St. John’s and URMC Collaborate to Address Local Hospital Capacity Needs, Fill Community Health Care Service Gaps
Rochester, NY – May 29, 2024 – St. John’s and the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) today announced an exciting new collaboration aimed at enhancing the well-being and prosperity of the Greater Rochester community. Both are highly regarded nonprofit organizations with a deep commitment to serving the health care needs of individuals in our region and to fostering local economic growth.
This innovative strategic collaboration agreement leverages the unique strengths and resources of both organizations to address key challenges facing our community; including regional hospitals that routinely operate above licensed bed capacity because of a shortage of available long-term care beds and community services gaps impacting health care delivery. By sharing expertise, networks, and resources, the two institutions hope to create lasting impact and drive meaningful change in the lives of individuals and families throughout Rochester and the Finger Lakes region.
St. John’s has been a leading provider of a full continuum of services for older adults for 125 years, while URMC manages the largest health care delivery system in upstate New York, including Strong Memorial and Highland Hospitals in Rochester. The two organizations have already enjoyed a long-standing relationship, with St. John’s serving as one of the top skilled nursing facilities receiving patients transferred from the URMC system into rehabilitation services and long-term care. There are also URMC medical practices and outpatient lab services on site at St. John’s Meadows, one of St. John’s independent living communities.
Major components of the collaborative agreement include a modest investment by URMC to help St. John’s open more skilled care beds and to expand service offerings in community high-needs areas, such as a chronic dialysis unit and pediatric skilled care. Each organization remains a separate and independent operating entity.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with URMC to strengthen our collective impact in key areas like regional hospital overcapacity and the development of critically-needed community services,” said Charlie Runyon, St. John’s President and CEO. “By working together on select critical projects, we can better address some of the complex challenges facing our community’s health care system.”
“The inability of nursing homes to fully staff their beds stresses our region’s ability to meet community demand for inpatient care,” said Steve Goldstein, president and CEO for Strong and Highland hospitals, and senior vice president for URMC. Noting that the Finger Lakes region has fewer hospital beds per capita than any other part of New York State, Goldstein said, “Extending our collaboration with St. John’s Home is one more way we are working to help patients receive high-quality treatment in the most appropriate care setting.”
Through collaborative programming, joint advocacy efforts, and shared resources, this agreement will help provide solutions to key health care challenges impacting the Greater Rochester area.
View media clips:
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St. John’s and URMC Partner to Fill Community Health Care Service Gaps