Saratoga Hospital opens first offices in Wilton Mall
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. » SaratogaHospital recently opened its first offices inWilton Mall, relocating more than 100 support staff from the hospital’s main campus to free up space for inpatient and other acute care services.
Two clinical programs - surgical podiatry and the Center forWoundHealing and Hyperbaric Medicine - are also now open inmall space previously occupied by Sears.
The moves come a year after Saratoga Hospital and Wilton Mall owner and operatorMacerich announced an innovative arrangement to adapt 56,000 square feet of unoccupied mall space for hospital support and clinical use.
The arrangement reflects SaratogaHospital’s strategic priority of reserving its ChurchStreet campus in Saratoga Springs for services that require a setting where patients have 24/7 access to intensive and emergency care, constantmonitoring and a highly skilled, specializedmedical team.
“We have more than 20 locations throughout the Saratoga region, but only one place—our hospital campus—is equipped with the technology and expertise to meet the needs of our most critically ill patients,” Saratoga Hospital president and CEO Angelo Calbone said in a press release, which called the relocation a smart solution for the hospital, mall and community. “We owe it to our growing community to make the best use of every square foot of that campus by dedicating it to services that can’t be provided anywhere else.”
Additionally, Saratoga Hospital provides comprehensive outpatient services at two other campuses: Saratoga Medical Park at Malta and the hospital’s Wilton campus, across the street from the Wilton Mall.
The proximity of the Wilton campus adds to the appeal of the mall location. Providers with Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Surgical Podiatry can perform outpatient surgery at Saratoga Surgery Center at Wilton and see patients for follow-up care across the street in the new Saratoga Hospital medical offices at Wilton Mall.
The arrangement to convert former retail space for a large-scale hospital workspace offers advantages for Saratoga Hospital, mall owners and the community that both organizations serve.
“Medical office use is a terrific complement to our property’s wide selection of retail options, bringing office tenants a range of amenities to enjoy while connecting our retailers with new shoppers,” Mike Shaffer, Wilton Mall’s senior manager of property management said in the release. “Transforming the former Sears box into this vibrant new use is part of our innovative approach to serving as a true town center for this community.”
For Saratoga Hospital, the mall is an ideal location for support staff and noncritical outpatient services. In addition to ample space, the location offers easy access to parking and mall amenities.
Already, the hospital is using more than 75% of its Wilton Mall space. Most is occupied by information technology and health information services staff previously located at the hospital campus. Nearly 5,000 square feet is home to the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine, which includes the hospital’s first hyperbaric oxygen chambers. A painless, noninvasive treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be effective in treating nonhealing wounds. This center is an example of a program that can best serve the community at a central location, away from the main hospital campus.
“Residents of our town will benefit greatly fromthe hospital’s expanding specialty practices and increased proximity to their homes, making their choice to use Saratoga Hospital both smart and convenient,” Town of Wilton supervisor John Lant said in the release. “Saratoga Hospital has long been a vitally important partner for the Town of Wilton, providing our community with top-rated health services that range from simple to the most complex procedures,” he added. “I look forward to a deepening and lasting partnership between the hospital and the Town of Wilton.”
More information about Saratoga Hospital and its services is available online at www.saratogahospital.org.