BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County legislators are raising the alarm on the possible closure of Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, calling on Governor Hochul and the state Department of Health to take immediate action to preserve the North Star Health Alliance.

Legislators passed a resolution in support of one of the county’s largest hospitals and employers during the Dec. 8 Operations Committee meeting. 

Legislators say the geography of the county, coupled with the economic impact a potential closure would have on the region, could be devastating for thousands of St. Lawrence County residents. 

The news of the possible closure broke last week, leading to a number of meetings between hospital and state representatives. 

Finger pointing ensued, with state officials saying North Star Health Alliance failed to provide the necessary “basic documentation” needed for funds to be disbursed. 

Assemblyman Scott Gray confirmed to North Country This Week that meetings remain ongoing and both sides remain committed to coming to a solution. 

Legislator Jim Reagen called North Star Health Alliance an “important part of the North Country’s healthcare system.” 

Reagen said he was increasingly concerned with the situation, saying it was “not a political situation.”

“This is not a political issue and should not be a political issue. This is about people. About the people who take care of us when we need help,” he said in introducing the resolution. 

He said it was also about the people who are cared for as well, saying many services ranging from cancer treatment, to renal dialysis and wound care have proven essential for hundreds, if not thousands of residents across the region. 

He said the services “keep people alive” and help many avoid lengthy drives for daily or weekly care that in some cases is several hours away. 

Reagaen said hundreds of employees will also be negatively impacted by a potential closure. 

“The people who work there have dedicated their lives to helping others.  At this particular moment when healthcare is changing, the institution is changing as well, and as sometimes happens, there is a billing issue,” he said. 

Reagen acknowledged that issues likely occurred but said they should never force such an essential service such as Claxton-Hepburn to close. 

“When you deal with the state of New York there are billing issues and problems,” Reagen said. 

He urged leaders “on both sides” to come to the table and find a solution. 

“There’s no room for politics when you’re talking about saving the lives of people,” Reagen said. 

“What there is a need for is for people to be united, for people to stand up, for people to urge our Governor to look at what is most important. And that is how we’re going to care for those who need it most and sort out the bureaucracy...and issues after things are settled out,” Reagen said. 

“That’s the important message I want to get across...what we as a board need to get across,” he continued.

Reagen also raised concerns about the economic impact closing Claxton-Hepburn would have, saying over 700 jobs would be lost in the process, along with millions of dollars in payroll that gets turned over “four or five times in the local economy.” 

Reagen said families would lose their homes, families would have difficulty making ends meet, businesses would suffer as sales declined and the county itself would lose significant sales tax revenue. 

Those feelings were supported by all legislators, including Joseph Lightfoot. 

He said the potential loss of Claxton-Hepburn and the specialized treatments provided would be devastating to those seeking care. 

Legislator Harry Smithers said the importance of healthcare needs to be emphasized even further. 

“We cannot afford to lose this hospital...healthcare is essential to everyone,” Smithers said. 

He acknowledged there were a number of issues that were needing to be supported, however he said the hospital “needs to be taken care of financially now to help them stay afloat.” 

Legislator Rita Curran spoke of the “golden hour” that relates to trauma and sepsis, saying that timeframe is “a very close margin” to move patients from Ogdensburg to other area hospitals when they are 45 minutes or more away. 

“When we have to move people out of there to a facility with a higher level of care, you’re talking about moving them to Albany, to Rochester and places further away. There are no places to catch them in between,” she said. 

She also retrieved concerns over the loss of specialized services, including renal dialysis care and the wound center. 

Curran said those receiving dialysis would have to travel to Watertown or Plattsburgh considering Claxton-Hepburn is the only inpatient renal dialysis center. 

Emergency rooms would also be overwhelmed, she said, with patients needing diversion if the worst were to happen. 

Mental health services would also be lost and mental health evaluations would be transported to Plattsburgh or Watertown. 

Screenings would be conducted at local emergency rooms, with patients then waiting to be sent away for mental health care. 

“That would also require additional personnel, additional police to then transport them again,” she said. Curran said the preservation of Claxton-Hepburn is the board’s top priority. 

“Just because you live in the North Country doesn’t mean you deserve less opportunity for care,” Curran said. 

“I don’t think our people deserve less,” she concluded. 

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