184.2020 Supporting Glens Falls Hospital Regarding Covid-19 Pandemic
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL AND
ENDORSING ITS EFFORTS TO OBTAIN REIMBURSEMENT TO
OFFSET COSTS RELATED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
RESOLUTION NO.: 184, 2020
INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Anthony Metivier
WHO MOVED ITS ADOPTION
SECONDED BY: Mr. Harrison Freer
WHEREAS, Glens Falls Hospital, a non-profit community institution, provides essential
health care services for the Town of Queensbury, Warren County and four (4) surrounding
counties, and
WHEREAS, Glens Falls Hospital employs many Town of Queensbury residents and is
the largest employer in Warren, Washington, Hamilton and Essex Counties, and
WHEREAS, Glens Falls Hospital has been experiencing major financial challenges due
to insufficient federal and state reimbursement programs and declines in patient volume, and
WHEREAS, Glens Falls Hospital is vitally important to the health of thousands of full-
time residents and the many thousands of people who visit Queensbury, Lake George and the
North Country throughout the year, and
WHEREAS, Glens Falls Hospital has led a coordinated regional response to the COVID-
19 Pandemic, treating 40 COVID-19 positive patients and setting up and administering
community testing sites at the Hospital and at the Warren County Municipal Center at which
hundreds people were tested, reactivating closed Hospital units to accept the expected surge of
patients, converting anesthesia machines to ventilators, building a UVC sterilization room to
sterilize N95 masks, putting 3-D printers to work making face shields, acquiring new laboratory
equipment to allow rapid testing for COVID-19, providing constant community information and
education about the Pandemic, and investing more than $5 million in these efforts, and
WHEREAS, at the same time the Hospital set up telemedicine services to serve non-
COVID-19 patients who could not visit the Hospital or see their medical providers because of
COVID-19 restrictions and quickly began conducting 1,200 telemedicine visits a week, and
WHEREAS, the Hospital was forced to bear a revenue loss of approximately $27 million
because of the ban on elective procedures, only recently lifted, while also bearing the actual costs
of preparing for the expected surge in COVID-19 patients after having already sustained
operating losses of $1.6 million in January, $3 million operating in February, and an estimated
$6 million in March, and as a result of the financial pressure was forced to furlough more than
360 employees, and
WHEREAS, Glens Falls Hospital is an indispensable institution that is vitally important
to the health, wellbeing, economy and future of the Town of Queensbury and the North Country
region,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED that the Queensbury Town Board, on behalf of the residents, visitors and
taxpayers of the Town of Queensbury hereby expresses its support and sincere appreciation to
Glens Falls Hospital, its physicians and nurses and staff of dedicated employees, many of whom
live in the Town of Queensbury, and
BE IT FURTHER,
RESOLVED that the Town Board hereby endorses Glens Falls Hospital’s ongoing efforts
to obtain federal and state reimbursement to offset the costs it has borne in connection with the
COVID-19 Pandemic and hereby implores the Town’s federal and state representatives to use
their best efforts to secure federal and state funding to reimburse Glens Falls Hospital, and
BE IT FURTHER,
RESOLVED, that the Town Board authorizes and directs the Town Supervisor to send
certified copies of this Resolution to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Congress Member Elise Stefanik and
Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and take such other and further actions as may be
necessary to effectuate the terms of this Resolution.
th
Duly adopted this 18 day of May, 2020 by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Metivier, Mr. Freer, Mr. Ferone, Mr. Strough
NOES: None
ABSENT: None