St. Lawrence (Health) has done many, many important things to bring this remote county that high quality of health care that it deserves,” Acker said.

He highlighted such changes as expanded access, recruitment of specialists, construction of modern outpatient facilities and other changes.

Acker said that yet for all of the beneficial additions over the years, two things were missing from providing the best care to local patients — access to a modern electronic medical records system and a modern, state of the art hospital.

Acker said those two needs led the hospital to partner with Rochester Regional. The downstate healthcare provider has provided an integrated medical records system recently implemented across the SLH branches and is footing the bill for the $71.8 million expansion.

Rochester Regional Health CEO Richard 'Chip' Davis said SLH and Rochester Regional share a focus on delivering “truly exceptional world class care to every patient we serve at every time.”

“‘Do the right thing for the patient at the right time,’ and I can tell you that our leadership is firmly committed to doing that,” Davis said.

Davis said the new integrated medical records system recently implemented and the construction of the new facility off Cottage Street are “just the tip of the iceberg of what we look forward to in our partnership with all of you.”

“We are here to celebrate the groundbreaking of our new regional care pavilion. We are also here to celebrate the milestones of meeting our communities healthcare needs,” said St. Lawrence Health president Donna McGregor.

The expansion will add an extra 108,000 square feet to the existing Canton-Potsdam Hospital, increase the emergency room beds to 28 from 17, increase the number of surgical and medical beds for patients from 63 to 78 and 60 new private patient rooms that will be 28 percent larger than existing semi-private rooms in the current hospital building.

The total construction project is expected to last until 2025.

“Access to healthcare in rural environments like (ours) is challenging. David Acker notably improved access over the last 15 years and it will remain a priority moving forward as we continue to explore innovative ways to enhance patient care, patient safety and quality for our patients and our community. We have so much to look forward to,” McGregor said.