OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Pictured is the new sign outside of New York Medical Center, located at the former Lakeshore Hospital in the town of Hanover.

HANOVER — There is still hope for an emergency room in the town of Hanover.

After recent discussions with New York Medical Center, Town of Hanover Supervisor Lou Pelletter believes that a public emergency room “is on the table” in Phase II of renovations to the former Lakeshore Hospital site.

New York Medical Center plans to establish a residential mental health and rehabilitation facility at the former Lakeshore Hospital site on Routes 5 and 20 in the town of Hanover. Plans for the residential facility include a total of 180 total beds — 140 for behavioral health and 40 for substance abuse.

Once fully operational, the facility could provide upwards of 300 jobs. Operations are not far down the line. Staffing has already begun, and signage is already posted on the facility itself and at the entrance off the main road. Pelletter said the facility could open in a limited capacity as early as September.

“They have a very positive outlook for the community, if everything falls into place,” Pelletter said. “I’m very excited about the emergency room.”

Since the plans were first proposed, Pelletter has been advocating for an emergency room to be included. Establishing an emergency room would alleviate the concerns the Town has had since Lakeshore Hospital closed in 2020. Without a hospital in the area, patients are transported to Dunkirk, Buffalo, or Jamestown in a crisis, which puts lives at risk. It also increases the burden on local firefighters and emergency personnel.

In the past, Pelletter was told that it was unlikely that New York State would grant a license for an emergency room. Recently, however, the tone has been a bit more optimistic through discussions between Raymond Manning of New York Medical Center, Brooks-TLC Hospital CEO Ken Morris, the Town of Hanover, and the Village of Silver Creek.

“I’m very encouraged, and I think the Mayor (Jeff Hornburg) is very encouraged,” Pelletter said.

Pelletter previously reached out to several politicians across the state and the New York State Department of Health to advocate for the sale and development of the site. Pelletter now plans to call on whoever it takes to get an emergency room included in the plans, and he urges his fellow Board members and community leaders to do the same.

“I think it’s important that we do whatever we can to make sure the state gives this operation a license to maintain a public emergency room. That is going to be my goal to move forward,” Pelletter said.

Pelletter has contacted New York Sen. George Borrello, Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, and U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy on the matter. He has even written to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and is planning on aiming even higher.

“I’m going to write to (President Donald) Trump if I have to because I think it’s that important,” Pelletter said.

Firefighters and first responders are also urged to voice their support for an emergency room, as well. The Town Board believes that letters of support from the local fire departments could go a long way toward securing a state license and moving the plans forward.

Down the line, the site could potentially include other services to support the community. The region will likely be in desperate need for a pharmacy in the coming months with Rite Aid filing for bankruptcy and set to close its facility in Silver Creek.

Speaking generally to any other potential benefits to the community that New York Medical Center could provide, Pelletter said, “Everything is on the table.”

Also of relevance to the Town of Hanover, its assessment of the facility dropped dramatically after Lakeshore Hospital closed in 2020. Moving forward as a for-profit facility, the Town hopes to reevaluate the site in the future.