The Greenburgh Town Board unanimously approved a resolution at the December 4th Town Board meeting urging the state to save the CommunityHospitalat Dobbs Ferry. This hospital should not be closed. The hospital is profitable –in 2006 the hospital projects a profit of $625,000. From an operating margin perspective CHDF is the most profitable entity in the entire HudsonValleyregion. The hospital is the lowest cost facility in its region. The average length of stay for patients in NY is 6.1 days versus a national ALOS of 4.8. The average length of stay at Dobbs Ferry is 4.4 days. The hospital is also the fastest growing facility in the region –discharges have grown by 20% over four years. Referred ambulatory procedures have grown by 24.4% Ambulatory surgery volume has grown by 8% over 4 years. Emergency room volume has grown by 17% over 4 years.
The drive time from the river villages to Phelps, White Plains, the WestchesterMedicalCenter & St. John’sRiversideHospitalis between 15-30 minutes. However, during busy times of the day the drive time more than doubles. A patient in cardiac arrest must reach the hospital within 8 minutes. The closest Emergency Rooms in other hospitals have waits of more than 3 hours or more. If the state closes the Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry the 900 visits a month will have to be redistributed to nearby emergency rooms in other hospitals which are already overcrowded with extremely long waits causing further waiting times.
Advocates for the hospital recommend that supporters of the hospital write to Governor Pataki, Governor-elect Spitzer and other lawmakers urging them to support the hospital. If you are interested in being kept informed of the lobbying efforts to save the hospital please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com. The possible closure of the hospital is the biggest possible crisis facing our community at the present time. We must all work overtime to save this great asset.
SUMMER POLICE CAMPER APPOINTED POLICE OFFICER: A NICE STORY---Herman Killiebrew lives in our community. Mr. Killiebrew enrolled in the summer police youth camp as a student – interacting with the police and learning about policing and law enforcement. Herman Killiebrew is the first graduate of our police summer youth camp to be appointed a police officer. At last night’s Town Board meeting the Town Board unanimously appointed Herman Killiebrew as a police officer. The police summer youth camp was established about a decade ago – to motivate young people to consider law enforcement as a career. We wanted students to interact with the police and to feel comfortable with the police. We were also looking to diversify the police dept and to attract more local residents to policing. Office Killiebrew’s appointment highlights the value of this educational camp –a camp that provides students with experience about law enforcement. I feel really good about this appointment – our summer camp provided Mr. Killiebrew with a foundation that enabled Officer Killiebrew to compete successfully for this job.
RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT FOR SAT/COLLEGE PREP CAMPATBUDGET HEARING ---At the Town Board budget hearing on Monday a number of residents called on the Greenburgh Town Board to approve the proposed SAT/college prep camp when the Board adopts the 2007 proposed budget. Parents, community leaders, a school community police resource officer, and residents attended the Town Board meeting and asked the Board to provide our youth with this incredible opportunity to enhance their future by establishing the camp. A representative of WestchesterCommunity Collegeoffered to provide in kind services to the camp. Westchester Federal Credit Union also is offering to provide graduates of the camp with a savings account. This camp may not produce police officers but it could result in a future Bill Gates/Nobel Prize Laureate/and success stories. A few weeks ago about 25 students (mostly from the Fairviewsection of town) braved the weather and walked from their homes to a meeting I had at Town Hall in the evening to learn more about the camp. These young people want education – they want to better themselves.
The Town Board will vote on the budget December 13th.
PAUL FEINER
GreenburghTownSupervisor
