The Newly Renovated, 702,000 Square-foot, 10-floor, 373-bed Facility Will Increase Availability and Accessibility of Medical Care in the Area
State-of-the-Art Facility Will Support the Care of 90,000 Visits Annually
Governor Hochul: “This is the newest hospital in our state. It took vision, it took guts, it took determination to build this during a global pandemic. And to all the healthcare workers who will find this as their home, I am grateful. I am grateful that all of you have received the training and are putting to use your heart and compassion because you would not be a healthcare worker if you didn't care so deeply about your fellow human being.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of the Wynn Hospital in downtown Utica. This hospital was partially funded through a $300 million grant from the New York State Department of Health’s Health Care Facility Transformation Program. The newly completed, desperately needed, state-of-the-art hospital will bring Utica and the surrounding communities more modern and accessible medical care by supporting the care of 90,000 visits annually.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Come on Utica, let's get this party started! This is a celebration! Alright, that's a little bit better, first hospital we've built here since maybe 1865, so this is a big deal. This is a huge win for this community, and I want to thank all the people who made this happen because this is a milestone in our community's history and all the people who wrote off the Mohawk Valley, wrote off Upstate New York after decades of decline, and believe me, I know all about this because I'm from Buffalo. Okay? This is our comeback story.
And I want to thank the people who never gave up on this community. The true believers, our elected leaders, the community patrons, the people who just love this community so dearly. The Mohawk Valley and Utica have so much to offer, so much.
I've been coming here since I was a little girl, but as Lieutenant Governor, I walked the streets with our great Mayor Palmieri, let's give him a round of applause for what he has done transforming this downtown, and he showed me the sites and said, “We can save this building, instead of tearing this down we can have a great restaurant, Ocean Blue. We can redo a new home for the Comets, the Nexus Center. We can build a new hospital where there has not been in our history.”
So true believers, like our mayor and others, and our partners in state government. Senator Joe Griffoand Marianne Buttenschon and I want to thank them for helping deliver the money from the State of New York. Let's give them a round of applause.
Our donors who really stepped up Steve Wynn and many others who are making us so proud. And I want to thank everyone, especially the leadership of this organization. Darlene and Greg, this is extraordinary. This is the newest hospital in our state. It took vision, it took guts, it took determination to build this during a global pandemic. And to all the healthcare workers who will find this as their home, I am grateful. I am grateful that all of you have received the training and are putting to use your heart and compassion because you would not be a healthcare worker if you didn't care so deeply about your fellow human being. You will work hard, but at the end of your long shifts, know that you made a difference for thousands of people.
We expect over 90,000 people to come to the emergency room, 3,400 people will open up their hearts to everyone who enters these doors, and really will make a difference. That's what this community is all about. There's so much heart and compassion here. And my other job here is to not just invest in downtowns, like the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and other projects, but also in the region, bringing back thousands of good jobs that we lost during that decline that we all want to forget about.
But we can invest $500 million in Wolfspeed to bring those jobs right here. Bringing back money for opportunities like building shovel ready sites, so any business we can bring to New York, they can come right to the Mohawk Valley.
We are working so hard for all of you because I know, as the first Governor from Upstate New York in over 100 years, you sometimes feel forgotten. Well, let me tell you this, you are spot on in knowing that that was the past, but the future is very bright and very different, especially when we have communities like this that truly believe in themselves. This hospital is extraordinary. I'm so proud of everyone who made it happen. So, as I said, let's celebrate, let's get the party started. You got it done, Utica!