Gouverneur, NY, Oct 12, 2012 — People gathered outside the EJ Noble Hospital in Gouverneur Thursday afternoon, holding signs that read "Save Our Hospital" and "Patient Care First." They were there for a vigil to support the thirty nurses who have been laid off.

EJ Noble was forced to close late last month, after the New York State Department of Health closed down its lab. State officials say they're working with the hospital to rectify the deficiencies. That includes discussions with Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown about collaborating at EJ Noble lab. The health department says it's currently reviewing EJ Noble's plans to address concerns at the lab, and has no time frame for reopening the hospital.

Meanwhile, the nurses have all filed for unemployment benefits. Julie Grant went to a vigil they held Thursday, and spoke with nurses Pat Makiewicz and Ellen Meilleur.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Oct 10, 2012 — Collene Dare Alexander has resigned as executive director of the North Country Children's Clinic, after only three months on the job. The clinic's Board of Directors made the announcement in a press release. Alexander had served in the position since July 5. During her short tenure, the organization moved into its new role as a Federally Qualifed Health Center.

Janice Charles will lead the organization as interim director and will immediately begin the search process for a new executive cirector. The agency provides comprehensive medical and dental care to people with low incomes.  Go to full article

Gouverneur, NY, Oct 05, 2012 — Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown is waiting to hear whether it will begin assisting the lab at EJ Noble Hospital. The NY department of health forced the Gouverneur hospital to shut down last week because of deficiencies with its lab.

Krista Kittle is spokesperson at Good Samaritan. She says they want to help prevent EJ Noble from closing.  Go to full article

Gouverneur, NY, Oct 04, 2012 — The EJ Noble Hospital in Gouverneur remains closed, as officials work to correct problems with the hospital's lab. The New York State Department of Health closed the lab down late last week, which meant the hospital could no longer admit patients. Eighteen patients were moved to nearby hospitals, and 70 EJ Noble employees have been placed on leave.

There's concern that the longer the hospital remains closed, the less chance it has of re-opening. Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown and Canton-Potsdam Hospital are both considering proposals to help. But people who live in the Gouverneur-area are worried. The nearest hospital is more than a half-an-hour's drive away.

Village officials have a date with the health department Friday to talk about possible affiliations with other North Country hospitals that might allow EJ Noble to reopen.  Go to full article

Gouverneur, NY, Oct 03, 2012 — EJ Noble hospital in Gouverneur is working correct problems in its laboratory, so the hospital can start admitting patients again. Administrator Charles Canole says the lab failed state testing, and was forced to close late last week by the New York health department.  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Oct 01, 2012 — Congressman Bill Owens met this weekend with North Country veterans to talk about a potential new VA hospital in Ogdensburg. The veterans have been pushing for the new hospital, saying the current setup forces patients to travel too far for services--often all the way to Syracuse. The idea has gained some political traction, but VA officials say a new hospital in Ogdensburg isn't the solution.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Sep 19, 2012 — UPDATE: After this story was published on Wednesday morning, Matt Doheny released his ideas for changes to Medicare. Those can be found at
his website.

NCPR requested another interview with Doheny, now that his policy has been made public. His campaign responded, "No."
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Medicare has become a central issue in Senate and Congressional races this year, especially since Republican Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate. Medicare covers more than 40 million seniors, and nearly 9 million people with disabilities nationwide.

Paul Ryan is head of the House Budget Committee, and wrote a plan to dramatically restructure the program. President Obama's health care law also makes big changes to it.

In the 21st District Congressional race, political ads on both sides have focused on the issue. But parsing the truth from campaign rhetoric can take a fine-toothed comb--especially because Republican candidate Matt Doheny still refuses to talk about Medicare.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Sep 03, 2012 — U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer made a swing through the North Country Friday, stopping in Saranac Lake, Ticonderoga and Indian Lake. While in Saranac Lake, the senator toured the newest of several facilities operated by Adirondack Health. Sen. Schumer pushed for legislation to extend a Medicare program that supports rural hospitals.  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Aug 24, 2012 — Senior citizens vote at higher rates than the rest of the population. So they'll be key to the eventual winner of the North Country's 21st Congressional district. And issues important to seniors, like health care law and Medicare, will take front stage until November.

Democrat Bill Owens' campaign has been ratcheting up the debate with Republican Matt Doheny on Medicare. Owens himself reached out to senior citizens at the Seniorama expo yesterday in Massena.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Jul 27, 2012 — The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of most of the Affordable Care Act just last month, including the individual mandate. But New York has been working to implement the law for more than a year. The state has already gotten $88 million from the federal government to be one of the first to create a health insurance exchange. Yesterday, we spoke with Danielle Holahan, the project director for New York's health insurance exchange planning.

Danielle Holahan described a website similar to Travelocity, where people will be able to shop for health insurance plans. She expects the cost of a policy to be lower than it is today, in part because of the individual mandate. She said, "The mandate, as research shows, has the effect of bringing healthier lives into the insurance market, and that, on average, brings premiums down. So we saw that premiums would come down for that reason. And then, as sort of a second help, we have the federal tax credits, that would offset the premiums and make it affordable for people. Certainly more than zero if they don't have coverage today, but it should be affordable and they'll be getting what we think is a pretty valuable benefit for it."

Another big piece of the Affordable Care Act is the expansion of Medicaid, the government health care system for people with low incomes. Medicaid is administered at the state level. The Affordable Care Act would have required states to expand it, so more people would qualify for coverage. But the Supreme Court ruled that states don't have to expand Medicaid. Some states, such as Florida, are saying they won't. But Holahan tells Julie Grant that New York is also ahead of the game on Medicaid, and it's going to be lucrative.  Go to full article