New Square, NY – Plans for New Clinic at Refuah Health Center On Hold

New Square, NY – Helen Hayes Hospital had hoped to open a satellite clinic in Ramapo offering physical and occupational therapy soon after the first of the year. But because of the poor economy and cuts in state funding, plans for the clinic, in the Refuah Health Center, have been put on hold indefinitely.

A state hiring freeze means that Helen Hayes, a state-run rehabilitation hospital in West Haverstraw, cannot hire new therapists to staff the clinic, hospital spokeswoman Mary Creagh said.

“The hospital remains committed to opening the outpatient rehab center at the earliest possible date,” Creagh said.
But she could not predict when that might happen.

Refuah officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Helen Hayes received permission from the state Department of Health during the summer to open the outpatient rehabilitation hospital in the New Square location. The cost is put at $119,726.

Helen Hayes staff met with Refuah officials several times to try to work out the arrangements, including renovations needed for the clinic, Creagh said. But the deal fell through when the state hiring freeze went into effect.

The proposed clinic in New Square would have been open to anyone who had a prescription for occupational or physical therapy.

The Refuah center, at 728 N. Main St., primarily serves the area’s large Hasidic Jewish population but also serves “all who wish to avail themselves of the center,” its Web site says.