The transition of the Town of Webb Health Center from town sponsorship to that of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center is expected to be complete within the first few weeks of the new year, according to St. Elizabeth’s Chief Operating Officer Robert Scholefield.
Scholefield said there are about ten to twelve weeks of construction remaining before the Health Department can inspect the building and clear it for operation.
At which point the health center will transition from town operations to medical center operations. Scholefield has also announced that Dr. Thomas Socash, who served as a physician at the former Town of Webb Health Center for 23 years, will be returning to the Town of Webb Health Care Center.
Dr. Socash announced his departure from the Health Center last spring to take a position at the new Veterans Administration Center in Saranac Lake
“Dr. Socash has agreed to become an employee of the medical center and he will be back at the health care center the beginning of January,” Scholefield said. Patients will be able to schedule appointments with Dr. Socash by calling the office, he said.
This development, according to Scholefield, came about after continued communications with Dr. Socash who has ultimately decided that he would like to be back in Webb.
St. Elizabeth’s is also in the process of trying to recruit another doctor to replace Dr. Mark Webster who has agreed to stay on as long as needed but has expressed a desire to retire at the end of this year.
The recruitment has been going slower than expected, Scholefield said, in part because it is difficult to entice people to move to New York state, let alone a rural community.
“But that aside,” he said, “there is a lot of competition right now for primary care physicians.”
However, he added that St. E’s is using a number of resources to attempt to attract people to the area.
One of the most valuable, he said, was the Town of Webb Health Center Fund whose directors have been “fantastic in offering their services.”
The Health Center Fund has suggested the creation of welcome committees that will host visits by potential physicians and their families to familiarize them with the communities they will serve and what the area has to offer.
The St. Elizabeth’s Administration extended its thanks to Webb Supervisor Ted Riehle and the Town Council members, as well as Hazel Dellavia and the other members of the Health Center Fund for their continued support during this transition period.
