Dahill pointed to the state’s approval of an emergency room at the site of the former St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, where the former hospital building is being converted to housing. North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital has been given approval to build a freestanding full-service emergency room. “This will be the first time New York State has allowed a free-standing emergency room,” Dahill said. “This is not a doc in a box, this is an emergency room that 911 will respond to. And that’s because North Shore LIJ has put systems in place to move patients if they have to be moved. That’s an example of the change that’s happening in the healthcare delivery system.”
Dahill’s view is of the big picture. He expressed confidence that HealthAlliance, which is currently in its “due diligence” phase of discussion, will fulfill its mission.
“The name they came up with when they merged the hospitals is very telling. They’re the HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley. They didn’t call themselves the Hospital Alliance. I think what that suggests is they want to look after the health care needs of that community, not just the hospital needs. If they determine they can meet the health care needs of the community out of just one hospital, that’s very consistent with what’s going on in the industry.”
