It was a big day at Gouverneur Healthcare Services yesterday. Community leaders, elected officials and residents took part in a grand opening celebration for the new ambulatory care center at 227 Madison Street.
The new wing is part of a $200 million modernization project, which also includes the renovation of Gouverneur’s old building. The facility will have 85 new beds in its nursing center. When the renovation is complete, there will be new outpatient services including an on-site dialysis center, a CT scanner and an ambulatory surgery center — plus a 30,000 square foot. Women and Children’s Center.
Mendel Hagler, Gouverneur’s energetic executive director, was praised for his single-minded determination in overseeing the expansion. State Senator Daniel Squadron urged everyone in the community to use Gouverneur’s new facilities, which he called an “incredible community resource.”
And U.S. Rep Nydia Velazquez, a longtime supporter of Gouverneur, used the opportunity to make a political point. A day before heading back to Washington, where cuts in health care are being hotly debated, she said, “let’s balance the budget but not at the expense of poor, low income people… this (issue) is about death and life. We must put a human face on it.”
