Bertrand Chaffee Health Center Prepares for Grand Opening

Announcement, ,

Bertrand Chaffee Health Center is slated to open its doors to patients and the community on Monday, July 19. At that time, Bertrand Chaffee Primary Care will make its new home in the Health Center building at 210 East Main Street, directly adjacent to Bertrand Chaffee Hospital.

In preparation for the transition and grand opening, Bertrand Chaffee Primary Care will be closed on Friday, July 16. Should patients need to contact the Primary Care offices, please call 716-592-8140. All appointments on and after July 19 will be located on the first floor of the new Bertrand Chaffee Health Center building.

The construction of the new Bertrand Chaffee Health Center is made possible through an $11.3 million grant from New York State Health Care Facility Transformation Program, awarded to Bertrand Chaffee Hospital in 2017. This award is the largest in Bertrand Chaffee Hospital’s history.

This five-year investment by the New York State, enabled BCH to build the new Health Center Building to house primary care and provide specialty clinical space, acquire and install a permanent MRI machine, upgrade digital mammography to support 3D scans, purchase a nuclear medicine camera to support our growing cardiology department, and invest in a facility-wide electronic health record system.

“Bertrand Chaffee Hospital and Jennie B. Richmond Nursing Home are vital community assets for Springville and its surrounding communities,” said Nils Gunnersen, CEO of Bertrand Chaffee Hospital.  “Investments in our campus strengthen the local economy and improve health outcomes,” he said. The New York State Department of Health recognizes our value and with their support, has enabled the construction of our new Health Center building. We are eager to begin seeing patients in our newest addition and to continue to ‘Keep Healthcare Local’ for our community members.

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Begins to Make Way for New Building

Community,

Crews have completed work on the former Concord Medical Group building to prepare the site for construction. The demolition of the existing structure marks an important step in beginning phase of the construction of BCH’s new medical arts facility. Site preparation and demolition work was completed by Empire Building Diagnostics of Depew.

“Many people have shared their stories of the excellent care they received from the providers in the former Concord Medical Group Building” remarked BCH CEO Nils Gunnersen. “We acknowledge the important role CMG played in the history of our community and are pleased to be working with the Concord Historical Society to have a number of items like the paintings and mosaics displayed at the Heritage Building on Franklin Street. BCH is excited to continue on this positive trajectory, grow our services, improve health care access to our community, and keep healthcare local.”

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital will continue to keep patients, employees and neighbors informed about progress at each phase through its website and Facebook page. The construction of the new medical arts building is made possible through an $11.3 million grant from New York State Health Care Facility Transformation Program.

BCH Upgrades Nuclear Medicine Camera Equipment

Announcement, Community, , , ,

Nuclear Medicine Camera in Springville at Bertrand Chaffee HospitalBertrand Chaffee Hospital has upgraded its nuclear medicine camera equipment as of March with support from the New York State Department of Health and its Statewide Healthcare Facility Transformation Program.

“This state-of-the-art camera has the ability to perform diagnostic and heart/cardiac studies,” said Lisa Smith, Imaging Department Manager. “This machine has a faster scan time and higher resolution than our previous camera.”

She continued, “This equipment is up and running after an intensive three-month effort, and we thank the community for its patience as we transitioned to this new system.”

“The imaging projects within our grant are a key part of our strategy to offer local health services that are vital to our rural population,” said Nils Gunnersen, CEO. “We appreciate that the Springville-Griffith Community Education Foundation provided funding towards this project as well.”

Studies available with this nuclear medicine camera include: scans of bone, lung, spleen, thyroid, liver, brain, and breast; scans for GI bleeding and gastric emptying; a white blood cell extremity scan; and, cardiac stress and cardiac non-stress scans.

Nuclear medicine exams will be available weekdays from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Please call the BCH Heart Center for appointments at (716) 592-9644.

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Brings 3D Mammography to Community

Announcement, Community, ,

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital has announced that it has added 3D mammography, also called digital tomosynthesis, to services provided in its Imaging Department.

“The actual ‘3-D’ part of the mammography is a software upgrade,” said Lisa Smith, Imaging Department Manager. “There was an intensive period where the software was installed and tested and our staff received training on the new protocol.”

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital converted to a digital mammography system in 2012, with significant support from community donations and a grant from the Springville-Griffith Community Education Foundation.

“We are glad to have been able to have this in place in time for October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” said CEO Nils Gunnersen. “It’s a natural time to remind women to make sure they are getting mammograms on a schedule recommended to them by their healthcare provider.”

Digital mammography involves a two-dimensional image that is reviewed by a radiologist for masses or signs of unusual growths. With 3D mammography, a series of images are taken to create a three-dimensional picture that has more detail and definition.

“Our investment in digital mammography was a significant one, and we made it with the knowledge that we would be able to convert to 3D imaging in the future,” said Teresa Donohue, CFO. “This continues our work to keep up with the latest technologies that we see a need in the community for.”

The funding for this project came from the New York State Statewide Healthcare Facility Transformation Program. BCH will use the $11.3 million award for 3D mammography, an upgraded nuclear medicine camera, a permanent MRI machine and a new structure for primary care and specialist services.

3D mammography appointments are available weekdays from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and extended hours from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

 

Dr. Wnuk: “A tradition of quality healthcare that will extend far into the future…”

Community, People,

William Wnuk, MD sent the following letter to local newspapers in regards to Bertrand Chaffee Hospital’s award through the New York State Department of Health.

 

To the Editor:

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital’s recent award of $11.3 million from New York State’s Department of Health represents a significant investment of taxpayer dollars in our community. For the medical staff of our facility, it represents something else. That is, that our progress and plans have been recognized as meaningful and worthy of funding.

Health outcomes for individual patients and community at large are a priority for us as medical practitioners. This award will reinforce the work that we are doing to develop primary care, specialist practices and imaging services at our campus.

The direction of healthcare has been leading towards an emphasis on preventive care. Bertrand Chaffee Hospital stepped out on that path in 2010 with the introduction of primary care services. With providers caring for hundreds of patients each week, we are committed to continuing our significant role in the region’s health initiatives.

We’ve introduced a new phrase at the hospital and nursing home: #teamchaffee. It represents that we are all here, working together, to make sure the health of our patients is maintained and improved. As rural facilities like ours continue to face challenges, our efforts are being encouraged – not just by New York State, but by our patients and our community.

Thank you for being a part of a tradition of quality healthcare that will extend far into the future.

William Wnuk, MD
President, BCH Medical Staff
Medical Director and Physician, Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Primary Care Center

Great News about the Future of Healthcare in Springville

Announcement, Community

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital received word this week from New York State and the Department of Health that our application for funding through the Statewide Healthcare Facility Transformation Program was approved.

Additional information will follow, but we want to extend a sincere thanks to area legislators who have been supportive of our application: NYS Senator Patrick Gallivan, NYS Assemblyman David Dipietro, NYS Senator Catharine Young and Cattaraugus County Legislator Richard Helmich. Our deepest thanks, too, to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health for investing state funds in our facility and supporting the future of local healthcare in our rural region.

Our application outlined an $11.3 million investment in equipment, technology and site development over a five-year period. Our projects will improve healthcare access to primary care and specialty services, upgrade imaging and technology infrastructure, and preserve jobs and health services for residents in southern Erie, northern Cattaraugus and Wyoming Counties.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-446-million-funding-strengthen-health-care-western-new-york