A new emergency medical center could come to Saratoga County through a partnership between Saratoga Hospital and Albany Medical Center. The new facility, located off exit 12 along the northway in Malta, would provide urgent and higher-level care from emergency-room physicians. Our C.J. Spang has more on the project.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

MALTA, N.Y. -- A year ago, Saratoga Hospital proposed a standalone emergency room in Malta, but the Department of Health didn't see a sufficient need and turned it down. This time around, project leaders are calling it an emergency center - with a unique approach to emergency-level medical services.

"We see a clear need and we want to be present in that community to provide what we think are needed services," said Angelo Calbone, President and CEO of Saratoga Hospital.

The proposed 30,000 square-foot facility will have around 75 staff members, and will hopefully operate on a 24-hour basis, according to project leaders. It's different than a traditional emergency room because it won't admit patients overnight.

"The question is, can we take that notion of urgent care center up a notch?" said Dr. Steven Frisch, Albany Medical Center Executive Vice President. "To a point where people would believe that a freestanding facility like this, anchored back to a couple of host hospitals...will in fact deliver a higher level of care, one that they're willing to come to."

The center could be on the fast track because it's jointly proposed by Saratoga Hospital and Albany Medical Center - a collaboration that's a first of its kind in the Capital Region - which could help in getting Health Department approval.

"They have a long tradition of being supportive and embracing collaborative arrangements," said Calbone. "So we believe this will be received positively."

If all goes to plan, the center would open in 2012.