KINGSTON, N.Y. (December 16, 2024) – The inpatient behavioral health unit at HealthAlliance Hospital reopened today, marking a significant milestone for the local community. Closed during the early height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unit has been rebuilt and is now part of the renovated HealthAlliance Hospital, restoring 20 inpatient behavioral health beds.
This critical resource for behavioral health care in Kingston and Ulster County represents the first phase of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network’s (WMCHealth) broader strategy to expand behavioral health services locally and across the mid-Hudson Valley.
“This new inpatient psychiatric unit is the result of years of collaboration between WMCHealth, elected officials, and community stakeholders to ensure we provide comprehensive and compassionate care tailored to the needs of our community,” said Josh Ratner, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, WMCHealth. “WMCHealth prioritizes investments in critical services, and as many organizations continue to reduce their investment in behavioral health services, bringing these beds back online at HealthAlliance Hospital has been a key priority for our Network.”
Elissa Chessari, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, for WMCHealth’s Northern Region, which includes HealthAlliance Hospital, emphasized the hospital's commitment to behavioral health services: “The reopening of our inpatient behavioral health unit reflects our dedication to providing comprehensive behavioral health services, including inpatient care, emergency treatment, and outpatient addiction programs. By restoring these critical services, we are addressing the urgent mental health needs of our community and ensuring that individuals have access to the care and support they need for their recovery and well-being. We look forward to the positive impact this unit will have on the lives of those we serve.”
WMCHealth, which is the largest provider of inpatient behavioral health services in the Hudson Valley, undertook a near-complete renovation of the 20,000 square foot behavioral health unit to restore 20 inpatient behavioral health beds. The $7 million project includes a mix of renovated semi-private and private patient rooms with upgraded bathrooms, improved dining and group program spaces, a quiet room with audio-visual entertainment, and a new nursing station and other improved staff work areas and support spaces.
Michael Doyle, MD, MBA, CPE, a licensed psychiatrist with more than three decades of healthcare experience, will serve as the Regional Associate Medical Director of Psychiatry for WMCHealth.
"The new inpatient behavioral health unit at HealthAlliance Hospital is designed to meet the evolving needs of today's behavioral health patients," said Dr. Doyle. "With modernized facilities, and advanced treatment spaces, these renovations enhance our ability to offer a safe, therapeutic environment that supports the recovery and well-being of our patients."
New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “Psychiatric beds at community-based hospitals play a crucial role in our ability to provide New Yorkers with the care they can rely on to recover following a behavioral health crisis. HealthAlliance Hospital’s restored behavioral health wing will bring welcome inpatient capacity to the city of Kingston and Ulster County. This significant benchmark reflects Governor Hochul’s commitment to strengthening New York State’s mental health care system and the strong partnership we share with the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.”
“Our entire community has been pushing and fighting for years to bring back the inpatient behavioral health beds at HealthAlliance Hospital, and I’ve been proud to help lead that fight. The path hasn’t always been easy, but our community would not take no for an answer. Today’s announcement is a tremendous victory for Hudson Valley families,” said U.S. Congressman Pat Ryan. “These critical services save lives, period, I want to thank all of our partners who made this possible. When our community stands up with one voice, we can accomplish anything.”
New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “HealthAlliance Hospital is a lifeline for accessible, patient-centered mental health and substance use disorder recovery services, not only in Kingston but for people across the Hudson Valley. When our inpatient behavioral health beds were removed during the peak of the pandemic, we sounded the alarm about the devastating consequences of leaving our neighbors and loved ones without the care they need. I’m proud to have worked alongside a unified coalition of community leaders, advocating relentlessly to restore these vital services. We are grateful that WMCHealth heard us, worked with us, and brought back 20 beds through a new inpatient psychiatric unit that will save lives and improve local access to urgently needed behavioral health care.”
Said New York State Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha: "A lack of mental health services has immensely harmed our society, especially those who need treatment and their families. When someone is in need of a psychiatric bed at a hospital and they can’t access it, that person is likely to end up hurt or in jail, and that makes all of us less safe. Today, we celebrate with some relief the opening of a 20-bed behavioral health unit at HealthAlliance Hospital, but we also know we need a holistic approach to create an infrastructure for mental well-being. As we head into a new State budget in the coming months, New York must invest in supportive housing, work toward fixing the broken system we have of funding healthcare and pass policies like Treatment Not Jail that would put New Yorkers on a path to recovery rather than harm."
“This is a day I’ve been working toward from the time in-patient services in Kingston ended during COVID, and I want to thank WMCHealth for not only making good on its commitment to restore 20 beds but also creating a state-of-the-art behavioral health wing that improves greatly on the former Benedictine facility,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “We face an ever-increasing need for mental health services for our residents, and in-patient services in Ulster County are something we cannot do without. I am thrilled that the doors are now open for our residents in need, and the restored services will be an invaluable complement to the services we’re offering at the nearby Ulster County Center for Well-Being, including the 24/7 Crisis Support Center planned for early 2025.”
