New hospital is a grand achievement

To the Editor: New hospital is a grand achievement It was my great privilege to speak at the recent grand opening celebration of the new Orange Regional Medical Center. It was exciting to see one of the largest construction projects in our County's recent history become a reality. As County Executive, I am extremely proud that Orange County is home to the newest hospital to be built in New York State in more than 20 years! As a former member of the Horton Hospital Board, I can truly appreciate the magnitude of this incredible accomplishment. There were some who said it would never come to pass, but the Board of Directors, Trustees, Foundation Board members, hospital leadership, talented physicians, dedicated staff, and many, many supportive community members had the vision, dedication, drive, and perseverance to make it happen. Congratulations - and thank you for making this happen in Orange County! Of course, getting to this point did not come without its challenges - it took years of planning, mountains of paperwork, more meetings than one can imagine, and again, incredible community support. On top of that, acres of dirt were moved, roads widened, traffic lights installed, and more than $21 million in funds raised by the hospital. The new Orange Regional Medical Center means great things for the health of our community. As you know, I firmly believe that improving public health and safety should be a top priority for government that helps to ensure the success of a community. With the grand opening of the new ORMC, our community is leading the way with these important issues. Now it's easier than ever for residents to stay right here in Orange County for first-class, state-of-the-art quality care. There's no need to travel to New York City - we can stay close to home, close to family, close to friends and care for our health in the comfort of our own community. As you can imagine, the grand opening is just the beginning. On Friday, August 5, hundreds of hospital staff, emergency medical service providers, law enforcement personnel, emergency services staff, firefighters, volunteers, as well as representatives from federal, state, and local agencies, will work together for the monumental task of coordinating and executing the move of more than 250 patients from the Arden Hill and Horton locations to the new ORMC. This move has gone through months of planning, practice runs, and so much more. My thanks to all who are working so hard to ensure the move goes as smoothly as possible. We are incredibly fortunate that the leadership team of Orange Regional Medical Center had the vision and the passion to bring this incredible new health care center to Edward A. Diana Orange County Executive