December 4, 2014
Click here to see video highlights of the town hall meeting.
(the video lasts 11 minutes, but it’s well worth it)
HORNELL, NY – The St. James Town Hall meeting, held on Thursday night, was packed with concerned citizens, medical professionals and others. Dr. Byron Collins got up and talked against the future plans for a new medical facility, which Collins says calls for only two surgical suites, a place for just “lumps and bumps”.
Dr. Uzma Mehr spoke about the serious problems of losing a maternity ward, saying that Dansville and Wellsville each deliver 300 babies a year, and she noted that so does Hornell. Dr. Mehr also says Dansville, which is closer, would not be able to handle another 300 babies per year, babies she said would have otherwise been born at the Hornell hospital.
Dr. Ismail Mehr predicted that there would be “some tragedies” in trying to get pregnant women to Dansville.
Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan gave an impassioned speech about the importance of saving the hospital. Hogan began by calling the hospital situation “a contrived crisis”. Quoting his high school math teacher, Hogan spoke of the importance of the human element, Hogan also said that the state health department won’t allow the community to go without future medical care.
Click here to see video highlights of the town hall meeting.
