Editor's Notebook: Enough finger-pointing, our hospitals need a plan now

If the Department of Health expected North Star Health Alliance to find an affiliate on its own,  as the commissioner recently stated, that expectation should have been made clear months ago. ”

It’s time for the New York State Department of Health and the North Star Health Alliance to sit down, determine what the future of the organization looks like, and take  action.

I’ve been told there is daily communication between the organizations, but it does not appear to be bearing fruit.  

North Star Health Alliance operates Claxton-Hepburn and Carthage Area hospitals, and employees, patients and the economy are suffering because of the inaction on both sides of this problem.  More cuts are expected, employees are jumping ship, services are being impacted and health care access is shrinking.

The reality is we need to stop the bleeding, we can worry about what caused it later.

If the Department of Health expected North Star Health Alliance to find an affiliate on its own,  as the commissioner recently stated, that expectation should have been made clear months ago. 

Instead, what the public has seen is confusion, mixed signals, and a lack of leadership during a crisis that directly affects health care access in our region.

Public health officials say that a receivership is not possible due to the bankruptcy filing, but an affiliation is, and there is nothing stopping the Department of Health from putting interested parties in the same room to find a path forward. 

There is plenty of blame to go around for the mess that is the current state of the North Star Health Alliance. 

But what has been especially troubling in recent months is the apparent lack of urgency from state officials and NSHA leadership when it comes to protecting both local health care services and the livelihoods of the employees who depend on them.

My reporting has documented and laid plain the deteriorating situation for months and I’m sure if I had access to documents in years past we'd see an even longer trend. 

The DOH and NSHA have been pointing fingers at each other for the lack of action, while stating publicly that positive talks are taking place, but that’s not helping anyone.

I’ve been accused of having an agenda in this matter and the truth is I do. 

I have a very simple agenda. I want to see our local hospital stay open so that our region has the critical access to health care New York claims we need. I want a facility that can provide quality care to Ogdensburg and the surrounding community. I want the people employed there to work in safe conditions and be paid for the important life saving work they do.

That’s my agenda.

 The warning signs have been there. Yet meaningful intervention from the state or action from NSHA has been difficult to see.

Yes, the Department of Health has helped with payroll, but the organization's creditors are clear that these temporary shots in the arm do little to stabilize the problem. The budget projections are clear that the hospital will continue to lose money operating in its current form with a $16 million negative balance approaching in mid-May.

There is no question that new leadership is needed at North Star.

There is no question that an affiliation is needed. 

And there is no question that both DOH and NSHA should have been working toward that goal all along.  

There is  little doubt that North Star Health Alliance’s leadership bears responsibility for how the organization reached this point. 

Still, the DOH cannot escape its own role. When a health care system begins to spiral, the state’s job is to step in, provide direction, and ensure that communities are not left in limbo.

Instead, thousands of patients, employees, and families across the region have been forced to watch this situation unfold with little clarity about what comes next.

It’s time to be honest to the employees, patients and community and tell us what’s closing, what’s staying open and how it will impact us.

Health care access in rural communities is too important to be treated as an afterthought. The people who rely on these services, and the workers who provide them, deserve better than months of uncertainty.

The time for waiting has passed. The Department of Health and North Star Health Alliance need to provide a clear path forward before even more damage is done.

Jimmy Lawton is news editor of North Country This Week and NorthCountryNow.com.