CAPE VINCENT — The community’s health clinic, which has been operated by Carthage Area Hospital since 2002, soon will change hands.

Samaritan Medical Center hopes to officially take control of the operations at Cape Vincent Family Health Center later this month, pending approval from the state Department of Health, according to hospital officials.

“This should be a seamless transition for the current patients of the clinic,” Samaritan CEO Thomas H. Carman said in a news release. “The Cape Vincent location will complement nicely with our Clayton-based clinic. Both facilities have excellent people caring for the residents who live in and around their communities, and this will ensure that we continue to do so.”

Once approved, the 782 E. Broadway clinic will become part of Samaritan’s Family Health Network while maintaining the same staffing and providers.

“We are grateful to the Cape Vincent community and leadership for the tremendous support they have given us over the past 10 years. Additionally, we appreciate Samaritan’s efforts to assume the clinic operations to ensure continued access to health care services within the Cape Vincent community,” Carthage Area Hospital’s interim CEO, Adil Ameer, said in the release.

In March, Mr. Ameer said the hospital soon will consolidate services to help get itself back on solid financial ground.

At that time, he said Carthage Area Hospital would relinquish control of its Harrisville outreach clinic to Lewis County General Hospital, Lowville, and close two school-based health centers, but he did not mention Cape Vincent’s community clinic.

Cape Vincent town Supervisor Urban C. Hirschey said town and village officials saw that the clinic was a strain on Carthage Area Hospital’s finances, because it was outside of the hospital’s primary service area, and proposed the idea of Samaritan taking over.

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