Little Falls Hospital Primary Care Center Breaks Ground

Little Falls Hospital, part of the Bassett Healthcare Network, celebrated its groundbreaking on June 28, 2019, for a new primary care center in Dolgeville.

Michael L. Ogden, president of Little Falls Hospital, announced that the F.M. Kirby Foundation contributed $1.25 million toward the $2.9 million needed to build the 5,000-square foot primary care center. The new center will be named in honor of Walker D. Kirby, who was an active volunteer and board member of the F.M. Kirby Foundation.

President S. Dillard Kirby said, "Our family and our Foundation have had a long and very positive partnership with Little Falls Hospital. The matriarch of our family, Walker D. Kirby, witnessed firsthand the compassionate care of the medical staff. Now, we are honored to help expand that primary care and support wellness efforts in Dolgeville and the immediate surrounding communities that meant so much to our parents and family. Mom and Dad would be so proud to have her name associated with a center focused on a healthy community, just as we at the Foundation are."

Little Falls Hospital was also awarded financial support from New York State. The hospital is slated to receive $480,000 from Empire State Development (ESD) for the relocation, design and construction of the new health center. Empire State Development President and CEO Howard Zempsky said, "New York State is investing in communities, and along with Bassett Healthcare Network's significant investment, is contributing to the health and wellness of the many Little Falls Hospital patients and families who will be served by the new Walker D. Kirby Primary Care Center."

Ogden said the Walker D. Kirby Primary Care Center is an important step in the continued investment in health care for the greater Dolgeville community and surrounding area by Little Falls Hospital. "We are responding to the needs of the community by providing much-needed access to quality health care services. The community has always been very supportive of the current health center and hospital, so it is very exciting to be able to contribute to the health of the individuals and families who live in this area by constructing the Walker D. Kirby Primary Care Center in Dolgeville."

The Walker D. Kirby Primary Care Center is able to accommodate up to four practitioners. The new space will feature eight exams rooms, offices, a laboratory, and a space dedicated to community health-related activities. The space will also be available to community-based organizations whose goals are to address social determinants of health.

The Walker D. Kirby Primary Care Center will replace the current facility on Gibson Street. 

About the F. M. Kirby Foundation:
The F. M. Kirby Foundation is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey. Endowed in 1931 by Fred Morgan Kirby, one of the founders of the F.W. Woolworth Company, it was designed to continue in perpetuity through generations of the family. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded over $700 million in grants. Five Kirby family members, currently spanning two generations, serve on the board, as well as two non-family directors.