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Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, known as CVPH, in Plattsburgh. Photo: Emily Russell
May 19, 2021
Ryan FinnertyChamplain Valley hospitals announce more than $11 million in losses over 6 months
Hospitals in Plattsburgh and Malone announced substantial financial losses since October, citing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While it might seem strange for a healthcare facility to lose money during a national medical emergency, that is exactly what has happened at hospitals around the country and here in the North Country.
The reason is that Americans have been using less healthcare.
Staying at home orders meant fewer accidental injuries and concerns about contracting an infectious disease resulted in fewer elective procedures being scheduled.
eizzo@adirondackdailyenterprise.com The workload facing local hospitals and county health departments is on track to becoming unsustainable. Health care officials are imploring residents to take precautions to curb the spread before that happens. In a virtual press conference on Friday, multiple doctors from University of Vermont Health Network hospitals and public health directors from around Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties warned that the local COVID-19 caseload was beginning to stress the operations of both hospitals and county health departments. This comes at a time when rural hospitals have already faced significant financial challenges. Before the pandemic, some North Country hospitals were merging and downsizing. Last spring, those financial challenges were compounded when hospitals were directed to cancel elective surgeries for several weeks, cutting off a vital revenue-generator for rural health care facilities that care for a relatively large number of patients