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Council committee seeks more information after heated debate over planned service consolidation between Bellevue Women’s Center and Ellis Hospital
Summary
A Health and Recreation committee debate over consolidation of services between Bellevue Women’s Center and Ellis Hospital ended Aug. 18 without a committee resolution after a motion to support keeping surgical services at Bellevue failed for lack of a second.
Schenectady — Members of the City Council’s Health and Recreation committee debated Aug. 18 whether to adopt a resolution asking Ellis/Trinity leadership to maintain full surgical services at Bellevue Women’s Center. The committee did not advance a resolution after the motion failed for lack of a second.
The issue arose after a town hall where nurses and community members expressed concern about surgical-service transfers from Bellevue to Ellis (and oversight by Trinity Health). One council member said she had attended the town hall and wanted the council to discuss a resolution to support keeping surgical services at Bellevue. "This is kind of something that is really going to impact people that live in the city of Schenectady," she said.
Other council members warned about the city intervening in private hospital operations and cited Ellis’s financial difficulties. One committee member said, "I don't wanna lose Ellis Hospital," and another said Ellis administrators indicated that nurses offered affected staff comparable roles at Ellis. Nurses and union representatives had raised concerns that the changes would reduce access and worsen wait times for services such as mammography or specialty care.
Committee action and outcome: A council member moved to adopt a resolution supporting Bellevue Women’s Center’s surgical services; the motion failed because it did not receive a second. Committee leadership noted that a council member may secure a cosponsor outside the committee and place the resolution on the full council agenda if the clerk receives the paperwork by the Thursday noon deadline.
Why it matters: Council members framed the matter as both a health-access concern and a financial-stability question for Ellis. Supporters emphasized potential access barriers for low-income and transportation‑limited patients; opponents emphasized the need to keep Ellis solvent and the limits of municipal authority over private hospital systems.
What’s next: Proponents said they will seek a cosponsor to bring the resolution to the full council for consideration and will invite hospital and union representatives to brief the body. Committee members asked for more details from both Trinity/Ellis leadership and from nurses and community providers before advancing formal council action.
