St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital opens 'SLCH Priority Care'

CORNWALL-ON-HUDSON — St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital opened its SLCH Priority Care program on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at its Cornwall campus.

This new program will offer extended primary care services during the evening and weekend hours.

According to the hospital's press release:

SLCH Priority Care will treat patients when they need to be evaluated but emergency department or urgent care services are not required.

SLCH Priority Care is located adjacent to the existing Emergency Department and will be open Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The office will treat both children and adults for sick and well visits.

Priority Care staff will work closely with physicians in the community to ensure that patients are transitioned back to their provider.

Appointments are on a walk in basis and patients will be seen as needed.

“The expansion of services is in line with our efforts to provide high quality care in the most appropriate setting,” said Robert S. Ross, SLCH President and CEO. “We continue to reexamine and reevaluate our services to best meet the needs of the community.”

Assemblyman James Skoufis, D-Woodbury, had opposed the hospital's proposal to close emergency room services at its Cornwall location. He offered the following assessment when contacted this week:

"The opening of SLCH Priority Care is certainly a welcome addition to the Cornwall Campus and the many communities that are served by it," Skoufis wrote in an email exchange with The Photo News. "The extended primary care will work very well in conjunction with the Cornwall emergency department that is located just adjacent to the center."