“The completion of the new behavioral health unit at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston is a significant milestone for our region, offering expanded access to critical care for individuals and families navigating mental health challenges, said Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino. This facility will provide a much-needed lifeline, ensuring that residents have access to comprehensive, compassionate care closer to home. By reducing barriers to treatment and providing critical services, this initiative reinforces our commitment to fostering healthier communities across the Hudson Valley, and I applaud WMCHealth for their leadership in making this vital resource a reality."
"The opening of the Behavioral Health Unit at HealthAlliance Hospital is a vital step forward in expanding access to mental health care in Ulster County. This new facility, working in tandem with the county’s soon-to-be-opened Crisis Support Center, part of our new Center for Well-being, will provide critical, coordinated support for our community. We’re grateful to all the partners who made this possible," said Peter Criswell, Chair of the Ulster County Legislature.
Said City of Kingston Mayor Steve Noble: “We are pleased to celebrate the reopening of the mental health unit at the HealthAlliance hospital in Kingston. We appreciate WMC/ HealthAlliance’s commitment to returning these much-needed beds, which are critical to the health and well-being of our community. I want to thank the State and our local partners who worked diligently in the effort to bring vital mental health services to the Kingston facility.”
Delivering Behavioral Health Services for Ulster County Residents
Inpatient behavioral health services at the former HealthAlliance Hospital on Mary’s Avenue in Kingston were closed in 2020 under a direct order from New York State, which mandated the entire hospital be repurposed to create added surge capacity for COVID-19 patients.
Recognizing the importance of these services for the community and a need to maintain access to inpatient behavioral health care, WMCHealth worked to immediately add 15 inpatient psychiatric beds to nearby MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
During that time, the Network collaborated with state officials, including the New York State and Ulster County Departments of Health, elected officials and local stakeholders to determine the best path forward to ensure this critical resource would continue to serve residents and the surrounding community.
In 2022, WMCHealth, along with Congressman Ryan, announced that it would maintain 20 inpatient psychiatric beds at the new HealthAlliance Hospital, a plan that led to the renovation and opening of the new behavioral health unit. The new HealthAlliance Hospital reopened December 2022.
During construction, WMCHealth continued to offer advanced behavioral health services, including emergency psychiatric treatment, adult and adolescent partial hospitalization programs, inpatient treatment for acute withdrawal, and outpatient addiction programs across its Network. WMCHealth also began hiring key leadership roles for once the new inpatient unit was completed and ready to come online.
Building a Team of Dedicated and Behavioral Health Specialists
In his new role, Dr. Doyle will oversee WMCHealth’s behavioral health programs at HealthAlliance Hospital and MidHudson Regional Hospital. A tenured member of the Ulster County medical community, Dr. Doyle previously served as Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley, where he played a critical role in the HealthAlliance Hospital transformation and the ongoing plans for the Medical Village at the former HealthAlliance Hospital on Broadway in Kingston.
WMCHealth has also hired two new physicians to lead behavioral health clinical efforts, Rebecca Ackerman-Raphael, MD, and Lore Garten, MD.
Dr. Ackerman-Raphael, who is certified by The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, has extensive behavioral health experience with specialties in depression, anxiety disorders, substance use, and schizophrenia. Dr. Ackerman-Raphael will serve as Chief Psychiatrist at HealthAlliance Hospital. Previously, Dr. Ackerman-Raphael was a member of the behavioral health medical staff at WMCHealth’s MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie.
Dr. Garten is the Medical Director of the BridgeBack Comprehensive Outpatient Program for treatment of substance use disorder, operated by HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley in Kingston. In this leadership role, Dr. Garten supports the harm reduction approach implemented from all levels of the organization and program. She is also responsible for the examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients, including prescribing MAT and methadone. During 2024, Dr. Garten and the BridgeBack team increased the program’s patient census thirty percent, from approximately 360 patients to 460 patients.
Behavioral Health Center of Excellence
With the completion of the inpatient unit at HealthAlliance Hospital, WMCHealth will prepare to proceed with plans for the previously announced Behavioral Health Center of Excellence at MidHudson Regional Hospital.
Announced with then Dutchess County Executive and current U.S. Congressman Marcus Molinaro in 2022 and partially funded with $3 million from Dutchess County, the Center of Excellence will permanently add 20 beds at MidHudson Regional Hospital and will facilitate updates to MidHudson Regional Hospital's inpatient behavioral health units, including shared community spaces and nursing stations in these areas, in order to enhance the healing environment while prioritizing a safe environment for patients and workforce members.
WMCHealth expects construction to begin at MidHudson Regional in 2025. Once completed, there will be 60 inpatient behavioral health beds available at MidHudson Regional, and including the 20 beds at HealthAlliance Hospital, 80 beds at WMCHealth facilities across Ulster and Dutchess Counties.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 12,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region’s only acute care children’s hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X.
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