Harckham Secures Grant For Putnam Hospital Birthing Center

CARMEL, NY — A maternity facility will be back in business at Putnam Hospital thanks to a $500,000 state grant.

New York State Sen. Pete Harckham announced Tuesday he secured the grant that will reopen the Birthing Center in Putnam Hospital, a 164-bed acute care facility located in Carmel.

Maternity services at the hospital were temporarily suspended in March and, since then, the maternity unit has been undergoing renovations.

Harckham said the community hospital is one of the most important assets in Putnam County, but it wasn’t viable without a birthing center.

“The newly renovated Birthing Center will allow for new revenue streams to help the hospital financially,” he said, “and also create new memories for countless families.”

Harckham said, when it’s open, community residents will not be inconvenienced or put at risk by needing to travel for critical procedures and checkups.

Dr. Mark Hirko, president of Putnam Hospital, said he was grateful for the support of its community partners in bringing back a vital service.

“This is an invigorating start to the future growth and success of maternal care in our region,” he said.

The renovated Birthing Center will feature 10 patient rooms, two on-call suites, operating room, scrub room, nurse station, waiting area, well baby nursery, conference room, staff lounge and medication room — all in 12,000 square feet. SLAM Cooperative, the architectural firm involved with the design and construction of the space, estimates costs between $1 and $2 million.

Putnam Hospital’s maternity care unit has not been updated since 2002. Officials said much of the interior, including lighting fixtures, were in need of replacement or repair.