Mercy-Uihlein Appeal

July 25th, 2006
     SARANAC LAKE - Adirondack Medical Center is kicking into full swing its Mercy-Uihlein Nursing Home Appeal, the mission of which is to purchase the two facilities and invest over $5 million in renovations.
     The ultimate goal of this appeal, which cannot be stressed enough, is to ensure nursing home residents will not have to leave the area to receive the care their families expect and they deserve. In order to provide this high level of care, these vital services rely heavily upon the talents, skills, and experience of a highly qualified workforce. Given the large segment of our community affected by Mercy and Uihlein, AMC is acutely aware of how important it is to ensure the long-term viability of these facilities.
     "We are extremely excited about our plans to expand the Mercy site as an extension of the hospital to include many more services than are normally encountered on the campus of a Nursing Home," said Chandler Ralph, AMC president and CEO, "This is really a recognition of the huge potential for growth in the Tupper Lake area and we remain committed to bringing the necessary health care services to all of our locations."
     In November 2005, the Board of Trustees of AMC approved a plan to move forward with the purchase of Uihlein Mercy Center in Lake Placid and Mercy Healthcare Center in Tupper Lake. With the $1.8 million purchase of the two facilities expected to be finalized in January, 2007, AMC will embark on an ambitious expansion and renovation project. The capital improvement portion of the project is expected to cost approximately $5.3 million.
     While much of the overall project is being financed through mortgaging and grants, a portion of the overall cost will be defrayed through fundraising. The fundraising goal has been set at $1.8 million to be raised by December 2007.
     Not only will this project enhance the quality of care at these facilities, it is also worth stressing that approximately 260 jobs in the Tri-Lakes region will be preserved as a result of AMC's investment in the Uihlein-Mercy project.
     For the capital improvement portion of the project, AMC will be renovating Mercy's building and infrastructure by adding three renal stations to not only accommodate nursing home residents, but also the general public in need of live-saving dialysis, expanding and renovating the Tupper Lake Health Center facilities within Mercy, relocating and expanding AMC rehabilitation services into Mercy, and installing a new communications system at Uihlein.
     At Mercy, which was constructed in the 1920s, the health center exam rooms will be increased from the current nine to 11 to include two new "urgi-care" rooms. To accommodate the increase in exam rooms, a new entrance for patient admission, registration, and waiting area will be constructed at the health center.
     Other areas included in the renovation plans at the health center are a changing room, mammography exam room, and technician workspace in radiology; renovated laboratory; office and storage space.
     In addition to the renal stations within the skilled nursing facility portion of Mercy, there are renovation plans to convert 16 existing semi-private rooms to private, while two rooms will remain semi-private for a total of 20 beds in the McCauley Wing. Other areas identified for renovations include the Activities for Daily Living Unit, the chapel, storage and office space.
     The Tupper Lake Rehabilitation Center will be relocated to newly constructed space at the health center. This will result in the construction of five private and confidential treatment rooms, space for 14 mats to provide physical therapy procedures, a ten-bed inpatient rehabilitation center, and a sub-acute rehab area.
     There is currently a visiting doctor's clinic, which will undergo renovations for three exam rooms, a waiting area, and storage and office space.
     The overall project at Mercy will add 7,100-square-feet of new space, and result in the renovation of 23,000-square-feet of space.
    Following the anticipated issuance of building permits in March 2007, and ensuing bidding process, it is expected that project work will begin in mid-May 2007. The construction and renovation project is expected to take about one year to complete.
     To support this critical endeavor to ensure continued skilled nursing and health care in the Tri-Lakes, direct your donations to the:

AMC Foundation
P.O. Box 120
Saranac Lake, New York 12983 
Please make your checks payable to Adirondack Medical Center. 

Credit card gifts can be made through the AMC website at www.amcCares.org; click on Volunteering/Gift Giving and then Ways of Giving ~ Give by Credit Card. 

If you wish to donate appreciated stock, call the AMC Foundation Office at 897-2348.

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	Adirondack Medical Center's Bariatric Program and Dr. Michael Hill have been designated as a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.