SamPratt.com

Hudson in the sun

Bon Appétit magazine has a 10-page feature on Hudson eats and drinks in the current (August 2014) issue, with a ten-point sidebar of recommendations from Yours Truly. The issue is available at ShopRite near the checkout, and probably elsewhere.

Mushy

Sustained rain over the past fortnight has caused an explosion of mushroom growth in the area. A half-hour walk on Thursday in the Taghkanic woods (sticking only to trails, and not specifically searching for anything) revealed at least 13 varieties of toadstools, some of them very poisonous. A few friends have helped with possible identifications, but if any readers are expert micologists, please don’t hesitate to share your theories.

TCI withdraws Ghent application and lawsuit

Appearing to confirm its departure from the Town of Ghent, PCB-processor TCI of NY has withdrawn its application to following its catastrophic fire two summers ago.

The company also (per the memo below) has withdrawn a specious lawsuit against the Town’s Planning Board, claiming that the Board could not regulate a rebuild.

TCI is already embroiled in zoning controversies in its new location, across the river in Coeymans, whose residents may want to be on their guard—each of TCI’s past three facilities (Ghent, Greenport and Newburgh) exploded.

Lais-Knit

Found on Warren Street, presumably detritus from the renovation of the Warren Inn (formerly the Roylton, not to be confused with the one in Manhattan).

Wear & Tear (I)

This Columbia County map has hung on the wall of the Bell’s Pond XtraMart for years. Over time, the map has become discolored, worn and even torn from people pointing to Bell’s Pond on the map.

You can also faint, greasy lines along the roads emanating from Bell’s Pond toward likely destinations (the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, the Taconic Parkway exit, Lake Taghkanic, the Claverack light).

This site will periodically feature other examples of wear and tear, erosion, and other patterns of use. If you spot an example, don’t hesitate to send your photo via email.

 

Columbia Memorial Hospital and Albany Med announce ‘strategic alliance’

Hudson’s Columbia Memorial Hospital and Albany Medical Center are announcing plans today to form a long-term “strategic affiliation” or “alliance,” with the goal of “better coordination of care for residents of Columbia and Greene counties and greater operational efficiency for both organizations.”

A draft agreement, still in negotiation, is said to stipulate that some members of CMH’s board would serve on Albany Med’s board, and vice-versa. But hospital officials stress that the two institutions will remain distinct, saying that “there will be no acquisition or merger.” On its Facebook page, Columbia Memorial is even more adamant about that point:

This is NOT a merger. It is NOT a consolidation. It is NOT a sale, and it is NOT an acquisition or a takeover. We are working to align our respective organizations to take advantage of one another’s strengths.

Potential benefits of the new partnership for Columbia County patients could include providing easier and more immediate access to Albany Med doctors and resources. Columbia Memorial might also seek to tap into higher Medicare reimbursements obtained by a larger partner located in a metro region. (CMH has 192 beds, whereas Albany has 734.)

Seeking to reassure the public that CMH and Albany Med will remain indepedent, the hospitals state that they will maintain their own corporate identities, boards of trustees, fundraising efforts, management structures, executives, directors, supervisors, medical staff, staff leadership, bylaws, employees and employment policies, while each “determin[ing] their own salary and benefit structure.”

The plan, which apparently has been very quietly in the works for roughly a year, has not been officially adopted and would require State approval. A “mutual due diligence” process is expected to take several months before a formalizing any agreement.

The discussion of an alliance was not driven by financial strains, the hospitals say, noting that “Columbia Memorial is presently operating at a net positive margin.”

Rather, they note that “reforms associated with the Affordable Care Act” have pushed “dozens of provider organizations in New York State [to become] affiliated in the last few years alone... [V]irtually every other provider of every size and type is exploring potential linkages and affiliations with other providers due to these system-wide dynamics.”

The two hospitals’ joint press release can be read here, along with a question and answer sheet.