Ellis Medicine is planning to set up shop at the former Veterans Affairs Clinic in Schenectady County.
Ellis Medicine is in the process of signing a lease for the old VA clinic in the Town of Rotterdam and is planning to open its own clinic there in January.
Ellis CEO Paul Milton, who made the announcement at a community meeting in Schenectady, says it's part of a push to increase Ellis' geographic footprint.
"Obviously, we saw the news, like everybody else, that the Rotterdam veteran's site was going to close," Milton said in an interview. "We're interested in expanding primary care and cardiology services, so we reached out to them. As of now, we're signing a lease with them to open up services there."
The announcement comes as Ellis is embroiled in a legal battle with St. Peter's Health Partners over access to cardiologists.
During a since abandoned merger between St. Peter's and Ellis, 27 cardiologists signed contracts with St. Peter's that barred them from working with Ellis for one year. Milton says 20 of those cardiologists are planning to work for Ellis starting in January despite that non-compete clause.
The VA clinic closed in August over the objections of a bipartisan group of lawmakers who argued the closure would make healthcare less accessible for veterans in rural areas or with limited transportation.
A Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson said in a statement that 80% of the Rotterdam clinic's patients lived closer to a VA site in Clifton Park, and that the closure would save the federal government $1.5 million annually.
