Watertown, New York ----- For the third year in a row, Samaritan Medical Center will be hosting a series of meetings for all members of the community. Thomas H. Carman, Samaritan’s President and Chief Executive Officer, will share details of Samaritan’s upcoming $61 million expansion and modernization project, slated to begin this fall. These forums also provide an opportunity for members of the community to offer feedback about the project and about local healthcare in general.

Samaritan’s expansion and renovation project is part of the hospital’s strategic plan. With more than 85 percent of its current facilities built prior to 1972, Samaritan Medical Center identified this project as a necessary step to ensure the successful execution of the goals outlined in its strategic plan. Those goals include medical staff development, workforce development, performance improvement, and the relationship with Fort Drum.

“The significant opportunities presented by this expansion and modernization project will advance healthcare for our entire community,” explains Thomas H. Carman, Samaritan’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “For example, our success in recruiting and retaining physicians and staff will be significantly enhanced when we can offer modern and efficient space in which these professionals can practice. Private patient rooms will enhance the healthcare experience for our patients and have been proven to improve the quality of care. A new emergency department will ensure adequate space for the unprecedented number of emergency room visits we are seeing today. And those are just a few examples of the positive impact this project will have on healthcare locally.”

The details of this project, its impact on local healthcare, and opportunities for attendees to ask questions and share comments will be offered during this series of community meetings, which are scheduled as follows:

All meetings begin at 7 p.m. (with the exception of the May 8 th meeting at 10 a.m. at the Ives Hill Retirement Community) and are free and open to the public.

For more information about these meetings, please contact Samaritan’s Public Relations Department at 785-4584.