Work begins on Amenia Health Care renovation

AMENIA — Work has already begun on the renovation of Amenia Health Center on Route 343, the first effort by Hudson River HealthCare in working toward a “green� sustainable health center.

Hudson River HealthCare operates 16 health centers in the New York area. The Amenia branch is its largest practice in eastern Dutchess County. It was an existing practice before 2001, when it became part of the Hudson River HealthCare system.

The $3.7 million renovation will double the size of the health center to 8,300-square feet and increase its overall capacity from 7,500 to 15,000 patients.

“The center has been in dire need of upgrading and repair,� explained Hudson River HealthCare Public Relations Director Dottie DeBiase. “The need for services has grown and the only way we can accommodate it is by growing.�

“Green� renovations include installing rooftop solar panels, high efficiency heating and cooling and creating multiple units and zones for energy efficiency, among other improvements.

“We’ve been very interested in green renovations,� explained Hudson River HealthCare President and CEO Anne Nolon. “I think it’s a rare opportunity for us to do a complete rebuild with green in mind. We have funding from the state and a philosophical commitment to sustainability.�

Although Nolon said the building will most likely not be receiving LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification, considered the benchmark for green building, she stressed those practices will be the standard that construction of the project will be striving for.

“With that kind of construction, standards are so high and it’s likely too costly to do that,� Nolon said. “But wherever we can use LEED standards we will, and I’d prefer to think of it as we have those standards in mind and they will be guiding our principles for green construction.�

The renovation has been made possible largely by funding through the state’s HEAL NY (Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers) program. There have also been several “green� fundraisers, including a dinner and auction this past May at the Red Devon restaurant in Stanfordville that raised $25,000. A second event will be held Oct. 30 at Blue Hills at Stone Barns Restaurant in Pocantico Hills, north of New York City.

Because of the construction phasing, the Amenia branch and all services will remain throughout the duration of construction.

“For us to close down services for patients that rely on us ... that would be unconscionable,� DeBiase said.

Nolon said that Amenia is the first Hudson River HealthCare branch to undergo green renovation but hopefully will not be the last.

“We are definitely looking at other sites where we have a chance to go green,� she said, mentioning that solar panels are being installed at the Peekskill branch. “Little by little, as we have the opportunity, we’ll become more and more environmentally sustainable.