Exterior of the Clifton-Fine Hospital in Star Lake, NY. Photo: Courtesy of Clifton-Fine Hospital
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Rural healthcare facilities are struggling nationwide and here in the North Country. Just last month, the North Star Health Alliance announced that it’s cutting various services to stay afloat amid financial challenges, including its birthing unit in Ogdensburg and Sleep Center in Philadelphia.
But in Star Lake — a tiny hamlet in St. Lawrence County’s Adirondack foothills — the community hospital is surviving and adding new services despite the uphill battle.
Richard HallerNY’s smallest hospital in Star Lake survives as rural healthcare struggles
When Clifton Fine Hospital was built in the 1950s, a large paper mill and mine employed many people in the surrounding community. But the hospital has had to find ways to keep its footing as Star Lake has steadily lost population and faced industry decline.
It’s the smallest hospital in New York state, with just 20 beds and about 100 employees. The hospital is celebrating its 75th anniversary on Thursday, Aug.27.
CEO Dierdra Sorrell said the hospital faced closure when she joined in 2018. “We’ve had to reinvent ourselves many times to quite frankly survive,” she said.
The hospital was losing $2.5 million a year as a critical access care facility.
“So it was pretty clear to me that that wasn’t going to be a sustainable model and we would likely be the next headline that Clifton Fine Hospital is closing,” Sorrell said.
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Then last year, Clifton Fine became the first designated rural emergency hospital in the state. It had to give up its inpatient services and treating patients in-hospital for more than 48 hours.
But it’s now receiving a stipend of $280,000 a month from the federal government. The hospital opened an emergency room late last year, and will start providing a new infusion and wellness center.
Sorrell said this money is the only reason the hospital has survived, and it’s allowed them to break even.
“We were able to keep everything that mattered to the community most, which was primary care, our emergency department, all of our radiology and lab services, physical therapy, occupational therapy,” said Sorrell. “We were able to shift our focus from inside the walls of the hospital to outside the walls of the hospital and really pay attention to our community health.”
Sorrell said that keeping this hospital alive is critical for a community that’s an hour drive from the next closest hospital.
“This community gets accidents. We’ve got all of the hills that people climb and ice fishing; people go through the ice. People have heart attacks. People have strokes. If we weren’t where we are, you are, in good weather, minimally one hour from any kind of care,” she said.
Clifton Fine Hospital is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new infusion and wellness center alongside a celebration of its 75th anniversary. It’s from 2 to 3 pm Aug. 27, and open to the public.