The following story originally appeared as a “Progress 2016” story in North Country This Week.

MASSENA -- There’s more to Massena Memorial Hospital than meets the eye. A hospital is really the people. And the people who work here are capable, dedicated professionals who really care about our patients’ health and making the patient experience their number one priority.

Last year, MMH focused on the patient experience, not just a patient’s treatment, but in the way each patient is treated. Our healthcare team shares a common goal -- a dedication to making a difference in our patients’ lives each day.

MMH looks back on 2015 with new technology, future planning, a compassionate healthcare team, being recognized again as a most-wired hospital, and full accreditation from the Joint Commission and reductions in reimbursements.

New Chief Executive Officer, Bob Wolleben, FACHE, said, “At Massena Memorial there are a lot of good things going on at this community hospital. We have services that other hospitals would love to have like state of the art diagnostic imaging. You can get on the surgery schedule here on the same day or week. We have some great physicians, physicians that have been in town a long time and some who are new to this town.”

In 2015, MMH reduced expenses by over $4 million and reinvested in key services including Endoscopy, the Emergency Room and IT systems. We made progress with our physician recruitment goals while bringing on new physician services, including the Hospital Medicine and Anesthesia Programs.

“To continue this momentum, we have moved forward with the plans to convert to nonprofit status, which will allow us to function like other competitive hospitals in the area,” said Wolleben.

“This will allow us at the hospital to anticipate and adapt to meet the changing needs of the healthcare industry, for our community and the region. Conversion to a nonprofit entity will give us the ability to work with other hospitals and providers in ways that align our efforts and ensure that MMH will remain strong and in our community.

“We have reinvested in new equipment in our Endoscopy suite. I have worked in seven hospitals, and this Endoscopy suite is the nicest I have ever seen,” the CEO added.

In 2015, MMH inpatient admissions and emergency department visits increased. Outreach clinics continued to see more patients from the Walk-In Clinic in the Levine Outpatient Center. Change is inevitable but together we can overcome obstacles and become better and stronger. This progress was not possible without the contributions from our medical staff and all the MMH employees.

In 2015, MMH recognized three employees for 30 years of service -- Sue Decker, Mary Mittiga and Joan Mitchell. Additionally, Kimberly Truax, Ancillary/Professional Services was honored for her 35 years of service.

MMH joined in a six-hospital collaborative, the North Country Initiative, which provides a state-sanctioned framework for working relationships across the region. The hospital has transitioned the Anesthesia service to a new provider, Premier Anesthesia, and implemented a Hospital Medicine Service to provide a 24/7 hospitalist service to support physician practices. MMH expanded the locations we serve with the Outpatient Center on Andrews Street and a clinical presence at the St. Regis Health Care Center.

Last year, five new physicians joined the Medical Staff. They are: Richard Gramer, DO, Anesthesiology, Emmanuel Nwogu, DO, OB/GYN, Dalkeith Facey, DO, General Surgeon, Andre Bonnet, DO, Emergency Medicine and Manasbi Jaitly, MD, Nephrology.

We have plans to expand our Emergency Department, redesign inpatient rooms and upgrade the Cardiac/Telemetry monitoring system.

The “Walk-In Clinic” is extremely successful and has averaged 700 patient visits per month. The medical office building proved to be very busy with over 10,300 outpatient visits in the MMH Medical Group with Dr. Ammar Kafa, Family Medicine and Cassandra Debien, PA; the MMH Surgical Group with Dr. Sanjay Shah and Dr. Dalkeith Facey; and specialists Neurologist Dr. Kejian Tang and Cardiologist Dr. Joseph Gardella.

The Walk-In Clinic opened seven days a week, and treated nearly 8,324 patients. In 2015, the Emergency Department treated nearly 16,000 patient visits -- over 300 a week. MMH’s Emergency Department is in the application process of being designated as a Level III Trauma ED.

Last year, the Physical Therapy Departments saw 34,463 patients and 50,182 treatments. The Respiratory Therapy Department, which provides both inpatient care and outpatient diagnostics, along with a weekly Pulmonary Clinic with Dr. Thakur, treated over 550 outpatients. The Laboratory performed over 700,000 tests.

The Tender Touches Birthing Center, Perinatal Services, delivered 238 newborn babies in the beautiful maternity center. The Medical/Surgical and Pediatric Unit is the heart of the facility when speaking about patient care. The healthcare team of nurses, aides, and health unit coordinators treat individuals from three days old to the golden years with a wide variety of surgical procedures and medical conditions. The staff has an excellent pressure ulcer prevention program that has tremendous positive patient results.

For 2016, “We will continue to stay transparent and keep the community and employees informed on our progress in regards to the conversion process,” said Wolleben. “Our singular focus is ensuring Massena Memorial Hospital continues to meet our community’s needs, provide top-notch employment opportunities and remain recognized as a great place for patients. I can say without a doubt that patients and employees have been, and continue to be, the top priority at Massena Memorial Hospital.”