Massena Town Council votes to sell MMH, but sale has to pass referendum

By Andy Gardner

MASSENA -- The Town Council on Monday night voted to sell Massena Memorial Hospital to St. Lawrence Health System, but it will have to pass a voter referendum in November.

The vote will be open to registered voters who reside in the Town of Massena.

Although he ultimately voted in favor of the resolution, Councilor Tom Miller said he doesn’t think it should be subject to voter approval.

“We’ve all done our homework. We know where we are ... what if that doesn’t pass, what do we do next? What do we do with the Department of Health grant ... do we go back to square one? That’s why I was wondering why both of these are put together,” Miller said. “What if this doesn’t pass? Where are we?”

The grant he referred to is a $20 million package from the state that MMH got contingent upon their merger with St. Lawrence Health.

“We’re not going to get that money without it, yes,” said Sam Burgess, an attorney who has been working with the town on the sale of MMH.

Town Supervisor Steve O’Shaughnessy said he thinks the referendum will pass.

“I think the taxpayers of the Town of Massena would accept this deal with open arms. I don’t think we have to worry,” he said.

Members of the Town Council and Massena Memorial Hospital Board of Managers made claims that MMH will close and town taxpayers will be stuck with the hospital’s debts.

“Chances are if it does not pass ... there would not be a hospital in Massena,” MMH board chair Loretta Perez said. “The $20 million goes away ... the $8 million from Potsdam goes away also.”

“Double your town taxes for 12 or 13 years, that’s how much it would take to bail out the debt of this hospital, plus we’d have no healthcare facility here,” Town Councilor Sam Carbone said.

Members of the MMH medical staff spoke up and said they support the sale to SLHS.

“We as a medical staff have a great working relationship with the medical staff at Potsdam,” said Dr. Bedros Bakirtzian, who is also a member of the MMH board. “People from Massena are going to Potsdam to get treated ... it’s only logical to combine forces and we have a hospital here that’s working in close collaboration with Canton-Potsdam.”

“This is a golden opportunity. We have been saved,” said Dr. Jayant Jhaveri.

“Tomorrow I may need that hospital as a customer. I want to make sure we do everything possible to keep this institution afloat. We have seen good days. We have seen bad days,” said Dr. Nimesh Desai, MMH’s medical director. “Unfortunately at this stage here we are in bad shape, this is the best option, let’s salvage it.”

“I’ve had a chance to sit down with Mr. (David) Acker (SLHS CEO). He does have a vision ... eventually build a complete and robust ICU and have the other hospitals feed off of it,” said MMH Dr. Birinder Singh.