Samaritan awaiting word on taking over Mercy

Samaritan Medical Center has continued talks with the state Health Department about its wish to operate Mercy of Northern New York temporarily until a new nursing home is constructed in Jefferson County.

Last week, the department announced its recommendation to close Mercy, 218 Stone St., by Sept. 16 owing to its financial struggles and lack of a plan by management to make the facility financially viable.

Samaritan spokeswoman Krista A. Kittle said SMC offered receivership of Mercy but is awaiting a decision about that from state health officials.

Ms. Kittle said Samaritan administrators had conversations via telephone with Health Department officials Wednesday, and hope to meet face to face with them in Albany sometime next week to present their receivership plan.

"We're continuing to put a formal plan together," she said. "We need to understand exactly what we'd be walking into. Right now, certainly all of the debt, and other details are still what's the biggest unknown to us."

She said Samaritan administrators have had ongoing dialogue with Mercy officials, but the receivership discussion and decision come solely from the state Health Department.

Ms. Kittle said that during Wednesday's telephone conversations, Samaritan also requested the state Health Department "curtail the process of closure, meaning discontinuing of charges to allow us the time to put a plan together and work out specific details."

She said the state Health Department did not commit to anything Wednesday.