We celebrate 42nd anniversary as UHS

Aug. 1, 2023, marks the 42^nd anniversary of the founding of UHS.  The month of August 1981 saw the establishment of a new healthcare system in upstate New York, when three community hospitals joined forces to be transformed into United Health Services (UHS).  In the span of a little over four decades, we’ve served millions of people and advanced to become one of the best regional health systems in the country.

“The leaders in our community who came together to form UHS more than four decades ago did so with great vision, determination and commitment,” said John M. Carrigg, president and chief executive officer of UHS.  “They would be both proud and astonished to see how much we have achieved in the intervening years, and how exceptional the UHS System has become.”

When community leaders teamed up 42 years ago to resolve the region’s hospital challenges, they brought to the table a vision for the future, a willingness to cooperate and an ability to get things done. Through the early leaders’ efforts, the hospitals blended into one unified System, improving facilities, consolidating services and providing a spectrum of modern care to the 600,000+ residents of New York’s Southern Tier.

“The legacy we share with those early leaders, a legacy we continue, has led to significant and dramatic advances in care and service for the many communities we serve,” Mr. Carrigg said.

Incorporation officially occurred on Aug. 1, 1981, as the Ideal-Wilson Medical Center (a combination of Ideal Hospital in Endicott and Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City) joined forces with Binghamton General Hospital to become UHS Inc., a not-for-profit System.

In the years since, with extraordinary leadership and unwavering support, UHS has been able to achieve many milestones.  We have become an integral part of the communities across our service area, responding to people’s needs and partnering with our region to enhance life and well-being.  Since the creation of the UHS System in 1981, we have expanded beyond UHS Hospitals to include a number of significant additions to our System:  UHS Senior Living at Ideal, UHS Home Care, the UHS Medical Group, UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital and UHS Delaware Valley Hospital.  And we have benefitted greatly over the years from the ongoing support of donors to the UHS Foundation.     

We completed a major renovation project, Pathway 2000, to prepare for the needs of the new century.  With a vision for an enhanced patient experience, we launched open heart surgery and cancer care programs, strengthened our primary care network and regional specialty services, built alliances with other hospitals and providers, added lifesaving new technologies and created a healthcare experience that is remarkable for a community our size. In the past few years alone, we have met the unparalleled challenges of COVID-19, adopted the revolutionary Epic electronic health record system and moved forward with an ambitious facility master plan to meet changing patient needs.

The UHS Wilson Project, featuring the Wilson Main Tower--the first major addition at UHS Wilson Medical Center in more than 30 years--will feature a new main lobby facing Main Street, four inpatient medical/surgical units with 30 private rooms each, as well as a new emergency department, an MRI suite and a rooftop helipad. Likewise, the Chenango Medical Neighborhood in Norwich has created a new emergency department and walk-in service to enhance UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital’s ability to provide exceptional care.

Through the achievement of our goals, our family of healthcare organizations and providers has succeeded in preserving hometown ownership of our institutions, extended care to those in need and saved area residents tens of millions of dollars by maintaining a cost-effective System. We embrace our mission as a regional referral center for high-level medical and surgical services, as well as the region’s largest employer.  And we extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of the patients, residents, families, employees, providers, volunteers, donors, board members, leaders, advocates and citizens who have supported UHS over the past 42 years. Our Values and our commitment to excellence will carry us forward to serve the people of our region for generations to come.