SAVING LIVES IN OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE PRIME SAVED THE LIFE OF OUR HOSPITAL
“Prime Healthcare has demonstrated in a very short period of time
how dedicated they are to preserving, advancing, and maintaining the hospitals
they buy. In my community they have truly become a partner to our citizens
and an integral part of the health care system in our state. I am very
proud to be affiliated with this hospital company.” — Shaun
Cournoyer Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Daniel Couture will never forget Christmas morning of 2013. This husband
and father of two was rushed into Landmark Medical Center in the midst
of – as he puts it – “a five alarm heart attack.”
Little did he know that as the doors to the ER swung open, he was entering
a STEMI emergency room, the
only one in northern Rhode Island. After immediate catheterization and two stents,
what might have been the worst day of Daniel’s life became the best
day of his lifetime. “I still well up when I think about what Christmas
would mean to my family, had I not been brought to Landmark,” he
remembers. “They saved my life.”
If Landmark Medical Center had not been acquired by Prime Healthcare in
2013, the ambulance transporting Daniel might have been forced to drive
many more miles, and Daniel’s story might not have ended so happily.
Landmark had been in court-appointed receivership for five and a half
long years. A prospective buyer had created hope for this beloved community
hospital, but withdrew in the 11th hour, leaving Landmark and its 1,200 employees standing at the altar,
with only enough capital to keep the doors open for two more weeks.
Enter Dr. Prem Reddy and Prime Healthcare, rescuing Landmark and the Rehabilitation
Hospital of Rhode Island in dramatic fashion. About $7 million was required
immediately to implement Prime’s acquisition. Another $5 million
was needed to fund the hospital’s operations while under review
by the Department of Health and the Attorney General’s office. Prior
to the final sale – on pure faith – Dr. Reddy and Prime Healthcare
invested even more capital in a hospital-wide telemetry system.
Right from the start, it was clear that Prime Healthcare’s commitment
to Landmark was about more than money. Prime Healthcare knew that, after
more than 140 years, Landmark had a vital connection to its patients,
and the generations before them. They didn’t just understand the
hospital’s role in the community, they understood the community
itself: economically distressed, but hard working and proud.
In the three years since Prime Healthcare’s acquisition of Landmark
Medical Center, the hospital has risen like a phoenix. Prime Healthcare
has invested $30 million to date, creating a renewal that’s tangible.
Our commitment to technology is attracting the brightest caregivers around.
We were the first facility in the state to acquire the da Vinci Xi surgical
robot, and it’s still the most advanced version in the state, even
among many larger hospitals. We’ve recently opened the Landmark
Wound Care Center, offering groundbreaking care in this critical area.
Our new Cancer Care Center is state-of-the-art in every way. And our OB/GYN
services have expanded considerably with the opening of a new facility,
RI Women’s Health & Midwifery.
A few years back, when Landmark’s fate was uncertain, community members
came out in numbers to express their support. They’re the reason
we’re so proud to now return the good will, paying our fair share
of property taxes to a city that was on the brink of insolvency. Today,
Woonsocket, RI is returning to vitality, and we could not be more proud
to be a part of it. After 140 years, it’s a new day.
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