The $9.1 million renovation of Ticonderoga’s Moses Ludington Hospital is scheduled to start in February, 2017.

The renovation, which will replace the existing inpatient hospital with new emergency and outpatient departments, is expected to take two years, said Jane Hooper, the hospital’s director of community relations.

According to Matt Nolan, the Chief Operating Officer, construction will take place in phases in order to prevent any disruption in services.

“It’s incredibly important that healthcare organizations are able to provide patient care, even while in the midst of a significant renovation,” said Nolan.

The new emergency department will be four times as large as the current space and include larger patient bays, a four-bed observation unit and its own waiting area.

“Emergency departments require an appropriate layout and sufficient space for clinical staff to care for patients. This renovation will ensure that staff has the space to care for patients more easily,” said Jane Hooper.

The labs and radiology facilities will be easily accessible from the Emergency Room, Hooper said.

The renovation also includes space for physical therapy and facilities for visiting clinicians such as oncologists and orthopedic surgeons who may see as many as twenty patients in one day.

According to Hooper, the renovated hospital is the center piece of the Medical Village, a method for providing the best possible care as close to home as possible:

“The idea behind the Medical Village is to bring a variety of complementary, health-related services to the one, 70 acre campus in Ticonderoga,” said Hooper.

In addition to a state-of-the-art emergency room, the Medical Village will include a primary care clinic operated by Hudson Headwaters Health Network.

Nursing home and long-term care services, hospice care, senior housing and a capacity to meet other other health-related needs as they arise arise will also be components of the Medical Village, said Jane Hooper, the director of community relations for Inter-Lakes.

The nursing home and adult home, however, are in the process of being sold to Post Acute Partners, a healthcare services company operating a number of nursing homes and adult long-term care facilities throughout the Northeast.

“A closing is expected to take place sometime this spring. The transaction is proceeding smoothly,” said Hooper.

The renovation of the hospital has been funded by a grant from New York State.

“New York State Department of Health officials feel strongly that the Medical Village is a financially viable concept and they want to see it work,” said John Remillard. The hospital’s CEO. “That’s why we were awarded the $9.1 million grant.”

According to Jane Hooper, the source of the grant is a program designed specifically to help community hospitals such as Moses Ludington become economically sustainable, health care delivery facilities.

Photo: Rendering of Moses Ludington Hospital, provided.

A version of this story was first published in the Lake George Mirror.