A closer look at Rochester General's expansion plans

Rochester General Hospital is really the third hospital in our area to announce plans to add more beds; Wednesday’s announcement follows Strong Memorial Hospital and Unity Hospital which made expansion plans public in 2007.

“This project is really is the result of more than a year of planning and is really in the context of a 10 year modernization,” says Mark Clement, CEO and president of ViaHealth, the entity which oversees Rochester General Hospital.

RGH, like the rest of Rochester-area hospitals is facing a critical space crunch, especially when it comes to inpatients. The expansion plan calls for a new, six-story facility located on the hospital’s southeast side, facing

“There is a real need for additional inpatient capacity in this community,” says Clement who adds that the hospital consistently runs above capacity, “we find a way to care for patients...so we don't have to turn them away."

However, nearly a decade ago, ViaHealth closed RGH's downtown facility, the Genesee Hospital and with it, went 383 patient beds. So, with Thursday's announcement, we asked via health whether the Genesee really had to close.

“It's possible that more inpatient capacity was taken out of the system than we could afford and it's possible that it's contributed to what we're dealing with today,” says Clement.  

However, it's not just more beds because there is also a need for more modern facilities and equipment Rochester General's building is nearly 50 years old.

“This is the natural expected and normal replacement and modernization that has to take place,” says Clement.