Members of the boards of directors for the Brooks Memorial Hospital and TLC Health Network believe a partnership with Kaleida Health in Buffalo will benefit not only the two facilities, but also the community.

In a news release, both board of director chairs Christopher Lanski with Brooks in Dunkirk and Timothy Cooper of TLC Health Network in Irving voiced their praise for the new agreement that was announced after state Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $57 million in state funding for the two facilities.

“Our board believes the partnership with Kaleida Health will help Brooks transform the way it delivers care,” Lanski said. “The opportunity is to be connected to a larger, local health system that is community-focused yet, maintains a very large footprint across Western New York. Moreover, it allows for delivery of health care in Chautauqua County with connectivity to Kaleida Health’s award winning programs and services.”

Brooks Memorial Hospital will terminate its affiliation agreement with UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania and enter into a partnership with Kaleida Health. TLC Health Network, the parent of Lake Shore Health Care Center, is negotiating an affiliation with Kaleida Health as well.

“It has been TLC Health Network’s intention all along to form a partnership with both a local health care entity and a larger, tertiary health system to ensure TLC’s future success and continued access to high quality health care for the communities we serve,” Cooper said. “At this time, we believe that an affiliation with Kaleida Health and Brooks Memorial Hospital represents the best opportunity we have for creating a superior model for delivering health care in this region for generations to come.”

The two Southern Tier hospitals and Kaleida Health will now work together to develop a full vison, plan and strategy for the Southern Tier. This transparent process will include communication, community engagement, as well as physician and employee participation to ensure that the Chautauqua and Cattaraugus community’s health care needs are met.

The opportunity to partner with Kaleida Health and its programs at places like the Gates Vascular Institute, Buffalo General Medical Center and Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo is to coordinate care so patients in the region will have access to appropriate care locally and be seamlessly transitioned to tertiary network care platforms when needed.

Brooks Memorial and TLC Health will also be have greater coordination of care and enhanced partnerships with Erie County Medical Center’s (a partner of Kaleida Health) centers of excellence in behavioral health and transplantation, along with adult level one trauma care.

“We are incredibly pleased, honored and humbled to be able to announce these partnerships with Brooks Memorial Hospital and TLC Health Network,” said Jody Lomeo, president and CEO of Kaleida Health. “Our goal is to collaborate and enhance care for the residents of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties while improving access to the Kaleida Health system.”

Lomeo added, “In addition to this, I want to thank the governor, the Department of Health, Senator Young, her colleagues in government, as well as the boards at both organizations for their leadership, hard work and vision. This is a tremendous opportunity to do what’s best for the community and the patients that we serve.”

The board of directors at Brooks Memorial approved the decision to terminate its management and employee lease agreements with UPMC at its most recent meeting. As has been documented by the OBSERVER, the arrangement Brooks and TLC had with UPMC was one of tumult.

In 2013, UPMC attempted to close TLC, thus leading to both hospitals battling for nearly two years in bankruptcy court. Both Brooks and TLC rung up a combined $16 million in deficits in recent years and reserves of $17 million were depleted at Brooks.

The Kaleida Health board of directors voted to approve the affiliations at their February meeting.