Good for Carthage Health center a boon for region

The opening of the new Carthage Community Health Center Monday is heartening news to the village and neighboring communities. The new building will help keep medical services close to those who need them, strengthen the regional health care system and boost downtown Carthage.

Operated by Carthage Area Hospital, the 6,000-square-foot building is the latest in the hospital's development over the past several years, and there are already plans for further growth. The new facility will house a woman's wellness center and pediatric care services, but the latter will eventually move to another building planned for the site.

The hospital has positioned itself as a provider of regional health care. The new buildings follow other expansion and renovation projects at the hospital on West Street over the past few years to improve hospital services that also include community primary-care centers and school-based health centers throughout Jefferson, northern Lewis and southern St. Lawrence counties.

The new health center ensures residents that they will have health care services available to them close by — services that enhance their quality of life.

The center marks another success in the village's comeback. It fills a void left in downtown Carthage after a March 2002 fire destroyed several buildings. A park and parking lot occupy part of the site, but the new facilities, with the people they will bring to the business section, will play a role in the village's revival.

It is a tribute to the dedication of the hospital leaders, supporters and community members who worked together to make the new facility a reality.