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MVHS Benchmarking Hospitals

But first, a question: How do you "revitalize" a neighborhood with bulldozers and wrecking balls?


The Mohawk Valley Health System, and or their proponents, architects, and consultants, have mentioned the following hospitals. These hospitals are ones that MVHS has visited and or have been suggested to help explain their Downtown Utica Concept. Two themes, which they suggest they're seeking are improved healthcare and downtown economic development - let's see what these benchmark hospitals reveal.


We are looking for a city, a downtown, with a new hospital that was used to revitalize the urban core. One where there are populations with lower socioeconomic status and greater likelihood to speak English as a second language. One where 40 business were removed and an entire neighborhood leveled, along with numerous historical assets. Where will we find this template?

We don't believe it exists, or it would have been presented to the Utica-area years ago. However as MVHS & NBBJ offer us hints, we are investigating, see below links.

We review all Hospitals In Syracuse, looking at St. Joseph's first (see "1" below), and for anyone saying, "Downtown Albany hospitals are a template for Utica," please consider:


[18] Consider Guthrie Corning Hospital, Corning, NY.


[17] Just south of Utica, consider Bassett Medical Center, in Cooperstown, NY


[16] Our new CEO at MVHS mentioned St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, MA. We will invetigate and compare.


[15] MVHS's new CEO mentions Waterbury, CT, where two hospitals attempted a merger.


[14] We found this area, the Kingsport-Bristol TN MSA, they have 306,000 people and population dropped as has ours. What does their healthcare system look like, and what is happening to their hospitals?


[13] Rochester, New York: On February 7, 2018, a legislator suggested to Bill Keeler's listeners that Buffalo, Syracuse, and Boston hospitals are proof enough for him. He went onto praise Rochester's hospitals after an account from his friends.


[12] Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Buffalo, NY: The @New MVhospital says we need to update our research. Happily, please check Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for our investigation. Is this finally the urban hospital that revitalized a downtown neighborhood?


[11] Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, OR: A follower of #NoHospitalDowntown asked if we had ever been to Portland? They asked if a Downtown Utica hospital become something like the Good Samaritan Hospital? We investigated it, and will continue searching for any hospital suggested as a "Utica template".


[10] Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, Owensboro, KY: MVHS says they visited Owensboro Health Regional Hospital in Owensboro, Kentucky... but, it is not a downtown hospital!


[9] Orange Regional Medical Center, Middletown, NY Visited by MVHS according to this News Release, their staff visited Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, New York. Not a downtown hospital.


[8] Elmhurst Hospital, Elmhurst, IL: Visited by MVHS, according to this MVHS News Release, their staff visited Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois. Not a downtown hospital. Note: proponents stated, not an example of "neighborhood hospital integration", MVHS only visited to look at the modern interior aspects of this hospital.


[7] LSU University Medical Center & New Orleans VA, New Orleans: Per their news release, MVHS Reimagines Its Future, MVHS said they visited LSU University Medical Center and the New Orleans VA in New Orleans, Louisiana. Not a downtown hospital.

"The firm [NBBJ] designed two hospitals in New Orleans to replace two destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. The economic value from those hospitals is “rippling out” into the surrounding community where small businesses are springing up, he said." [Ref.]


[6] Springfield Regional Medical Center, Springfield, OH: Utica's Gene Allen says on Facebook that we should look at the good things Springfield Regional Medical Center in Springfield, Ohio did for their downtown. So we did, see the link!


[5] Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston: NBBJ referenced in Designing Hospital For Utica's Future, that Utica look at their Lunder Building of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.


[4] Swedish Medical, Edmonds, WA: Referenced by NBBJ here Designing Hospital For Utica's Future, they told Utica to look at their Swedish Medical in Edmonds, Washington as a template.


[3] OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, OH: Referenced by NBBJ, MVHS's architectural vendor NBBJ Suggested that Utica look at their Neuroscience Center at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio as a template.


[2] University of Pennsylvania: This guy, Omar Blaik, had $2B to help make an anchor institution (University of Pennsylvania) help develop a neighborhood, here's an article Mr Blaik is mentioned in Medical Districts as Anchors of Urban Revitalization. Interestingly, it carries this comment:

"Leaders often see these efforts as a “silver bullet” that could potentially turn around a locality overnight. They believe that a simple set of actions will quickly create the economic development multiplier that everyone hopes for. This is a far cry from reality"


[1] St. Josephs, Syracuse, NY: We were told to go to Syracuse and look at the great things going on in downtown because of their hospitals. Well we did, but no proof there, just a poor neighborhood all around St. Josephs.


All this searching is a big wasted time. Sad too, because there are 64-acres immediately outside Downtown Utica - thus we keep saying, What's So Wrong With St. Luke's?



No Studies, No Reports, thus we remain #NoHospitalDowntown