By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- Massena Memorial Hospital has started 2016 in the black. Although they ended 2015 ahead, this is the first time in years they have not started a calendar year in a deficit.

MMH CFO Patrick Facteau said at Monday’s Board of Managers meeting that although the month was positive, inpatient volumes were down for January because they had multiple alternative level of care cases. That includes people awaiting placement in nursing homes.

“We looked at a length of stay increase,” he said. “We had a lot more of ALC patients and patients awaiting placement in nursing homes.”

They planned on 210 inpatients and treated 174.

MMH CEO Robert Wolleben said ALC cases languishing in hospitals are a big problem nationwide, but MMH staff been able to get them out before too long.

“They’ve done a great job getting them placed,” Wolleben said.

Wolleben said other area hospitals aren’t so lucky.

“CVPH (Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital) has 23 people in their hospital every day that are ALC patients,” he said. “It’s a chronic problem in New York state and a big problem throughout the country.”

MMH finished January $88,400 in the black, compared to $65,700 in the red last year.