AHN Westfield Memorial is aiming to become a rural emergency hospital.

A plan by AHN Westfield Memorial to pursue a designation change to “rural emergency hospital” is intended to strengthen the facility for the future. That was the message during a community forum held last month at Westfield High School.

In announcing the planned move at the start of the year, Westfield Memorial Hospital said it expects the transition will bring long-term financial and operational stability going forward while protecting care access for its patients in the town, village and the surrounding Chautauqua County region. Designated rural emergency hospitals, a news release noted, are eligible for additional federal funding and higher Medicare reimbursement rates.

“Maintaining a 24/7 inpatient unit is costly, and the expenses aren’t warranted by the volume we see at Westfield,” said Rodney Buchanan, DNP, administrator of Westfield Memorial, last month. “By converting to a rural emergency hospital, we can redirect those resources toward new programs that are a better fit for our community and retain and grow the specialties and services that are most important to our patients.”

As part of the forum, a handout addressed major questions facing the transition. The questions and answers included:

— Is the hospital closing? No, WMH is not closing. In fact, we are expanding additional outpatient services.

— Will the emergency room be an urgent care? No, the designation requires we maintain the same level of emergency room care 24-7 to handle all critical emergencies like heart attacks, trauma and stroke.

— Will the Chautauqua Institution clinic close? No. The summer clinic will remain open and is not impacted by this change.

— Is the hospital reducing to four beds? No. It has had only four beds for more than 10 years.

— Will anyone be admitted to Westfield anymore? Yes. Patients who are in observation status can still be admitted to WMH.

— What if all four beds are full and I need to be admitted? This happens today and the hospital follows a process of getting patients to a bed at another hospital to prevent them from having to remain in the emergency room.

— Can ambulances still take patients to WMH? Yes. The hospital is required to maintain the same level of emergency care, therefore the ambulances can still transport to WMH.

— Can I still receive physical therapy and x-rays at WMH? Yes. All current outpatient services will not be impacted by this change.

In an average year, Westfield Hospital sees thousands of patients on an outpatient or observational basis and receives nearly 10,000 emergency department visits. The hospital, however, sees just 110-150 inpatient admissions annually — or about 10-12 inpatient admissions a month. Westfield is licensed for just four inpatient beds.

New York state Department of Health needs to approve the transition, which is expected by 2026. As part of the conversation process, WMH must develop a Health Equity Impact Assessment and solicit stakeholder feedback, by way of public meetings and a community survey. That survey is open to the public, and can be viewed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WMHredesign

Founded in 1942, WMH is the only Allegheny Health Network hospital outside of the state of Pennsylvania. In 2018, WMH unveiled its new five-bed emergency department; in 2024, it opened a new radiology and diagnostics suite.